So we're getting a Muppets sequel! Why part of me wishes we weren't...

I'm actually a little surprised.  Yes the The Muppets opened with $42 million over five days and yes the film cost only $45 million to produce, but it wasn't exactly a box office firestorm.  The Muppets ended up with $88 million in the US (not even a 3.0x multiplier off its $29 million Fri-Sun opening) and $156 million worldwide.  That's a strong result, but considering the advance press and the solid opening, I think we were all expecting something a little bigger in the end, especially considering how good the movie turned out.  In truth, I'd argue that the reason it didn't truly break out is that it was more for the adults that loved the Muppets than kids who Disney was trying to hook on the property.  It is a bittersweet and often somber drama, filled with just as many lumps in the throat as belly laughs.  I've seen the film twice, and both times it was the grownups who were captivated while the kids squirmed in their seats.  Still, Disney's not one to turn away any would-be franchise that didn't lose tons of money, so they are indeed pressing ahead with a film sequel to The Muppets, with the key caveat being that Jason Segel won't be co-writing it this time.  Director James Bobin and original co-writer Nicholas Stoller are returning, but Segel is apparently too busy to commit to anything right now.  Come what may, he may have the right idea.  

Weekend Box Office (01/01/12): Strong holdovers close out 2011 movie year.

As is often the case, the last weekend of the year is basically a repeat of last weekend, both in general ranking and numbers, as the holiday weekend tends to keep drops low, if often absent.  Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol led the pack of major Christmas and holiday releases that actually went up from last weekend.  The Brad Bird spy thriller earned $31 million over Fri-Sun, with an eye towards a likely $40 million four-day holiday weekend.  At the end of its third weekend, the first of which was IMAX-exclusive, the crowd-pleasing Tom Cruise vehicle will have grossed $140 million by Monday, which means it has already outgrossed the $134 million-grossing Mission: Impossible III.  Overseas, the sequel is doing even bigger business, with a worldwide total of $324 million as we close out 2011.  The $215 million gross of John Woo's Mission: Impossible II is likely out of reach, but surpassing the $181 million gross from Brian DePalma's Mission: Impossible is not only possible but plausible.  Worldwide, the film is shaping up to be $600 million earner, the respective totals, speculative as they may be now, would make this film Tom Cruise's third-biggest domestic grosser and his biggest worldwide earner ever.  MI4 already ranks ninth on both lists.

2011 year-end wrap-up part VI: The 'Best' films of the year.

Here is the sixth (and probably final) essay detailing the year in film.  This time, it's the best of the best.  Of course 'best' is a subjective term, so you might want to consider these my 'favorites'.  Despite what everyone likes to whine about at the end of every year, 2011 was in fact one of the better years in a good long time.  Maybe it was the effects of the 2007 WGA strike wearing off, maybe it was just dumb luck, but on the whole, movies, especially mainstream movies, were pretty on-spot more often than they weren't.  But just as important, most of the year-end Oscar bait was actually quite good, so this is a year where I don't have to half-heartedly apologize for having a list filled with movies nobody saw and mainstream pictures that no one admits to liking. Even if it took 1/3 of the year to really get cooking, 2011 was an uncommonly solid year for all forms of cinematic entertainment.  And of course, there are at least a few films that might have made the cut if they hadn't come out so close to the end of the year (mainly A Separation, Shame, and Pariah).  But they merely become contenders for the 2012 Black Book award (IE - great films that you saw too late to include in your best-of list, named after  Paul Verhoeven's fantastic 2006 World War II thriller that I saw in mid-2007).  And thus, without further ado, here are the very 'best' films of 2011.  As always, the list will be alphabetical order, with a final paragraph at the end for my very favorite film.

Weekend Box Office (12/04/11): With no new wide-releases, Twilight tops, Muppets drop, and smaller films (Shame, Descendants, Artist) take center stage.

