After 'John Carter' fiasco, Disney film chief resigns

John Carter's quest for box office sales didn't pan out, and Disney's film boss Rich Ross is paying the price.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The titular hero in the sci-fi epic "John Carter" slayed evil aliens, decimated enemy armies -- and now, he's killed Rich Ross' position as chairman at Walt Disney Studios.

Disney (DIS, Fortune 500) released the movie "John Carter," based on a Martian adventure novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, to theaters on March 9. The studio placed a huge bet on the sci-fi extravaganza. Box Office Mojo estimates the movie cost $250 million to make, and the studio spent heavily to market it.

But box office sales were so weak that just 11 days later, on March 20, Disney made a dismal announcement: The company would lose $200 million on "John Carter" in its fiscal second quarter, which ended March 31.

The debacle was enough to end the Disney film boss' run. On Friday -- exactly one month after the $200 million loss announcement -- Rich Ross resigned his post as chairman of Walt Disney Studios.

"I believe in our strong slate of films and our ability to make and market them better than anyone else," Ross wrote in his resignation letter. "But, I no longer believe the Chairman role is the right professional fit for me."

Ross had been at Disney for 15 years, and he signed onto the chairman role in late 2009. Disney did not name a successor in its announcement, but issued a short statement from CEO Bob Iger wishing Ross well.

The "John Carter" flop was a sharp blow to the struggling film industry, which saw ticket sales dip to a 16-year low in 2011. But the rest of the 2012 slate looks more promising: widely anticipated titles include Disney's own "The Avengers" as well as "The Dark Knight Rises" from Warner Bros. (which is owned by CNNMoney parent company Time Warner (TWX, Fortune 500)).

Lionsgate (LGF) has already scored a massive hit this year with "The Hunger Games," which debuted in March, and the studio will release the final "Twilight" movie in November.

Source

Media wants court docs unsealed

(CNN) -- George Zimmerman's defense team formally requested Monday that the Florida judge assigned to their client's case be removed after she revealed her husband works with a CNN legal analyst.

Source

Judge disqualifies herself from case

(CNN) -- A bond hearing is scheduled for Friday in the case of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida, the court said Wednesday.

Source

Soak in Costa Rica's hot springs

(CNN) -- Ziplining through tropical rain forests, rappelling down steep waterfall cliffs and whitewater rafting satisfy the rugged outdoor cravings of Costa Rica's tourists.

Source

Ted Nugent should be in jail

Grand Rapids, Michigan (CNN) -- Ted Nugent should be arrested.

Source

Twitter trying to end tech patent wars?

(Mashable) -- Twitter announced an internal patent agreement on Tuesday that it says will empower designers and engineers -- as well as hopefully begin a movement to quell the tech world's rash of patent infringement lawsuits.

Source

N.C. lures 'Hunger Games' fans

(CNN) -- The young stars of "The Hunger Games" may remember the blockbuster movie as the one that propelled their careers to the next level. But the biggest breakout star of the "The Hunger Games" may well turn out to be the state of North Carolina.

Source

Kill the progressive tax rate system

Atlanta (CNN) -- Last week we learned that Barack and Michelle Obama's effective tax rate for 2011 was 20.5%. They had adjusted gross income of $789,674. We also learned that their tax rate was slightly lower than President Obama's secretary, who had about $95,000 of income.

Source

N.C. lures 'Hunger Games' fans

(CNN) -- The young stars of "The Hunger Games" may remember the blockbuster movie as the one that propelled their careers to the next level. But the biggest breakout star of the "The Hunger Games" may well turn out to be the state of North Carolina.

Source

1940 Census records unlock family mysteries

(CNN) -- Finding a long-lost uncle's name on a census form or discovering that Grandpa identified himself as a mural painter: It's the stuff genealogists and history hunters live for.

Source

Brazilian police arrest 3 on suspicion of murder, cannibalism

Sao Paolo, Brazil (CNN) -- Brazilian police have arrested three people suspected of killing at least two women, eating parts of their bodies and using their remains to make stuffed meat pies sold in the northeastern town of Garanhuns.

Source

1 dead, 4 missing after yacht race accident

(CNN) -- The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for four crew members from a 38-foot sailing vessel that ran aground during a yacht race near San Francisco.

Source

Bieber and Swift to collaborate

(Rolling Stone) -- Justin Bieber has revealed that his upcoming album "Believe," his third, will feature a songwriting collaboration with Taylor Swift.

Source