Madonna movie set for Oscar race

30 June 2011 Last updated at 10:46 GMT Madonna made her directing debut in 2008 with the short film Filth and Wisdom, which she also wrote Madonna's film about the life of Wallis Simpson is to be released during film awards season, it has been announced.

Harvey Weinstein, who recently acquired the rights to W.E, said he wanted to give it a "prominent release date."

The film is set for its US premiere in December, putting it in line for Academy Awards consideration.

Abbie Cornish is set to star in the movie, which tells the story of the romance between King Edward VIII and American divorcee Mrs Simpson.

A wider release in the US is planned for the middle of January.

"Madonna beautifully interweaves past and present in W.E," Mr Weinstein said.

"It's a very smart film, and a stunning feature directorial debut. I'm incredibly excited about this movie and I wanted to give it a prominent release date."

Madonna, best known for her pop career, made her directing debut in 2008 with Filth and Wisdom, which she also wrote.

The release was premiered in Berlin, and received some poor reviews from critics, including The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw who branded it "dumb and tacky".

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Super 8 movie tops US box office

13 June 2011 Last updated at 11:03 GMT Super 8 had its premiere in Los Angeles last week

Sci-fi mystery Super 8 has claimed pole position at the US and Canada box office from X-Men prequel First Class.

JJ Abrams' movie, about teenage film-makers who inadvertently record footage of an alien entity, took an estimated $37m (?23.3m) in its first three days on release in North America.

Its box office performance exceeded some expectations, although overall takings were down on recent weekends.

Steven Spielberg produced the film, which opens in the UK on 5 August.

The movie had "sneak peak" previews on Thursday that added a further $1m (?614,100) to its opening weekend haul.

Super 8's child stars, 1970s setting and extra-terrestrial themes have seen it compared to Spielberg's early work.

Abrams, the creator of TV shows Alias and Lost, topped the US and UK box office charts in 2009 with his hugely popular Star Trek sequel.

Continue reading the main story 1. Super 8 - $37m2. X-Men: First Class - $25m3. The Hangover Part II - $18.5m4. Kung Fu Panda 2 - $16.6m5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - $10.8m

Source: Hollywood.com

After heading the countdown last week, comic book prequel X-Men: First Class slipped down a place with second weekend takings of $25m (?15.3m).

Raucous comedy sequel The Hangover Part II was ranked third, having raked in an estimated $18.5m (?11.3m) between Friday and Sunday.

Kung Fu Panda 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides complete a top five largely dominated by follow-ups to pre-existing franchises.

Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer, a family film about a young girl's summer adventures, was the only other new entry in this week's Top 10.

Its underwhelming first weekend takings of $6.3m (?3.8m) saw it ranked in seventh place, one below wedding-based comedy Bridesmaids.

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