As is sometimes the case with the post-Thanksgiving weekend, studios did not offer up a single new wide release.  While that's understandable considering the customary huge drops that the holdovers take this weekend, it's frustrating this year considering the sheer amount of product being released over the last ten days of the year (does Summit really expect The Darkest Hour to strike huge over Christmas weekend?).  Anyway, to the surprise of some (including me), a larger-than-expected drop for The Muppets allowed Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part I to top the box office for the third weekend in a row.  The fourth film in the saga grossed $16.9 million, for a drop of 60% and a cume of $247 million.  While it's still trailing the respective end-of-third weekend totals of New Moon ($267 million) and Eclipse ($255 million), it had the largest third weekend of the franchise and a slightly smaller drop than New Moon (which tumbled 64% in weekend three for a $15 million weekend).  So while it still may end up trailing the last two pictures, it has a fighting chance to end up awfully close to the $295-300 million range of the prior sequels.  It's also just ahead of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part I, which had $244 million at this point and eventually crawled to $295 million.

Weekend Box Office (11/27/11): Breaking Dawn part I tops Thanksgiving weekend, while Muppets shines in family film pile-up and limited debuts score.

 As expected, Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part I (essay) topped the holiday weekend box office as three new family films (including The Muppets) and three limited releases more-or-less cannibalized each other.  The big opener of the weekend was The Muppets (review).  All eyes were watching this much-hyped franchise revival, and the fans did not let Kermit and company down.  The picture, which Disney wisely spent just $45 million to produce, grossed $29.5 million on Fri-Sun and $42 million over its five-day opening.  The film (deservedly) scored an A from Cinemascore, although I don't know the demo stats yet (IE - did kids actually choose to see it and/or like it, or were the jerks dragged by their parents?).  As it is, the film is already the second biggest grossing Muppet movie of all time, out of seven, coming in under the $65 million gross of The Muppet Movie back in 1979.  Inflation-wise, The Muppets will have to gross $90 million to achieve that rank, although surpassing the adjusted-for-inflation $206 million gross of The Muppet Movie is pretty unlikely.  In even better (if arbitrary) news, the utter lack of any wide releases next weekend plus the likely downward plunge for Breaking Dawn part I means that The Muppets will likely top the box office next weekend.  So there clearly is an audience for this 35-year old franchise, all Disney has to do now is not overestimate their appeal.  Point being, if Disney decides to make a film sequel (as opposed to a new TV series or what-have-you), they shouldn't be spending $100 million on it.

Weekend Box Office (11/20/11): Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn scores 5th-biggest debut, while Happy Feet Two fails and Descendants scores in limited debut.

It is weird that I have so little to offer on a weekend when a film earned the fifth-biggest debut in US history, as well as the tenth-biggest worldwide bow.  But the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part I (essay) had an opening weekend that is so perfectly in line with the franchise, that it is not only unexpected, but leaves us with little doubt in regards to how the film will fare in the long haul.  For the record, Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part I (trailer and teaser) opened with $139.5 million this weekend, $30 million of which came purely on Thursday midnight showings.  That's just shy of the $142 million debut of Twilight Saga: New Moon on this same weekend two years ago.  With a 1.93x weekend multiplier film was slightly more front-loaded than the first sequel (they both had $72 million opening Fridays), but less so than the original Twilight.  The original, with its $35 million opening day and $69 million opening weekend, opened with a 1.97x weekend multiplier this weekend three years ago).  The third film, Eclipse, opened on a Wednesday over the Independence Day holiday of 2010, which makes comparisons difficult.  The film played 80% female, 60% over-21, and earned a B+ from Cinemascore.

Review: The Muppets (2011) is a touching and hilarious tribute to the iconic characters, plus a commentary on the pros and cons of nostalgia.

