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David Poland

By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com

Weekend Box Office by Klady (Vampire)

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An estimated $258.8 million worldwide – we can discuss how absurd it is for the LAT or any other journalistic organization to be sending out corrections for an estimate 4% different than the first published estimate later – is very impressive. A summer number for a top franchise in mid-November.
I don’t know what else to say about this that I haven’t already said. It will fascinating to see how well the movie holds… or doesn’t. But I don’t have any strong feelings about it. When you get these kinds of numbers, history can be more distracting than insightful.
Just last weekend, 2012 did $225 million worldwide. And the studio’s estimates for the end of this weekend have it at $450m worldwide. It’s Team Who The Hell Is In The Movie vs Team I Don’t Really Care About This Film, But That Sarah Palin 2012 Gag Was Pretty Funny.

Yes, because 2012 is a lot more expensive, it will not be nearly as profitable as New Moon. But it will probably gross more… which is also irrelevant on some level… but reminds us that so much of the “excitement” is coming from the media and what movies seem to sell more magazines and not based on what are actually the most popular films.
The Blind Side, a movie I quite like – one of those cases where an embargo kept me from writing about it until I was distracted by other things and never did – may have actually benefited from the New Moon hysteria. I thought there would be a critical wave against the Bullock starrer, for reasons I will explain in my review, and a real effort to make people feel silly for loving this movie. I also thought that people would find the movie in increasing numbers of the weeks to come as word-of-mouth built.
I think this film can play, given the rest of the release schedule, through Christmas. They have just started tapping that various audiences for this film, which include religious groups who choose to see the film – which doesn’t push the issue hard – as a triumph of faith and well as the aforementioned football crowd. I mentioned the lack of push for me before and someone commented that they had seen plenty of ads on sports shows. I have watched football on four days of the week, plus plenty of ESPN in recent weeks and there have some ads. But even as I sit right now watching Michael Oher staring as a rookie for the Ravens, there has not been an ad or a single mention by the announcers (at least since the 2nd quarter) of the guy who is the center of a $33 million movie opening.
On the flip side, Precious continues to grow strongly. $11 million on 657 screens is exceptional and Oprah’s announcement just happened to be on an episode with Gabby Sidibe. Smart.
Vince Vaughn has quietly continued his great run of having $100 million-plus movies in 5 of the last 6 years with Couples Retreat crossing the line in the last week. (The exception was Fred Claus coming up short in 2007.) It’s not quite Tom Cruise’s run of 7 straight years with a $100 million movie and it’s not quite Tom Hanks, who did 5 years in a row twice. Vaughn is not quite the guarantee they were. But it’s pretty damned impressive.

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62 Responses to “Weekend Box Office by Klady (Vampire)”

  1. IOIOIOI says:

    While I wish the Twilight number was bigger. It’s so freaking phenomenal, that it feels like a giant “FUCK YOU” to all the haters. Good times, New Moon. Good times.

  2. EthanG says:

    “but reminds us that so much of the “excitement” is coming from the media and what movies seem to sell more magazines and not based on what are actually the most popular films.”
    Huh? You really expect domestic media outlets to give attention to films based on worldwide box office?? Thank god that isn’t the case…blanket coverage for “New Moon” may be irksome, but can you imagine if there’d been blanket coverage for “Ice Age 3????”
    Also, despite Finke’s labeling of “New Moon” as the tightest independent studio release ever, it’s only rolled out about 50% worldwide (it hasn’t opened in Japan, South Korea, or Germany for instance), while 2012 is near 100% out, so this analysis is unfounded as of now.
    One major underreported story IMO has been the ridiculously slow rollout for “An Education” that probably has cost it any realistic shot at a Best Pic win.

  3. IOIOIOI says:

    An Education being a ridiculous premise has cost it any shot at a Best Pic win. Seriously, that trailer, is like Mad Men. If Mad Men sucked, and had a lot worse acting.

