Sunday B.O.
Strong word of mouth is still driving Wedding Crashers to an excellent hold. It will probably end up being off more like 25%, but still
April 18, 2024
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
B.O. stinks this week.
wedding crashers is pulling a weird trick where it opens to less than half of it’s competition (wonka) and yet may end up making more money in the long run. that’s good legs.
Is that $200 million I see just around the corner for Batman Begins?
Fantastic Four at 140 million? This has to be the story of the summer for a movie that bad.
Am I missing something, or wasn’t THE NOTEBOOK clearly targeted to women over 25? It came out last summer.
Penguins eat penguins in “March of the Penguins”? I missed that scene.
Carl is correct. “The Notebook” was aimed at older women — and it made money despite opening opposite “Fahrenheit 9/11”.
“March of the Penguins” goes mainstream next week (1500 or so theaters per Mojo). When I saw it last week there a few families but mostly older adults.
Although “Penguins” is rated G at least 1 arthouse chain is treating that picture like it’s rated R: no one under age 6, anyone ages 6-16 must be accompanied by an adult.
I don’t think anyody is buzzing about “trauma to young kids” in “March of the Penguins” except for Dave, who must now realize this film is going to top out at much more than he’d guessed when he bashed that Chris Connelly story calling it an incipient smash. Dave, be smart and drop the “Penguins” vendetta before you start to sound like Roger Friedman.
Batman Begins is the best movie I’ve seen this summer and deserves 200 million +
40 Year Old Virgin may be hilarious, but I want to see Deuce Bigelow: European Gigolo more. I’m wondering how 40YOV will do (I thought Harold And Kumar should have done much better than it did)
Rebound is already in the discount theaters. Is it worth $2? Does this mean the DVD will be out in September?
The one thing women weren’t deciding between last year was Notebook and Fahrenheit 9-11. It wasn’t even a horse race.
I mentioned something about this in the other box office thread, but I want to bring it up here, too. In all seriousness, why did anyone at Paramount think that Hustle and Flow had breakout potential? What elements did they see in the film that I’m not seeing (and, apparently, the rest of the movie-going public isn’t seeing, either)?
Bill –
Obviously, you have an issue.
I haven’t seen the film yet. So I have no idea about the sequence. All I know is that three people brought it up in two days. When that kind of chatter starts, I know that I’m not the only one hearing it and it will eventually be in someone’s story somewhere… more than a passing mention in a box office piece, which is all I will do on it.
And my “bashing” remains exactly the same… a movie doing $30 million or maybe $35 million is not a “reversal of the box office slump.” I honor Laura Kim for selling this take to writers, but it’s absurd. I am perfectly happy to applaud the success of the film in the context in which it belongs. But headlines like “‘Penguins’ march defies summer box office trend” are an embarrassment to journalism.
Let me be clear… I don’t like bullshit, made up trend stories. I don’t really care if they are about movies I like or movies I hate.
I don’t like stories in which a reporter decides a trend is happening then bends small irrelevant things to turn one idea into a trend. Please, feel free to write a story about how Narnia is being sold in some of the same ways as Passion of The Christ.. but don’t start trying to tell me that Christians are the hot focus group in Hollywood.
It’s great that March of The Penguins will be the second highest grossing doc of all time. but it is unlikely to place better than #5 for the year (through summer only) from indies or dependents. Embrace the real success. But be reasonable about perspective.
Finally… what makes you think I care when a well-liked film does well, regardless of my predictions? Frankly, I don’t even know what I predicted for the film… or when I predicted it. I write a lot. When a film like Fantastic Four or The Day After Tomorrow does better than I expect, I may beat the drum a bit because the film already offended my sensibilities. But it’s not about defending my prediction. When is the last time I updated my summer box office chart? Six weeks ago? There is a reason that I stopped doing weekly box office guesses… because it just doesn’t matter.
Yeah, it’s just like Roger Friedman writing a thousand words a week about how evil Steven Spielberg is. Yeah… that’s me.
Articles about “Penguins” being a success are fine, contrasting this film’s success with the current state of the marketplace is downright insane. This sort of silly/fun journalism is disgusting. The movie business is just that, a business, and should be treated as such. These sorts of stories not only diminish the writers, but the artists and the industry itself.
The fact that Penguins looks like a nature movie for retards is beside the point.
I don’t recall any penguin cannibalism in the movie. There’s a hungry seal/sea lion.
