Despite a lackluster weekend at the box office due to the Super Bowl, new release DARKNESS FALLS managed to debut at number one, while last week's number one KANGAROO JACK hopped down to second and Golden Globe winner CHICAGO shot up to third. The horror flick DARKNESS FALLS, with visual effects by Animal Logic and Sony Pictures Imageworks, debuted with $12M, which was enough to top the comedy KANGAROO JACK, with visual effects by Asylum and The Secret Lab, which collected $11.6M for a two-week total of $35.4M.

Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that FINAL FLIGHT OF THE OSIRIS, directed by Square USA and one of the nine animated episodes that make up THE ANIMATRIX, will have its theatrical premiere with DREAMCATCHER, a new thriller set to debut in theaters March 21, 2003. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, DREAMCATCHER is a supernatural thriller based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. It stars Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane and Jason Lee, and features special effects by ILM.

The Associated Press brings us the news that a Thai newspaper is reporting an animated feature will be made out of a novel written by Thailand's king. According to the NATION newspaper, storyboards for the film, which is based on King Bhumibol Adulyadej's novel MAHACHANOK (THE GREAT FATHER), will be submitted to the king for approval in March 2003. The 90-minute film is being produced by the government's National Youth Bureau, and tells the story of a Buddhist ruler who sacrifices himself for his subjects.

He wears a hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses and talks, thanks to special effects by Asylum and The Secret Lab! He's KANGAROO JACK, the down under comedy that hopped to the top of the box office heap this weekend, earning $17.6M in its debut. In second place was another new release, NATIONAL SECURITY, starring Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn, which debuted with $15.7M. Last week's number one film JUST MARRIED fell to third with $12.4M for a total $34M.

The ever-popular VeggieTales characters are trekking to DVD and VHS on March 4, 2003 with the Artisan Home Entertainment and Big Idea Productions release of JONAH - A VEGGIETALES MOVIE. Starring Larry the Cucumber (as Pirate Larry, the laziest pirate in the world) and Bob the Tomato (as himself), as well as upper-crusty Archibald the Asparagus as Jonah, the monocle-sporting prophet, JONAH - A VEGGIETALES MOVIE is the first VeggieTales story to receive a theatrical release.

Finally a film has come along that was able to topple the box office power of LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, but strangely enough it was the low budget romantic comedy JUST MARRIED. Standing out as the lone new release this weekend, JUST MARRIED managed to debut in first place with $18M. This knocked THE TWO TOWERS, featuring primary visual effects by Weta Digital, down to second place, with $14.9M and a four-week cume of $283.6M.

Sony Pictures Animation has purchased a treatment from cartoonist Steve Moore and producer John Carls, tentatively titled OPEN SEASON. It tells the story of what happens in the wild when the tables are turned and the hunters become the hunted. Moore and Carls will work closely with Sony Animation executive vice presidents Penney Finkelman Cox and Sandra Rabins and creative VP Nate Hopper in developing the project. "I love imagining life from the animals’ point of view – especially animals who are hunted.

For the third weekend in a row, LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, with visual effects by Weta Digital, ruled the box office, earning a lordly $25M for a three week cume of $261M. So far, the second installment in the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy has earned 26% more over a comparable period of time than its 2001 predecessor, THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. This bodes well for the final act, THE RETURN OF THE KING, which will bow in theaters December 2004. Holding on to second place was CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, with visual effects by Asylum and a stunning animated opening sequence by Nexus Prods.

LILO & STITCH was named best animated feature by both The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society, bucking the SPIRITED AWAY trend that has so far prevailed amongst critics. In the inaugural awards from WAFCA, announced on December 30, the critics' group also chose ICE AGE as a runner up in the animated category, and UNDERCOVER BROTHER, Universal Pictures live-action adaptation of Urban Entertainment's animated Web series, as "Best Guilty Pleasure."

Although Disney chose to give Hayao Miyazaki's SPIRITED AWAY a modest release in the U.S., the film has managed to catch the eye of critics. Already winning Best Animated Feature from the New York Critics Circle, The Los Angeles Critics Association and the National Board of Review, SPIRITED AWAY is now finding its way on to critics' "Best of 2002" lists.