The Muppets
2011
105 minutes
rated PG

by Scott Mendelson

There is a part of me that doesn't want The Muppets to be a box office smash.  It's a wonderful film, one of the very best movies of the year, in fact. But there is a part of me that doesn't want this to be the opening chapter in another deluge of new Muppet movies, television shows, and the like. The film, as it stands, works fine as both a standalone film and an introduction to the world created by Jim Henson some forty years ago.  But it also has an unexpected power as something else: a farewell of sorts.  It is about the heartache of losing touch with old friends and not getting that last chance to say goodbye.  It is about, among other things, how we, as a society, seek a kind of closure for certain chapters in our lives, and can sometimes feel incomplete if we don't get it.  Maybe this new film will be a gateway drug to a whole new generation of kids, and I cannot begrudge them the pleasures that Kermit and his friends have given me.  But this new entry has our felt friends emerging out of exile and in arguably peak form, and it makes a strong argument for ending on top.  Come what may, The Muppets, if need be, exists as a triumphant last hurrah and/or fitting finale to a entertainment property that never really got its 'one last show'.

Too grownup for grownup movies? Or why the movie I'm most looking forward to this Oscar season is Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

This was a bit more free association than I intended.  Do forgive me...

As of this writing, I have not yet seen Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar.  I had some free time on Monday and, faced with two new releases that were both playing around the same time, I chose Immortals in 2D.  I actually had a few opportunities to see the Leonardo DiCaprio picture prior to release, but passed each time.  Like a lot of would-be Oscar contenders that drop during this time of the year, the poorly reviewed 'good for you' picture felt less like nutritious entertainment and more like homework. The conventional wisdom is that the problem with mainstream Hollywood is that it fashions its films for the tastes of fourteen-year old boys, while adult films for adult film-goers are relegated to the art-house if they are released at all.  But my situation is a little different.  I find that as I get older I am less and less enticed by the so-called grownup films.  Faced with a choice between seeing the newest Oscar-bait film immediately upon release (or at a press screening downtown at 'pain-in-the-ass-traffic o'clock') or checking out something vaguely more escapist, the choice is harder and harder.  I used to relish the opportunity to see the so-called 'grown up movies' as soon as possible.  Now, due to obvious demands on my time, the insane time-crunch that is the year-end release schedule, and the glut of often mediocre art-house product (Gee, I sure hope that sensitive, quirky, and somewhat handsome young man overcomes his problems with the help of an out-of-his-league hottie who exists purely to make him enjoy life again), it sometimes seems more like a burden.

One last parody Muppet trailer, arguably the best one yet...

I've already got my unofficial invite for the All-Media screening on November 17th.  The question is now merely who I'm taking with me.  I'd like to take Allison, but she so-far seems legitimately uninterested.  So either I have a month to get her interested or I end up one of those losers who ends up seeing The Muppets without kids in tow.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I CAN be that loser!

Scott Mendelson  

The Muppets gets a second domestic trailer.

This looks about as amusing as the previous spots, with big bonus points for giving Statler and Waldorf the best joke in the trailer.  I shared my thoughts the other day when the international trailer dropped, so I'll just LINK accordingly.

Scott Mendelson

The Muppets gets another trailer, and more character posters.

I actually had a chance to see this way back in August when it 'test-screened' at a nearby AMC.  Three days after the screening, the film had its PG-rating, meaning that it was likely the final cut.  Alas, my daughter wouldn't pretend to be six-years old and claimed she didn't like the Muppets, so I threw a spoon at her head (in my mind...).  The trailer above is pretty broad, but it's actually a trailer for the actual movie (as opposed to a spoof trailer) and it openly admits the difficulties that the film will face in terms of appealing to the younger audiences.  We adults are psyched, but will we have to drag our kids by the hair?  Anyway, enjoy this trailer and feast on the four posters (from I presume the UK as it lists a December 29th release date) after the jump. I'm sure you can guess which one is my favorite.  Thanks to Bleeding Cool for putting all four posters in one easily 'borrowed' photo file.

Scott Mendelson

Trailer: The Muppets spoof Girl With the Dragon Tattoo teaser in a bit that is actually better than the original.

This is easily the funniest and cleverest of the ongoing trailer parodies for this Thanksgiving's The Muppets.  Come what may, these things better be on the eventual Blu Ray.  No explanation necessary, just enjoy.

Scott Mendelson

The Muppets gets a great international poster. When critics use their kids as alibis.