  4. bulldog68 says:

    I don’t consider myself a hater, I just the first one was mindnumbingly boring. But let me be the first non-fan on this thread to acknowledge the awesome opening of the The New Snooze/Moon. Whether it tanks next week is absolutely irrelevant, this is a huge win. This and PARANOMAL ACTIVITY will battle for the top box office news of the year, AVATAR would have to beat DARK KNIGHT at this point to top TWILIGHT’s results. Kudos also to THE BLIND SIDE, which is a surprising candidate for $100M club with that opening.
    Also on a bit of “FUCK YOU” to critics and starpower, LAW ABIDING CITIZEN earns more than PELHAM 123. Who’d a thunk it.

  5. Most amazing stat for New Moon: the audience was 80% female. Which means that even if not a single male had seen New Moon this weekend, it still would grossed $113 million, which would have been the top debut of 2009 and the eighth-biggest of all time. And yes, this opening spells (perhaps unfair) bad news for the hype-machine behind Avatar.

  6. The Pope says:

    I am not disputing you for one second Scott. I just don’t think I am understanding you correctly. So I need you to explain how you think that New Moon’s opening may spell bad news for the hype-machine behind Avatar.
    As far as I can see, Avatar is being sold as an action flick (for the boys) and a love-across-the-divide flick (for the girls). New Moon proves that if the material is right (yet again), that if you build a movie for the girls they will come in visit in their droves. I get a feeling that Avatar, for all its technological innovation, will be, at heart, a very traditionalist, classical love story. Just like Titanic.

  7. Again, not saying it’s fair, but Avatar now has a burden to measure up to this rather stunning performance. Truth be told, no movie containing Avatar’s variables (no stars, not a sequel, not a known property, not a literary adaptation)has opened north of $65 million (2012). If you want to bend it a bit, you can count 300 (at $70 million, but the comic had a cult following at best) or The Passion of the Christ (which, at $83 million, could theoretically be considered based on a true story not withstanding its literary origins). And because the trend in entertainment journalism is to go negative as often as possible, New Moon’s business will be used as a weapon against Avatar if it doesn’t absolutely explode over opening weekend. It very well could open bigger than any non-sequel, non-star vehicle, non-franchise, and non-adaptation in history, but it’s a tough place to basically have to set a new record in order to be viewed as a success. Not saying its fair and I’d love to be wrong, but considering how nuts everyone went over that somewhat fraudulent $500 million budget thing, the knives are already out in force. I’d love to see Cameron blow us all away and laugh his way to the bank all over again, but New Moon’s outta know-where $140 million launch is just another problem to deal with from a perception point of view.

  8. Slight correction. No LIVE ACTION film with the above variables has done what Avatar needs to do to be considered a success. Several Pixar titles have opened north of $68 million. And I meant The Day After Tomorrow ($68 million opening), not 2012 (who’s $65 million opening is basically in second place in this very odd category). Apologies.

  9. CleanSteve says:

    “It’s so freaking phenomenal, that it feels like a giant “FUCK YOU” to all the haters.”
    I LOLed.
    Yes, I have barely been able to function today because of this number. The razor blade is primed for my wrists.
    I am serious about my state of distress as I was about weeping yesterday. The enthusiasm over this property is impressive, charming and cute. Still doesn’t make the movies any more that shit. They COULD have been good. But the fanbase is so rabid they will accept anything so why bother putting in the effort to make them good. All you need is endless takes of Bella gazing at whats-his-fang fixing his motorcycle.
    All that being said, interesting article on what it is about this stuff that makes the fans so rabid and unapologetic:
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/18/AR2009111804145.html
    Ok. Fair enough. My wife’s cousin, who is a book editor and a very tasteful lady, loves them, too. Her explanation is they simple hit a sweet spot for female escapism. Something like that is hard to do so in that respect I can admire the whole thing.
    Plus, I enjoy and support things that are shit, too. I’m a Chicago Cubs fan. Who am I, honestly, to judge the Twilighters?
    I do wonder how this stuff will age. Regardless of my or anyone’s opinion of it, this seems to be something that will age about as well as boy bands, stone-washed jeans and A-Ha. Will people be embarrassed about their fandom in 10 years? Will be looked back on as kitsch? Or will it grow and live on?
    My guess is this blip will pass, and it’ll the fans will roll their eyes in ten years. If I’m wrong, IO, track me down and slap me. I live in DeKalb, IL. The gray house.
    Can’t wait for FOX to go wide. Is BAD LIEUTENANT going to expand or will I have to hop a train to Chicago?

