Posts Tagged ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’
Friday, December 31st, 2010
So here’s my list of The Ten Best Movies of 2010, plus Honorable Mentions and a separate list of documentaries. I know it’s customary at this time to write about how awful a year it was, and how I had to struggle to find ten movies worthy of recognition, and how Hollywood is so bankrupt artistically and so bereft intellectually that the mere act of compiling a ten best list has become supremely dubious and morally questionable. But actually, I thought the moves were one of the few good things about 2010. (They’re certainly better than the last election.) And if you couldn’t find ten good ones, you weren’t trying.
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Tags: 127 Hours, Alice in Wonderland, Another Year, Biutiful, boxing gym, carlos, Casino Jack and the United States of Money, Flipped, Inception, Inside Job Exit Through the Gift Shop, Lebanon, Oceans, Restrepo, Shutter Island, Sweetgrass, The Illusionist, The King's Speech, The Millenium Triology, The Red Riding Trilogy, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, unstoppable, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, White Material, Wild Grass
Posted in Columns, MCN Originals, Movie City News, Wilmington | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010
PICK OF THE WEEK: NEWWall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Three and a Half Stars)
U.S.; Oliver Stone, 2010 (20th Century Fox)
Also, Wall Street Collector’s Two-Pack (Also Blu-Ray) (Three and a Half Stars)Includes Wall Street (Stone, 1986) (Four Stars) and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Stone: 2010) (Three and a Half Stars) (20th Century Fox)Extras: Oliver Stone commentary; Featurettes; Deleted and extended scenes; Conversation with Stone and cast.Oliver Stone’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps returns us to one of Stone’s great subjects of the 1980s: the glamour and corruption of the American financial markets. A sequel to Stone‘s 1987 Wall Street, this show plunges us back into the seductions and pitfalls of the casino mentality on the trading floors and the stock market, of inside guys making huge, quick profits and the dangerous games and ruinous consequences of playing with other people‘s money, other people‘s lives — and not giving a damn about it.
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Tags: America Lost and Found: The BBS Story, Easy A, Salt, Soul Kitchen, Step Up 3D, The Black Pirate, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Posted in Columns, DVD & Blue Ray, DVD Reviews, MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News, Reviews, Wilmington | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, December 21st, 2010
Salt: Deluxe Unrated Edition
Angelina Jolie has proven time and again that she’s the only established actress — outside China, anyway – who not only can open an action film, but also carry it to the finish line at the box office, no matter how unfathomable the premise. If I had to boil her appeal in such pictures down to a single word, it would be, “swagger.”
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Tags: 2, 5, Billy the Exterminator: Seasons 1, Comfort and Joy, Gene Simmons Family Jewels: Seasons 4, I’ll Come Running, Let it Rain, Map of the Sounds of Tokyo, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Salt, Soul Kitchen, Step up 3, Stonehenge Apocalypse, The Films of Rita Hayworth, The Lost Tribe, The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume Five, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Turning Green, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Posted in Columns, Dretzka, DVD & Blue Ray, DVD Reviews, MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News, Reviews | Comments Off on The DVD Wrap: Salt, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Step Up 3, Soul Kitchen … and more
Sunday, November 7th, 2010
No Brainer
Megamind led a torrid weekend box office frame (the largest for a pre-Thanksgiving November) with a first salvo estimated at $47.5 million. Two other national openers followed in succession with strong numbers. The comedy road trip Due Date grossed $33.4 million and the Afrocentric For Colored Girls bowed to $20.1 million.
There was also a pair of Bollywood films timed to the Dwali holiday. Golmaal 3 had solid returns of $443,000 from 86 screens while Action Replayy was disappointing with $232,000 from 99 venues. In Quebec Reste avec moi pancaked on a gross of $25,600 in an initial 19 playdates.
In limited and exclusive runs the politically charged Fair Game polled a respectable $663,000 that indicates challenging expansion plans. Among the remaining newcomers there was a good solo for Algerian Oscar submission Outside the Law of $7,500. But the big noise of the weekend was the not-for-the-squeamish 127 Hours, which played to near capacity at four and generated a staggering screen average of $66,570.
Weekend revenues ballooned as a result of buoyant new titles and some very strong holdovers.
The latest from DreamWorks Animation, Megamind, was generally pegged to debut in a mid-$40 million arena though some felt it could have performed better on a less competitive weekend. Though that contention is dubious, the rest of the year really doesn’t offer that option with both pre-sold and award titles beginning to open up the multiplex floodgates.
Due Date — with its obvious references to Trains, Planes & Automobiles — renewed faith in the power of a high concept comedy. But the riskier For Colored Girls, based upon the acclaimed play by Ntozake Shange, was the session’s major question mark. Many had pursued the property for decades and concluded that it was unfilmable, so when Tyler Perry unexpectedly stepped forward there was a collective shudder. Critical response was mixed to positive while the opening box office was better than anticipated.
Overall box office should top $155 million for the weekend and best the immediate prior session by 67%. It’s also a 28% improvement from 2009 with the launch of the animated A Christmas Carol opened to $30.1 million with the frame’s other debs The Men Who Stare at Goats and The Fourth Kind slotting third and fourth with respectively $12.7 million and $12.2 million.
If you believe that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, the opening weekend of 127 Hours would certainly buttress your argument. Aside from sterling reviews, the fact-inspired tale of endurance has generated a lot of ink centering on the intensity of the viewing experience that appears to cause at least a few patrons to faint at every screening. The industry will be watching intently to see whether it remains a date movie as it expands nationally.
Also under the microscope is Fair Game that fell short of dynamic initial business. There’s already debate about the decision to open in more than a handful of venues and a feeling that rapid expansion will result in further disappointment along the lines of Conviction.
