tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6937848248469121586.post239351931816691041..comments2023-12-24T19:38:00.242-08:00Comments on Mendelson's Memos: Weekend box office: Expendables explodes, Eat Pray Love is bountiful, while Scott Pilgrim vs. the World lacks Game Genie.Scott Mendelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08131426080984100749noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6937848248469121586.post-77036222443000288592010-08-15T14:11:47.050-07:002010-08-15T14:11:47.050-07:00In addition to the demo competition you mentioned,...In addition to the demo competition you mentioned, I have to imagine that Scott Pilgrim failed because of word of mouth. You always say that opening weekend is based on star power and marketing, while it's the second weekend that shows whether or not a film is actually good. For most openings, I would agree that this holds true, but SC is aimed at geeks. Geeks are the people that actively seek out word of mouth reports online within the first 24 hours of a film's release. If anything, wouldn't that shorten the two weekend interval to one? Friday is star-power+marketing, with word of mouth taking effect the next day, theoretically.<br /><br />I just read the SC books for the first time on Friday before going to see the movie and I have to say that it does not live up to its source material. It shoots itself in the foot by trying to fit all of that story into a two hour block. It's strange how selectively literal the adaptation is. In the parts of the story that it chooses to portray, it is done pretty much verbatim from the book, and yet it leaves out the 50% of the story, outside the evil ex fights, which transform the piece from a shallow teenage boy fantasy into a true commentary on life as a young adult, one which would appeal to geeks of both genders.<br /><br />Point being, I think geeks are the only demographic who could collectively turn on a film within one weekend. This would explain how front loaded it was and the overall total being so low, even for a geek film.Sean Powernoreply@blogger.com