For the record, I kicked ass in the Box Office Mojo Derby game this weekend (placed third out of however many hundred in predicting the openers).
Anyway...The Incredible Hulk fell victim to credible front loading as it ended up with $55.4 million (a 2.6 multiplier). In real numbers, this is $8 million behind the $62 million that Hulk opened with back in 2003. Adjusted for inflation, it's almost $18 million behind. Say whatever you want about 'oh, it was dealing with the bad taste of the first one', but Marvel spent $160 million on this movie, and if it plays like Fantastic Four 1 or 2, or X-Men 1 (all of which opened to about $55 million), it won't even gross $160 million. So, basically, you spend $130 million on Hulk and it grosses about $132 million domestic. To 'reboot the franchise', you spend $160 million on The Incredible Hulk and then you hope and pray that it makes $160 million? That, ladies and gents, is why I'm glad I don't own Marvel stock.
Front loading (or word of mouth) also claimed The Happening, as it ended up in third place with $30.5 million (a lousy 2.38 multiplier). Word of mouth was pretty poisonous on this one, and I imagine my nightmare scenario of $75 million looks pretty plausible right now, if not enviable. Oh well, at a cost of about $60 million, it's still in the black after foreign and well before DVD. Still, Shyamalan can only annoy the masses so many times before they stop trying to kick that football.
Kung Fu Panda dropped a reasonable 44% to about $33.6 million. This is playing much more like a general audiences smash than a kid-friendly cartoon. Either way, word of mouth is terrific and it gets another weekend all to itself before the Pixar juggernaut plows into town. It's ten day total stands at $117 million, and it's doing very similar business to the craptastic Cars at this point (which ended up with $244 million).
Adam Sandler fans pulled a Punch Drunk Love this weekend, fleeing in terror from an Adam Sandler film that had the foul stench of quality to it. Don't Mess With The Zohan dropped a whopping 58% to end up with $16.3 million. The ten-day is $69 million, which puts it behind even last year's underwhelming I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry. Pity.
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull dropped a decent 35% despite losing almost 400 theaters. It ends weekend number 4 with $277 million and it's now Spielberg's third-highest grossing movie, behind Jurassic Park and ET.
Sex And The City dropped another 53% to end its third weekend with $119 million. It looks like it will indeed play like Eight Mile and The Village, movies that opened at about $50 million but absolutely collapsed after that, taking in 45% of their total take on opening weekend. A total of about $140 million should be in the cards. It's a terrific number, although the boffo opening and subsequent collapse adds an asterix to the whole dang thing.
Oh, and Iron Man is now at $297 million. So, so close...
Next week is battle of the (allegedly) crappy comedies, as Get Smart faces off against The Love Guru. From the sound of things, no matter who wins, we lose.
Scott Mendelson
For those who want to plan early, buy your tickets here. Yes, there is a Thursday midnight screening. Not sure what my plans are, I might just wait till Friday night so I can see it with my wife (who will be quite sad if Cillian Murphy is barely in it). AMC will put advanced tix on sale on July 1st so expect Arclight to start then if not next weekend.
“The Love Guru” is downright antifunny, an experience that makes you wonder if you will ever laugh again. -- AO Scott New York Times.
I may be that one guy, along with David Poland of Movie City News, who didn't like the movie, but congratulations are still in order.
Well, the reviews for The Love Guru are rolling in... So far, it's a whopping 11% on Rotten Tomatoes. And the vitriol leveled in said reviews is astounding. Frankly, I haven't read this amount of anger and bitterness since... well, since The Cat In The Hat back in 2003. My favorite blurb from that stinker (and one of my favorite review blurbs ever):
Some will say that Myers is no longer hip or cool as the comedy realm has been taken over by Judd Apatow and Will Farrell and their respective troops, but that's just absurd. Myers would have been fine had he made actual funny product. Austin Powers 2 was lousy, Austin Powers 3 was terrible, and The Cat And The Hat was horrifying. And apparently, so too is The Love Guru. No, in this case, Myers has only himself to blame and it will be interesting to see what he does afterward. Here's hoping that this once truly imaginative funny-man will regain the hunger that once fueled him.
For the record, I kicked ass in the Box Office Mojo Derby game this weekend (placed third out of however many hundred in predicting the openers). Anyway...
Front loading (or word of mouth) also claimed The Happening, as it ended up in third place with $30.5 million (a lousy 2.38 multiplier). Word of mouth was pretty poisonous on this one, and I imagine my nightmare scenario of $75 million looks pretty plausible right now, if not enviable. Oh well, at a cost of about $60 million, it's still in the black after foreign and well before DVD. Still, Shyamalan can only annoy the masses so many times before they stop trying to kick that football.
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull dropped a decent 35% despite losing almost 400 theaters. It ends weekend number 4 with $277 million and it's now Spielberg's third-highest grossing movie, behind Jurassic Park and ET.
It's official. The Dark Knight will run 152 minutes long when it opens on July 18th. As said release date gets closer (counting inevitable advance night or midnight screenings, it's a month from tomorrow), the anticipation is only growing. I wrote last month that the running time and the morbid family unfriendly advertising campaign would likely cost it a chance at setting records, but I'm getting more optimistic. This is about the same running time as Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 and Spider-Man 3 (the two previous weekend record-breakers), so running time may not be an issue. I still wouldn't count out the sheer ghoulishness and intensity of the ads and posters, as I've read more than one post or comment regarding having to leave the kids at home.
But still... this is easily the most talked-about movie of the summer, and probably the most anticipated. I haven't seen this much excitement for a superhero film since... well... since Batman back in 1989. The merchandising isn't as frenzied and the tie-ins aren't as overzealous, but that level of excitement seems to be there. Literally every human being I know is pumped for this one. All of my coworkers, all of my friends, my wife, my parents, they all are at least very curious to see what Nolan and co pulled off (hell, my nine-month old wants to see it, but I think she's just saying that to humor daddy).
This is timed to coincide with yet more fake viral websites and gimmicks. The most up-to-date and interesting bit is at Gotham Cable News Network. We have a new complete website with video clips and articles featuring, among other people, Michael Anthony Hall as journalist Mike Engel. For months, Hall's role in this film was a secret, so his reveal as just a pundit for a cable news network implies that there is more to his character. For what it's worth, the eight-minute debate video (regarding Harvey Dent's election as the new DA, thoughts on Batman, and Dent's war on corrupt cops in Gotham) is actually more coherent and more civil than most of the screaming matches on Fox News and the like. Mike Engel certainly seems like a more level-headed journalist that J. Jonah Jameson for example.