David, what sequence did these three people mention? The traumatic sequences I can think of: 1) some penguin babies succumb to the elements; 2) a leopard seal attacks a group of females and gets one; 3) a predatory bird (I don’t think Morgan Freeman identifies the species) attacks a bunch of fledglings and gets one. There’s no cannibalism (eating one’s own kind); if one of your interlocutors said that they’re wrong. I can see some youngsters being affected by these scenes. But you see a lot worse on nature shows on TV. And the last 15 minutes of ROTS are much worse than anything in “Penguins,” and I daresay many more kids saw the former than will the latter.
Bill,
You obviously don’t come here often and read what DP writes about. You got it all wrong. Read thru the archives. You may surprised.
David: I just saw your addition to your comments that address what I brought up about THE NOTEBOOK. Do you seriously believe that the under-20 audience was significant for that film? No one knew who Rachel McAdams was at that time, and the book the film was based on was sold primarily to adult/older women–as was the film.
I felt the same way about HUSTLE & FLOW. I don’t know what audience they were appealing to. I heard it was a pretty good film. But I still wasn’t interested in the characters or the story (i.e., a pimp and his dream of being a rapper).
I don’t seriously believe. In this case, I know.
The teen girl audience was a big part of the business. It was a big date movie last summer.
In fact, I was quite concerned that The Terminal would eat their adult audience and that it would kill the film, but New Line correctly perceived that their audience was wider than The Terminal. I’m not sure they knew how much wider.
If it had just been older women, you can be sure that it would have done half the business… or less.
People barely know who Rachel McAdams is now… though I still feel she will be a major star if she doesn’t get any more bad advice or exhibit bad behavior before she has better footing.
Hey Dave, when you update a story with comments already on it, try not to make the early commenters look retarded by adding something they’ve already mentioned. Now my Batman comment makes it look like I didn’t read your post.
Just saying, is all. Love you, buddy.
I can’t even begin to tell you how many females under the age of 25 I know that claim The Notebook is either their favorite movie of all-time, or their favorite movie of the last couple years. It’s insane. Talk to a female that age about movies and The Notebook comes up in about 15 seconds. Doesn’t matter what kind of taste they have or how often they watch movies or if they have read the book. They are crazy about that movie.
Didn’t see any comments before writing the piece… yes, your comment was up before my copy.
Ah, sweet, sweet vindication. I’ve still got my street cred.
ALl girls under 25 LOVE the Notebook. Ask them. You wonder why it did good at the BO and great on video? No guy is buying it unless its a gift.
Dave is right about the Notebook. All the proof you need is to look at the MTV MOVIE AWARDS this year. It won for Best Kiss, and Rachel McAdams ended up winning 3 awards, with the other two being for Mean Girls. Even though that is for another movie, having her win 3 MTV awards in one year is still a pretty good sign of teenage popularity.
And speaking of bad journalism.. Bridget Byrne should find a different beat:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20050731/en_movies_eo/17057;_ylt=Aof9TEV21P9FisH2aIekd7ZxFb8C;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
Equating a 4 screen release with movies that are on thousands of screens is just plain dumb. At least she didn’t say that “Aristocrats is defying the slump.” Or at least not in those words.
It interesting to so want 40YV will do. It does seems to have equal the critic buzz with the added factor The Thrid Act does not fall apart like Wedding Crashers does. I wish they can move it back to around Oct if they could.
DP- You have mentioned several times Rachel McAdams bad behavior and her receiving bad advice. Can you be more specific?
Hustle & Flow not finding an audience has to come down to the rating. If it had been PG-13. The numnber of white American teens, who love the Game, G-Unit, Fi’ty and so on, would easily have pushed this film to 40 million. Yet, it appears, all of the hip-hop loving white kids could not get into the theatre. While other parts of the white audience, decided to cast a rather, in my mind, prejudiced opinion towards the main protagonist in the film. I guess Julia Roberts being a hooker with a heart of gold. Means more to white america, than an African-American pimp, with a heart of gold. How utterly sad and pathetic that appears to me.
The worst advice Rachel McAdams received was turning down Fantastic Four.
>>>I guess Julia Roberts being a hooker with a heart of gold. Means more to white america, than an African-American pimp, with a heart of gold. How utterly sad and pathetic that appears to me.< Thats one of the stupidist things I have ever read.
