Nick Nolte to 'Gangster Squad'

NolteNick Nolte is rounding out the cast of Ruben Fleischer's period crime pic ''The Gangster Squad.''Nolte will play LAPD chief Bill Parker in the Warner Bros./Village Roadshow film, set to begin shooting on Sept. 7 in Los Angeles. Nolte's deal closed Friday.''Gangster Squad'' stars James Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Emma Stone, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Pena, Robert Patrick, Frank Grillo and Holt McCallany.Kevin McCormick and Dan Lin are producing the Will Beall-scripted pic through their respective banners Langley Park. Jon Silk of Lin Pictures is co-producing.Project is based on the Los Angeles Times' seven-part series ''Tales From the Gangster Squad,'' which Warner acquired the rights two years ago. The articles, penned by Paul Lieberman, chronicled the LAPD's struggle with increasing crime and corruption in the 1940s by forming the Gangster Squad to keep East Coast organized crime figures out of Los Angeles. Nolte will be seen next in ''Warrior'' and he's been shooting ''Parker'' with Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez and Michael Chiklis. He's repped by CAA. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

DreamWorks Animation pacts with China's Youku

China's biggest online video streaming site, Youku.com, has struck a deal with DreamWorks Animation for online distribution of the "Kung Fu Panda" film franchise, the first time the studio's films will be available online in China. Both "Kung Fu Panda" titles are available for on-demand viewing on Youku Premium paid content platform and will subsequently bow on Youku's Hollywood Movie Channel after the paid viewing window closes, Youku said in a statement. Youku is effectively China's answer to YouTube, which is banned in China. The company listed on the NYSE in December. Earlier this month, the company reported its second quarter revenue nearly tripled from a year earlier, though it continued to operate at a loss. The "Kung Fu Panda" franchise has grossed more than $1.25 billion B.O. to date, and "Kung Fu Panda 2" was China's biggest movie in the first half of the year, taking $92 million in B.O. It has been a big hit in China, despite dealing with kung fu, pandas and Chinese history and folklore, subjects that are normally considered the exclusive terrain of Chinese filmmakers. The DreamWorks Animation artistic team visited China to obtain cultural references for the films. "It is particularly satisfying that Chinese audiences have responded so enthusiastically to the cultural references within our franchise and we look forward to making both 'Kung Fu Panda' movies available to more and more consumers in China through Youku," said Kelley Avery, DreamWorks Animation head of worldwide franchise strategy and distribution. Youku chairman and CEO Victor Koo said agreements like the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise deal allowed Youku to expand on the traditional movie release roadmap. "Both titles have a proven track record of success with Chinese audiences, and we look forward to expanding our alignment with Hollywood studios in the future to offer even more compelling content," he said. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

Our Idiot Brother Red Band Trailer: What an Effing Moron

Red band trailers are the Movieline reader’s one-stop shop for swear words, PG nudity, and otherwise offensive dialogue. They’re the Costco of cusses. In the new red band trailer for the pleasant-seeming Our Idiot Brother (read the Movieline review here), Paul Rudd befuddles his parole officer, interrupts some schtupping, and survives the cutting commentary of his sister Elizabeth Banks. It’s all very red, you know? I’m guessing this will contain the same amount of laughs as Horrible Bosses, the summer’s other completely literal comedy title. Like Bosses, it employs vulgarity to a certain degree, but it mainly amps up the outrageousness of its characters for the biggest payoff. I’m wary of Elizabeth Banks as a pill and Zooey Deschanel in goofy, cutesy roles, but I’d be surprised if this turned out to be, say, less than enjoyable. In fact, I’d prefer it be really fucking enjoyable. VERDICT: Sold. [via Moviefone]

ABC Bans Weinstein Company's 'Our Idiot Brother' Commercial (Video)