__________________________________________________
Weekend Estimates – November 5-7, 2010
| Title |
Distributor |
Gross (average) |
% change * |
Theaters |
Cume |
| Megamind |
Par |
47.5 (12,040) |
New |
3944 |
47.5 |
| ue Date |
WB |
33.4 (9,960) |
New |
3355 |
33.4 |
| For Colored Girls |
Lionsgate |
20.1 (9,440) |
New |
2127 |
20.1 |
| Red |
Summit |
8.8 (2,720) |
-18% |
3229 |
71.8 |
| Saw 3D |
Lionsgate |
7.9 (2,820) |
-67% |
2808 |
38.5 |
| Paranormal Activity 2 |
Par |
7.1 (2,250) |
-57% |
3168 |
77 |
| Jackass 3D |
Par |
5.0 (2,330) |
-41% |
2165 |
110.8 |
| Secretariat |
BV |
4.1 (1,570) |
-18% |
2614 |
51.1 |
| Hereafter |
WB |
4.0 (1,680) |
-38% |
2365 |
28.7 |
| The Social Network |
Sony |
3.5 (1,890) |
-22% |
1860 |
85 |
| Life As We Know It |
WB |
3.1 (1,610) |
-23% |
1950 |
48.6 |
| Conviction |
Fox Searchlight |
1.5 (2,280) |
-16% |
672 |
4.5 |
| The Town |
WB |
1.2 (1,510) |
-39% |
801 |
89.8 |
| The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest |
Music Box/Alliance |
.74 (3,720) |
2% |
199 |
2 |
| Fair Game |
Summit |
.66 (14,410) |
New |
46 |
0.66 |
| Easy A |
Sony |
.50 (1,070) |
-53% |
468 |
57.3 |
| Legend of the Guardians |
WB |
.45 (610) |
-74% |
740 |
54 |
| Golmaal 3 |
Eros |
.44 (5,140) |
New |
86 |
0.44 |
| Waiting for “Superman” |
Par Vantage |
.38 (1,570) |
-36% |
242 |
5.4 |
| Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps |
Fox |
.34 (960) |
-57% |
353 |
51.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) |
|
$149.10 |
|
|
|
| % Change (Last Year) |
|
28% |
|
|
|
| % Change (Last Week) |
|
67% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Also debuting/expanding |
|
|
|
|
|
| 127 Hours |
Searchlight |
.27 (66,570) |
|
4 |
0.27 |
| Action Replayy |
Viva |
.23 (2,340) |
|
99 |
0.23 |
| Stone |
Overture |
.18 (1,630) |
-28% |
109 |
1.5 |
| Four Lions |
Drafthouse |
41,300 (5,160) |
|
8 |
0.04 |
| Reste avec moi |
Seville |
25,600 (1,350) |
|
19 |
0.03 |
| Client 9 |
Magnolia |
18,400 (6,130) |
|
3 |
0.02 |
| Red Hill |
Strand |
8,400 (1,680) |
|
5 |
0.01 |
| Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) |
Cohen Media |
7,500 (7,500) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
| Trapped |
CJ Entertainment |
4,400 (4,400) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
Domestic Market Share (Jan. 1 – Nov. 4, 2010)
| Distributor (releases) |
Gross |
Market Share |
| Warner Bros. (25) |
1457.6 |
16.50% |
| Paramount (16) |
1423.7 |
16.00% |
| Fox (16) |
1290.9 |
14.50% |
| Buena Vista (15) |
1163.9 |
13.10% |
| Sony (23) |
1151.1 |
13.00% |
| Universal (17) |
776.9 |
8.80% |
| Summit (10) |
488.3 |
5.50% |
| Lionsgate (13) |
444.2 |
5.00% |
| Overture (7) |
81.2 |
0.90% |
| Fox Searchlight (6) |
75.9 |
0.80% |
| Focus (7) |
74.8 |
0.80% |
| Weinstein Co. (7) |
62.3 |
0.70% |
| Sony Classics (21) |
55.5 |
0.60% |
| MGM (1) |
51.2 |
0.60% |
| CBS (2) |
50 |
0.60% |
| Other * (281) |
233.2 |
2.60% |
|
8880.7 |
100.00% |
| * none greater than .04% |
Top Global Grossers * (Jan. 1 – Nov. 4, 2010)
| Title |
Distributor |
Gross |
| Avatar |
Fox |
1,953,205,209 |
| Toy Story 3 |
BV |
1,061,408,156 |
| Alice in Wonderland |
BV |
1,024,537,295 |
| Inception |
WB |
831,539,135 |
| Shrek Forever After |
Par |
737,766,901 |
| Twilight: Eclipse |
Summit |
691,483,448 |
| Iron Man 2 |
Par |
622,718,600 |
| How to Train Your Dragon |
Par |
495,792,295 |
| Despicable Me |
Uni |
492,994,376 |
| Clash of the Titans |
WB |
489,778,913 |
| Sherlock Holmes * |
WB |
367,796,599 |
| The Karate Kid |
Sony |
359,315,646 |
| Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time |
BV |
335,692,394 |
| The Last Airbender |
Par |
318,404,181 |
| Robin Hood |
Uni |
311,826,207 |
| Shutter Island |
Par |
301,977,955 |
| Sex and the City 2 |
WB |
301,158,934 |
| Salt |
Sony |
291,684,047 |
| Resident Evil: Afterlife |
Sony/Alliance |
277,419,991 |
| Grown Ups |
Sony |
270,265,798 |
| The Expendables |
Lionsgate/NuImage |
269,273,037 |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel |
Fox |
264,341,533 |
| Knight and Day |
Fox |
256,518,022 |
| Percy Jackson & the Olympians |
Fox |
226,497,209 |
| Valentine’s Day |
WB |
217,596,116 |
| * does not include 2009 box office |
Tags: 127 Hours, Action Replayy, Client 9 Red Hill Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) Trapped, Conviction, Due Date, Easy A, Fair Game, For Colored Girls, Four Lions, Golmaal 3, Hereafter, Jackass 3D, Legend of the Guardians, Life As We Know It, Megamind, Paranormal Activity 2, Red, Reste avec moi, Saw 3D, Secretariat, Stone, the girl who kicked the hornet's nest, The Social Network, The Town, Waiting For 'Superman', Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Posted in Klady, MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, The Weekend Report | 1 Comment »
Sunday, October 31st, 2010
See … Saw … Ouch!
