Despite strong ticket sales overseas, Universal Pictures lingered far behind its rivals in 2008 with a $1.12 billion take in U.S. theaters (Warner Bros. led the pack with $1.79 billion). The studio tries to turn things around with their upcoming slate of features for 2009.
- The Unborn (Jan 9th) - Writer/director David Goyer’s tale of a girl haunted by the ghost of her unborn twin brother.
- Duplicity (Mar 20th) - Julia Roberts returns after a long hiatus to reunite with her Closer co-star Clive Owen in director/writer Tony Gilroy’s tale of two former spies that join together to profit from their corporate company’s secrets.
- Fast & Furious (Apr 3rd) - Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reunite for another high-octane ride.
- State of Play (Apr 17th) - Russell Crowe leads in all-star cast in this political thriller based on the BBC Television Series.
- Fighting (Apr 24th) - a small-town boy battles in underground bare-knuckle fights in New York City for cash.
- Wild Child (May 8th) - Emma Roberts stars as a spoiled Malibu princess that is shipped off to a strict English boarding school.
- Drag Me To Hell (May 29th) - Sam Raimi returns to the horror genre with a tale of a woman’s (Alison Lohman) desperate quest to break an evil curse.
- Land of the Lost (Jun 5th) - Will Ferrell ventures to the land of dinosaurs and sleestaks in the film version of the Sid & Marty Krofft 1970’s cult television series.
- Public Enemies (Jul 1st) - Johnnie Depp takes on the role of legendary outlaw John Dillinger in director Michael Mann’s action-thriller co-starring Christian Bale and Billy Crudup.
- Funny People (Jul 31st) - Adam Sandler stars as a famous comedian who has a near-death experience. Judd Apatow writes and directs this comedy with Eric Bana, Jason Schwartzman, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill co-starring.
- The Wolfman (Nov 6th) - Benicio Del Toro stars as a nobleman with a hair-raising problem (Get it? Hair-raising? Is this thing on?) when he returns home to his family estate when his brother vanishes.
- Green Zone (TBD 2009) - Matt Damon reteams with Bourne director Paul Greengrass for this thriller about the early days of the Iraq war.
- Cirque du Freak (TBD 2009) - a young boy unwittingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring vampire factions.
- Couples Retreat (TBD 2009) - Kristen Bell, Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis star in this comedy written by Jon Favreau about four couples that go on a vacation together only to find out it’s actually a couples therapy retreat where everyone is required to participate.
- The Boat That Rocked (TBD 2009) - inspired by the British pirate radio revolution of the 60’s, Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as a brash American DJ transmitting rock-and-roll from a fishing trawler off the coast of England in the 1960’s.
- The Last House on the Left (TBD 2009) - a remake of the Wes Craven classic about a kidnapped girl and the parents who exact revenge on her captors.
- 25/8 (TBD 2009) - Wes Craven writes and directs this thriller about a serial killer that vows to kill the seven children that are born the night he dies.
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