JOURNEY 2 Has Mysterious Box Office Mojo! International Pacing 76% Better Than First Movie!!

Those are some serious numbers for a sequel so be prepared for a very nice launch for JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND when it lands in North America on February 10!

The sequel starring Dwayne Johnson this time around rather than Brendan Frasier has already claimed $26.5 million in only 8 markets. Don't forget about Josh Hutcherson who seems to be heating up his commodity lately, especially with THE HUNGER GAMES posed to explode this year.

Given the strength of the original's strong international clout it was just about a no-brainer for Warner Bros. to launch internationally first and it is becoming more and more prevalent as an opening gambit for studios.

From THR: Journey 2 opened nearly three weeks ago in Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, where the Chinese New Year holiday makes for prime moviegoing. It also opened in Australia and New Zealand, where there are school holidays. The sequel has earned $6.6 million in Korea, followed by $5.6 million in Australia, where Fast Five -- also starring Johnson -- did massive business.

I find the success overseas to be very interesting. Certainly because the movies are based on classic Jules Verne tales it helps, but it seems that there were no repercussions to using Johnson instead of Frasier which is surprising me. Perhaps The Rock's star is bigger than I thought!

Source: THR

JOURNEY 2: MYSTERIOUS ISLAND Starts Shooting In Wilmington's EUE/Screen Gems Studio Today

I did a little digging and located the studio shooting location for Brad Peyton's JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. The adventure film starts shooting today in Wilmington, NC according to the city's StarNewsOnline.

The production is set to run through to February 10 and is centered mainly in the EUE/Screen Gems Stage 10 (the largest on site). Also, a brand spanking new water tank has been built specifically for this production.

We have seen exterior production shots already here.

Green screen will also play an obvious key role in production and all that activity will be housed in yet another sound stage. The original movie had PLENTY of green screen scenes if you will recall.

Here's the movie's storyline:
Josh Hutcherson will reprise his role as young adventurer Sean Anderson in this follow-up to the 2008 worldwide hit "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D," the first live-action film ever to be shot in digital 3D. Dwayne Johnson stars as Sean's stepfather, Hank Parsons; Michael Caine as Sean's grandfather, Alexander Anderson; Vanessa Hudgens and Luis Guzman as a father-daughter tour guide team; and Kristin Davis as Sean's mom, Liz Anderson.

The new journey begins when Sean receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist — a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret. Unable to stop him from going, Sean's new stepfather joins the quest. Together with a helicopter pilot and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter, they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever.

For our complete JOURNEY 2 coverage click here. More info when I get it! Stay tuned...

First Glance: Set Photos From JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND!!

Got some brand spankin' new behind-the-scenes photos from Brad Peyton's sequel to JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. Warner's JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND stars Dwayne Johnson, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens and the fine character actor Luis Guzman. It just so happens that we have shots of all of them via Comingsoon.

Click on the images to enlarge...

Here's the movie's storyline:
Josh Hutcherson will reprise his role as young adventurer Sean Anderson in this follow-up to the 2008 worldwide hit "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D," the first live-action film ever to be shot in digital 3D. Dwayne Johnson stars as Sean's stepfather, Hank Parsons; Michael Caine as Sean's grandfather, Alexander Anderson; Vanessa Hudgens and Luis Guzman as a father-daughter tour guide team; and Kristin Davis as Sean's mom, Liz Anderson.

The new journey begins when Sean receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist — a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret. Unable to stop him from going, Sean's new stepfather joins the quest. Together with a helicopter pilot and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter, they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever.

Interesting casting choice with Dwayne Johnson - he is along the same mold as Brendan Fraser when it comes to comedic relief. Fraser has that outstanding worldwide following though - can Johnson compete? We'll see on September 23, 2011.

Dwayne Johnson Set For JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH Sequel

THR is claiming that Dwayne Johnson is now attached as the top line star for New Line's JOURNEY 2: THE ROCK THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND.

Brendan Frasier had scheduling conflicts and is unable to return, although director Brad Peyton and Josh Hutcherson are back for the sequel.

Apparently the movie is loosely based on Jules Verne's THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND and Johnson plays Hutcherson's mother's boyfriend. All three travel to a mythical island is search of the young man's grandfather.

Shooting will take place in North Carolina and Hawaii in native 3D.

More when I get it!

What Movies Will Warner Bros Make 3D In 2011? Here's The List! And A Probable Too...

Got a list of Warner Bros upcoming movies that are definitely going 3D in 2011 so let's talk about those first:

- SUCKER PUNCH (March 25): Directed by Zack Snyder. Starring Vanessa Hudgens and Scott Glenn. A young girl is institutionalized by her wicked stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the facility.
- GREEN LANTERN (June 17): Directed by Martin Campbell. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Peter Sarsgaard and Blake Lively. A test pilot is granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe.
- HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART II (July 15): Directed by David Yates. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, John Hurt, Bill Nighy, Robbie Coltrane, Tom Felton and Helena Bonham Carter. The end is near as Harry, Ron, and Hermione go back to Hogwarts to find and destroy Voldemort's final horcruxes, but when Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again.
- FINAL DESTINATION 5 (Aug 26): Little is known about the fifth installment of the franchise but Eric Heisserer wrote the screenplay.
- JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 2 (Sep 23): Directed by Brad Peyton. Starring Josh Hutcherson (so far). Little is known about the project's storyline.
- CONTAGION (Oct 21): Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow and Marion Cotillard. Deadly worldwide outbreak of a virus.
- HAPPY FEET 2 (Nov 18): Directed by George Miller. Voices by Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Elijah Wood and Hank Azaria. No storyline is known as of yet.

And the probables?

- THE HANGOVER 2 (May 26): Starring Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms. I asked Director Todd Phillips about it personally and he said that he would love to shoot it in 3D. This is a safe bet guys. The original movie hit the jackpot with $470m worldwide! Rumors are abound that Miami (according to Robin Leach) will be the location for the next HANGOVER - what do you think?
- SHERLOCK HOLMES 2 (Mid December 2011): Directed by Guy Ritchie. Starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. The LATimes spoke with the writers for the movie who said: "Sherlock would be great in 3-D".

Brendan Fraser Not Returning To The Center Of The Earth?

Brendan Fraser may not be making that trip after all. According to Deadline, Fraser is closer to leaving JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 2 than returning, as the project will be going forward with a different director than Fraser would prefer. Eric Brevig (Fraser's choice) is still engaged with YOGI BEAR and is not available for the sequel and which has prompted New Line / Walden to set up Brad Peyton (CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE; a conversion btw) for the director's chair. JOURNEY will be shot in native 3D, just like the original.

It doesn't matter who is at the helm for actor Josh Hutcherson (Fraser's nephew in the original) - he is returning for the sequel.

I see Fraser returning. Personally I think the two parties will meet somewhere in the middle and get him back in the driver's seat. Fraser has a HUGE worldwide following and is needed to ensure a successful second crack at the franchise. Just a hunch. What do you think?