Think about a room full of five million people. Now imagine they all bought one copy of your DVD. That's (kinda) what happened yesterday when Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest hit the video stores: People went entirely hog wild to get their hands on a copy for Little Timmy or Cousin Janey or ... themselves. (I'm entirely certain that my early review of the DVD was a huge factor in the sales department, and I'd like a Thank You card from Mickey himself. Or Belle.)

By selling 5 million units in one day, POTC2 is on track to become the biggest DVD ever (live-action division) and, combined with the cash-geysers that met a bunch of recent Disney DVDs (The Little Mermaid, Cars, Narnia), is sure to make everyone at the Mouse House all giddy with greenery. And by greenery, I mean cash. (Too bad they still have to fire all those animators, eh?)

For the record, the all-time biggest-selling DVD is Finding Nemo, which sold approximately 142 kamitojillion units, whereas the lowest-selling DVD of all time is BloodRayne, which at last count sold 12 copies. (It used to be 14, but two of 'em were returned for store credit after the buyers' moms saw that prison scene.)

Clearly all this digital pirate booty bodes well for the third and (ha!) final chapter in the Pirates trilogy ... and then I'll be back here next year announcing that the Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End DVD just sold 6 million units in one day. One of which will be mine.

(Quick poll for those who bought the DVD already: Did you get the 1-discer or the sweet, sweet 2-platter version?)

I have to admit that I'm a pretty big fan of the original Stargate film. Sure, there are one or two cringe-worthy moments -- particularly the one where the "mentally challenged" guy tries to run to safety in glorious slo-mo during a firefight but instead, gets blown up. I'm sorry, but that sequence made me chuckle instead of cry. It was just so much unexpected cheese --- almost as if it came from another movie. I know, cynical and jaded, right? Yeah, that's me. Other than that, and one or two minor issues, the film was a solid piece of Sci-Fi / Action filmmaking that I've watched several more times and continue to enjoy.

I found it a little strange that no sequel to the film was ever produced. Maybe it was too hard to get Kurt Russell and James Spader in the same room? For whatever reason, the producers of the film decided that the interests of the story and the fans would better be served on television -- and thus, Stargate SG-1 the TV series was born. After its debut, the series became a monster hit lasting eight seasons so far and spawning a spin-off of its own called Stargate: Atlantis. And that pretty much brings us up to date on the world of Stargate. That is, until actor Beau Bridges recently let slip some details concerning developments in the Stargate world.

According to our buddies over at Coming Soon, Bridges, while at the premiere of Steven Soderberg's The Good German, was asked what's in the future for the long-running Stargate SG-1 series. His answer: movies. According to Bridges: "They're talking about doing a couple of movies. I haven't actually signed on the dotted line, but there is talk about it." As you may know, Bridges plays Major General Hank Landry on Stargate SG-1, so it makes sense that he would probably know at least some details concerning any future theatrical plans for the current series. According to Bridges, he hasn't actually seen a script yet but when asked if the scripts were finished, he said: "Yes, I think they must be. Yes." So Stargate fans, if you've been waiting for the franchise's glorious return to the silver screen, you just may get you wish.

There doesn't seem to be any middle of the road for people who have seen The Blair Witch Project; either you love it or hate it. Personally, it was one of the scariest movie-going experiences of my life, and I have seen a lot of allegedly scary movies. I recall an e-mail to my brother saying I had found the <bleep>ing Holy Grail of horror films. The pseudo documentary style drew me into the film in a way a dramatic narrative couldn't, and a packed opening weekend audience filled with similarly riveted people made for a highly memorable experience.

As reported back in October right here on Cinematical, Blair Witch co-director Eduardo Sanchez's new film Altered is heading directly to DVD on December 19 thanks to Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Dread Central reports (by way of Fangoria.com) that the trailer for Altered is up and running on Youtube. I'm inclined to think the second directorial effort from one of the guys behind Blair Witch would be worth a look, but the trailer doesn't do much to inspire me. The film is about four men who were abducted by aliens several years ago. A fifth person who was abducted at the same time has never returned. Now the four survivors have captured one of the aliens and it's payback time. It's a premise with some merit, even if it does remind me of Fire in the Sky, but if I hadn't read the synopsis I would have been totally lost, as the trailer does nothing to explain what the film is about. On the strength of Sanchez's first film, I'll still be checking out Altered, but I don't see this trailer convincing anyone to watch the movie.