Following in the footsteps of video games turned feature films such as RESIDENT EVIL and TOMB RAIDER, interactive game developer Infogrames, Inc. and Dritte/Vierte Boll Kino Beteiligungs-GmbH & Co KG (Boll Kino) are taking the horror game ALONE IN THE DARK from the computer screen to the big screen. Infogrames has sold Boll Kino the theatrical feature film rights to the classic game. Under the agreement, Boll Kino will control exclusive worldwide theatrical film rights to ALONE IN THE DARK, as well as video, DVD, television, cable and pay-per-view rights for the film.

LORD OF THE RINGS ruled the last box office weekend of 2002 with THE TWO TOWERS topping $200M after 12 days in release. The second film in the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, with visual effects by Weta Digital, earned $48.9M over the weekend for a total of $200.1M. In second place was CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, with visual effects by Asylum, which debuted on Christmas Day with $10M. The film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, earned $30M this weekend for a five-day cume of $48.6M.

Heading into the last box office weekend of 2002, it looks like a match up between Frodo and a felonious forger. LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, with visual effects by Weta Digital, topped the Christmas day box office, adding $12.4M for a total of $135.7M, just beating the debut of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, the Steven Spielberg-directed tale of Frank Abagnale, Jr., a teenaged check forger who was the youngest man ever on the FBI's ten most wanted list.

After a stunning $26M Wednesday debut THE LORD OF THE RINGS sequel, THE TWO TOWERS, topped the box office this weekend, earning $62M for a five-day total of $102M. This puts the second film of the trilogy, once again featuring a slew of visual effects by New Zealand's Weta Digital, well in line to gross more than its predecessor 2001's THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, which earned $75.1M in its first five days, on its way to $890M worldwide. Martin Scorcese's long-delayed epic GANGS OF NEW YORK, with visual effects by ILM, had a so-so fourth place debut, earning $9.1M in just over 1,500 theaters.

After announcing that it is claiming a $74 million loss on its latest animated feature TREASURE PLANET, Disney is now refocusing its overseas marketing of the film, in the hopes that this will allow the company to recoup some of its domestic losses. According to VARIETY, Buena Vista International (BVI), Disney's international distribution arm, is positioning the film as more of a fun family film, playing up the humor by centering the campaign on the secondary characters.

With Hayao Miyazaki's SPIRITED AWAY emerging as a front runner for Oscar nomination, Japanese distributor Toho Films has announced the director's next project. According to ANIME NEWS NETWORK, Miyazaki will begin production on HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE in February 2003, a film based on the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones. HOWL is a love story between a male witch and an 18-year-old girl who has been transformed into an old woman. The Ghibli Studios production will be written by Reiko Yoshida, with Katsuya Kondou (KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE) acting as supervising animator.

Critics have begun to single out one of Disney's four short-listed animated features as a possible front runner for Oscar nomination. Hayao Miyazaki's lyrical film SPIRITED AWAY was named Best Animated Feature this week by both The New York Film Critics Circle and The Los Angeles Film Critics after receiving the same honor from the National Board of Review on December 4, 2002.

Australian visual effects company Photon VFX, best known for its work on SCOOBY DOO and FINAL FANTASY, was the effects company behind the main character in the Warner Bros. horror flick GHOST SHIP -- the ship itself. The effects laden film is the largest feature film project to be shot and had all visual effects produced entirely in Australia.

Jennifer Lopez kicked James Bond right off the top spot this weekend, as the J-Lo starrer MAID IN MANHATTAN debuted at number one with $19M. The romantic comedy barely topped STAR TREK: NEMESIS, which earned $18.8M its first weekend out. The latest installation in the Star Trek series features visual effects by Digital Domain and Eden FX. After fluctuating in and out of the number one spot, DIE ANOTHER DAY, with visual effects by Cinesite, dropped all the way to fifth, earning $7.5M for a four week total of $131.5M.

Milestone Films has released two interesting collectors editions on DVD. Lotte Reiniger's animated feature THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED is now available on DVD.