Saw 3D whipped into cinemas with an estimated $24.3 million to take top spot in weekend movie going. Distributors gave a wide berth to the Halloween frame when traditionally there are sharp drops in attendance; making the Saw finale the sole new national release.
A different sort of ghoul — the Millennium finale The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest — went limited wide to solid returns of $890,000, but otherwise the frame’s new entries were dominated by niche and exclusive launches. The best of the bunch was the Chinese trembler Aftershock with a single screen entry of $17,600. Other newcomers with good but not spectacular returns included indie drama Welcome to the Riley’s, Brit spy spoof Wild Target, Mexican prize winner Nora’s Will, Claude Chabrol’s final effort Bellamy and non-fiction entry Waste Land.
Overall box office saw a sharp fall from last weekend and a slight bump from 2009 results.
The seventh annual edition of the Saw franchise was hoping for an exit with bite with the addition of stereoscopic imagery. But pre-release tracking indicated that with or without gimmicks the mania was fading and its mid-$20 million weekend tally was pretty much in line with pundit’s predictions. The gore crowd would appear to be sated with current splatter fare but the past month has seen every segment of the audience unenthusiastic for the new crop of movies beyond their opening sessions.
The global juggernaut for the Millennium trilogy continued with the U.S. bow of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. The first installment, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, has racked up $99 million internationally and it and its second chapter are the top grossing foreign-language movies in America post-Pan’s Labyrinth.
Weekend revenues generated about $95 million in sales that translated into a 28% drop from the immediate prior session. It was a modest 6% improvement from 2009 when Michael Jackson: This Is It bowed to $23.2 million followed by Paranormal Activity with $16.4 million.
The fact-based Conviction expanded nationally to fair results and appears to be headed to the same sort of indifferent commercial returns as the rest of the early award season contenders. A sharp drop for last weekend’s Hereafter departs from the sort of holds associated with recent films directed by Clint Eastwood whereas the better than expected stamina of the geezer spies of RED has confounded box office mavens.
But apart from Jackass 3D (which passed a $100 million tally this weekend) such well-reviewed positive word-of-mouth entries as The Social Network and Secretariat have struggled to maintain a presence (forget about momentum) in a marketplace that has all but eliminated the possibility of a second wind.
__________________________________________________
Weekend Estimates – October 29-31, 2010
| Title |
Distributor |
Gross (average) |
% change * |
Theaters |
Cume |
| Saw 3D |
Lionsgate |
24.3 (8,660) |
New |
2808 |
24.3 |
| Paranormal Activity 2 |
Par |
16.4 (5,070) |
-60% |
3239 |
65.6 |
| Red |
Summit |
10.9 (3,250) |
-28% |
3349 |
59 |
| Jackass 3D |
Par |
8.5 (2,720) |
-60% |
3139 |
101.7 |
| Hereafter |
WB |
6.4 (2,630) |
-47% |
2424 |
22.2 |
| Secretariat |
BV |
5.0 (1,610) |
-28% |
3108 |
44.7 |
| The Social Network |
Sony |
4.7 (1,690) |
-36% |
2767 |
79.7 |
| Life As We Know It |
WB |
4.1 (1,440) |
-33% |
2860 |
43.6 |
| The Town |
WB |
2.0 (1,250) |
-27% |
1608 |
87.7 |
| Conviction |
Fox Searchlight |
1.8 (3,220) |
501% |
565 |
2.4 |
| Legend of the Guardians |
WB |
1.8 (880) |
-46% |
2010 |
52.7 |
| Easy A |
Sony |
1.1(880) |
-37% |
1262 |
56.3 |
| The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest |
Music Box/Alliance |
.89 (5,830) |
New |
152 |
0.89 |
| Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps |
Fox |
.78 (840) |
-37% |
933 |
51.2 |
| Waiting for “Superman” |
Par Vantage |
.52 (1,580) |
-33% |
330 |
4.6 |
| Devil |
Uni |
.51 (800) |
-21% |
635 |
33.1 |
| Alpha and Omega |
Lionsgate |
.48 (710) |
-34% |
676 |
24.1 |
| It’s Kind of a Funny Story |
Focus |
.46 (960) |
-32% |
477 |
5.8 |
| You Again |
BV |
.41 (610) |
-37% |
673 |
24.7 |
| You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger |
Sony Classics |
.33 (1,022) |
-24% |
323 |
2.4 |
| Toy Story 3 |
BV |
.31 (920) |
-34% |
337 |
413.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) |
|
$89.70 |
|
|
|
| % Change (Last Year) |
|
6% |
|
|
|
| % Change (Last Week) |
|
-28% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Also debuting/expanding |
|
|
|
|
|
| Stone |
Overture |
.22 (1,760) |
-39% |
125 |
1.2 |
| Nowhere Boy |
Weinstein Co. |
.13 (840) |
-62% |
153 |
1 |
| 10.50 |
Alliance |
55,800 (4,290) |
|
13 |
0.06 |
| Welcome to the Riley’s |
IDP |
41,600 (4,160) |
|
10 |
0.04 |
| Nora’s Will |
Menemsha |
25,300 (4,220) |
|
6 |
0.03 |
| Wild Target |
FreeStyle |
23,200 (5,800) |
|
4 |
0.02 |
| Bellamy |
IFC |
19,700 (9,850) |
|
2 |
0.02 |
| Monsters |
Magnolia |
18,100 (6,030) |
|
3 |
0.02 |
| Aftershock |
AMC |
17,600 (17,600) |
|
1 |
0.02 |
| Waste Land |
Arthouse |
10.300 (10,300) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
| Walkaway |
IABA |
9,400 (360) |
|
26 |
0.01 |
| Strange Powers |
Variance |
4,800 (4,800) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
| The Kids Grow Up |
Shadow |
4,600 (4,600) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
Domestic Market Share (Jan. 1 – Oct. 28, 2010)
| Distributor (releases) |
Gross |
Market Share |
| Warner Bros. (25) |
1436.3 |
16.40% |
| Paramount (16) |
1389.1 |
15.90% |
| Fox (16) |