ABC is refusing to broadcast a commercial spot for the R-rated comedy Our Idiot Brother unless certain cuts are made, the Weinstein Co. announced Thursday.our editor recommendsPaul Rudd in 'Our Idiot Brother': Director Jesse Peretz Talks CastingWatch Paul Rudd in 'Our Idiot Brother' Trailer ABC is asking for three cuts: a visual of an exchange of what is assumed to be drugs; a visual of Paul Rudd's character using a juice box to depict urination; and various references to getting high and smoking. Asked for a comment, ABC said: "The ABC Television Network approved and accepted multiple spots for Our Idiot Brother, and has aired spots for this film. The network did not accept spots that violated our long-established Ad Guidelines." FILM REVIEW: Our Idiot Brother The television ad that ABC is refusing to run is already airing in its current form on other broadcast and cable networks. The move prompted Harvey Weinstein to cut a new red-band trailer for the comedy, which opens Friday at the domestic box office. PHOTOS: 'Our Idiot Brother' and Other Sundance Buzz Films "We'd like to dedicate our new red band trailer for Our Idiot Brother to censorship everywhere," TWC co-chairman Weinstein said. "Enjoy!" Our Idiot Brother is about three sisters -- played by Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Moritmer -- and their incurably optimistic sibling, played by Rudd. The ensemble comedy also stars Steve Coogan, Hugh Dancy, Kathryn Hahn, Rashida Jones, Shirley Knight, T.J. Miller and Adam Scott. Check out the NSFW red band trailer below. Related Topics Elizabeth Banks Emily Mortimer Paul Rudd Zooey Deschanel My Idiot Brother NSFW

'Machine Gun Preacher' Trailer Is 'Tricky,' States Director

There's certainly a skill to cutting a great movie trailer. A filmmaker should not wish to give an excessive amount of away, but naturally reveal an adequate amount of the film's plot in order to lure a crowd to purchase tickets opening weekend. For director Marc Forester ("Casino Royale," "Finding Neverland"), fine-tuning a clip for his new action drama "Machine Gun Preacher" was tricky business, for the reason that he desired to show the film's action and emotional sides. "Its a troublesome factor to create a balanced trailer," he told MTV News lately. "Im happy with the way it switched out because you need to give a difficult aspect of a clip since it is this emotional journey of the unlikely hero. You need to give a part of that, but simultaneously you need to give some the experience area of the movie too, so to obtain the balance was quite tricky." "Machine Gun Preacher" is inspired through the real-existence story of former drug dealer-switched evangelical preacher and activist Mike Childers (performed by Gerard Butler), that has been fighting their own war of sorts against warlord Frederick Kony and the violent Lord's Resistance Military. "For me personally, the interesting factor about [Childers] is he is not your perfect hero," Forster described. "He's this character that has very abusive characteristics, but simultaneously constantly put his existence at risk in order to save kids." "After I see clearly, I felt like I needed to tell the storyline because I felt a lot of us believe were powerless," Forster remembered. "This is a guy who's misleading, required energy in the own hands to alter peoples destinies in an optimistic way. ... Despite the fact that I do not always accept the way in which he's tried it, I still thought it was incredible," he accepted. "This can be a guy who's there altering lives, without any education, no financial assets, he required it upon themself to assist these kids and that i discovered that a tale worth telling." Inform us what you believe within the comments section as well as on Twitter!

Roy Keane When I View It

There is forget about spoken-about domestic footballer within the 2002 World Cup than Manchester U . s . and Ireland's combative captain Roy Keane--and that he did not even obtain a kick, after being sensationally told to go home by worldwide boss Mick McCarthy--but debate and head lines would be the regular food staple for that go-it-alone midfielder, and also the documentary When I View It verifies the guy themself could not care less. The film covers fairly well-trodden ground: his arrival at Forest, the ill-feeling that supported his proceed to Old Trafford, the trophies, the red-colored cards, that coffee problem, the injuries--their own and individuals he allegedly caused on others--through towards the Ireland bust-up. While it's certainly his side from the story, it is a hpv warts-and-all portrait. Yes, Keane's autobiography covers the important thing issues in greater depth, but this film provides action to balance the anecdotes, with footage covering from his earliest professional performances through to his development in to the new Bryan Robson in the centre of Mister Alex Ferguson's reborn U . s .--such as the 1999 Champions League campaign that saw Keane drive his side in to the final simply to lose out because of suspension.

