Monday Morning Quarterback Part II
By BOP Staff
May 3, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Kim Hollis: Prom, Disney's attempt at another High School Musical franchise, opened to $4.7 million. Why do you think this one failed to strike a chord with the tween crowd...or anyone else?
Bruce Hall: It's hard for me to say for sure because the time I tried to watch Glee was one of the most excruciating experiences of my adult life. And sitting through Grease with a girlfriend was like being water boarded. Now, I only date girls if they swear hatred of musicals. That's my only requirement. Anyway, I don't think you can re-create lightning in a bottle. Musicals tend to have a fairly narrow demographic but when one really connects with people, it tends to become a mainstream phenomenon. But that's something that happens through creative effort and good fortune. You can't just copy that sort of thing, and people can usually sense when you're doing it. But that's the theory of a guy who wouldn't watch something like this if you paid off his car. I'm sure fans of the genre might have a different take.
Kim Hollis: Well, it's not a musical, it just looks like it might be one. It's a comedy drama. No matter what, I saw a ton of advertising for this thing on the Disney Channel (as I mentioned in the Friday numbers update, I watch a lot of Phineas and Ferb) and I thought it might strike the right chord with the audience. I was wrong.
Josh Spiegel: Honestly, who can say what went wrong? The premise seemed like it should win, and would be a solid attempt at counterprogramming against Fast Five. If anything, the movie may have failed because it's just like every other teenage-themed romantic comedy, and features only one known actor (and she's only known if you watch Friday Night Lights). I'm just glad Disney's not going to be creating a new franchise themed around high school's biggest nights.
Brett Beach: Perhaps in this day and age, the tweeners have already been indoctrinated into the world of muscle cars and 40-year-olds who say "bro" a lot? I had convinced myself that this would be a double-digit millions opener. Disney delivers more often than not, but, as far as sanitized versions of teen experiences go, this opening seems more like what College Road Trip (which was G-rated) might have experienced without Martin Lawrence or Raven-Symone in the cast. Also, this makes twice in three weeks that Aimee Teegarden has received a cinematic butchering (so to speak).
Max Braden: Casting Selena Gomez at least would have boosted the weekend by 100%. I'm out of the target demographic, but I have to think that part of the problem was an unstructured plot in the trailer as well. Easy A opened to triple this number.
Jim Van Nest: As a father of 12- and 13-year-old boys, I'm surprised that I've never heard of this film. However, the fact that I haven't could give an idea of why it tanked. While this is probably more for teeny-bopper girls, my boys definitely watch the right TV channels to see the ads and I can't recall seeing even one.
That's enough Red Riding Hood for 2011, thanks.
Kim Hollis: Hoodwinked Too!: Hood vs. Evil was no Hoodwinked!, opening to a measly $4.1 million. What went wrong here for the Weinstein Company?
Edwin Davies: The Weinstein Company basically did the exact opposite of striking whilst the iron is hot, deciding to strike once the iron has cooled, rusted and been put on display in a museum. The first Hoodwinked wasn't that big of a moneymaker in the first place, but if they had got a sequel out in 2007 when it was still relatively fresh in people's minds and was enjoying a modest retirement on DVD, they might have had a better chance. Now, when more or less everyone has forgotten that the first film existed, there's just no awareness of the brand. It also doesn't help that it is, by all accounts, an exceptionally crappy animated film that has been released at the tail end of a glut of animated films.
Bruce Hall: "The Weinstein Company basically did the exact opposite of striking whilst the iron is hot, deciding to strike once the iron has cooled, rusted and been put on display in a museum."
I'm sorry but that has me laughing so hard I can't even type a legitimate response. Well put, and quite true!
Josh Spiegel: Edwin, you win this round. My hat's off to you, sir.
Brett Beach: Edwin had me at whilst and I, too, will refrain from attempting to improve upon that. However, I would like to send a current of schadenfreude to the Weinsteins: it is openings like this that add a little bit of vinegar to the honey of The King's Speech. Now if only there was a way for Williamson and Craven to make Scream 5 elsewhere...
Max Braden: I just can't believe these movies made it to theaters instead of Saturday afternoon cartoon windows. The cgi looks *so* cheap, and they come across as weak knockoffs of the Shrek franchise. I like to think that even six-year-olds had some discerning taste here.
Jim Van Nest: Max, you're dead on. I can see how the first one made it to theaters...they were jumping on the computer animation bandwagon. Make a movie and throw it against the wall...who knows, it might stick. But to actually spend the dough to do it again? Well, that's just dumb.
Woof.
Kim Hollis: Dylan Dog: Dead of Night opened to $$754,779 in 875 locations. Say something funny about Dylan Dog: Dead of Night. Feel free to use alliteration.
Edwin Davies: Cult comic crashes cacophonously while erstwhile Evil Ex evaluates career choices.
Joshua Pasch: Remember when these two guys were in Superman Returns together?
Bruce Hall: I still resent the fact that my emails requesting the title be changed to "Dylan Dog Dead of Dawn" went unanswered. I feel absolutely anguished at the almost absolute absence of alliteration.
Josh Spiegel: Dylan Dog: Dead of Night does disastrously. Duh.
Max Braden: Dylan Dog is Dead on Arrival, Lays Giant Turd on Hollywood Yard.
Kim Hollis: No alliteration from me (I know, I know), but I just have to note that perhaps the funniest thing about Dylan Dog is that it was *overestimated* by $130,000 so when actuals came in, it was that much worse for the studio. I don't even think this thing will make money on home video.