1289.8 |
14.70% |
| Buena Vista (15) |
1155.5 |
13.20% |
| Sony (23) |
1142.4 |
13.10% |
| Universal (17) |
774.3 |
8.90% |
| Summit (10) |
473.3 |
5.40% |
| Lionsgate (12) |
412.7 |
4.70% |
| Overture (7) |
80.6 |
0.90% |
| Focus (7) |
74.1 |
0.80% |
| Fox Searchlight (6) |
73.4 |
0.80% |
| Weinstein Co. (7) |
61.9 |
0.70% |
| Sony Classics (21) |
54.7 |
0.60% |
| MGM (1) |
51.2 |
0.60% |
| CBS (2) |
50 |
0.60% |
| Other * (277) |
229.7 |
2.70% |
|
8749 |
100.00% |
| * none greater than .04% |
Top Limited Releases * (Jan. 1 – Oct. 28, 2010)
| Title |
Distributor |
Gross |
| Hubble 3D |
WB |
17,246,918 |
| The Ghost Writer |
Summit |
15,569,712 |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo |
Music Box/Alliance |
11,270,373 |
| The Young Victoria * |
Apparition/Alliance |
11,131,232 |
| Get Low |
Sony Classics |
8,980,294 |
| A Single Man * |
Weinstein Co. |
7,935,872 |
| The Girl Who Played with Fire |
Music Box/Alliance |
7,768,761 |
| Cyrus |
Fox Searchlight |
7,461,082 |
| Babies |
Focus |
7,444,272 |
| The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus * |
E1/Sony Classics |
7,394,171 |
| City Island |
Anchor Bay |
6,671,036 |
| The Last Station |
Sony Classics |
6,617,867 |
| The Secret in Their Eyes |
Sony Classics |
6,391,436 |
| Winter’s Bone |
Roadside Attractions |
6,204,696 |
| It’s Kind of a Funny Story |
Focus |
5,342,641 |
| Under the Sea 3D * |
WB |
5,256,073 |
| I Am Love |
Magnolia |
4,982,446 |
| An Education * |
Sony Classics |
4,963,224 |
| The Hurt Locker * |
Summit |
4,531,548 |
| Solitary Man |
Anchor Bay |
4,360,548 |
| * does not include 2009 box office |
Tags: 10.50, A Single Man, Aftershock, Alpha and Omega, An Education, Babies, Bellamy, City Island, Conviction, Cyrus, Devil, Easy A, Get Low, Hereafter, Hubble 3D, I Am Love, It's Kind Of A Funny Story, Jackass 3D, Legend of the Guardians, Life As We Know It, Monsters, Nora's Will, Nowhere Boy, Paranormal Activity 2, Red, Saw 3D, Secretariat, solitary man, Stone, Strange Powers, The Ghost Writer, the girl who kicked the hornet's nest, The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Hurt Locker, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, The Kids Grow Up, The Last Station, The Secret In Their Eyes, The Social Network, The Town, The Young Victoria, Toy Story 3, Under the Sea 3D, Waiting For 'Superman', Walkaway, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Waste Land, Welcome to the Rileys, Wild Target, Winter's Bone, You Again, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger
Posted in MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News, The Weekend Report | Comments Off on Weekend Box Office Report – October 31
Sunday, October 17th, 2010
Jack’use!
Jackass 3D was better than all right with an estimated $49.3 million that easily ranked it at the top of the weekend movie going charts. Another freshman, the seasoned action-comedy Red, ranked second with $21.9 million. The session’s third national debut in medium-wide release was the inspirational N Secure with an OK $133,000 bow.
Among niche and regional bows the polemical documentary I Want Your Money failed to bring out the vote with a $236,000 tally from 537 screens. Telegu-language Brindaavanam rang up an impressive $10,320 average from 20 venues while Bollywood entry Aakrosh was a washout with a $46,400 gross from 24 screens.
Among the week’s exclusive newbies the clear favorite was Hereafter with a $37,380 per screen from six early peeks. There were also impressive openings for the three-hour plus portrait of a terrorist Carlos of $33,700 from single dates in Manhattan and Montreal and a sturdy $101,000 gross for the ripped from the headlines Conviction at 11 cells.
Overall weekend box office revenues topped $130 million for a sizeable 42% boost from seven days back. However, it fell 4% below last year’s tally and the 2010 box office has shrunk to just 2% better than the prior year’s gross for the same period.
Industry trackers had pegged the stereoscopic version of Jackass at roughly $30 million prior to its opening. But they obviously were deaf to bygone wag Henry Mencken’s observation that “no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.” The recently under-served young male audience were eager to don Polaroid glasses and see the aging stars of the reality skein making fools of themselves and others up close and personal.
Pundits also undervalued Red with early estimates in a $15 million to $18 million range. The single joke premise of over the hill spies conscripted back into service (more intentionally mawkish than The Expendables) skewed older but obviously had some appeal for a younger crowd in search of something marginally less mind numbing that required optical gimmicks.
The glacial expansion of Waiting for “Superman” continued to display stamina but it’s clear that Never Let Me Go has peaked and that the rapid expansion of Nowhere Boy left the early years of John Lennon stranded outside the Cavern Club. Stone was experiencing a better than expected hold as it increased its exposure from six to 41 venues.
The frame’s two award contenders – Hereafter and Conviction – constructed solid foundations for their platform bids. Still the early signs suggest a better than anticipated commercial run for the former with the latter yarn requiring a lot of TLC to reach a wider audience.
Among holdovers the second lap for Secretariat showed signs that audiences were discovering the heartfelt saga and The Social Network continues to be propped up by award buzz rather than Facebook fascination.