  10. CleanSteve says:

    I think Scott has a good point on AVATAR.
    Plus….I have not sensed much excitement over the movie outside of hardcore movie-fandom. I felt no electricity in the audience when I’ve seen the trailer.
    Hell. My wife (a woman, of course, but a huge moviegoer with a wide-range of tastes) didn’t even know what the fuck it was.
    Interested seeing Cameron on 60 Minutes tonight.

  11. IOIOIOI says:

    How dare you refer to the CUBS AS SHIT, Steve. It’s bad enough you bash on Ed Cullen, but now you are bashing on the Cubs? SHAME ON YOU! May our new lesbian co-owner be forgiving of your indignities. You shameful man.
    That aside, everyone I know besides me (and I am not stating this is a large sample or anything) has absolutely no desire to see Avatar. It just do not click with them. The second trailer totally got me hooked, but I may be the only one. So, yeah, I can see Avatar opening to about 50 mil. That seems decent enough, but using Titanic in the ads is not a good thing. People hate Titanic. It’s a palpable hate. Disagree all you want, but Cameron should not be forgiven for that piece of shit. Which leaves me rather amiable to people skipping Avatar to stick it to him for that abomination.

  12. I still love Titanic, but that’s beside the point. It’s a little inexplicable to tell Fox to leave off the name of the most financial successful and most Oscar-winning movie of all time as a name-check. Yes, Titanic may have been a victim of a full-blown blockbuster backlash, but it is still a movie that garnered rave reviews, won 11 Oscars, and grossed $1.8 billion worldwide.

  13. David Poland says:

    The bigger problem for Avatar is not all those variables, but simply, December.
    There has NEVER been a 3-day opening over $78 million in December. NEVER. Not even LOTR.
    There have been thirteen $200 million domestic grossing films that opened in December, but not one of them opened to as much as $78m.
    Titanic opened to $28.6 million.
    The Rings movies, each of which grossed over $870m worldwide, opened to $47m, $62m, snd $72m.
    So yes, idiots who just want to make noise may well go after Avatar for opening to $80 million…a December record, but just half of The Dark Knight’s opening.
    Thing is… all this box office chatter can’t kill a movie that people like. It can boost a marginal movie into a phenomenon when it is relentlessly positive, though not always. If I were to cite an example of misleading box office spin hurting a film, maybe Bruno… but the film just didn’t hit on all cylinders for people… sometimes just because of the movie… sometimes because of clear homophobia. So I don’t even buy that completely.
    I keep saying, if Avatar fails, it will be at a gross of $500 million worldwide. That is, I think, the bottom for the film. And if that happens, the cost of the film will make it a financial disappointment… but it’s still $500 million worldwide.

  14. The Pope says:

    Yes, Scott I absolutely see your point now and I agree with you. And more, like you, I think Titanic is a terrific film; a brilliantly judged emotional symphony.
    Hopefully, Fox will have in place a response to the perceived ‘flop’ if Avatar does not break $100m in its opening weekend. They should remind everybody that Titanic did not start breaking records until after its second weekend.

  15. Chucky in Jersey says:

    “Precious” is doing great because Tyler Perry got involved. Oprah is box office poison.
    Remember “Beloved”, the one time Ms. Winfrey tried being an actress? That flick got its ass kicked so bad Disney sold off the international rights.
    I’m glad IOIOIOI agrees with me that Name-Checking = Piece of Shite.

  16. Foamy Squirrel says:

    I think it’s time for me to pull out my “it’s not just the content…” argument that Poland hates so much.
    “Box office chatter can’t kill a movie that people like” – true, but whether people like a movie is often determined before they’ve even seen it. There’s been studies where groups were given songs and asked them to rank them from best to worst – the researchers discovered that the easiest way to determine whether a song ranked first or dead last was to give them prior review scores. When you can repeatedly and consistently control a ranking like that it shows it’s neither the people nor the song – it’s the system.
    Take New Moon: it banked over $26million before the opening credits rolled. That box office record had pretty much nothing to do with content – its success was determined well in advance. To use a football analogy, the film is the receiver and the marketing is the offensive line and the quarterback. If the strategy, positioning, and delivery are flawless, all the film has to do is not fumble the ball and you’ll score. I will point out that in 95% of cases, the delivery is not flawless – that’s when the film has to catch the ball under pressure and dodge the tacklers – and content matters, but getting the ball to the receiver in the first place is half the play.
    That’s not a knock against New Moon – dozens of films have done the same thing: Trannies 2, Paranormal Activity, Lord of the Rings and Titanic have all done it.