Broadway B.O. holds steady

Enduring tuner Mamma Mia! climbed a bit a the B.O.Almost every Broadway show saw sales taper off a bit last week, but the overall cume managed to uptick, thanks largely to the newest addition to the boards, "Follies." The tuner played its first full week of eight perfs -- vs. the one preview during played the prior frame -- and brought in $725,062, playing to auds at close to 75% of capacity of the sizeable Marquis Theater. Those figures aren't whoppers, but they're certainly solid for a serious-minded tuner that didn't confirm a Broadway run until a couple of months ago. If all goes well, the continuing preview period could help seed word-of-mouth over the next few weeks. Only a handful of shows posted gains last week, and none were particularly notable. "The Book of Mormon" ($1,289,948) broke its 15th house record at the O'Neill Theater, hitting an average ticket price of more than $147. Another of last season's spring tuners, "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" ($674,867), also rose, whereas "Sister Act" ($700,644) dipped by about 9%. Play "Jerusalem" ($338,979) went up a bit, thanks perhaps to a jolt of last-minute biz prior to its Aug. 21 closing. Consistent tourist-magnet "Mamma Mia!" ($878,148), soon to celebrate its 10th anniversary on the Main Stem, also climbed a bit. Strong B.O. at that show may not hit the jaw-dropping heights of blockbuster emeritus "The Phantom of the Opera" ($986,477), but the Abba musical nonetheless seems to show a similarly enduring appeal. Otherwise, the majority of individual productions last week reported minor declines in a sign of the slight late-summer fatigue that can sometimes hit Broadway. It's hardly enough of a downturn to prompt concern -- few offerings were slipped more than a few percentage points, and some wavered even less than that. In general, the frame's numbers were still fairly robust, and seem certain to stay that way until the post-Labor Day slump. Overall cume rose by about $300,000 to $20.9 million for 24 shows on the boards. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

Back to Stay (Abrir puertas y ventanas)

A Look Now! (in Switzerland) release of an Alina Film, Ruda Cine, Waterland Film, Radio Television Suisse production, in association with Fortuna Films. (International sales: the Match Factory, Cologne, Germany.) Produced by Violeta Bava, David Epiney, Rosa Martinez Rivero, Eugenia Mumenthaler. Directed, written by Milagros Mumenthaler.With: Maria Canale, Martina Juncadella, Ailin Salas, Julian Tello. (Spanish dialogue)Three sisters take different approaches to moving forward following their grandmother's death in "Back to Stay," a self-conscious, ultimately slight debut from Milagros Mumenthaler. Seemingly custom-made for its Hubert Bals Fund grant, the pic drops auds into the protags' lives without granting any background information, almost perversely keeping key elements a mystery in order to let the characters' immediate present guide viewers' unadulterated response. Judging from the film's Golden Leopard win in Locarno, the device will work for some, but apart from a few interesting stylistic choices, many arthouse denizens will be left cold. The Spanish title, which translates as "Open Doors and Windows," hints at the old phrase "When a door closes, a window opens." Mumenthaler takes it to heart, especially in the first half, with a number of overly obvious images of doors slamming shut and opening. However, the pic's most interesting component is unquestionably the way the helmer constructs space, centered around a lifeless, undecorated central hallway, with the bedrooms and living room the only spaces that feel inhabited. Very little is shot outside the confines of the house. The three sisters -- whose total lack of resemblance to one another keeps auds guessing at their relationships far longer than necessary -- have recently lost their grandmother, who was also their guardian. They're in emotional limbo, each dealing with rudderlessness in a different way. Marina (Maria Canale), who is going to college, behaves like the mature, responsible one in the house. She insists on keeping everything exactly the same, unlike diffident, prickly and secretive Sofia (Martina Juncadella), who needs constant change (clothes, decor). Finally there's Violeta (Ailin Salas), a couch potato barely able to muster the energy to put something on over her underpants. The three come together and separate with increasing levels of distrust, until Violeta leaves a note and a phone message saying she's at the airport with her b.f. and won't be coming back. As summer turns to fall, Marina and Sofia slowly feel their way toward adulthood, which means learning to move on. Among the frustrations of the script (which went through Cannes' Cinefondation) is its refusal to explain anything not directly seen onscreen. The sisters' financial status is apparently not an issue, but where is Sofia getting extra money from? Who is the guy (Julian Tello) in the house out back? Why does Violeta leave so suddenly? Is there really no one -- family, neighbors -- to offer them comfort and guidance? The artificiality of the dialogue delivery doesn't help; neither does the basic problem that the protags are not a sympathetic threesome. One scene goes some way toward forging a stronger connection: The sisters sit on a sofa listening to Bridget St. John's "Back to Stay" as Marina softly sings along, Violeta cries and the camera moves gently closer. But auds will split over whether it's enough to make them feel emotionally invested. Visuals are attractive, and Martin Frias' gently gliding camera conveys some of the melancholy attached to the house and its inhabitants. How it circumscribes space, and the way individuals function within their own spaces, ultimately becomes more interesting here than any narrative development.Camera (color), Martin Frias; editor, Gion-Reto Killias; production designer, Sebastian Orgambide; costume designer, Francoise Nicolet; sound (Dolby Digital), Henri Maikoff; associate producer, Ilse Hughan; assistant director, Nicolas Lidijover; casting, Maria Laura Berch. Reviewed at Locarno Film Festival (competing), Aug. 7, 2011. Running time: 99 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