__________________________________________________
Weekend Estimates – October 15-17, 2010
| Title |
Distributor |
Gross (average) |
% change * |
Theaters |
Cume |
| Jackass 3D |
Par |
49.3 (16,010) |
New |
3081 |
49.3 |
| Red |
Summit |
21.9 (6,740) |
New |
3255 |
21.8 |
| The Social Network |
Sony |
10.8 (3,910) |
-30% |
2771 |
63 |
| Secretariat |
BV |
9.4 (3,070) |
-26% |
3072 |
27.4 |
| Life As We Know It |
WB |
9.2 (2,910) |
-37% |
3150 |
28.8 |
| Legend of the Guardians |
WB |
4.2 (1,670) |
-39% |
2502 |
46 |
| The Town |
WB |
4.0 (1,700) |
-37% |
2368 |
80.6 |
| My Soul to Take |
Uni/Alliance |
3.1 (1,240) |
-54% |
2529 |
11.9 |
| Easy A |
Sony |
2.6 (1,140) |
-39% |
2314 |
52.3 |
| Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps |
Fox |
2.3 (1,110) |
-50% |
2045 |
47.8 |
| N Secure |
FreeStyle |
1.3 (2,730) |
New |
486 |
1.3 |
| It’s Kind of a Funny Story |
Focus |
1.3 (1,660) |
-38% |
757 |
4 |
| You Again |
BV |
1.2 (750) |
-53% |
1588 |
22.7 |
| Case 39 |
Par Vantage |
1.2 (840) |
-56% |
1406 |
11.9 |
| Devil |
Uni |
1.0 (1,100) |
-46% |
891 |
31.6 |
| Let Me In |
Overture |
.83 (690) |
-66% |
1211 |
11.1 |
| Alpha and Omega |
Lions Gate |
.81 (840) |
-46% |
969 |
22.6 |
| Waiting for “Superman” |
Par Vantage |
.74 (4,060) |
17% |
182 |
2.5 |
| Toy Story 3 |
BV |
.52 (1,480) |
-6% |
350 |
412.8 |
| Inception |
WB |
.35 (1,180) |
-29% |
297 |
289.7 |
| Resident Evil: Afterlife |
Sony/Alliance |
.34 (780) |
-73% |
438 |
59.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) |
|
$125.70 |
|
|
|
| % Change (Last Year) |
|
-4% |
|
|
|
| % Change (Last Week) |
|
42% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Also debuting/expanding |
|
|
|
|
|
| Nowhere Boy |
Weinstein Co. |
.33 (1,550) |
554% |
215 |
0.41 |
| Never Let Me Go |
Searchlight |
.32 (1,390) |
-7% |
232 |
1.65 |
| You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger |
Sony Classics |
.27 (2,440) |
1% |
112 |
1.26 |
| I Want Your Money |
FreeStyle |
.24 (440) |
|
537 |
0.24 |
| Stone |
Overture |
.23 (5,780) |
199% |
41 |
0.34 |
| Hereafter |
WB |
.22 (37,380) |
|
6 |
0.22 |
| Brindaavanam |
Blue Sky |
.21 (10,320) |
|
20 |
0.21 |
| Buried |
Lions Gate |
.13 (1,270) |
-41% |
103 |
0.76 |
| Conviction |
Fox Searchlight |
.10 (9,200) |
|
11 |
0.1 |
| Aakrosh |
Eros |
46,400 (1,930) |
|
24 |
0.05 |
| Carlos |
IFC |
33,700 (16,850) |
|
1 |
0.03 |
| Knockout |
Eros |
18,100 (700) |
|
26 |
0.02 |
| A Better Tomorrow |
CJ Entertainment |
5,800 (5,800) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
| Down Terrace |
Magnolia |
2,900 (1,450) |
|
2 |
0.01 |
| Samson and Delilah |
Ipix |
2,300 (1,150) |
|
2 |
0.01 |
Domestic Market Share – January 1 – October 14, 2010
| Distributor (releases) |
Gross |
Market Share |
| Warner Bros. (24) |
1380.1 |
16.40% |
| Fox (16) |
1284.6 |
15.30% |
| Paramount (14) |
1242.3 |
14.80% |
| Buena Vista (15) |
1129.6 |
13.40% |
| Sony (23) |
1111.7 |
13.20% |
| Universal (17) |
765.4 |
9.10% |
| Summit (9) |
425.1 |
5.10% |
| Lionsgate (12) |
410.1 |
4.90% |
| Overture (7) |
78.2 |
0.90% |
| Fox Searchlight (5) |
72.1 |
0.90% |
| Focus (7) |
71.4 |
0.90% |
| Weinstein Co. (7) |
61.1 |
0.70% |
| Sony Classics (20) |
52.9 |
0.60% |
| MGM (1) |
50.4 |
0.60% |
| CBS (2) |
50 |
0.60% |
| Other * (266) |
222.3 |
2.60% |
|
8407.3 |
100.00% |
| * none greater than .04% |
Tags: A Better Tomorrow, Aakrosh, Alpha and Omega, Brindaavanam, Buried, carlos, Case 39, Conviction, Devil, down terrace, Easy A, Hereafter, I Want Your Money, Inception, It's Kind Of A Funny Story, jackass 3-d, Jackass 3D, Knockout, Legend of the Guardians, Let Me In, Life As We Know It, My Soul To Take, N Secure, Never Let Me Go, Nowhere Boy, Red, Resident Evil: Afterlife, samson and delilah, Secretariat, Stone, The Social Network, The Town, Toy Story 3, Waiting For 'Superman', Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Walt Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger
Posted in MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News, The Weekend Report | 1 Comment »
Sunday, October 17th, 2010
Jackass 3D|49.3|New| 49.3
Red|21.9|New |21.9
The Social Network|10.8|-30%|63
Secretariat|9.4|-26%|27.4
Life As We Know It|9.2|-37%|28.8
Legend of the Guardians|4.2|-39%|46
The Town|4.0|-37%|80.6
My Soul to Take|3.1|-54%|11.9
Easy A|2.6|-39%| 52.3
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps|2.3|-50%|47.8
Tags: Easy A, jackass 3-d, Legend of the Guardians, Life As We Know It, My Soul To Take, Red, Secretariat, The Social Network, The Town, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Posted in Estimates, MCN Weekend | Comments Off on Weekend Estimates – October 17
Saturday, October 16th, 2010
Jackass 3D|20.4|3081|New|20.4
Red|8 |3255|New|8
The Social Network|3.3|2868|-31%|55.4
Life As We Know It|3|3150|-42%|22.7
Secretariat|2.9|3072|-29%|20.9
The Town|1.2|2368|-34%|77.7
Legend of the Guardians|1|2502|-42%|42.8
My Soul to Take|1|2529|-63%|9.7
Easy A|0.8|2314|-38%|50.5
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps|0.7|2045|-49%|46.3