  17. jeffmcm says:

    Chucky, each of your above points is demonstrably false.

  18. Chucky in Jersey says:

    To borrow from Billy Martin, jeffmcm is a born liar.
    Look at the poster, trailer and adverts for “Precious”. They clearly credit Mr. Perry as well as Ms. Winfrey. Since he has the track record in Hollywood he gets credit as he should.
    “Beloved” was a box-office loser — it got its ass kicked by a Chucky sequel and “Practical Magic” — and yes, Disney sold off international as the trades reported at the time.
    Maybe jeffmcm can apply for Lou Dobbs’ old job at CNN.

  19. Telemachos says:

    I don’t see NM’s opening hurting AVATAR because I don’t think anyone ever expected that sort of opening weekend from AVATAR. And aside from T2, no Cameron movie has ever had gargantuan record-breaking openings. AVATAR won’t do TITANIC business, but it’ll act like TITANIC-lite… figure a reasonably solid first weekend ($65-75 million), then it has 17 days of holidays where it’ll basically quadruple that opening weekend. (Assuming decent reviews and buzz– but then again, all of Cameron’s films have had decent to good reviews and word of mouth).
    AVATAR will be helped by the 3,500-odd 3-D screens it’ll play in (with significantly higher ticket prices), and of course, it’ll have the 3-D and IMAX screens to itself for months. Again, assuming decent WOM, it should roll relatively comfortably to well north of $200 million by early January, and then we’ll see how far its legs can carry it.
    Whether NEW MOON can outgross AVATAR domestically will depend on whether it’s more frontloaded than TWILIGHT or not. If it falls pretty hard, it’ll scratch its way almost to $300 million…. in which case I think AVATAR has a chance of beating it in the long run. If NM has decent legs, then it probably ends up in around $320-330 million or so, and that might be harder to beat — although I think AVATAR has a chance at that number too (but this depends more on a somewhat bigger-than-expected opening and strong legs).

  20. David Poland says:

    I’m not sure what part of that I am supposed to hate, Foamy.
    “Opening weekend has nothing to do with the film itself” has been a mantra of mine for over a decade.
    The “box office chatter” comes at the end of the first weekend, generally. So you’re looking at the effect it might have on the second weekend.
    Of course, in a case like this, a 65%+ drop next weekend should be no shock, regardless of how the movie is… front-loading seems to be the issue here more than word of mouth. The big question is how much a series like this can expand in the second release. The third movie will definitely be affected by the quality of this, the second movie.

  21. jeffmcm says:

    Chucky, your problem is that you think you’re spreading a gospel of truth when most of what you say are falsehoods, distortions, and predetermined slants.
    Precious may or may not be doing well because of Tyler Perry. But Oprah has been hyping the movie to a great extent, and regardless of her acting track record, she has a very strong track record when it comes to endorsing books/movies/products. Saying that Perry is 100% responsible and Oprah is 0% responsible for the movie’s success is intellectually dishonest.
    Beloved’s foreign rights were sold off before the movie was released and flopped. This point is irrelevant to the subject at hand.
    IOI didn’t say he has a problem with name-checking, he clearly said that he has a problem with the movie Titanic. When Christopher Nolan’s next movie comes out, I’m sure he’ll enjoy seeing ‘from the director of The Dark Knight’ on its trailers, as well he should. It’s the smart way to market such a movie.
    Chucky, you clearly have no room in your head for complicated arguments, nuance, or ideas that compete with the two or three predigested talking points you bring up incessantly.

  22. bulldog68 says:

    Jim Cameron will be profiled on 60 Minutes tonight.

