Publish Date: March 4, 2012

By: Pamela McClintock

Lighting up the family marketplace, Universal and Illumination Entertainment's environmentally minded Dr. Seuss' The Lorax debuted to a staggering $70.7 million, marking the best opening ever for a non-sequel animated title if the number holds.

The 3D pic -- receiving a glowing A CinemaScore -- narrowly bested the $70.5 million earned by Pixar's The Incredibles in 2004, according to Universal estimates. Final numbers will come in Monday morning.

STORY: The Lorax Film Review

Either way, Lorax is an enormous victory for Universal and Illumination, as well as the film business in general. After last year's moviegoing slump, which dampened the family marketplace, the domestic box office is surging. Revenues

Walt Disney Studios partnered with the NFL for the film JOHN CARTER for a sweepstakes. To enter, contestants had to visit nfl.com/johncarter and enter a code that was found after watching the trailer on the website. The Grand Prize was a 5 day/4 night trip to New Orleans, LA to attend the Super Bowl XLVII, on February 3, 2013. Contestants could enter from February 5, 2012 through March 8, 2012 and the winner was selected March 14, 2012 and JOHN CARTER released in theaters March 9, 2012. www.nfl.com/johncarter

Paramount Pictures partnered with Cost Plus World Market for the World Market TITANIC Sweepstakes. One grand prize winner was selected to win a trip for two to London, tickets to the film’s premiere and a $1,000 World Market gift card. Three first prize winners were also selected to win a private movie screening of the film and a $500 World Market gift card. The sweepstakes supports the re-release of Titanic in 3D which released in theaters April 6, 2012 and the promotion from from February 25, 2012 through March 19, 2012.

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Alcohol in movies influences young teens’ drinking habits

Publish Date: February 23, 2012

By: David Castillo

Young teens who watch a lot of movies featuring alcohol are twice as likely to start drinking compared to peers who watch relatively few such films, reveals research published in the online journal BMJ Open.

And these teens are significantly more likely to progress to binge drinking, the study shows.

The findings prompt the researchers to suggest that Hollywood should adopt the same restrictions for alcohol product placement as it does for tobacco.

They base their findings on a representative sample of more than 6500 US teens between the ages of 10 and 14, who were regularly quizzed about their consumption of alcohol and potentially influential factors over the next

Lionsgate Entertainment partnered with CafePress Inc for THE HUNGER GAMES and created an official online store for the movie. The online store launched on February 21, 2012 and CafePress sold both officially licensed film merchandise and fan created designs. The official merchandise was a sampling of all licensed products for the film with a concentration on apparel, accessories, and novelty items. Also, beginning on February 14, 2012, fans had the opportunity to create a free District ID Card inspired by the movie by going through a HUNGER GAMES Facebook application that was available within the CafePress shop. THE HUNGER GAMES released on March 23, 2012. www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cafepre...

Universal Pictures partnered with Whole Foods for the film DR. SEUSS' THE LORAX with a "Kids For Our Planet" Essay Contest.

Parents and teachers who know kids or a group of kids were asked to tell their story about how they made a difference in the environment. Contestants first had to "like" the Whole Foods Market page on Facebook and then submit their essays. A winner was selected on February 14, 2012 and received a private screening of DR. SEUSS' THE LORAX for up to 200 people at a theater in the winner's hometown. Three first prize winners received an Eco-Friendly Garden Tote that contained stainless steel gardening tools and a copy of DR. SEUSS' THE LORAX book. The contest ran from January 25, 2012 to February 8, 2012.