Also Debuting
N Secure|0.42|486||0.42
I Want Your Money|83,400|537||83,400
Brindaavanam|59,300|20||59,300
Hereafter|57,900|6||57,900
Conviction|29,100|11||29,100
Aakrosh|12,300|24||12,300
Carlos|6,900|1||6,900
Knockout|4,800|6||4,800
Vision|3,900|2||3,900
A Better Tomorrow|1,900|1||1,900
||||
*in millions|||
Tags: carlos, Conviction, Easy A, Hereafter, Jackass 3D, Legend of the Guardians, Life As We Know It, My Soul to Tak, Red, Secretariat, The Social Network, The Town, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Posted in Friday Box Office Estimates, MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News | Comments Off on Friday Estimates – October 16
Sunday, October 10th, 2010
The Social Network|15.3|-32%| 45.9
Life As We Know It|14.6|New |14.6
Secretariat|12.4|New|12.4
My Soul to Take|6.9|New|6.9
Legend of the Guardians|6.8|-38%|39.2
The Town|6.3|-36%|73.7
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps|4.5| -55%|43.6
Easy A|4.1|-39%|48.1
Case 39|2.6| -55%| 9.5
You Again|2.4|-58%|20.7
Tags: Case 39, Easy A, Legend of the Guardians, Life As We Know It, My Soul To Take, Secretariat, The Social Network, The Town, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again
Posted in Estimates, MCN Weekend | Comments Off on Weekend Estimates – October 10
Saturday, October 9th, 2010
Life As We Know It|5.2|3150||5.2
The Social Network|4.8 |2771|-40%|35.4
Secretariat|4|3072|New|4
My Soul to Take|2.6|2572|New|2.6
The Town|1.9|2720|-41%|69.3
Legend of the Guardians|1.8|3225|-31%|34.1
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps|1.4|2820|-58%|40.4
Easy A|1.3|2847|-41%|45.3
Case 39|0.8|2212|-57%|7.8
Let Me In|0.75|2042|-61%|7.5
Also Debuting
It’s Kind of a Funny Story|0.6 5|742||0.65
Khaleja|32,500|22||32,500
L’Immortel|22,800|24||22,800
Stone|21,300|6||21,300
Nowhere Boy|12,700|4||12,700
I Spit on Your Grave|11,100|12||11,100
Tamara Drewe|5,100|4||5,100
Ghetto Physics|4,990|9||4,990
Budrus|3,450|1||3,450
It’s a Wonderful Afterlife|1,500|18||1,500
||||
*in millions|||
Tags: Case 39, Easy A, It's Kind Of A Funny Story, khaleja, Legend of the Guardians, Let Me In, Life As We Know It, My Soul To Take, Nowhere Boy, Secretariat, Stone, Tamara Drewe, The Social Network, The Town, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Posted in Friday Box Office Estimates, MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News | Comments Off on Friday Estimates – October 9
Sunday, October 3rd, 2010
I Am Not a Robot … or Not
The uber-ballyhooed The Social Network buzzed above the pack with an estimated $22.6 million to lead weekend ticket sales. Two other national releases proved commercial disappointments. The much-admired horror remake Let Me In ranked seventh overall with $5.3 million and the thriller Case 39 was a peg behind with $5.2 million.
The big noise for the frame came from new regional and niche titles. The Tamil language Robots (the most expensive film ever produced in India) rewrote the record books with the biggest ever North American debut with a $2.1 million tally. The simultaneous release of Anjaana Anjaani from Bollywood’s Hindi sector was also impressive with a $560,000 bow. In Canada, the Brit import StreetDance 3D generated a hefty $423,000 and the indigenous Fubar II rang up $209,000 from just 30 venues.
However, a couple of indie horror entries failed to ignite pre-Halloween frenzy. Chain Letter eked out a $300 average from 401 screens and Hatchet II was marginally better with an $880 average from a more contained 68 playdates.
Overall business experienced a roll back from both the prior weekend and 2009 revenues.
Critical response to The Social Network was predominantly rapturous. Still, media reports detailed concerns based on tracking and previews that the flamboyant saga of Facebook and its youthful creators was a tough sell. Exit polls showed that opening weekend skewed slightly female with 53% of the audience and plus 25s comprised 55% of sales. Trackers had predicted grossed in the range of $25 million to $28 million and its clear that its future rests on playing the awards card and eventually drawing in younger viewers obviously spending too much time on the net to go see the movie.
Let Me In also received enthusiastic thumbs ups from reviewers that failed to translate at the box office. Prognosticators pushed its envelope to the $10 million to $12 million strata but ticket buyers opted to catch up with The Town, Easy A or the Wall Street sequel. Case 39, which opened internationally in late 2008 and has grossed more than $10 million overseas, arrived as a theatrical afterthought and performed more or less as expected … blah.
Weekend sales came up just short of $100 million, which amounted to a 3% decline from seven days earlier. 2009 comparisons saw a steeper erosion of 9%. A year ago the debuts of Zombieland and the 3D pairing of Toy Story’s first two installments ranked first and third with respective openings of $24.7 million and $12.5 million.
