I admit it: I never see Tyler Perry coming.  The writer/director who has watched six of his eight feature films open at number one at the domestic box office always sneaks up on me somehow.  So while I was busy watching “Inglourious Basterds” crawl past $100 million this week, Perry’s latest Madea-melodrama had an unchallenged run at the top spot once again.  Meanwhile, other new releases like the Kate Beckinsale thriller “Whiteout” had less success finding a fanbase, leaving “I Can Do Bad” to rack up $24 million for Perry’s third-highest opening to date.

Welcome to fall at the box office, where the releases are smaller and so are the returns!  Four new titles hit multiplexes this week - all competing for the limited dollars that this, traditionally slower, weekend has to offer.  Producers Tim Burton and Timon Bekmambetov got an early jump on the frame by releasing their animated feature “9″ to 1,661 theatres on Wednesday (09-09-09).  In a crowded field this marketing ploy seems to have paid off and “9″ goes into the weekend with a $4.4 million head-start.  Wider openers include the Summit Entertainment slasher “House on Sorority Row” and “Whiteout”, which launched on 2,775 screens but couldn’t crack Friday’s top five.  The one to watch, however, is Tyler Perry’s latest Madea flick “I Can Do Bad All By Myself”.  On 2,255 screens “Bad” is playing for number one - hoping to outdo the $17.4 million Perry earned for “The Family That Preys” on this same weekend back in 2008.  Check back tomorrow to see if he makes it.

“9″ is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland that is visually inspiring, exquisitely crafted, unflinching (for an animated PG-13 movie), and frustratingly vapid.  It’s one thing to see a bloated summer blockbuster indulge in such technical indulgence at the expense of story and character (I’m looking at you “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”), but for a small movie like “9″ which was based on an animated short film and comes out of Universal’s art house distribution division, Focus Features, “9″ only cares about its technical and visual achievements and forgets its story and characters.

Before getting to the interview with Jennifer Connelly let me say a few quick words on Focus Features’ upcoming “9″ movie….go see the film as I thought it was great.  After all, you paid to see tons of crap this summer, so plunk down your cabbage for a decent film for a change.

Anyway, in “9″, Jennifer Connelly tackles her first voice over role as 7, a tough as nails warrior who just happens to be tiny.  At the “9″ junket, Jennifer talked about working in a sound studio as opposed to on a soundstage, as well as the upcoming “Creation” with husband Paul Bettany.  Watch the complete interview after the jump.

In all the coverage I’m going to write for Focus Features’ upcoming “9″, I want to make one thing clear - I really enjoyed this movie. It’s rare that American animated films don’t just pander to kiddies, and this one actually attempts to tell a very grown-up tale. Anyhow, Comic-Con mainstay Elijah Wood voices the title character 9, and at the “9″ press junket he gave maybe the best response ever to how he would attempt to survive after the apocalypse.  He also had plenty to say about genre films, animation, and trying his hand at producing horror films.  Watch the full interview after the jump.

If you were debating about the debut film from director Shane Acker, I’m here to tell you it’s great.  This visionary tale is worth more than a cursory glance and it’s definitely worth ten of your American dollars.  Set after the Machines have rained down the apocalypse upon us, “9″ shows a different perspective, one seen from the eyes of tiny Steampunk creations.

At the “9″ junket, director Shane Acker talked about the journey his film took from Student Academy Award winning short to feature release backed by visionary producer/directors Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov.  Watch the interview after the jump.

Opening on September 9^th is director Shane Acker’s debut feature film “9″. The film is based on his short that won an Academy Award, and with the help of producers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, he got to make a feature. While I have yet to see “9″, it looks really cool and the people I’ve spoken to that have seen it have told me positive things. So if you’d like to take a look at some footage, after the jump are 6 clips from the film and a 4 minute featurette.

Tim Burton made his second appearance at Comic Con this year on board the panel for 9. This time he is attached as producer to Shane Ackers new animated film “9″. After being shown the trailer for “9″, director Shane Acker, producers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, as well as stars Elijah Wood and Jennifer Connelly came out for a panel discussion and Q&A. What was talked about is after the jump.

After the draining events of Thursday (the bloody slap-fest between “Twilight” fans and all the other nerds will surely be exhausting to all), Friday is a moderate reprieve in terms of the Movies/TV arena.  Oh, there are still massive events happening, but basically you can just sit down in Hall H and enjoy the proceedings rather than making “Sophie’s Choice”-level decisions about which line to stand in (unless you’re a Joss Whedon fan; then you’re screwed).

Panel highlights from Day 2 of Comic-Con include the thankfully-early-in-the-day Warner Bros. (which will feature “Where The Wild Things Are”, Sherlock Holmes”, “Jonah Hex”, “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, “The Box”, and “The Book of Eli”),  the Disney-Pixar Animation (the “Toy Story” trilogy, “Princess and the Frog”, “Ponyo”, and “Prep & Landing”), “9″, “Legion”, “District 9″, and an in-depth conversation between Peter Jackson and James Cameron.

However, should you choose to venture forth, away from the comfort of Hall H (where all those panels are), you can swim in the waters of television with panels for “The Prisoner”, “The Big Bang Theory”, “Dollhouse”, TV Guide’s Sci-Fi Hot List, and a Q&A with Joss Whedon.

Hit the jump for the full schedule and to see what events I’ve highlighted because that’s everywhere I want to be.  Now excuse me while I fetch my time-turner.  Click here for Thursday.

Focus Features continues to make the smart moves in selling Shane Acker’s upcoming animated film “9″ by focusing on the aesthetic. It’s captivating and eye-catching and since the film doesn’t open with the words “Pixar” or “DreamWorks Animation”, it needs to sell on its look.

These eight character posters for the nine characters of “9″ (3 and 4 share a poster) do a cool job showing off all the characters as well as the post-apocalyptic wasteland they inhabit.

Hit the jump to see all the posters in our new gallery - along with short descriptions of each of the characters. “9″ hits theatres on September 9th.

While movie theaters won’t be getting the final movie poster for director Shane Acker’s “9″ till Friday, a select group of online sites have been given it early, and Collider is one of them. As you can (and in high resolution by clicking on the poster), the final one sheet looks great and it’s the first animated film I’ve wanted to see in a long time that wasn’t made by Pixar.

Of course it helps when you’ve got Tim Burton and Timur Berkmambetov as producers. If you haven’t seen the cool trailer yet, I suggest checking it out to learn more about the film.

Finally, the back-story of “9″ has begun to unfold through the voice of the film’s Scientist on Facebook. There you can see the Machine that will help rebuild the Nation and his designs that will change the world.

9 hits movie theaters on 9.9.09

Oh, Pixar.  You thought you were safe and secure in your computer-animated kingdom and no one could challenge your superiority.  Okay, well that’s probably true.  “Up” is amazing and I can’t wait to see it again.  But there ARE other animated movies coming up this year and one that I can’t wait to see doesn’t have a hopping desk lamp in front of it.

Shane Acker’s “9″ looks like one of the most original animated films in years with a imaginative aesthetic that’s “Little Big Planet” meets the apocalypse.  Throw in a little of Coheed and Cambria’s “Welcome Home” (used to great effect in the film’s previous trailer) and I think this film is going to be one of the year’s most anticipated and successful films with “9″ in the title.

Check out the new trailer after the jump.  “9″ hits theaters on (when else) September 9th.