Vote the Movies

1. "Shrek Forever After" ($55.7 million)
2. "Prince of Persia" ($37.8 million)
3. "Sex and the City 2" ($37.1 million)
4. "Iron Man 2" ($20.6 million)
5. "Robin Hood" ($13.6 million)

Carrie Bradshaw got off to a solid start at the weekend box office with a $13 million first place finish on Friday, but her success ended there as a refueled "Shrek Forever After" tapped into its inner ogre to beat "Sex and the City 2" and "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" at the Memorial Day weekend box office.

"Shrek Forever After" emerged as the winner on Monday with $55.7 million to its name, a 21.3 percent drop from its $70.8 million performance last weekend. The film's success owes much to the increased price of 3-D ticket sales and the increased availability of a younger audience during the holiday weekend. "Shrek" has made $145.5 million at the domestic box office and $25.8 million from foreign locations, resulting in a budget-surpassing worldwide tally of $171.3 million.

While DreamWorks Animation celebrated the repeat victory for "Shrek," the folks at Warner Bros. and New Line were left scratching their heads wondering what happened to "Sex and the City 2." With $51.4 million earned from Thursday through Monday, the "Sex and the City" sequel's five-day performance still fell short of its 2008 predecessor's opening weekend by $5 million.

"Sex" also failed to beat out "Price of Persia: The Sands of Time," the Jake Gyllenhaal-starring video game adaptation. But with a production budget of $200 million, "Prince of Persia" still disappointed with a modest a $37.8 million second place finish at the weekend box office. Despite this, "Persia" was a clear winner overseas with a strong $95.5 million showing for a $133.3 million worldwide opening.

Tell us what you think of the box office results in the comments and on Twitter!

Berlin International Film Festival

Golden Bear

• The Milk of Sorrow (2009)

Runners-up

• About Elly (2009)
• Chéri (2009)]
• Everyone Else (2009)
• Forever Enthralled (2008)
• Giant (2009)
• Happy Tears (2009)
• In the Electric Mist (2009)
• Katalin Varga (2009)
• Little Soldier (2008)
• London River (2009)
• Mammoth (2009)
• The Messenger (2009)
• My One and Only (2009)
• Rage (2009)
• Ricky (2009)
• Storm (2009)
• Tatarak (2009)

Cannes Film Festival

Golden Palm

• The White Ribbon (2009)

Runners-up

• Antichrist (2009)
• Bright Star (2009)
• Broken Embraces (2009)
• Enter the Void (2009)
• The Execution of P (2009)
• Face (2009)
• Fish Tank (2009)
• In the Beginning (2009)
• Inglourious Basterds (2009)
• Looking for Eric (2009)
• Map of the Sounds of Tokyo (2009)
• A Prophet (2009)
• Spring Fever (2009)
• Taking Woodstock (2009)
• Thirst (2009)
• The Time That Remains (2009)
• Vengeance (2009)
• Vincere (2009)
• Wild Grass (2009)

Venice Film Festival

Golden Lion

• Lebanon (2009)

Runners-up

• Accident (2009)
• Around a Small Mountain (2009)
• Baarìa (2009)
• Bad Lieutenant (2009)
• Between Two Worlds (2009)
• The Big Dream (2009)
• Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
• The Double Hour (2009)
• Life During Wartime (2009)
• Lola (2009)
• Lourdes (2009)
• Mr. Nobody (2009)
• My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2009)
• Persécution (2009)
• Prince of Tears (2009)
• The Road (2009)
• A Single Man (2009)
• Soul Kitchen (2009)
• Survival of the Dead (2009)
• Tetsuo: The Bullet Man (2009)
• The Traveller (2009)
• White Material (2009)
• White Space (2009)
• Women Without Men (2009)

Academy Awards

Best Picture

• The Hurt Locker (2008)

Runners-up

• Avatar (2009)
• The Blind Side (2009)
• District 9 (2009)
• An Education (2009)
• Inglourious Basterds (2009)
• Precious (2009)
• A Serious Man (2009)
• Up (2009)
• Up in the Air (2009)

Other Notable Films

• Adrift (2009)
• Alexander the Last (2009)
• Five Minutes of Heaven (2009)
• Ghosts of the 7th Cavalry (2009)
• The Girlfriend Experience (2009)
• The Unloved (2009)
• Which Way Home (2009)

One of the most anticipated films in development has just lost one of the most gifted directors in the business. After the innumerable delays mostly stemming from MGM's hardships Guillermo Del Toro has decided it's time to move on. "The Hobbit" needs a director.

In statements released to The OneRing on Sunday both Del Toro and Peter Jackson explained what happened. Here is Del Toro in his own words: “In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming 'The Hobbit,' I am faced with the hardest decision of my life. After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures. I remain grateful to Peter, Fran and Philippa Boyens, New Line and Warner Brothers and to all my crew in New Zealand. I’ve been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forever changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wlsh the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director."

Peter Jackson weighed in, “We feel very sad to see Guillermo leave the Hobbit, but he has kept us fully in the loop and we understand how the protracted development time on these two films, due to reasons beyond anyone’s control – has compromised his commitment to other long term projects. The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn’t feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years. Guillermo is one of the most remarkable creative spirits I’ve ever encountered and it has been a complete joy working with him. Guillermo’s strong vision is engrained into the scripts and designs of these two films, which are extremely fortunate to be blessed with his creative DNA."

“Guillermo is co-writing the Hobbit screenplays with Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh and myself, and happily our writing partnership will continue for several more months, until the scripts are fine tuned and polished. New Line and Warner Bros will sit down with us this week, to ensure a smooth and uneventful transition, as we secure a new director for the Hobbit. We do not anticipate any delay or disruption to ongoing pre-production work."

There you have it. Stunning news this weekend and another huge blow to 'The Hobbit' films. Will Jackson step in for Del Toro? Which of Del Toro's MANY projects now moves into position for him? Let the conjecture begin.

Are you worried about the future of "The Hobbit"? Who should step in and direct?

Another awful day for Hollywood. One of the great actors and filmmakers in cinema's long history, Dennis Hopper died this morning at the age of 74 following a months-long battle with prostate cancer. The star of "Easy Rider" (which he also directed), "Hoosiers," "Blue Velvet" and "Speed," the actor also turned out memorable roles in a range of classics: "Rebel Without A Cause," "Cool Hand Luke," "True Grit," "Apocalypse Now" and even Kevin Costner's 1995 camp-filled flop, "Waterworld."

Let's all take a moment today to pop in "Easy Rider" or just gaze up at the sky and think back on all of the fine entertainment that Hopper brought into our collective lives. Our hearts go out to the great actor's friends and family on this difficult day. Click the image above to view our image gallery, Dennis Hopper: A Life in Photos.