Robot, with echoes of Metropolis, is a more optimistic yarn of a scientist who creates an android in his own image and watches the somewhat amusing results unfold. The big budget production went full out with dubbed versions in Hindi and Telegu in addition to the Tamil original. The largely Indian diasporas came out in force to generate a record opening box office. Still, despite considerable efforts in the past five years, the Indian cinema is just one film short of producing a crossover mainstream hit.
The session didn’t include a new platform in what looks like a crowded, eclectic awards season. However a clutch of early entries including Never Let Me Go, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Catfish added dates and continued to keep a foot in the door. Only Jack Goes Boating appears to have run out of steam early.
__________________________________________________
Weekend Estimates – October 1-3, 2010
| Title |
Distributor |
Gross (average) |
% change * |
Theaters |
Cume |
| The Social Network |
Sony |
22.6 (8.170) |
New |
2771 |
22.6 |
| Legend of the Guardians |
WB |
10.9 (3,040) |
-33% |
3575 |
30.1 |
| Walt Street: Money Never Sleeps |
Fox |
10.2 (2,840) |
-46% |
3597 |
36 |
| The Town |
WB |
10.1 (3,430) |
-36% |
2935 |
64.4 |
| Easy A |
Sony |
6.8 (2,280) |
-36% |
2974 |
42.2 |
| You Again |
BV |
5.5 (2,150) |
-35% |
2548 |
16.4 |
| Let Me In |
Overture |
5.3 (2,610) |
New |
2021 |
5.3 |
| Case 39 |
Par Vantage |
5.2 (2,370) |
New |
2211 |
5.2 |
| Devil |
Uni |
3.6 (1,510) |
-45% |
2392 |
27.3 |
| Alpha and Omega |
Lions Gate |
3.0 (1,290) |
-38% |
2302 |
19 |
| Resident Evil: Afterlife |
Sony/Alliance |
2.8 (1,450) |
-44% |
1907 |
56.6 |
| Robot/Endhiran |
Ficus/B4U |
2.1 (15,260) |
New |
139 |
2.1 |
| Inception |
WB |
.84 (1,340) |
-37% |
625 |
288.3 |
| Takers |
Sony |
.79 (1,020) |
-46% |
773 |
56.2 |
| Catfish |
Uni/Alliance |
.61 (4,480) |
80% |
136 |
1.6 |
| Anjaana Anjaani |
Eros |
.56 (6,090) |
New |
92 |
0.56 |
| The Other Guys |
Sony |
.43 (760) |
-57% |
566 |
117.7 |
| StreetDance 3D |
Alliance |
.42 (2,940) |
New |
144 |
0.42 |
| Waiting for “Superman” |
Par Vantage |
.41 (12,010) |
193% |
34 |
0.6 |
| Despicable Me |
Uni |
.39 (840) |
-33% |
463 |
246 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) |
|
$90.90 |
|
|
|
| % Change (Last Year) |
|
-9% |
|
|
|
| % Change (Last Week) |
|
-3% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Also debuting/expanding |
|
|
|
|
|
| Fubar 2 |
Alliance |
.21 (6,970) |
|
30 |
0.21 |
| You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger |
Sony Classics |
.20 (7,010) |
27% |
29 |
0.286 |
| Never Let Me Go |
Searchlight |
.19 (3,470) |
-23% |
54 |
0.62 |
| Chain Letter |
New Film |
.12 (300) |
|
401 |
0.12 |
| Jack Goes Boating |
Overture |
.10 (1,300) |
29% |
78 |
0.27 |
| Buried |
Lions Gate |
96,200 (2,920) |
-4% |
33 |
0.23 |
| Hatchet II |
Vitagraph |
59,700 (880) |
|
68 |
0.06 |
| Le Poil de la bete |
Seville |
48,800 (1,740) |
|
28 |
0.05 |
| Freakomomics |
Magnolia |
32,400 (1,620) |
|
20 |
0.03 |
| Leaving |
IFC |
12,700 (6,350) |
|
2 |
0.01 |
| Douchebag |
Paladin |
3,600 (3,600) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
Domestic Market Share – January 1 – September 23, 2010
| Distributor (releases) |
Gross |
Market Share |
| Warner Bros. (23) |
1312.1 |
16.10% |
| Fox (16) |
1263.7 |
15.50% |
| Paramount (11) |
1228.6 |
15.10% |
| Buena Vista (14) |
1099.5 |
13.50% |
| Sony (22) |
1035.9 |
12.70% |
| Universal (16) |
747.4 |
9.20% |
| Summit (9) |
424.9 |
5.20% |
| Lions Gate (12) |
403.1 |
5.00% |
| Fox Searchlight (5) |
71.2 |
0.90% |
| Focus (6) |
68.1 |
0.80% |
| Overture (5) |
67.6 |
0.80% |
| Weinstein Co. (6) |
60.8 |
0.70% |
| Sony Classics (19) |
51.7 |
0.60% |
| MGM (1) |
50.4 |
0.60% |
| CBS (2) |
50 |
0.60% |
| Other * (253) |
211 |
2.60% |
|
8146 |
100.00% |
| * none greater than .04% |
Top Limited Releases: January 1 – September 30, 2010
| Title * |
Distributor |
Gross |
| Hubble 3D |
WB |
16,036,317 |
| The Ghost Writer |
Summit |
15,569,712 |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo |
Music Box/Alliance |
11,250,177 |
| The Young Victoria * |
Apparition/Alliance |
11,131,232 |
/tr>
| Get Low |
Sony Classics |
8,449,788 |
| A Single Man * |
Weinstein Co. |
7,935,872 |
| The Girl Who Played with Fire |
Music Box/Alliance |
7,539,151 |
| Babies |
Focus |
7,444,272 |
| Cyrus |
Fox Searchlight |
7,442,641 |
| The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus * |
E1/Sony Classics |
7,394,171 |
| City Island |
Anchor Bay |
6,671,036 |
| The Last Station |
Sony Classics |
6,617,867 |
| The Secret in Their Eyes |
Sony Classics |
6,384,875 |
| Winter’s Bone |
Roadside Attraction |
6,077,440 |
| An Education * |
Sony Classics |
4,963,224 |
| Under the Sea 3D * |
WB |
4,950,071 |
| I Am Love |
Magnolia |
4,900,430 |
| The Hurt Locker * |
Summit |
4,531,548 |
| Solitary Man |
Anchor Bay |
4,359,937 |
| Greenberg |
Focus |
4,283,056 |
|
|
| * does not include 2009 box office |
Tags: Alpha and Omega, Case 39, Devil, Easy A, Legend of the Guardians, Let Me In, The Social Network, The Town, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again
Posted in MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News, The Weekend Report | 5 Comments »
Sunday, October 3rd, 2010
The Social Network|22.6|New| 22.6
Legend of the Guardians|10.9|-33% |30.1
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps|10.2|-46%|36
The Town|10.1|-36%|64.4
Easy A|6.8|-36%|42.2
You Again|5.5|-35%|16.4
Let Me In|5.3| New|5.3
Case 39|5.2| New|5.2
Devil|3.6| -45%| 27.3
Alpha and Omega|3.0|-38%|19
Tags: Alpha and Omega, Case 39, Devil, Easy A, Legend of the Guardians, Let Me In, The Social Network, The Town, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again
Posted in Estimates, MCN Weekend, Movie City News | Comments Off on Weekend Estimates — October 3
Saturday, October 2nd, 2010
Interesting.