MTV Cancels 'The Hard Times of R.J. Berger'

Courtesy of MTV"The Hard Times of R.J. Berger" Despite record ratings for its second-season premiere, MTV has opted not to move forward with its comedy The Hard Times of R.J. Berger. The comedy, which starred Paul Iacono as a well-endowed high school student, premiered strong in March following the Jersey Shore finale, drawing a series-high 3.1 million total viewers. Ultimately, the ratings dropped to less than 1 million viewers per episode. The series helped pave the way for scripted fare on the network, including hourlong supernatural drama Teen Wolf and comedy Awkward. MTV renewed Teen Wolf for a second season in July; Tuesday's installment of high school comedy Awkward hit a series high in the viewers ages 12-34 demographic. A decision on a second season of the comedy starring Ashley Rickards has not yet been made. MTV also has new scripted half-hour comedy Death Valley bowing later this month as well as the January launch of the dramedy I Just Want My Pants Back, with comedy Inbetweeners in production for next year. MTV canceled racy teen drama Skins in June. Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit

Game of Thrones Casts Robert Pugh as Craster

Robert Pugh Robert Pugh has been cast as Craster in Game of Thrones, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Craster is a shaky ally to the Night's Watch and the master of Craster's Keep, which lies beyond the Wall. He is also known for his oppressive relationships with his 19 wives and many daughters, including Gilly, to be played by Hannah Murray on the show. HBO's Game of Thrones finds its Gilly, Hallyne Pugh's credits include The Ghost Writer and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. The actor is the latest to join the large and impressive guest cast for Season 2 of the HBO fantasy drama. The additions of Murray and Roy Dotrice broke earlier this week. Also in the cast: Liam Cunningham as Davos Seaworth, Stephen Dillane as Stannis, Carice van Houten as Melisandre, Gwendoline Christie as Brienne, and The Tudors's Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell. Will he make a good Caster?

ICM Adds The Atlantic To Newspaper And Magazine Clientele

ICM, which has set up dozens of option deals for its client The New York Times and which just recently started making deals for New York Magazine, this week has signed The Atlantic. The agency will package the magazine's articles for film, TV and online. Founded in 1857, the magazine has over the years published works by Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Charles Portis, Philip Roth and Dennis Lehane. They've had articles optioned for film and TV, but now they have an agency proactively shopping present and past content to Hollywood. ICM will rep all Atlantic Media Group properties, including National Journal Group and Government Executive.