My daughter and I attended a press screening of Winnie the Pooh last Saturday.  It was filled with families with kids, but there were a few child-less critics in attendance.  While she enjoyed the movie and was well-behaved throughout, she did almost trip a prominent LA critic as she was walking down the aisle.  I apologized via Twitter merely out of courtesy, and said critic remarked that they 'felt like a conspicuously solo adult on a playground'.  I replied that most of us 'with-child' critics were likely using our kids as alibis, excuses if you will to attend a Saturday morning screening of a Winnie the Pooh movie.  And you can bet that we 'with-child' critics will be dragging our kids to the press screenings of The Muppets this November.  And you can bet damn sure that it will be far more for us than for the youngins in tow.  But we (critics and general moviegoers alike) are looking forward to see The Muppets this Thanksgiving.  You know... because our kids wanted to see it, right?

Scott Mendelson

The Muppets gets a real trailer. "This is their movie!", promises Disney.

After three satirical teasers over the last month, Disney finally unleashes a real trailer of sorts from this Thanksgiving's The Muppets.  The most effective portion is actually the opening bit, where Jason Segel basically acknowledges that the Muppets have not been a true pop culture force since Jim Henson died in 1990.  Yes, I enjoyed Muppets Tonight, and two of my favorite Muppet movies (Muppet Treasure Island and A Very Muppet Christmas) all dropped in the last fifteen years, but they've been mainly feeding on nostalgia since the early 1990s.  Anyway, the trailer itself is amusing, and it still avoids revealing any real plot.  Statler and Waldorf do make an appearance, so that's encouraging, and this new trailer is explicitly Muppet-centric.  In fact, the text at 0:41 - "This is their movie!" - seems to be a reassurance to those worried that Jason Segel and Amy Adams will dominate the proceedings. So far, so good.

Scott Mendelson  

The Muppets gets a Green Lantern-inspired teaser, with Statler and Waldorf!!

This is easily the best teaser so far, with what appears to be actual scenes from the movie, including an appearance (thank god) by Statler and Waldorf!!  All that, plus a witty self-acknowledgment from Jason Segel about the seemingly unending 'parody trailers' makes this the best spot yet.  Frankly, if Disney does nothing but parody trailers up until the film's release, they'll be able to market the movie without revealing anything resembling plot.  Imagine that... walking into a major studio movie not knowing at all what to expect behind the bare-bones synopsis.

Scott Mendelson  

The Muppets gets a Hangover-inspired second teaser.

As excited as I am for this film in theory, I am a little disconcerted by how Jason Segal and Amy Adams seem to be dominating the footage thus far.  Point being, it's a MUPPET MOVIE, not a Segal/Adams vehicle.  Anyway, this is an obvious but amusing riff on The Hangover, and the cameo at 0:50 merits a solid laugh.

Scott Mendelson  

The Muppets gets a teaser.

I'm genuinely impressed that Disney kept this offline the whole weekend.  I didn't even see a cruddy bootleg on YouTube, although I didn't look for one.  Obviously this trailer is a big tease, with the first 2/3 advertising a pretty terrible-looking romantic comedy before getting to the punchline.  I certainly hope the apparent absence of Statler and Waldorf doesn't portend to their absence in the film (they should have been the ones to reveal the gag), but otherwise this is an amusing tease.

Scott Mendelson

The next Muppet Movie gets a poster...

Straight from the lobby of the AMC Promenade 16.  I can only hope this means we'll be seeing a trailer attached to Cars 2 on June 24th.  And I most certainly will be seeing this with Allison come next Thanksgiving.  Really, she has no choice in the matter.  She doesn't have to be the kind of kid who likes Star Wars or Looney Tunes, in fact the main reason I haven't yet reviewed the new Looney Tunes Show is that she has absolutely no interest in it.  So far, she's been ambivalent about both properties (she does enjoy Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons, so that's a start), but I have to draw a line somewhere.  So come November 23rd (or hopefully an earlier press screening), it will be a trip to "The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made" (working title) or it will be a trip to the nearest Safe Surrender.

Scott Mendelson