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20th Century Fox would like us to pretend the next topic doesn't exist

Kim Hollis: Rank the following 2008 Fox releases in order of most disappointing to least disappointing relative to pre-release expectations:

Australia
Babylon A.D.
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Happening
Meet Dave
The Rocker
X-Files: I Want to Believe

David Mumpower: Adding the relative to expectations aspect is what makes this tricky. The Rocker is a bomb by any standard but Rainn Wilson failing to open a movie is no surprise. He's the new Michael Richards without the racism, after all. On the other hand, there were huge expectations for titles such as Australia, the X-Files sequel and The Day The Earth Stood Still relative to the rest of the titles on this list. The higher profile factors in a lot to my mind. I see the X-Files sequel as the biggest failure here other Babylon A.D., the title I named in the Wrap-Up as their purest bomb. When the director says a project sucks, that's the ball game. Australia is the third biggest bomb due to its abject failure in the face of expected end of year acclaim. I haven't seen a serious awards contender be such a disappointment like this since The Majestic. From there, I see Meet Dave followed by The Rocker as the bombs and The Happening as a one weekend wonder (appropriately) torched by word-of-mouth, meaning that to this point, The Day The Earth Stood Still is the heavily qualified success of the group.

Joel Corcoran: In terms of failing to meet expectations, I think the biggest disappointment has to be Australia. Yes, the X-Files sequel had a fanbase that decided to stay home, but Australia had Oscar expectations before it hit theaters. I'd put X-Files in a close second, though. The Happening and Babylon A.D. are probably tied for third based on over-hyped they were, and I'd give a slight edge to The Rocker over Meet Dave for fifth and sixth place. However, I think the jury is still out on The Day the Earth Stood Still. We need to see at least one more week's box office before making a final decision.





Brandon Scott: This question is like being a judge for the Westminster Dog Show and having to lift a dog's tail to smell its arse. It ain't fun and they all have to smell somewhat. To quote Jules Winfield, my man in Amsterdam, a sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie but I wouldn't eat the filthy mutha. The movies are all disappointing. If I have to look at it from my perspective and interest only, I would say the Happening was the biggest letdown followed by Australia. I had no interest in seeing any of the other pics on the list and I have skipped both of these too, just because results (box office, but primarily critically) have been so disappointing. I wanted to see both of them but I may not end up seeing either - even on video - though I think Australia is a better bet than Happening to see the inside of my blu-ray player.

Scott Lumley: Good Lord, that is one craptacular list. The Day the Earth Stood Still is the clear-cut success of the group and the rest of those "films" are pretty much sucktacular. I certainly hope that someone in charge at that studio takes a long hard look at how they're doing business, because this can't and shouldn't continue.

Max Braden: I'm tempted by The Happening and Australia, but really it has to be Meet Dave. The Happening may not have looked fantastic, but its $30 million opening was a big improvement on Shyamalan's previous release. Australia promised big things but that kind of movie is more of a leggy performer. With Meet Dave you had a box office performer with a great track record, a trailer that should have been able to appeal to kids, and a wide summer release. Result? $1,744 per theater. That's awful. I might put the X-Files in the more disappointing range because of its fanbase except that the trailer offered nothing so my expectations were not high. I was surprised that The Day the Earth Stood Still didn't open at $50 million, but really the only data comparison I was going on was I Am Legend, which starred a much more lively Will Smith.

Jason Lee: I agree with Max 100%, Happening, Australia and Meet Dave would be my top three with Dave taking home the bacon. You have to imagine that Fox went into this year thinking that cumulatively, at the very very least, these three films would combine to make $150 million. Granted, Australia is still in theatres but they each stand at $64 million, $37 million and $11 million. That's a collective "ugh" I think from everyone at Fox.

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