The Runaways keeps on keeping on

The Kristen Stewart-Dakota Fanning vehicle The Runaways added $285K to its box-office total this weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. Directed and written by Floria Sigismondi, the biopic�s cume currently stands at $2.98 million. (Cost: $10m.)

The film�s per-theater average, however, was once again low for a movie in limited release (243 theaters): $1,214, or about half of what it was a week ago. (Another 39 theaters were added this weekend.)

On the positive side, The Runaways�s drop-off rate was relatively low, 37.1%. (Last week it jumped a whopping 182% following the addition of dozens of theaters.) Now, next week�s performance will depend on how many theaters will want to keep The Runaways on their schedule. If it sheds dozens of theaters, the film may suffer a steeper drop-off rate.

As I�ve mentioned before, The Runaways, much like Robert Pattinson�s Remember Me, will likely find a larger audience on DVD/pay-per-view. Considering its low $10 million cost, it should end up in the black as well.

The Runaways has been greeted by mixed reviews. But generally, Dakota Fanning (as Cherie Currie) and particularly Kristen Stewart (as Joan Jett) have received positive-to-enthusiastic notices.

Also in the film�s cast are Michael Shannon and Tatum O�Neal.


From: @inspiredbykstew
Altfilmguide

Dakota & Kristen make nifty cherry bombs in The Runaways

A veneer of smeared mascara on a heart of purest bubblegum � that�s the way the pioneering all-femme band The Runaways sounded on arrival in the 1970s. That�s also a fair description of writer-director Floria Sigismondi�s biopic The Runaways, a swift surface-deep tribute to rock �n� roll as the agent of self-invention.

Kristen Stewart is the surly tomboy who would become Joan Jett, the Susan B. Anthony of women guitar heroes; Dakota Fanning, blonde and bruised-looking, plays lead singer Cherie Currie, a blank screen waiting for a projected image. They�re both really good � especially Fanning, who has the more elusive and passive part � and if you never forget you�re watching people playing the parts of Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, that speaks more to the power of the roles than the effectiveness of the actors.

What Tolstoy said about happy families being all alike is true of bands on the make: the scenes of the group�s formation, crappy early gigs, rise to the big time and disintegration under pressure could be interchanged with almost any moderately successful act of the era. What sets this apart are the details of the female band members fighting rock�s entrenched sexism at every level, from bottle-hurling dudes to resentful cock-rockers � even as their leering Svengali, producer Kim Fowley (a hilarious Michael Shannon, in madly spieling Lizard King mode), writes checks on their sex appeal.

Jett was an executive producer, and Currie supplied the source book; even if that explains why the other members are mostly glorified extras, it still leaves one hungering for future headbanger Lita Ford�s side of the story � particularly since she�s portrayed here as a jealous shrew when she registers at all. But if The Runaways has any lingering message, it�s that the secret appeal of rock �n� roll isn�t just getting to tell your own story your own way, it�s getting to make it up too.


nashvillescene via kstewartfans via twilightbritneyfan

JJ, Floria, and Michael Shannon Talk About KStew

Joan on first meeting Kristen: I met her last New Year�s Eve. She came up to see a gig and I kind of just dumped on her about The Runaways for several hours and asked her if she was going to cut her hair. She said yes and I had great faith that she was going to be able to pull this off because she seemed very dedicated and genuine and authentic. We had a few weeks before filming started to spend some time and she picked my brain.

Joan on the process of making the film: Working with the actors was great. They were brilliant. The whole process was brutal, but in general working with the actors was great.

Michael Shannon on working with so many young actresses: They�re all very nice people and they�re all very nice to me. There�s no tension, really. Everybody was so focused on trying to do a good job, Kristen was constantly with Joan, trying to learn as much as she could and absorb as much as she could from her. Dakota was always practicing her moves and getting inside of Cherie�s frame of mind. It wasn�t a very social kind of thing.

On meeting Kim Fowley with Kristen: My first day of shooting, I hadn�t met him yet. We did a scene and at the end of the day Joan and Kristen were like, "You should really meet him; you�re playing this guy." I was like, "Yeah, you�re right." So they set up a dinner. We had dinner at this Denny�s in the Valley and he came with all these pictures and clippings, told me his whole life story in about two hours.

Floria Sigismondi on how Kristen got cast: It started with Art Linson, he�d worked with her on Into the Wild, so I saw her in that �the short amount of time she was on screen, she was so captivating. Her eyes just tell a lot. And when I think of teenagers, and these girls, too, teenagers don�t really sit there and express their feelings and talk�it�s all in the face. I really wanted someone who would emote visually, not talking that much. She�s got that kind of quality. So when I met her, I instantly knew I wanted her for Joan.

Floria on getting the girls ready to rock: We put them through some lessons, but [Kristen] already knew how to play guitar, but really just to have them kind of polish up�actually all the girls. And then Dakota, I actually put her in front of a live band to rehearse so she knew what it would feel like to compete against drums and big amps and really loud music.

Floria on Kristen�s transformation into Joan: I could see her change onstage when she was rehearsing with the girls�from the back, her body started to change, really, physically transform. And I think it was because she was standing like Joan does and getting that kind of arch in her shoulders and so that was really interesting to see.

Floria on how Joan�s presence on set affected Kristen: It gave her a comfort level that if she veered to something wrong, someone would say something. They had a close relationship.


popsugar via fiercebitchstew