Judge Declines Comcast Request to prevent DirecTV Ad Campaign

Getty Images A federal judge in Illinois has rejected a Comcast request a brief constraint order against competitor DirecTV to prevent an advertisement campaign it considered deceitful. Comcast prosecuted DirecTV earlier this year declaring that the national campaign was meant to mislead football fans into thinking they'd receive "free" football with using their service. Comcast contended that DirecTV was attempting to pull a bait-and-switch, tempting fans with "free offers" but really imposing in it a 2-year contract with "hefty" cancellation costs, plus automatic renewal within the second year in the full cost. El Segundo, Calif.-based DirecTV rapidly responded by declaring the allegation "edges on absurd." The particular phrase in the advertisements is "no extra charge," the organization responded, that has allegedly been transposed to "free" by Comcast "as though this means exactly the same factor." Now a federal court has agreed, decreasing to prevent the ad campaign. DirecTV released the next statement from Jon Gieselman, its senior vice president marketing and network marketing. "We're pleased the judge recognized Comcast's veiled make an effort to limit our capability to compete available on the market and refused the TRO. We're pleased to go mind-to-mind with Comcast every day on whose service is superior, therefore we anticipate competing available on the market as opposed to the court docket." Email: Matthew.Belloni@thr.com Twitter: @THRMattBelloni RELATED: DirecTV Defends Football Advertisements Against 'Deceptive' Comcast Suit Comcast Sues DirecTV Over 'Deceptive' Claims of 'Free' Public National football league Games Comcast DirecTV

Actress Hind Rostom dies at 82

Actress Hind Rostom, a star from the golden era of Egyptian cinema, has died in Cairo. She was 82.Egypt's MENA state news agency said Rostom died Monday of a heart attack at a Cairo hospital shortly after being admitted with chest pains.With her blond hair and good looks, Rostom often played the sultry seductress, and she quickly rose to become one of Egypt's best-known actresses.She won popular acclaim for her 1958 film "Cairo Station," about the city's underclass and their struggles to survive. She starred in it with Youssef Chahine, one of Egypt's most lauded movie directors.Among her other well-known films were "Love Rumor" and "Struggle on the Nile" with Omar Sharif -- the country's most celebrated actor.Born in Alexandria, Rostom defied her conservative upbringing to stake out a career in film. She was dubbed by fans the Marilyn Monroe of the Arabs and "the queen of seduction" of Egyptian cinema.She quit acting in 1979 because, she said, she wanted the people to remember her as a beautiful movie star.Her last public appearance came after Egypt's popular uprising in January that forced President Hosni Mubarak to step down.Rostom was married twice. She is survived by her second husband and a daughter. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

The Oscars Announce 2012 Telecast Producers Don Mischer and... Brett Ratner?