Basically, Sony is now hoping that The Social Network, which they have pushed about as hard as any drama has ever been pushed, does slightly better than The Town this weekend. $26.85m is the magic number to pass, as it is the number Ben Button opened to… and they want that across-the-board Oscar nominee to be their first point of reference. If things go well, about one of every 20 million Facebook users will have rushed out to see the film.
Back in the Land of Reality, this is an excellent opening for a drama with no box office stars. Aside from chick-flicky films like Dear John and Eat Pray Love, you don’t see $20m opening dramas these days.
That said, as this Social Network and Let Me In were both reminded this weekend, you gotta sell your goods and not get caught up in your own in-house excitement. Social Network sold itself to the media elite, smartly and with style. And as a result, they’re getting box office returns from that limited group. That could, as Sony hopes, still mean $100 million.
It’s really a different conversation than box office, but Sony should embrace and be fully pleased with this number for an Aaron Sorkin script… which means a specific slice of people who want to hear rapid-fired clever dialogue and not walk away with much more than that story being well told. They made the movie they set out to make… and then, I am afraid, got a little too caught up in their own belief that it was the second coming. There is a ton of talent on display in the film, but it is only as much as it is. And perspective gets lost.
The same need to sell what you have and not what you think you have is true for Let Me In, which is a much bigger mystery non-opening this weekend, as they chose to take a gentle, weird, very Euro movie and make it into a horror film with fancy arthouse edges. I don’t see the movies as the same at all, i believe that film can be reimagined (and think Fincher will take Dragon Tattoo miles further than the director of the series now on screen does), so I am fine with what Matt Reeves did. So the question is, why couldn’t Overture sell what Lionsgate or Screen Gems would have opened to 3x as much of a gross. (My first suspect would be TV spending and time for a strong pr rollout, but honestly, I have been so in TIFF mode for weeks that I don’t have a great idea of what the team left at Overture was able to get done, aside from fests and geek community hype.)
This opening neither puts Social Network behind some 8-ball with awards season or profitability, nor does it make it a smash success. It’s just box office. And awards are just awards. And really, what will live on forever is The Film. I am not as over the moon about Social Network as some. I think a lot of critics projected their personal issues with the web onto the movie. But It’s a damned good movie, especially from a major studio.
But I digress…
Nice holds again for The Town and Easy A.
Tags: anjaana anjaani, Case 39, chain letter, Devil, Douchebag, Easy A.Let Me In, Freakomomics, fubar 2, hatchet II, Le Poil de la bête, leaving, Legend of the Guardians, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Robot, StreetDance 3D, The Social Network, The Town, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again
Posted in MCN Blogs, MCN Originals, Movie City News, The Hot Blog | 36 Comments »
Saturday, October 2nd, 2010
The Social Network|8|2771||8
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps|3.3 |3565|-53%|29
The Town|3.1|2885|-38%|57.4
Legend of the Guardians|2.6|3575|-43%|21.8
Easy A|2.2|2974|-38%|37.7
Let Me In|1.9|2021||1.9
Case 39|1.8|2211||1.8
You Again|1.6|2548|-40%|12.5
Devil|1.1|2392|-48%|24.8
Resident Evil: Afterlife|0.75|2642|-44%|54.6
Also Debuting
Robot|0.4 5|89||0.45
Anjaana Anjaani|0.16|92||0.16
StreetDance 3D|0.12|144||0.12
Fubar 2|81,600|30||81,600
Chain Letter|37,800|401||37,800
Hatchet II|25,300|67||25,300
Le Poil de la bete|16,400|28||16,400
Freakonomics|9,300|17||9,300
Leaving|4,100|2||4,100
Douchebag|2,050|1||2,050
||||
*in millions|||
Tags: anjaana anjaani, Case 39, chain letter, Devil, Easy A, Freakonomics, hatchet II, Legend of the Guardians, Let Me In, Resident Evil: Afterlife, The Social Network, The Town, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again
Posted in Friday Box Office Estimates, MCN Weekend | Comments Off on Friday Estimates – October 2
Thursday, September 30th, 2010
Our Players|Coming Soon|Box Office Prophets|Box Office Guru|EW|Box Office . com
The Social Network|27.6|27.5|26|28|27
Let Me In|13.5|11.5|8|8|9.5
Legend of the Guardians|10|9.8|10|8|10.8
The Town|9.8|11.3|10|7.5|10.5
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps|9.8|11|10.5|10|11
Case 39|3.8|7.4|4|n/a|6.5
Tags: Case 39, Legend of the Guardians, Let Me In, The Social Network, The Town, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Posted in Box Office Hell, MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News | Comments Off on Box Office Hell – September 30
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