  23. Foamy Squirrel says:

    Eh… you’ve hated it in the past because I’ve pushed the “It’s more about the delivery” boundary further than you’re comfortable with. 😉
    I don’t think it’s going to have a 65% drop – the way it’s being delivered (and the target audience) is totally about the repeat views. I would not be surprised if next weekend you get all a lot of repeat and new business from girls (and ladies) bringing their (possibly prospective) partners to try and give them unsubtle hints.
    My hat is definitely off to the marketing team, they’ve really knocked it out of the park. Will be interesting to see if they can apply some of those learnings outside the franchise though.

  24. polarbear says:

    Twihards might be embarrassed by their fandom in ten years time. But twenty years from now the films will probably have a successful re-release as part of some massive vampire nostalgia craze. You know how trends go. These books are WAY too popular to ever be completely forgotten. It’s something an entire generation of teenage girls have in common with each other for the rest of their lives.

  25. leahnz says:

    ‘Remember “Beloved”, the one time Ms. Winfrey tried being an actress?’
    chuckles, i take it you’ve not heard of a rather terrific little spielberg flick called ‘the color purple’

  26. Nicol D says:

    Hey Leahnz,
    Hope all is well. The Color Purple came out in 1985…well before Orpah Winfrey was a blip on anyone’s radar. Her show did not get syndicated until 86. It’s like crediting the success of The Verict with Bruce Willis extra role in 1982.
    Try not to fake knowledge about film. Your lack of it bleeds through on a regular basis.
    Best!

  27. leahnz says:

    oh NIC! reading comprehension 101:
    please point out where i said ANYTHING about oprah making ‘the colour purple’ a success. chuckles commented that ‘beloved’ was the ONE TIME oprah tried her hand at acting. i merely pointed out that this is simply not the case
    now go sexually harass a mountie or something, you huge snooze

  28. Joe Leydon says:

    Actually, Nicol, that’s not quite accurate. At the time I attended the junket for The Color Purple, Oprah Winfrey had already begun to attract national attention — by beating Donahue in the Chicago TV ratings, even while the latter show, already nationally syndicated, still originated from the Windy City. There was already talk of her getting her own national syndication deal. Which, BTW, is why I did a story on her for The Houston Post at the time. Now, does any of this mean she helped sell The Color Purple? Probably not. But, really, that wasn’t the point, was it? Chucky wrote that Precious was “the one time Ms. Winfrey tried being an actress,” which is a demonstrably false statement. And while Leahnz took issue with that statement — she did not claim Ms. Winfrey had anything to do with the success of Spielberg’s film, did she? BTW: As an actress, Ms. Winfrey does have other theatrical and TV movies to her credit.

  29. Joe Leydon says:

    Gosh, I dally so long while trying to do silly things like, you know, fact-checking that I post my posting after Leahnz makes her own more-than-adequate response. D’oh.

  30. christian says:

    Chucky, do you also believe films should be released without titles or credits?

  31. leahnz says:

    joe, you made the point with far more insight than i did so i’m glad you spoke up

  32. Great numbers for the top six except for Planet 51, although as Dave pointed out it’s probably as good as it could have gotten for that movie.
    Two $30m+ debuts for Sandra Bullock as I wrote in the other entry is bloody great for her.
    New Moon, by the way, had the largest ever opening weekend in Australian history (beating one of the Harry Potter films by just under $2mil). And it only had the third largest opening day of all time (beaten by Return of the King and The Two Towers), too.
    I went out to cafe with friends on Sunday that is right next to a cinema and it was funny watching the crowds and deciding who was who. “That guy is out to get laid.” “That guy is gay.” “Those girls are with their parents and will make them sit at the back while they’re at the front.” “That guy secretly likes Twilight but is going with his girlfriend who thinks he hates it.” etc.

  33. movielocke says:

    everytime I see a twilight story I think of this:
    http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/221270
    same thing really, Stephanie Meyer gets the girls all hot and bothered then tells them sexy-time is a big nono until marriage. :-p

  34. IOIOIOI says:

    The South Park guys really do believe their justification for using the word FAG as much as they do. So, fuck those guys, and I continue to enjoy Seth MacFarlane being able to buy and sell those goofy fucks.

