Monday Morning Quarterback Part II
By BOP Staff
September 24, 2014
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Edwin Davies: This is not a bad start for a film that only cost around $20 million, but it's not great considering that it has a cast loaded with actors who, in the case of Tina Fey and Jason Bateman, have opened films well in the past or, in the case of Corey Stoll and Adam Driver, have a certain cache from being featured prominently in acclaimed TV shows and movies. Like the similarly wordy A Walk Among the Tombstones, I think that the marketing wasn't quite there for This Is Where I Leave You. The ads never seemed to decide whether it was a raucous comedy based around a serious subject or if it was a drama with comedic elements. In either case, the jokes themselves weren't that strong - the number of jokes about Jane Fonda's character having breast enhancements suggested that they didn't really have any better material - and the lack of laughs probably made people wait until the reviews started coming in. Considering how mediocre those have been, that probably turned a lot of people off the film.
Matthew Huntley: Prior to seeing the film last night, I would have pegged This is Where I Leave You to open between $14-$16 million, which would have been in line with most analysts' predictions. Now, though, I can understand why it opened lower, because it's simply not that good, and it seems like its mixed-to-poor reviews and probably stale word-of-mouth caught up with it throughout the weekend.
Also, like A Walk Among the Tombstones, I don't think this ensemble dramedy was able to escape its "been there, done that" impression. Stronger reviews might have led potential viewers that it had, but this isn't the case. Granted, the movie didn't cost a whole lot to produce (a modest $19 million), so it should still end up in the black (eventually), but given the cast, who are generally liked, respected and popular, I'm sure Warner Bros. was banking on a stronger turnout. What could have been a $45-$50 million modest hit will likely only end up with $28-$30 million. I hate to say it, but it doesn't deserve more than that.
Jason Barney: It opened in third, which is okay considering the other two openers, but it came in just ahead of two films that were released last weekend. In the environment of late September, when films are lucky to garner any sort of attention, I don't consider this a very good opening at all. However, it was made for a very cheap $20 million, so with almost $12 million in the bank after three days, it should surpass the budget after weekend two. I don't think it will have much staying power. There are two new releases next weekend and three after that. If it stays in the top ten for more than three weeks it will be lucky. It will make money but will end up being a very forgettable entrant in the box office arena.
Kim Hollis: I thought it might garner a little awards cachet considering that it's based on a well-regarded novel, but I guess when you've got Shawn Levy at the helm, the best you can hope for is a populist film that is about as middle-of-the-road as it gets (although I quite like the Night at the Museum films and The Internship). I do think agree that this is a slightly disappointing result given the cast. I feel like this is something that could have been handled better as an indie type release.
Felix Quinonez: When you consider its budget, I think that this opening is just fine. In a couple of weeks it will recoup the budget and it should see some profit before all is said and done. It's just that a movie like this really needed good reviews to break out and that was not the case for This Is Where I Leave You. But I'm actually kind of surprised that people expected this to be any good. I've actually read some talk about Oscar potential for this. And while I agree that it does have an impressive cast at the end of the day it's the director's movie. And this was directed by the guy who did The Internship, Night at the Museum, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Big Fat Liar to name a few.
Kim Hollis: There was also a new Kevin Smith movie this weekend. Tusk, a horror film about a guy that gets turned into a walrus (?!), earned just $846,831 from 602 venues. What do you think about this?
Edwin Davies: This is probably further proof that Smith has reached the point in his career where he is making films pretty much solely for his devoted fans - that the film grew out of a conversation he had on one of his podcasts and he decided to make it after asking his fans to vote on it certainly backs that up - and that even a lot of them are only really interested in seeing him make comedies. Having said that, Tusk cost less than $3 million to make, and it will probably make its money back on home media when Smith's fans and inquisitive horror aficionados can check it out at their leisure. If nothing else, it's interesting seeing Smith push himself as a filmmaker in a way that he hasn't in years, even if he's pushing himself in a direction that none of us could have anticipated.
Matthew Huntley: I'm not surprised in the least this film struggled, which is not to say I'm not interested in seeing it, as it does look different, even if it is for "different sake." Given its bizarre premise, strange title and low profile, it's no wonder it tanked. But as Edwin pointed out, this was clearly meant to be a cult film from the get-go.
Felix Quinonez: It's hard to call this a disappointment because it almost seems like they were going out of their way to limit Tusk's appeal to audiences. Yes, it's a very low gross but it was obviously targeting a very specific niche group. And with its low budget Tusk should at least recoup the investment and make some money in the home video market.
Kim Hollis: I guess I'd agree that it's tough to label this movie a disappointment with regard to box office performance. I do wish that Smith had made a better movie (at least by critic's standards). I'd say I would reserve judgment and wait until I see it myself before I say that, but after Red State, I'm not really all that inclined to give another horror film by him a chance. I find myself wondering if I'd like a new movie of his better if he were attached only as writer and not director. I've always enjoyed the dialogue in his films, but I feel like he's probably stretched himself about as far as is realistic to expect as a director.