Well, isn’t this quite the youthful shake-up! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has announced the producers who will create next year’s Oscars telecast: previous telecast director Don Mischer and Rush Hour/X-Men 3 director Brett Ratner. Does this mean less snooze and more explosions for the annual awards season centerpiece? Praising Ratner’s penchant for taking “interesting” and “inspiring” risks, Academy president Tom Sherak welcomed the director/producer in a statement. Emmy winner Mischer also gave props to his new co-producer, promising a “fresh,” “unique,” and “fast-paced” facelift for the venerated telecast. From the Academy of Motion Pictures & Sciences: Beverly Hills, CA — Brett Ratner and Don Mischer will produce the 84th Academy Awards telecast, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak announced today. This will be Ratner’s first involvement with the Oscar show; Mischer will for the second year in a row serve as a producer and as the telecast director.“I was so impressed with Brett when I met with him to discuss the Oscar show,” said Sherak. “He has an incredible love of film and its history and is a true student of the business of movies. He’s unbelievably creative and knows how to take risks that are both interesting and inspiring. Together with Don Mischer - who, by the way, just earned an Emmy nomination for his work on the 83rd Academy Awards - I think these two will give us a fantastic Oscar show that you won’t want to miss.”“I’m thrilled that Don will again bring his tremendous expertise to the Oscar telecast,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “And Brett has a really smart and fresh take for the show. They have great chemistry, and their vision meshed so well with ours.”“Making movies has been my dream since childhood, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have made several, but the Oscar show is in a league of its own,” said Ratner. “It will be fantastic to work with a live television master like Don to meld the glamour of legendary Hollywood with the enormous talents who thrill moviegoers today.”“The Academy Awards are in a class by themselves, and I’m elated that the Academy has asked me to return,” said Mischer. “I hope to take the wealth of knowledge I now have about the Oscars, which is a completely unique kind of show, and work with Brett to create an evening that is fast-paced, fun, and memorable to movie fans and Oscar fans everywhere.”Ratner’s work spans movies, including eight features; numerous television series; over 100 music videos; and a multitude of commercials. A native of Miami Beach, he is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he now serves on the Dean’s Council. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Simon Wiesenthal Center. Ratner’s next directorial release is “Tower Heist,” due out in November, and he will soon begin directing “39 Clues” for DreamWorks, based on the popular young-adult book series published by Scholastic, as well as “Hercules: The Thracian Wars” for MGM. Ratner’s film producing credits include “Horrible Bosses,” currently in release, as well as an upcoming adaptation of “Snow White,” in which Julia Roberts will play the Queen. Additionally, Ratner has produced documentaries about the legendary photographer Helmut Newton and the actor John Cazale, and he executive produced the documentary “Catfish” as well as the upcoming “Seriously Funny - The Comic Art of Woody Allen,” which will debut on PBS in November as a two-part installment of the “American Masters” series.In addition to the 83rd Academy Awards, Mischer’s producer/director credits include “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial,” “The Kennedy Center Honors,” several Super Bowl half-time shows and the opening ceremonies of both Winter and Summer Olympic Games. He has also produced specials with a wide range of musical performers, including Bruce Springsteen, Beyonc, Bono, Barbra Streisand, Justin Timberlake and Yo Yo Ma. Among the many honors he has earned are 15 Emmy Awards, 10 Directors Guild of America Awards, two NAACP Image Awards and a Peabody Award. The 2012 Oscars will be televised Sunday, February 26, 2012. Ratner, meanwhile, has his directorial feature Tower Heist scheduled to hit theaters on November 4, 2011 — smack dab in the middle of awards season! What kind of conflict of interest could his new gig present should Tower Heist nab those coveted Oscar nominations? · OSCARS: Academy Announces Producers Of 84th Telecast — Brett Ratner And Don Mischer [Deadline]

Biography - Johnny Depp

Chronicles the life of the eccentric, sensual, uncompromising, and media-shy star of Pirates of the Caribbean. Johnny Depp rebelled against his early image as a Hollywood hunk, opting to play complex characters in such movies as Edward Scissorhands and What's Eating Gilbert Grape?. Along the way, he romanced actress Winona Ryder and model Kate Moss before wedding French singing sensation Vanessa Paradis.