  35. CleanSteve says:

    I actually think of THE UNGROUNDABLE when it comes to SOUTH PARK. One of Butters finest moments. That “Burn Down the Hot Topic” song is damn catchy!
    And I don’t know if they believe the justification for FAG….but I know I fucking hate bikers.
    This is not a new idea but my gut tells me AVATAR=KING KONG. I think it looks amazing. I can’t wait. My 10 y/o daughter wants to see it. But again….I sense NOTHING anywhere outside of the geek/hardcore movie fandom circles. It’s going to have to really nail the romantic angle to transcend the core audience.
    Even then, how much harder will it be to indentify with a romance between blue cgi aliens than with Kate and Leo, or vampires who have the advantage of being human and therefore relatable?
    THE LOVELY BONES is a real wild card. Seems to me that could really freaking take-off if it hits the bullseye. It’s a powerful story, and could be something that gets repeat viewings.
    And add me to the TITANIC fans. It’s an adolescent romance. Take it as such, and if you can accept it it works. Adolescent romances are all melodrama. At least mine were. And Kate was hot as hell, IMHO. Cameron also nails the tragedy and sadness of the disaster, as well as making it feel like and exciting adventure. That girl screaming in horror when the dining area (I think) floods is haunting.
    It’s certainly corny, and Zane’s performance is inexplicable. yet the movie still gets me every time.
    And IO, i LOVE my Cubs only slightly less than my Miami Dolphins (Chad Henne future league MVP). I attend several Cub games every year. I cried over the 2003 playoffs, and my gut still churns over it. But they are garbage when it comes to sealing the deal.
    Also, Sammy Sosa is a sad embarrassment.

  36. Eric says:

    Nicol got smacked hard up there, which is great, but I have to pile on. He said, “The Color Purple came out in 1985…well before Orpah Winfrey was a blip on anyone’s radar. Her show did not get syndicated until 86.”
    Nicol: Even aside from the fact that you completely distorted what Leah said, and aside from the additional context Joe has provided, your comment is astoundingly stupid on their own terms. Do you think they hand out syndicated television shows to random people off the street, you imbecile?
    Try not to fake knowledge about television. Your lack of it bleeds through on a regular basis.
    Best!

  37. christian says:

    For Nicol’s sake, Blame It On Canada.

  38. The Big Perm says:

    Avatar is going to make soft money. I don’t see it being a super duper hit…just a super hit. I think the King Kong comparison is about right.
    How does Chucky decide what movies to see? Do you think he doesn’t read the internet or trade papers or watch commercials for them? He just opens up a newspaper and looks at the random titles and just chooses a movie based on the title? “I know absolutely nothing about this movie…the plot, or stars, or director…as it should be.”

  39. Wrecktum says:

    Don’t forget that Oprah was Oscar nominated for her Color Purple performance. She got huge press as a result her role and it tied in nicely with her national syndication deal.

  40. Triple Option says:

    I was just wondering, since they’re selling Avatar as an action film wouldn’t they want to leave off any mention of Titantic because it’d ruin any potential street cred? Not saying people, specifically males 18-34, would be repulsed by Titanic, it just wouldn’t inspire confidence such as Terminator for the genre of film.
    Do you it could be poss that Cameron get a “pass” anyway? Say the movie doesn’t open gangbusters, they’ll be plenty of people citing the holidays and the economy and maybe even some blame on IMAX itself. I think there could be plenty of arm chair qb’ing on this one if it doesn’t open huge. Good, bad, or indifferent the guy’s has a measuring stick against himself that really isn’t found w/other auteur-status types, not even Spielberg or Eastwood. Joss Whedon comes to mind. Someone whose project success/failure is so hyper analyzed. “Dollhouse didn’t work because Fox didn’t blah, blah, blah” or “People made the mistake of wanting Dollhouse to be Buffy.” So much ado made about the about than the it itself.
    I actually think legs would be a bigger *perception* determinant than opening b.o. If the thing has any kind of cultural significance or awareness in the beginning of 0-10 would prolly shape how “successful” it remains in people’s collective psyche. On the lines of the above-mentioned Ice Age 3. If you were to survey people both inside and out of the movie biz about successful animated films, my guess us Ice 3 isn’t making most people’s short list.