[Via Fangoria]

Mini-series certainly qualify as some type of "movie," so here goes: Steven Spielberg will produce a small-screen adaptation of The Talisman for the TNT network. As you probably know (if you're a horror fan) The Talisman is a novel co-written by Stephen King and Peter Straub in 1984, although the duo got back together again in 2002 to pen Black House -- which gives TNT a perfect sequel opportunity should they opt to go in that direction.

No word yet on who'll be writing/directing/starring in the 6-hour Talisman mini-series, but the last time Spielberg and TNT got together the result was the 10-hour Into the West, which everyone seemed to dig a whole helluva lot.

The Talisman has been rumored as a movie or mini-series for the better part of two decades, but it took Spielberg's involvement to get the job done. Here's hoping this production turns out better than most of ABC's King-flicks. In related news, everything that Stephen King has ever written has now been made into a movie, TV special, mini-series or student film. That includes supermarket lists, greeting card messages and autographs.

The peeps over at TMZ have managed to grab the first pic of Brad Pitt from the set of his new film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ... and he's gone bald ladies and gentlemen. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the first time Brad has gone bald since Fight Club -- not that it matters much, but I'm sure all you Pitt fanatics will be interested to see what the dude looks like without any hair. Of course, Brad didn't really shave his head, he just threw on one of them bald caps and, well, he looks kind of disheveled.

Personally, I'm really looking forward to Benjamin Button -- of course, the obvious reason being that this is David Fincher's next film after Zodiac. And since early buzz on Zodiac is telling us the film doesn't feel Fincher-esque, I'm real curious to see what he does with a plot that's a little more "out there." Benjamin Button also marks the third time Fincher and Pitt have worked together, and the other two films they collaborated on (Se7en, Fight Club) were outstanding pieces of work. For those not familiar with the film, Pitt plays a guy who begins aging backwards and winds up falling in love with a woman who is 20 years younger than he originally was. Sounds groovy. As of now, it looks like bald Brad will be arriving in theaters in May 2008.

Well, wow. That's pretty disappointing.

I speak of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival "Park City at Midnight" selections. In previous year the PCM program introduced me to the wonderful horrors of The Descent, Hard Candy, High Tension, May, Saw and Three Extremes.... But next year's line-up seems alarmingly short on the scary stuff. Obviously I cannot make any judgments about the program before I see the films, but going only on the genres and the plot synopses, it seems that next January's Midnight picks are much more comedic in nature. Well, comedies and general weird stuff is what it looks like. Here's the breakdown:

Fido -- Andrew Currie's "Romero meets Sirk" farce earned a small amount of positive buzz at Toronto, which is where James and I sat together and had a really good time with the flick. (Kim liked it too!) Lionsgate is currently preparing a release date for the film, but now we know why they were taking their time on that front.

Finishing the Game -- A mockumentary about the guy called in to "replace" the legendary Bruce Lee on Game of Death after the star passed away. From Better Luck Tomorrow (and, ugh, Annapolis) director Justin Lin.

It Is Fine. Everything Is Fine! -- Director Crispin Glover returns with a follow-up to his certifiably insane What Is It?

The Signal -- "A mysterious signal is being transmitted from all media devices in the city of Terminus, provoking murder and madness within the psyches of its inhabitants." Sounds promising. And check out the trailer!

Sk8 Life -- Apparently it's a Can8ian indie about a bunch of sk8ers who band together to save their beloved hangout from dem0lition.

Smiley Face -- Anna Faris stars as a girl who eats some crazy pot brownies and has a day full of wacky Araki misadventures. And check out the cast!

The Ten -- Some of the old State members got together to do a comedy anthology based on The Ten Commandments. Again, the cast is absolutely jam-packed with colorful folks.