Rory, please remind me at which points in PRETTY WOMAN Julia Robert’s character sold drugs, beat up other characters, shot other characters, choked someone living with her, forced someone else to give a guy a blow job so she could buy something, threw someone out on the street with her baby, & humiliated and manipulated almost everyone around her. I’m having trouble remembering those moments.
That’s my problem with Hustle and Flow; D-Jay doesn’t HAVE any redeeming or “sweet” characteristics. I kept waiting for him to do something positive, but it never happened.
Julia Roberts is a lot better looking than Terence Howard. Especially in heels.
Someone just warped jeffery’s fragile little mind. This from the person who fondly looks upon Dreamcatcher. To each their own utterly daft statements, in comparison to one another of course.
Sanchez might have ended this conversation perfectly. However, a hooker is still a hooker, and a pimp is still a pimp. Carl, Im sure you love some protagonist in some movie, that does a lot worse than Djay did in Hustle and Flow.
That’s some other Jeff. I have not seen Hustle & Flow. I remain committed to my enjoyment of Dreamcatcher.
Carl: Rory’s point is that while DJay is a pimp, Julia Roberts was a whitewashed, unrealistic hooker, but a hooker nonetheless, made palatable to the American filmgoer. His overall point is that people would rather see fantasy than honest reality.
“The fact that Penguins looks like a nature movie for retards is beside the point.”
Excuse me Martin, but can you elaborate on how a documentary about penguin migration looks like it was made for retards? I can’t think of any myself…
And about Hustle & Flow, I will hazzard a guess and say that rap/hip-hop music is NOT a very popular genre of music with the older set, which is probably what they were marketing towards so I doubt many would want to see it on the big screen along with realistic portrayals (as opposed to Pretty Woman which someone mentioned) of pimping, prostitution and so on.
8 Mile’s success was put down entirely to Eminem and that 50 cent movie will be the same. There were no identifiable cast members in H&F, it had an unattractive storyline, and the whole hip-hop thing. I’m sure it’s great but great doesn’t mean it’s gonna make a lot of money.
And hasn’t it always been obvious that people would rather watch fantasy to reality. Just look at the top 10 movies of all time. I don’t see a “Crash” or a “Hustle & Flow or a whatever in there.
The Notebook’s success was definitely attributed to the teenage girls who want to be swept up in romance that is recognisable to THEM. Watching Diane and John hookup doesn’t really match Rachel and Ryan. They like actors playing teenagers hooking up. Plus, Rachel was just coming off of Mean Girls (2 months apart, non?).
Crash is already a little too much of a fantasy for my taste.
I agree with Dave P.’s point about H&F: if it was given a smaller rollout and people had been allowed to discover it, instead of being stuck into a hype machine, it would have been much better off.
Im sorry jeff. Apparently it’s not that difficult for me to get jeffs confused apparently. That other jeff does show bad internet decorum, by using a nick already in use. Bad show all around.
Also, jeff, thank you for summing up my point very concisely in response to Carl’s query. If I only had that ability to be so concise when needed.
Well, you did call WOTW on another page “dumb and depressing” which was probably the most concise you’ve ever been about it, so good job.
jeffmcm and Rory: Rory’s original comment was “I guess Julia Roberts being a hooker with a heart of gold. Means more to white america, than an African-American pimp, with a heart of gold.” To me, that’s not saying anything about fantasy vs. reality. Rory’s trying to make it a race issue. Note that he characterizes both as having a “heart of gold,” implying that he thinks both are “redeemable” characters, and that the only reason people aren’t responding to Hustle and Flow is that D-Jay is black.
Carl, to me, it does seem like a race issue. Read the comments on here, besides yours. They are stating that they just cant see, seeing a film about a pimp. Carl, at least you give outside reasons, but just using this small sample of the moviegoing audience. I think race and prejudice has some part in Hustle and Flow not finding an audience. Yet, more so than that issue, this film has a rating that keeps it from it’s KEY audience: white hip-hop loving teenagers. IF it had a Pg-13 rating. Not matter some people’s trepedations, this film would have made at least 40 million easily.
Pimps are much different than hookers. Pimps have a choice. They are leaders. They put women and men into pretty much slavery. The women are addicted and usually sick and these lecherous men prey on them. The Djay character is unredeemable.
