The Hot Blog Archive for November, 2008
Weekend Estimates by Klady
The Friday Estimate to Sunday Estimate disparity on Madagascar 2 was striking. Looking at history, doing – based on estimates – just 28% of its business on Friday, it isn’t wildly out of proportion. Ice Age 2, which had a $68 million start, did 32% on its opening weekend on Friday. On the other hand, Wall-E, which had an almost identical opening to M2, had 37% of its opening weekend business on Friday. Kung Fu Panda ($60.2m start) had a 34% Friday
My guess is that Badagascar 2 plays younger than some animated movies. So, less Friday and more Saturday and Sunday.
If you are wondering, this is a 25% opening increase from the original, which was also a summer release. Kids clearly want to move it, move it. This opening is the 11th animated film ever to open over $50 million (interestingly, there are no animated openings at all between $48 million and $60 million). Only one film to open in this group has failed to crack $200 million domestic (Ice Age 2) and that film was in spring without the benefit of the long Thanksgiving family weekend looming on the immediate horizon, albeit with Disney
Friday Estimates by Klady
The Badagascar sequel launches with a 20% opening day jump. Will this mean a $56 milion 3-day? We’ll see.
Roel Models rolled out remarkably well, really. Better than Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist or The Houe Bunny on opening day with what feels like a lot less of a push. The number is also a little higher than Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Baby Mama. which arrived from the same releasing studio, Universal, with more noise and more star power (including the endlessly name checked Judd Apatow). Impressive. I would, perhaps, have a better take on the movie had the studio invoted me to a screening. So if it is as bad as that normally suggests, even more impressive.
The uninspired release of Soul Men joins the junk pile of Weinstein titles that seem like they could have done better.
Saw 5 is still running a little behind Saw 4 and should stop in the mid 50s. If things stay in line, foreign will be about $10 million more than domestic, so over $100 million worldwide sees sure, no matter how bad the films are getting.
Fandango is pushing their agenda – “Twilight accounts for 63% of all ticket sales on Fandango, the nation
What's Wrong With This Picture?
At least four of these women qualify as historic beauties of the screen… yet… there is nothing in this image that makes me care a whit about seeing any of them in Nine… not even Judi Dench, who is near undentifiable… and of course, they just didn’t bother to light the sex bomb character played by Kate Hudson. And with due respect to Fergie, seeing the lines of her inner thighs makes me want to ask her to shut her legs, not spread them further. And the all-black thing on a black stage doesn’t play as anything but a bad party at a bad Los Angeles film festival… or the road company of the Pussycat Dolls.
Of course, the thing that is really missing is Daniel Day Lewis in a white suit… which the black and white idea can’t work without… and who provides the life to all of these women in his memories.
No doubt, there will be some good in this film… but this is about as underwhelming a first image for TWC to kick out to the world as I could have ever imagined.
Maybe Rob Marshall is trying to get into the closet.
BYOB Friday
Will be posting soon… but here is some room to talk about the weekend to come…
88 Comments »How Patrick Goldstein Thinks
I found his blog entry this morning illuminating.
As usual, the naked emperor-in-his-own-mind is making pronouncements from his broken down soap box, a blog, about the horrors of “bloggers.”
“Anyone who doesn’t believe that the Oscars haven’t been thoroughly hijacked by a gang of daffy, clown-suit-clad Oscar bloggers making endlessly moronic best picture predictions just hasn’t been paying attention.”
As this painful issue often inspires in him, Patrick is off on a McCain/Palin style rant of fact-free bitter slamming the details of which he would condemn with a similar fury if confronted by them in one of them thar’ Oscar blogs.
Does Patrick really think that
BYOB – Day 2
I had a great time chatting with Tilda Swinton at AFI last night, where she was honored for her breadth of work and invited an entire audience to come to Scotland for her film fest. Tonight, The Wrestler hits the AFI at the Mann’s Chinese. This afternoon, spending some Slumdog time. Tomorrow, more Mickey time. Busy, busy, movie, movie.
What’s floating your boat?
Correction: Obama Is The Third Black President
The Man, 1972
"Bruno" Gets Into The Middle Of Prop 8 March
And didn’t want the news cameraman getting his antics on tape…
Funny idea or rape of a serious political debate?
Obama Is Second… The First Black President
Reading Is TubDemental
The Wesintein Co sent out invites to The Reader this afternoon, starting with screenings the Monday before Thanksgiving…
MILK It.
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Proposition 8 Protest Rally & Street Closures – Wednesday, November 5th
As deeply disappointed as we all are that California voters passed Proposition 8, we must not allow that disappointment to linger. This vote is a temporary defeat in the long march toward equal rights for all citizens in America.
Please join me for a protest rally tonight at 7 pm on San Vicente Blvd between West Hollywood Park and the Pacific Design Center (647 N. San Vicente Blvd. West Hollywood CA 90069) as we move forward towards restoring equality for all in California.
San Vicente Blvd, between Santa Monica Blvd and Melrose Avenue will be closed tonight starting at 6 pm. San Vicente south-bound traffic will be directed to make left or right at Santa Monica Blvd. Signs have already been posted to help divert traffic.
For more information about tonight’s rally, please contact (323) 848-6460.
So what does this have to do with movies? (Yes, that is now the primary focus of this blog again)
Milk, however overstated by The Hollywood Reporter last week, has been trying to stay clear of the election cycle, as have movies like Frost/Nixon, Twilight, and even James Bond. The two political movies in this group were clearly concerned about mixing fact and fiction, even though both these films are based on the true stories. But getting heard above the noise of the election is very challenging. Twilight and Bond have both worked their bases effectively. But the big ad money is just rolling out now. And indeed, Milk is a case where the movie is opening in three weeks and change, is presumably more review driven than many films, and wants to keep the wave from breaking so early that there would be no froth three weeks from Friday.
But the moment is the moment. And the success of the anti-gay-marriage Prop 8 in California is, stunningly, a mirror reflection of one of the central stories of Harvey Milk
Sweetbitter
A beautiful night for America…
but here in California, we showed that bias and fear are still well within our grasp. The “gay marriage ban” passed by about 5 percent.
I do think that under Obama we will see legislation to make civil unions a national right. But still… the smarmy lies used to scare people into denying the rights of a minority with more financial clout than political power… not the best of us.
And yes… there will be some political remainders here… but the focus on movies is about to land again.
Obama Wins
With 207 electoral votes already projected for closed states… add CA’s 55 electorals… and Washington State… and you have passed 270. Game over.
And he is going to win VA… and others…
Why the networks haven’t called it is beyond me.
It is done.
