Monday Morning Quarterback Part I
By BOP Staff
January 18, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Josh Spiegel: Kind of, but not really. I wonder if The Green Hornet is doing so well this weekend partly because it's the most palatable option for teenagers and college students who want something that's entertaining but not very challenging. Also, here's a movie where the upconversion into 3D hasn't sent audiences elsewhere. All things considered, despite the movie seeming to be too crazy to believe (Seth Rogen plays a superhero in a Michel Gondry film), the result is pretty good for a January release.
Brett Beach: I am surprised that a Seth Rogen action film that looked this crappy (as opposed to Pineapple Express, which I would say also qualifies as a SRAF) somehow managed to overcome negative buzz and get people excited, with one of the best three-day January openings ever. (This was a weekend where I thought audiences might feel compelled to stay away from the multiplex or spend most of their money on the buzzed-about Golden Globe nominees.) Nothing in the advertising for this film ever convinced me that it needed to be seen. I cringe to think that this will be used as an excuse to do more subpar 3D conversion on films when I see it as more an example of how there are very few "2D" options left for most moviegoers if they want to see a film that's being schlepped in 3D.
Bruce Hall: I think that all things considered, this has to be considered a pretty positive result. This is not traditionally the time of year that franchise films with high expectations are released. And Seth Rogen is certainly popular, but selling him as an action hero was going to be a tall order. The results are debatable, but I have to take my green felt hat off to him for pulling it off as well as he did. But The Green Hornet benefited from a soft weekend where its only real demographic competition in new release was The Dilemma, a very weak film whose expiration date seemed long past a week before it opened. The remaining threats were Tron, whose best weeks are well behind it, and a Nic Cage thriller that couldn't have shed more viewers in its second frame if you'd set the theaters on fire. Add to this a budget that ranks as pretty modest for a super hero flick and you kind of have to say that $34 million looks like a pretty solid haul. Middling reviews aside, it certainly looks like we can expect to see Seth Rogen and Jay Chou suit up for another installment sooner rather than later. Whether or not this is a good thing, I will leave to your own imaginations.
Edwin Davies: I'm not surprised that a Seth Rogen action film could open to $34.1 million considering that Pineapple Express demonstrated that he could headline an action comedy, suggesting that there is definitely an audience out there for him in these roles, but I am surprised that this Seth Rogen action film opened so high. Considering the troubled production history and mediocre-to-hostile reviews, I was expecting the film to open in the $20-25 million range. I guess that the spate of prestige pictures and lack of options for teens and action fans meant that it became a consensus choice that it might not have been on a weekend with other options.
Max Braden: Season of the Witch was dark and dingy, Green Hornet was bright and shiny. It's just the sort of commercial movie that can fill that Christmas void after the overeating has worn off and the reality of winter doldrums has started to set back in.
Matthew Huntley: I'm actually not surprised at all, especially when you consider this movie was booked in over 3,500 theaters and has been heavily advertised over the past few months (like those so-so funny Carl's Jr. commercials) and at Comic-Con last summer. I expected at least a mid-30s opening. I'm more surprised that it didn't open bigger. Given its saturation-level release and target audience, I would have predicted $42 million over the three days and closer to $50 million for the four. I think the action part of it had more to do with it than Seth Rogen.
Shalimar Sahota: I'm not that surprised. I think this is pretty much on target and a part of me thought it might even reach as high as $40 million. Studios may be scraping the barrel for superhero properties now, but Sony Columbia has shown that you can simply open your summer blockbuster early (or late, depending on your point of view) in the middle of January, because the demand for it is certainly there and the competition isn't. I've been seeing plenty of ads for this since the start of the new year and I wouldn't mind watching it, but my local cinemas are showing it ONLY in 3D (though a few reports suggest it's one of the better 3D conversions rather than a rush job).
Reagen Sulewski: Rogen seems to have gotten to that place where Adam Sandler was in the mid '90s, where he's built up an audience that will follow him anywhere, as long as he promises not to get serious or too weird (see: Punch-Drunk Love and Observe and Report). Quality doesn't really matter, because he's built up enough trust in his core audience, until something that was supposed to be a hit flops miserably. Ask any of your stoner friends - Rogen's films are must-sees at this point.