  41. hcat says:

    If anyone needs a more mature vampire fix I would highly recommend renting Thirst.
    As far as perception of a soft opening for Avatar, lets remember Titanic’s 30M and change opening didn’t set the world on fire either. And Avatar’s From the Director of Titanic tag looks less out of place than the giant FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ALIENS AND T2 Font above the picture of a swooning Kate and Leo on the Titanic poster.

  42. jeffmcm says:

    Guys, the best way to read Nicol’s post from earlier is through the subtext of hs decision to hate Leah and find flaws with whatever she posts at any given moment.
    Also, I feel more and more sure that in real life, he basically must resemble Gollum, all withered and twisted.

  43. Chucky in Jersey says:

    Some people can’t stand it if somebody stirs up the pot. They want everything to be hunky-dory. Why else does the public have to put up with the Academy Award Winner/Nominee bullshit and the constant name-checking? Movie Promotion for Retards.
    Oprah has “a very strong record”? Book Club … “A Million Little Pieces” … fake. With Ms. Winfrey it’s all about herself. Take away Tyler Perry and “Precious” would have sank without a trace.
    As for “The Color Purple”, I stand corrected.
    @The Big Perm: I actually do my homework when I decide on a movie. Thanks to the ‘Net it’s easier to find the trailer if I haven’t come across it in the theater. Name-checking? STAY AWAY. Academy Award Winner/Nominee? MUST TO AVOID. Legion of Doom? DO NOT ATTEND. This litmus test works wonders, especially in a recession if not depression.
    As this is New Moon weekend I’ll close with a true-life vampire story inspired by the movie.

  44. Joe Leydon says:

    “Name-checking? STAY AWAY. Academy Award Winner/Nominee? MUST TO AVOID. Legion of Doom? DO NOT ATTEND.”
    So, Chucky: I guess this means you won’t be seeing many movies during the next few weeks, right?

  45. jeffmcm says:

    Chucky, can you remind us mouth-breathers what the ‘Legion of Doom’ is again? As far as I know, it’s a heatedly conspiratorial term that you invented for your own personal use.
    Also, I should probably stop calling you an idiot and just default to calling you crazy. It appears to be more accurate.

  46. Telemachos says:

    The only record-breaking opening Cameron’s had was T2… which also is the only sequel (from one of his original’s) that he’s directed.
    T2 opened to a then-record $31m 3-day / $50m 5-day. TRUE LIES opened at $28.6m. TITANIC also at $28m, which was (I believe) somewhere around the 28th-highest grossing weekend ever.
    If AVATAR opens in line with that, it’d gross somewhere around $70-75m. Even figuring it “underperforms” and opens in the $50s, the average multiplier over the holidays is around 4. So basically take its opening, multiply by 4, and that’s roughly where it will be in January.
    Also, remember that 2/3s of the screens it’s playing on will be priced at a $2-3 premium above regular ticket prices. That extra income can cover a “softer” opening in terms of total tickets sold.

  47. Blackcloud says:

    Movies Chucky has never seen:
    The “Harry Potter” flicks (name check the main character)
    “Michael Clayton” (ditto)
    “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions” (name check “The Matrix”)
    The “Star Wars” prequels (sensing a pattern here?)
    Any James Bond movie
    Any movie from Spielberg, Scorcese, Hitchcock, Ford, Capra, Kazan, Soderbergh. Heck, he’s probably never seen any Oscar winner from before his birth, since by the time he got around to them, they were already Oscar winners. Chucky only sees movies from the future, which haven’t won Oscars yet, or from the past, before they did, or ones that didn’t.

  48. Joe Leydon says:

    Blackcloud: Funny.

  49. The Big Perm says:

    Chucky…as an intellectual exercise, answer me how might movie studios best advertise their movies to normal people who don’t research movies online? How would you reach them? Maybe if you come up with some amazing answers here, some studio guy will read them and they can stop all of that name-checking.

  50. christian says:

    Chucky’s favorite new film is UNTITLED.