We Are the Strange -- Apaprently someone called it "Monsters Inc. meets The Nightmare Before Christmas inside of a retro Japanese video game." Hmm, OK. The trailer certainly promises something ... yeah, strange.

So there's one I've seen already, two promising comedies, an animated brain-twister, an indie that uses 8s instead of As, another piece of brain-rust from Crispin Glover ... and a Gregg Araki ensemble comedy? Which leaves The Signal as my one small beacon of late-night horror. Ah well, a cool-looking line-up all the same, even if it's not as blood-drenched as I'd hoped it would be. (Plus there's always a few genre titles mixed in amidst the more "highbrow" programs.)

I constantly complain about modern special effects, how CGI creatures don't look realistic enough, but I have to admit this is pretty hypocritical of me. I love the work of effects legend Ray Harryhausen, and his models were never believable. There was a lot more inventiveness and craftsmanship in his effects, though, and there's no denying that the films he worked on have a creative spark that many modern fantasy films lack. Sometimes I think that my preference for model work over CGI has to do with their tangible appearance, but then that doesn't explain my forgiveness for the composite shots in Harryhausen films, which typically appeared as flat as today's worst CGI.

Anyway, despite our now having films with great computer effects like Jurassic Park and Peter Jackson's King Kong, Harryhausen will never be forgotten. Earlier this year, the 86-year-old received a well-deserved George Pal Memorial Award at the Saturn Awards and he was celebrated in the documentary The Sci-Fi Boys, which screened at Tribeca. Now, thanks to YouTube, someone is presenting all of Harryhausen's creatures and spaceships in a chronologically edited montage. Check it out below:

Wal-mart has officially entered the movie download game. Until now, the retail company had been sitting on the sidelines -- not without its influence, of course -- but apparently it isn't happy simply controlling the download industry, specifically iTunes' share, by way of bullying tactics. Starting today, customers can purchase a download of Superman Returns for as little as $1.97. There's a catch, however: to get the download, you have to first purchase the DVD of the same film. The DVD comes with a sticker, which features on it a code that you enter onto a special website. You then have the option of paying $1.97 for a copy for your iPod, Microsoft Zune, or other portable device; $2.97 for a copy for your laptop or desktop computer; or $3.97 for a copy that can be played on any type of player, portable or computer. Although it seems silly to have to buy the movie in order to buy another copy of the movie, at Wal-Mart's online price of $14.87 for the DVD ($5 less than Amazon and $1 less than Best Buy online), the company really knows what it is doing.

But, does this make Wal-Mart right? Whatever your opinions on the company, there is no denying that this idea is better than the plan to block studios from going to iTunes or the suggestion that Wal-Mart should get a percentage of iTunes movie sales. It may be a sneaky move, but it isn't an altogether perfect option for customers wanting movie downloads -- particularly those who want just the download -- and at least it is a competitive rather than bullying move.

Wal-Mart will be offering other DVD/download combos in the following months, and states that the idea is in a testing phase. As far as the company's interest in download-to-burn kiosks goes, I'm guessing that option has been abandoned.

Just because one of my old high school pals worked on both movies, that doesn't mean I really love both Starship Troopers movies. OK, I actually do love the first one, while the DTV sequel ... meh, a Saturday afternoon DVD, at best. And now it looks like the pair is about to become a trilogy, and get this: Johnny Rico is coming back!

Yep. According to reliable sources, veteran sci-fi screenwriter Ed Neumeier is poised to make his directorial debut on Starship Troopers 3, and I wasn't kidding about Johnny Rico: Original Trooper Casper Van Dien is planning to make his return to Bug Central! Having written both entries already (in addition to the original Robocop and, um, Anaconda 2), Neumeier is obviously pretty familiar with the genre material. (The first Starship flick was based on the classic novel by Robert Heinlein and resulted in a still buzzed-about Paul Verhoeven sci-fi action satire amalgam.)

Production is set to begin in South Africa next March, which means Starship Troopers 3 should be hitting your DVD stacks by this time next year.