'Harry Potter' Earns $1 Billion Worldwide: Box Office Report July 29-31

The biggest news at the box office this weekend had nothing to do with the head-to-head battle between alien-wrangling cowboys and three-dimensional toys, though we'll get to that, of course. Instead, it was the fourth-place film, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2,' that conjured headlines with its $1 billion worldwide haul. Warner Bros. announced on Sunday that the franchise finale had become the ninth movie in history to cross that threshold, not to mention the biggest hit in the franchise, beating the $974.8 million worldwide gross earned by 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' in 2001. Meanwhile, Universal executives had to be asking themselves, What the smurf? 'Cowboys & Aliens' rode into town, guns a-blazin', all but certain to lasso the top spot. But the gunslingers and extraterrestrials found an unexpectedly equal foe in the wee blue folk with the floppy caps. The result: an astonishingly strong showing by 'The Smurfs' that left both movies in a virtual tie when early studio estimates were issued on Sunday. There's barely a Smurf's worth of difference in the claimed figures for the two movies: $36,206,250 for 'Cowboys' vs. '$36,200,000 for 'The Smurfs.' That's a difference of fewer than 800 moviegoers. So, while 'Cowboys' maintains the slimmest of edges on Sunday, 'Smurfs' could wind up in the saddle when final figures are released on Monday. 'The Smurfs' - Trailer No. 3 How did this happen? Most pundits expected 'Cowboys' to open above $40 million and 'Smurfs' to open around $20 to $25 million. After all, 'Cowboys' seemed a foolproof summer movie, a big-budget action spectacle genre mash-up with a perfectly explanatory title, made by the director of 'Iron Man,' starring Indiana Jones and James Bond, and amped by a stable-full of IMAX screenings among its 3,750 screens. In the other corner, 'The Smurfs' seemed designed to please little kids while alienating parents (with its terrible reviews) who fondly remembered the little guys from 1980s TV. It had 3D in its holster but no big movie stars, as well as a smaller release (3,395 screens). And yet, when Friday's numbers came out, it was the Smurfs who were riding tall and the cowboys who seemed Smurf-sized. On Saturday, 'Cowboys' took the pole position, while 'Smurfs' fell behind. That led to Sunday's expected photo finish, though Sunday business tends to favor family movies. Weak reviews didn't help 'Cowboys,' while 'Smurfs' spawned very strong word-of-mouth. 'Smurfs' also seems to have been timed well, released as 'Cars 2,' 'Zookeeper' and 'Winnie the Pooh' fade, and opposite a slew of movies geared toward older kids and grown-ups. The 3D factor helped a lot as well, responsible for 45 percent of the 'Smurfs' haul. And these live-action/CGI hybrids have done very well lately, even without big human stars - see 'Hop,' 'Yogi Bear,' and the 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' movies - while previous western/fantasy/sci-fi mashups have included such horse-apples as 'Jonah Hex' and 'Wild Wild West.' 'Smurfs' still has a long way to go to make up its estimated $110 million budget, but there won't be a lot of family competition for the rest of the summer, so the tiny blue army could go the distance. On the other hand, it's looking like a long shot for 'Cowboys' to recoup its estimated $163 million budget, especially with a new genre contender, 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes,' throwing a banana peel in its path this coming weekend. Last week's winner, 'Captain America: The First Avenger,' fell hard against the cowboy/alien/Smurf onslaught. It earned an estimated $24.9 million, down 62 percent from its debut a week ago, landing in third place. (Pundits had expected a second-week drop of about 50 percent, to about $32 million.) The film boasts a solid 10-day total of $116.8 million, but a fall that steep suggests that supersoldier Steve Rogers' legs aren't that strong. In fourth place, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2' earned an estimated $21.9 million. In its third weekend, it fell 54 percent, about what was expected. Its domestic total to date is $318.5 million. Overseas, Warner Bros. is claiming earnings of $690 million, for a worldwide total of $1.009 billion. 'Deathly Hallows' becomes the first of the eight 'Potter' pictures, and only the ninth movie ever, to top $1 billion. It's the second movie this summer to join that exclusive club; May's 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' has earned $1.033 billion. Not adjusting for inflation, 'Deathly Hallows' is now the eighth highest-grossing movie of all time (it's slightly ahead of 'The Dark Knight,' with $1.002 billion), while the current 'Pirates' is in sixth place. 'The Smurfs' wasn't the only new movie to outperform expectations. 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' opened in fifth place with an estimated $19.3 million, beating predictions of around $16 to $18 million. Although the movie opened in a market saturated with adult-oriented comedies, this one boasted decent reviews, the star power of Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling's abs. Overall, this year's domestic box office is slowly catching up to 2010's earnings. The gap between 2011's year-to-date grosses and the same figure this time a year ago is down to 5.2 percent, or $$347.8 million. The July outperformed last July by $78.3 million, up by 5.9 percent. 'Cowboys & Aliens' - Trailer The full top 10: 1. 'Cowboys & Aliens,' $36.206 million (3,750 screens), new release 2. 'The Smurfs,' $36.200 million (3,395), new release 3. 'Captain America: The First Avenger,' $24.9 million (3,715), $116.8 million total 4. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2,' $21.9 million (4,145), $318.5 million 5. 'Crazy, Stupid, Love,' $19.3 million (3,020), new release 6. 'Friends With Benefits,' $9.3 million (2,926), $38.2 million 7. 'Horrible Bosses,' $7.1 million (2,510), $96.2 million 8. 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon,' $6.0 million (2,604), $337.9 million 9. 'Zookeeper,' $4.2 million (2,418), $68.7 million 10. 'Cars 2,' $2.3 million (1,763), $182.1 million Follow Gary Susman on Twitter: @garysusman.