David Mumpower: I will take the contrarian opinion here. I view this as a surprising result given the cold streak Rogen has been experiencing. Funny People, Observe and Report and Zack and Miri Make a Porno were his three most recent live action roles. That's $112 million worth of production budgets against $107.3 million in domestic receipts. We have a tendency to remember the good movies and dismiss the Observe and Reports from our collective conscious, which is what keeps the John Travoltas of the world gainfully employed. Rogen has worked a lot during his window as Judd Apatow's most intriguing disciple, and I commend him for that. The brutal truth is that he needed a Green Hornet-sized hit, though. Otherwise, people would start seeing him as a supporting character rather than a lead. I always thought The Green Hornet looked funny and I'm pleased to see it do well, particularly after the exceptional Mythbusters episode spawned from it.
Kim Hollis: Do you think The Green Hornet's opening proves that Seth Rogen can be just as much an action star as Nicolas Cage?
Josh Spiegel: No, I wouldn't say that. Rogen's not a typical action star, and this is really the first movie that puts the comedy on an equal level as the action (whereas Pineapple Express is more about the comedy). If he makes two or three more action movies that are successful, then we can talk about him being a big star on both levels, but he's not there yet.
Brett Beach: Considering how incredulous I was when I first heard that Cage was doing a Bruckheimer/Bay action picture (!) as his "reward" for winning the Oscar, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that I am having a similar reaction to seeing Rogen attempt the same thing (minus of course, the Oscar). There really aren't any kings of action films anymore, no muscle bound he-men, which basically means the field remains wide open for those who want to dip their toes into the testosterone pool. If there's room for Jason Statham, there's room for Rogen. Still not sure if I will ever be convinced, however, even if the grosses prove me wrong.
Bruce Hall: This depends on which Nic Cage you're talking about. If you are referring to the late '90s version, I would say no contest. Put the bunny down. Cage Wins. If you are referring to the guy that remarkably few moviegoers watched shamble his way through the C-Grade schlockfest that was Season of the Witch then yes, Seth Rogen is every bit an action hero as Nic Cage.
And so is Garrett Hedlund. So is Timothy Olyphant. So are you. So am I. I'm not against the genre of action hero opening up into a sort of "everyman" thing, but if this is the best we've got right now, then pardon me if I wait with breathless anticipation for the next Vin Diesel joint.
Edwin Davies: I'd have to see him star in a straight up action film before making that judgment. Both The Green Hornet and Pineapple Express are action films that have strong comedic elements (and are both from two offbeat directors who made their name with odd, independently spirited films) so play to his strengths. If he stars in a action film that is not also a comedy that is directed by Jon Turteltaub then I'd put him in the same category of action star as Nic Cage.
Matthew Huntley: No, for pretty much the same reasons Josh and Edwin mentioned. However, that's not to say I wouldn't like to Rogen try. I think it'd be interesting and fresh for a somewhat stocky guy like Rogen to become an action star and go against the archetypal model these roles usually require. If he can pull off being a serious action star (without the aid of comedy), I'd be impressed, and I'd also consider him more of a full-fledged actor.
Max Braden: The image of "former Army Ranger" Seth Rogen running from fireballs and taking down hardened prisoners on his own in Con Air is making me laugh. Rogen did do that loco stage dive in the end of Pineapple Express and played an overly aggressive mall cop in Observe and Report, but The Green Hornet is a little bit of three-card monte: The action is all Kato and Rogen's character, in terms of action, is the straight man. Instead of an action star, I would agree that Rogen can be just as much of an adventure star as anyone. And as an adventure star he still won't have the swaggering sex appeal of James Bond, Captain Kirk, or Indiana Jones, but with the comedic touch, his action/adventure movies have plenty of potential to be big.
Reagen Sulewski: I think Rogen is just enjoying the idea that someone would pay him to be an action star - though both of the films where he's taken on that role have gone with the idea of "isn't it ridiculous that we're letting fatty here do stunts?" One thing that's clear in the comparison is that Rogen has better script choice, in that he writes most of his own and knows his limitations. That's never a bad thing.
Kim Hollis: Do you think The Green Hornet's opening proves that Seth Rogen can be just as much an action star as Nicolas Cage?