  51. The Big Perm says:

    Starring nobody! And made by brand new directors and writers who have no credits so no one can check up on them and have any idea what they may have done in the past. Maybe they were a truck driver, maybe they were convicted murderers. Who knows.

  52. brack says:

    Chucky’s ideal movie it will never be shown in theaters everywhere, near you, or in select cities, because those terms are so played out. And it won’t have a release date, because that would be name-checking the calendar.

  53. yancyskancy says:

    Chucky, how do you know that your litmus test “works wonders,” since you never actually see the films? Or do you confirm their awfulness later on DVD or TV?

  54. Chucky in Jersey says:

    The Big Perm is alluding to “Paranormal Activity”. I saw it last Friday night and it’s more intellectually honest than 90% of what’s being released.
    The point that has to be brought up time and time again is, Hollywood treats the public like they’re morons. Ve vill giff you Akademy Avard Vinner und you vill like it! Hollywood may be a hotbed of liberals yet they’re not immune to the early warning signs of fascism.
    @jeffmcm: Overwrought Strum und Drang music to promote any movie. For an example go to the last minute of the “New Moon” trailer. Legion of Doom is a nice catchy phrase — I got it from an 80’s wrestling tag team.
    @christian: There is a movie called “(Untitled)” — it was released last month but it was in and out before it could get to any decent theaters near me.

  55. Eric says:

    The post above is the first time I’ve ever seriously entertained the possibility that “Chucky in Jersey” is an elaborate, long-running, expertly-crafted parody.

  56. Joe Leydon says:

    Eric: You just coming around to that? LOL. This current post is hardly the first that has made me think that while Chucky, like certain WWE wrestlers, changes roles every so often to keep things interesting, it’s always just a show.

  57. Eric says:

    I know it’s been discussed before but there’s something sublimely unique about the above post that I think could never occur but deliberately.

  58. jeffmcm says:

    There’s a fine line between genius and madness. I still vote for madness, personally. Still, at least Chucky isn’t talking about female body parts.

  59. yancyskancy says:

    I don’t see “name-checking” or “Oscar-whoring” on that Early Warning Signs of Fascism list.
    What’s funny about this is in the last couple of days I’ve seen trailers for John Ford’s THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940) and SERGEANT RUTLEDGE (1960), both of which tout Ford’s multiple Oscar wins. I guess these “early signs” have been with us for a while.

  60. Joe Leydon says:

    Look at the trailer for Taxi Driver… or, for that matter, The Maltese Falcon

Leonard Klady's Friday Estimates
Friday Screens % Chg Cume
Title Gross Thtr % Chgn Cume
Venom 33 4250 NEW 33
A Star is Born 15.7 3686 NEW 15.7
Smallfoot 3.5 4131 -46% 31.3
Night School 3.5 3019 -63% 37.9
The House Wirh a Clock in its Walls 1.8 3463 -43% 49.5
A Simple Favor 1 2408 -50% 46.6
The Nun 0.75 2264 -52% 111.5
Hell Fest 0.6 2297 -70% 7.4
Crazy Rich Asians 0.6 1466 -51% 167.6
The Predator 0.25 1643 -77% 49.3
Also Debuting
The Hate U Give 0.17 36
Shine 85,600 609
Exes Baggage 75,900 62
NOTA 71,300 138
96 61,600 62
Andhadhun 55,000 54
Afsar 45,400 33
Project Gutenberg 36,000 17
Love Yatri 22,300 41
Hello, Mrs. Money 22,200 37
Studio 54 5,300 1
Loving Pablo 4,200 15
3-Day Estimates Weekend % Chg Cume
No Good Dead 24.4 (11,230) NEW 24.4
Dolphin Tale 2 16.6 (4,540) NEW 16.6
Guardians of the Galaxy 7.9 (2,550) -23% 305.8
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4.8 (1,630) -26% 181.1
The Drop 4.4 (5,480) NEW 4.4
Let's Be Cops 4.3 (1,570) -22% 73
If I Stay 4.0 (1,320) -28% 44.9
The November Man 2.8 (1,030) -36% 22.5
The Giver 2.5 (1,120) -26% 41.2
The Hundred-Foot Journey 2.5 (1,270) -21% 49.4