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IMDb ANNOUNCES THE TOP 10 MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS OF SUMMER 2012
The Hunger Games Is The #1 Highest-Grossing Midnight Opening For a Non-Sequel in History
(May 17, 2012) IMDb, the #1 movie website in the world, today announced the top 10 most anticipated films of summer as
determined by the page views of IMDb’s more than 150 million monthly unique visitors worldwide. Additionally, IMDb announced
the availability of Col Needham (IMDb’s founder and CEO) and Keith Simanton (IMDb’s managing editor) to conduct print and
broadcast interviews at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival from May 16 through May 24, 2012.
The most anticipated not-yet-released movies of summer 2012 as determined by page views on IMDb, are as follows:
1. 7/20/2012 The Dark Knight Rises
2. 6/08/2012 Prometheus
3. 7/03/2012 The Amazing Spider-Man
4. 6/01/2012 Snow White and the Huntsman
5. 5/18/2012 Battleship
6. 6/22/2012 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
7. 8/17/2012 The Expendables 2
8. 8/03/2012 The Bourne Legacy
9. 6/29/2012 G.I. Joe: Retaliation
10. 5/25/2012 Men in Black III
*Rankings determined by page views on IMDb since January 1, 2012 for all upcoming wide releases scheduled to appear in theaters
between May 18 and August 31, 2012. For more information, go to: http://www.imdb.com/summermovieguide/
INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:
Col Needham, IMDb’s founder and CEO, is available to discuss the following topics in print and broadcast interviews at the Cannes
Film Festival:
The IMDb story: IMDb’s inception and evolution throughout its 20-plus year history.
IMDb’s mobile strategy.
His impressions of the films he has seen thus far at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
His memories and personal experiences at prior Cannes Film Festivals, including the films he most enjoyed.
The films that were selected for inclusion in the 2012 Cannes Classics program.
Keith Simanton, IMDb’s managing editor, is available to discuss film-related topics including the following:
IMDb’s list of the top 10 most anticipated films of summer.
The summer movie landscape and box office results.
IMDb’s summer movie guide, located at: http://www.imdb.com/summermovieguide/
The films he’s seen thus far at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
Information and commentary culled from IMDb pertaining to the films selected for inclusion in the 2012 Cannes Classics
Program. See below for examples.
INFORMATION RESOURCE:
IMDb provides unique information, trivia and perspective on movies, including those selected for inclusion in the 2012 Cannes
Classics program. For example:
Jaws
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“The Jaws shoot was, by Spielberg’s own account (and certainly everyone else’s), a disaster,” said Keith Simanton, IMDb’s
managing editor. “It was said at the time that every day the shark went in the water, something went wrong. It was the first
film in memory to go 100 days over its shooting schedule. Some on the crew nicknamed the film Flaws, referred to the
effects crew as the ‘special defects’ department and called the mechanical shark ‘The Great White Turd.’ Spielberg himself
later said, ‘I thought my career as a filmmaker was over. I heard rumors . . . that I would never work again because no one
had ever taken a film 100 days over schedule.’”
Spielberg has a small vocal cameo as the voice on Quint’s marine radio.
The mechanical shark was named Bruce after Spielberg’s lawyer, Bruce Ramer. Ramer was also the lawyer for Albert S.
Ruddy, the producer of The Godfather. He can be briefly seen in the best picture of 1972, The Godfather. After Michael
Corleone murders the dirty cop McCluskey and the drug lord Sollozo, a montage of papers appear. In it The Daily Mirror has
a headline that proclaims ‘MOBSTER BARZINI QUESTIONED IN UNDERWORLD FUED.’ The accompanying photo shows a
policeman, Barzini (Don Corleone’s rival boss) and Barzini’s lawyer. The policeman is Albert S. Ruddy and the mobster’s
lawyer is the man who would give Universal the name of its shark, Bruce Ramer.
Lawrence of Arabia
Albert Finney was originally supposed to play the character T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia but turned it down because
he would have had to sign a 5-year Hollywood contract.
“Although 227 minutes long, Lawrence of Arabia has no women in speaking roles,” said Keith Simanton. “It is reportedly the
longest film not to have any dialogue spoken by a woman.”
Once Upon A Time In America
“The film premiered at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival in its original running time of 229 minutes,” according to Keith
Simanton. “But when it was released in America, it was heavily edited by the Ladd Company (against director Sergio Leone’s
wishes) and cut down to 144 minutes. This shorter version flopped in the U.S. and many American critics, who had seen
Leone's original cut, attacked the shorter version viciously.”
Jennifer Connelly made her big screen debut in this film which commenced shooting when she was aged 11.
To request an interview with Col Needham or Keith Simanton, contact:
Emily Glassman
IMDb’s Head of PR and Original Content
Email: glassman@imdb.com
Cell: 206-708-4478
About IMDb
IMDb is the world’s most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. The IMDb consumer site
(www.imdb.com) is the #1 movie website in the world with a combined web and mobile audience of more than 160 million unique
monthly visitors. IMDb offers a searchable database of more than 130 million data items including more than 2 million movies, TV
and entertainment programs and more than 4 million cast and crew members. Consumers rely on the information IMDb provides --
including showtimes, trailers, critic and user reviews, personalized recommendations, photo galleries, entertainment news, quotes,
trivia, box-office data, editorial feature sections and a universal Watchlist -- when making viewing decisions. IMDb’s portfolio of
leading entertainment apps includes its popular “Movies & TV” app for iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android phones, Android tablets,
Windows Phone and its mobile-optimized website. To date, there have been more than 50 million downloads of IMDb’s mobile apps
worldwide. X-Ray for Movies (www.imdb.com/x-ray) a feature that revolutionizes the movie-watching experience by bringing the
power of IMDb directly to movies on Kindle Fire HD, launched in September 2012. To learn more, go to:
(http://www.imdb.com/apps/). IMDb Pro (http://www.imdbpro.com) is a subscription version of IMDb designed exclusively for
professionals who work in the entertainment industry. IMDb Pro provides contact information, in production listings for film and
television projects and exclusive STARmeter rankings that are determined by user searches on IMDb. Additionally, IMDb owns and
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operates Withoutabox (http://www.withoutabox.com), a marketplace for film festivals and filmmakers, and Box Office Mojo
(http://www.boxofficemojo.com), the leading online box-office reporting service. IMDb.com is operated by IMDb.com, Inc., a wholly
owned subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) (http://www.amazon.com). To learn more, go to:
http://www.imdb.com/press.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These
forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of
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CONTACT:
Emily Glassman, IMDb glassman@imdb.com