Josh Spiegel: No, I wouldn't say that. Rogen's not a typical action star, and this is really the first movie that puts the comedy on an equal level as the action (whereas Pineapple Express is more about the comedy). If he makes two or three more action movies that are successful, then we can talk about him being a big star on both levels, but he's not there yet.
Brett Beach: Considering how incredulous I was when I first heard that Cage was doing a Bruckheimer/Bay action picture (!) as his "reward" for winning the Oscar, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that I am having a similar reaction to seeing Rogen attempt the same thing (minus of course, the Oscar). There really aren't any kings of action films anymore, no muscle bound he-men, which basically means the field remains wide open for those who want to dip their toes into the testosterone pool. If there's room for Jason Statham, there's room for Rogen. Still not sure if I will ever be convinced, however, even if the grosses prove me wrong.
Bruce Hall: This depends on which Nic Cage you're talking about. If you are referring to the late nineties version, I would say no contest. Put the bunny down. Cage Wins. If you are referring to the guy that remarkably few moviegoers watched shamble his way through the C-Grade schlockfest that was Season of the Witch then yes, Seth Rogen is every bit an action hero as Nic Cage.
And so is Garrett Hedlund. So is Tymothy Olyphant. So are you. So am I. I'm not against the genre of action hero opening up into a sort of "everyman" thing, but if this is the best we've got right now, then pardon me if I wait with breathless anticipation for the next Vin Diesel joint.
Edwin Davies: I'd have to see him star in a straight up action film before making that judgement. Both The Green Hornet and Pineapple Express are action films that have strong comedic elements (and are both from two offbeat directors who made their name with odd, independently spirited films) so play to his strenghs. If he stars in a action film that is not also a comedy that is directed by Jon Turteltaub then I'd put him in the same category of action star as Nic Cage.
Matthew Huntley: No, for pretty much the same reasons Josh and Edwin mentioned. However, that's not to say I wouldn't like to Rogen try. I think it'd be interesting and fresh for a somewhat stocky guy like Rogen to become an action star and go against the archetypal model these roles usually require. If he can pull off being a serious action star (without the aid of comedy), I'd be impressed, and I'd also consider him more of a full-fledged actor.
Max Braden: The image of "former Army Ranger" Seth Rogen running from fireballs and taking down hardened prisoners on his own in Con Air is making me laugh. Rogen did do that loco stage dive in the end of Pineapple Express and played an overly aggressive mall cop in Observe and Report, but The Green Hornet is a little bit of three-card monte: The action is all Kato and Rogen's character, in terms of action, is the straight man. Instead of an action star, I would agree that Rogen can be just as much of an adventure star as anyone. And and as an adventure star he still won't have the swaggering sex appeal of James Bond, Captain Kirk, or Indiana Jones, but with the comedic touch, his action/adventure movies have plenty of potential to be big.
Reagen Sulewski: I think Rogen is just enjoying the idea that someone would pay him to be an action star - though both of the films where he's taken on that role have gone with the idea of "isn't it ridiculous that we're letting fatty here do stunts?" One thing that's clear in the comparison is that Rogen has better script choice, in that he writes most of his own and knows his limitations. That's never a bad thing.
David Mumpower: Brett made the most pertinent point here in referencing the time when no one could believe that Nicolas Cage was going to star in Face/Off and Con Air. The fact that an unattractive, socially awkward man is now viewed as a legitimate action hero superstar speaks volumes about the madness of the process. Why not Seth Green? That's the question I posed to my wife, who then pointed out that I mean Seth Rogen. So, why not Seth Rogen? Or Seth Green? What do we need from an action star these days if nobody cares whether they have the physique of The Rock or Jason Statham? We've morphed as a society to a place where videogames are specifically designed to allow the user to feel like they are the hero. In a way, casting the likes of Seth Rogen serves the same purpose, at least it did before he got into shape. He's the quippy couch potato who makes for a perfectly relatable protagonist. That's all he needs to do and as we have universally confirmed in this thread, picky though we may be about comedy, we all agree that Rogen is damned funny. That's enough, especially in the right project such as The Green Hornet. Would you rather have a Seth Rogen in this or a Jake Gyllenhaal stiffly snarling through Prince of Persia?