Monday Morning Quarterback Part Two
By BOP Staff
July 11, 2006
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Kim Hollis: What do you think is the key to Pirates 2 being an uber-blockbuster?
Tim Briody: Two things. 1) Johnny Depp. 2) I didn't feel like I saw the entire movie in the advertising.
Kim Hollis: And yet it was well marketed. Awareness was like I've never seen for a film. "Get your booty to the theater."
Reagen Sulewski: It's really just lightning in a bottle. They were able to show us something we hadn't seen in some time and - crucially - it was funny and exciting.
Tim Briody: I quite liked the billboards with just the skull and crossbones logo and nothing else. Everyone knew what it was.
Joel Corcoran: Very savvy advertising in a variety of media, extremely good marketing campaign overall, Johnny Depp supported by a quirky cast, and proof from the first film that it would be a "rollicking good time" (for lack of a better cliche').
David Mumpower: I feel like I'm becoming a broken record on this, but I cannot stress enough how much the fanciful swashbuckling helps. So many "tentpole" releases are self-important and sullen. The Curse of the Black Pearl was a blast and Dead Man's Chest promised more of the same. *That* is what consumers want: old-fashioned escapism.
Kim Hollis: Also, beyond Depp, Pirates reaches a very broad demographic. Women like it for the swashbuckling romance and can pick from swooning over either Depp or Orlando Bloom. Men enjoy it for the action adventure, and kids can get a huge kick out the pirate aspect in general.
Joel Corcoran: Based on the Curse of the Black Pearl, people wanted to see a great movie experience for what it should be: pure escapism. And the public wasn't disappointed.
Tim Briody: Since when are Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley quirky? And boy, do they also owe Depp a good portion of their careers.
Tim Briody: Bloom is officially the biggest luck-sack ever, having the Rings movies and now this.
Reagen Sulewski: He's got a wing at the Mark Hamill Hall of Fame all designed and ready to go.
Kim Hollis: He and Ian McKellen are the unlikeliest mega movie openers ever.
Joel Corcoran: I meant "quirky" for everyone outside of Bloom and Knightly. They provided the element of glamour to the film, or at least prettiness.
Tim Briody: Alas, Ms. Knightley was removed from the list after seeing pictures of her at the premiere. Please use some of the money you make from this movie to buy something we call "food," my dear.
Kim Hollis: It's pretty clear that this franchise has established Johnny Depp as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood (whether he likes it or not).
Tim Briody: One other thing I will mention, I didn't even realize until about a week ago that Dead Man's Chest and a third movie were being shot back to back. Unlike with The Matrix sequels, which annouced so with a bullhorn, they didn't put the hype machine into overdrive, and that's a good thing.
We look forward to Domino vs. Elizabethtown
Kim Hollis: Does the performance of Dead Man's Chest similarly boost Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley's careers this time around?
Reagen Sulewski: They certainly will get the pick of their next few projects. But no one sane is crediting them with the success of this franchise.
Tim Briody: The projects they picked in between Pirates movies didn't go very well.
Kim Hollis: I actually think Knightley is better suited as an indie-type actress, even though I do believe she's very good in both Pirates films. She's going to be more credible in the Pride & Prejudice roles and things like the upcoming Atonement, though.
David Mumpower: I thought John Hamann did an exceptional job with his weekend analysis of pointing out how sorely they both needed a hit. Without a Pirates sequel and with all of the negative press about her weight, Knightley was in danger of the American Pie fate. Does anybody even remember the names of those two actresses?
Kim Hollis: I don't necessarily agree about Knightley. She was just nominated for an Academy Award, after all.
Reagen Sulewski: Yes, but only because Tara Reid continues to "accidentally" slip out of her dress at premieres.
David Mumpower: Between The Jacket, Pride & Prejudice, King Arthur, and Domino, which one is the hit that sustains her career? I enjoyed Pride & Prejudice, but we're talking about a movie that made $38.4 million domestic.
Kim Hollis: The other thing about both Bloom and Knightley is that there seems to be a tightly knit set of British actors that continues to get work together. Their fame is actually a little different than that of the typical American movie star.
Get back to us in 2010
Kim Hollis: What do you think will be the next film to have a shot at beating the record?
Tim Briody: Pirates 3?
Reagen Sulewski: No, I think that comes in significantly under this one. The record breaking film is probably only in development at this point.
David Mumpower: Well, if we assume that same four year gap, it's probably not even something we know about as of yet. The likely contenders most people will say are Spider-Man 3 and Pirates 3. I'm of the opinion that Harry Potter's final chapter is the most likely out of the known projects right now.