It's been a while since we've had some news on Arthur and the Minimoys, save a trailer. Wait, Invisibles. No, Minimoys. Is anyone else getting a Sorcerer-vs-Philosopher flashback? To recap, the film is based on Arthur and the Minimoys, a book written by Luc Besson himself. In the book, Arthur and his grandmother are facing eviction, suffering in the absence of his grandfather, who is missing. After discovering one of his grandfather's drawings of a red-haired princess, he travels to the land of Minimoys in an attempt to save his family.

A mixture of live-action and computer graphics, Martha Fischer previously reported on the interesting cast that contains the voices of pop music icons Madonna and David Bowie. Now it's time to add a whole mess of non-musical names to the list. There are the funny men, like Jason Bateman and Jimmy Fallon, but there are also a whole slew of actors known for their macho image. With the likes of Harvey Keitel, Chazz Palminteri and Robert De Niro also in the film, do the Minimoys have their own collection of mini-mobsters?

Now that Besson is retiring from filmmaking, this could very well be his last directorial effort in the feature film world. If you're trying to get in all the Besson you can before he commits himself to a life of civic work and youth groups, you can also catch the Luc-penned Taxi 4 next year, although the third sequel to a franchise hardly seems like the right send-off to the man who made Leon. Arthur and the Minimoys will enjoy a limited release on December 15, and grab a larger release in the new year.

Here's a question for Anna Faris, one I'm sure has been frequently asked: Why do you continue to make such crappy movies? I completely understand using the original Scary Movie as a launching pad to bigger and better things, but then how do you justify Scary Movie 2, 3, 4 and 5? (Oh yes, they are making a part five. Now, that's scary.) Granted, she was decent in Just Friends, albeit a bit over-the-top, but if she remains on this course, Faris will turn into another Amy Smart -- just some blonde girl who looks sort of familiar, but never really stands out.

For her next role, Faris will be traveling across the pond, as well as through time, in the sci-fi comedy Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel. She'll be joined by three up-and-coming British comic actors; Chris O'Dowd (The IT Crowd), Dean Lennox Kelly (Shameless) and Marc Wootton (Confetti). Pic, which was written by Jamie Mathieson, revolves around two geeks and their cynical friend who "attempt to navigate a time-travel conundrum in the middle of a British pub." Wait, a British comedy that takes place in a British pub? Get out! Faris plays some girl who arrives from the future (hot off a stint in Scary Movie 12?) to help these boys along on their adventure. Gareth Carrivick will begin directing this epic next week in the UK.

The internet is truly an amazing thing. Without it this DVD would have never seen the light of day -- a true tribute to the steadfast voice of fans. While some reports claim that Margot Kidder said in an interview in 2004 that enough Richard Donner footage existed in a vault somewhere that he could make his own cut of Superman II, others say that rabid fans had asked Warner Bros. for years to release a cut of Superman II that was more faithful to Donner's vision (a fan film version had been circulating online, utilizing footage from the broadcast TV versions of the movie that had footage not in the theatrical release). Whichever version is true, internet fans seized on the concept and began pestering Warners with emails and online petitions, and it finally paid off. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut was released today on DVD, and is also a part of Warners massive The Ultimate Superman Collection DVD set.

Why all the hubbub over a film that's 28 years old? Well, I'm glad you asked. I'll do my best to give you a capsulized version of the sordid history of Superman II, but for much a much more in-depth explanation of the entire affair, check out the Wikipedia page for the new version of the film. Basically, Richard Donner shot most of the footage for Superman II while filming the original Superman: The Movie because the two films were supposed to be closely related to each other, two halves of one story. This included huge scenes that featured Marlon Brando which were never seen in the released film, all of Gene Hackman and Ned Beatty's scenes, and much more. After going over budget and over schedule on the original Superman film, the Salkinds (the producers on the Superman films) halted production on the sequel so that everyone could focus on completing Superman: the Movie. With me so far? Okay, let's press on ...

