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Daron Aldridge: I fully expected this to be more where Knowing ended up based solely on Julia Roberts and the playful tone of the film. The ads I was seeing actually seemed more balanced than what Jason viewed. The fact that it did seem a little too much like so many of her previous roles (multiple uses of her laughing in the ads) might have been its downfall. People could've have just thought they could pop in a DVD of Runaway Bride or Pretty Woman to see that kind of Julia Roberts instead of driving to a theater and spending $25 on a date night.

Kim Hollis: I think it's a middling result. Roberts has been out of sight and mind for a pretty good period now and Owen has not proven to be a draw in any way. I do think it was under-marketed to some degree, but this should be a better money maker on DVD than in theaters. It's targeted more to adults and those are the people who are willing to wait. There's certainly nothing about Duplicity that screams "I *must see this in the theater."

David Mumpower: I think Kim has hit upon the most fascinating aspect. I'm not certain Duplicity was ever intended to be a huge box office blockbuster. It seemed to be targeting its home video success from the start. What we have to keep in mind with Julia Roberts is that the summer of Notting Hill and Runaway Bride was a full decade ago. For those of us who chronicled the box office success of those two similar titles, that may be hard to believe, but the reality is that Roberts has spent the body of the past five years being a mother. She hasn't been the main lead in a film since Erin Brockovich in 2000 unless you count Mona Lisa Smile, which I don't. The Twilight generation of movie-goers thinks of her as an actress their parents liked rather than a box office draw. This wasn't the film that was going to bring her back into the limelight. It was just a project she thought would be fun and it was marketed as such. I expect all involved had hoped it would do a bit better, but this probably isn't far away from the realistic expectations.

We'll just have a steel cage match to determine the winner...

Kim Hollis: Whose career do you think is in a better place for the next five years, Julia Roberts or Clive Owen? Why?

Josh Spiegel: I'd say Clive Owen here. With regards to Julia Roberts, I'm not too sure she cares about having a steady film career anymore. Her name is still big enough in Hollywood so she could be in any movie she likes, but with the family she has, Roberts is probably content to take a break. Owen is probably going to have a fine career; though he's never really had huge success at the box office (notwithstanding Inside Man, which probably would have done as well with or without him), he keeps making movies, and will likely keep on working for a good amount of time. Moreover, the performance of Duplicity wasn't great, but I'm not sure it's a flop. Owen'll be fine in the future, I'm sure.

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