If you’re saying that hookers have fewer choices because women have fewer economic opportunities in general, I would agree with you. But to say that pimps are leaders and full of choice, in other words, actively choosing to be evil men, then I don’t agree. They’re just choosing the easier way to make money.
Volunteered with males/females in prostitution in a charity health/education project for years.
Never met a pimp I felt sorry for in any way (met hundreds, got lots of death threats).
Never met a prostitute(met thousands) I didn’t feel sorry for, except the girls/boys from well-to-do families who did prostitution as a rebellion thing, they had a choice. (b.t.w.Only Some of the females who worked for Heidi Fleiss who were trying to get into the movies, etc., had a choice as there was a pimp often in the background that Fliess didn’t know about. Don’t worry Hollywood Johns, I won’t write a book on your sorry asses in L.A. but at least I know who you are).
Many prostitutes aren’t sick/addicted when they “start”, forced into it by boyfriend/husband who wants the money for his own spending/addictions. These guys usually get the girl pregnant at a young age so there is a easy death threat (the kid). Almost every hooker you meet over the age of 25 has 1 child, and from that point they can’t ‘retire’, but they are discarded when a younger model is found by the pimp.
Decriminalize, prosecute the pimps, then legalize so the only ones staying in are the ones who want to, but this country will never be honest enough to do it.
I think Pretty Woman was a silly(almost offensively so) sanitized look at prostitution; so I didn’t feel sorry for Julia Roberts. Yes she was objectified, but the shape she was in and they way she lucked out made it seem like she was in the Biz for about 2 weeks.
Hustle and Flow was a more realistic version of pimp/prostitution, but it still didn;t didn’t make the lead likable when you consider how much damage he did to others. If you know peeps like that, you want the same as the Detroit police chief from the early 90s who I liked very much(can’t remember his name): “I am always very happy when assholes and bullets meet on the street”. Amen brother.
I think it is hard for a movie like that(Hustle and Flow) to succeed on that basis, unless it was a hip hop sanitized version of the facts.
I defer to she who has more knowledge.
Just for conjecture sake. So the pimp cannot be redeemed, but Darth Vader can? Cresey from Man of Fire can. Countless other protagonist have commited much worse offenses on screen. That one fictionalized pimp is beyond redemption? Luckily, that sort of logic does not change the fact people like Djay exist. Instead of being villianized. They are idolized, put in films, sell million of records, and so on. It does not change the fact that they did much wrong in their past lives. However, Brewer created a film based on a pimp he saw, and real-life template for countless hip-hop stars. Shawn Carter sold drugs. He now runs Def-Jam/Island.
Again, Djay, is that bad of a character? Also, nothing creepier prostitution and famous folks. Just, ewwwwwwww.
Rory: the point is that D-Jay doesn’t do anything to redeem himself! He hasn’t changed in any way at the end of Hustle and Flow. When Skinny Black (Ludacris’ character) throws D-Jay’s demo into the toilet, D-Jay responds by beating Skinny Black to near death, shooting Skinny’s bodyguard, and firing a gun wildly to escape, before he’s later captured. He hasn’t risen above his lot in life; he hasn’t learned any lessons.
Let’s bow our heads.
There is redemption for all Rory if they are truly sorry and atone (if it is not too late–Darth Vader may have been in time for Luke but perhaps not for the millions he vaporized), but there wasn’t much redemption really in H&F. It’s just hard to watch for peeps who live/lived in that environment or know others who do. If that were a white guy in the lead I would dislike him no more/no less.
A few rappers I know, who shall remain nameless did pay off women they were abusive to at the behest of their angry Mamas’ orders, once they became flush with green & bling. Money isn’t everything but it helps if you’re poor because of some other jerk keeping his foot on your neck.
Carl, you cant learn any lessons. When you cant raise above your lot in life because of the world you are trapped in. Brewer could have used the real-life template of people trapped in that life rising above to become successful. Yet, he decided, to take a rather Von Trier approach to the subject matter. He decided to go against the happy ending, and made a real character. At least for Memphis, because Djays are all-around Memphis. It’s not an easy life, but that does not mean the protagonist should keep anyone from a movie. Dealing with a real aspect of people living in Memphis.
You people are really reading way too much into this movie. The best thing about it is the white nerd from Road Trip.
Every movie’s stakes are different. Darth Vader assisting in the murder of millions exists in a completely different moral universe than Hustle & Flow. Maybe movies in the same genre can share levels, but not here.