Younger folks may know Elvira as that vampire chick with the cleavage from all those beer commercials, but the character originated on Movie Macabre which premiered on KHJ-TV in Los Angeles in 1981. The show featured Elvira-Mistress of the Dark (a.k.a. Cassandra Peterson) introducing schlocky horror films while sporting a gothic gown with a plunging neckline and an industrial strength push-up bra. Horror movie hosts were once a staple of local television, but In 1982 Elvira became the first nationally syndicated horror host, bringing Movie Macabre to stations all across the U.S.

Shout Factory DVD has recently released six episodes from the series, with all of Elvira's introductions, quips, and corny jokes preserved. The original broadcast versions used edited-for-TV prints of the films, while the DVD versions retain all the gore and nudity that B-movie hounds demand. This is interesting, because Elvira often uses clips from the films while doing her schtick, and these clips are drawn from the broadcast versions, allowing viewers to compare and contrast the two different prints. The host segments look quite good for two-decade old video tape, while the quality of the film prints varies widely. Personally, I like the fact that the scratches and bad splices have been preserved. Many films deserve a pristine digital transfer; Doomsday Machine is not one of them. I think keeping the imperfections of these old prints helps seal in the schlocky goodness. The host segments are full of campy fun, but, as in the case of The Devil's Wedding Night, can be a bit long-winded. While the series sports no extras, it does allow the viewer to choose between watching the entire episode with Elvira's intros, or to watch just the film itself. As for the movies:

Were you lucky enough to catch The Fountain over the weekend? It seems like everyone else was shuffling their Happy Feet or playing at the Casino Royale, but I slipped into a half empty (what a shame) theater and caught this beautiful film. I was pretty glad I missed Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, because I was in the mood for something a little more somber. But don't worry, later this week after a couple of beers, I'll be getting my fill of Jack Black and Kyle Gass.

Darren Aronofsky's 1998 film Pi was one of those movies that hit me in the stomach and made me actually think about the world, and stayed with me for years afterwards. Movies like that are extremely rare these days, and when one comes along you want to latch onto it and encourage everyone to go see it. Unfortunately, when I told my friends that I was going to see The Fountain this weekend, they all responded with a collective: "Huh?" Most of them hadn't heard about the film, and after I mentioned that Hugh Jackman was in it, others said, "Oh right, is that the movie about magic?"

This is what happens when advertising for quality films are choked out of the public eye by zillions of previews for Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj and posters reminding you that American Idol will be back on the airwaves soon. Chances are that you never saw the poster for The Fountain as a result. Thanks to FirstShowing.net, you can actually own one to frame and hang on your wall. They are giving away 15 copies of the poster, and all you have to do is answer three very simple questions about the film. Enter now, and then rush off to see this movie before it vanishes from the theaters forever. This one needs to be seen on a big screen with a great sound system.

New Line decided to push back the release of Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny by one week in order to steer clear of Casino Royale and Happy Feet's openings, as well as to capitalize on a five-day Thanksgiving weekend. Did the move pay off? Hardly. Pic, which debuted on Wednesday, fell short of even landing in the top ten taking home a measly $3.3 million (counting Friday through Sunday only). So much for that whole destiny part, huh?

The big winners this weekend were, not surprisingly, Happy Feet ($37.9 million) and Casino Royale ($31 million) -- both of which finished number one and two respectively. The animated penguin flick crossed the $100 million mark in only 10 days, grossing an estimated $51.5 million over the course of all five days. Bond was not far behind, racking up $94.1 million throughout its first 10 days. The names Tony Scott, Jerry Bruckheimer and Denzel Washington were enough to land Deja Vu ($20.8 million) in third place, while the abysmal (according to Kim, at least) Deck the Halls captured the fourth spot with $12 million. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan continued to impress, as it too jumped into $100 million territory -- pic rounded out the top five with $10.4 million, for a grand total (so far) of $109.3 million after four weeks. As expected, Darren Aronofsky's latest trippy adventure, The Fountain, didn't do too well in its opening weekend, yet managed to snag the ten spot from Tenacious D with $3.7 million.

Full numbers (Friday through Sunday only) after the jump.