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Pete Kilmer: I think Universal should count themselves lucky that it made more than $7 million and that it will get endless plays on Syfy.

Sean Collier: For a film endorsed only by Larry King (or so it would seem,) they should be thrilled, especially after the horror season is officially over.

David Mumpower: I think that I speak for all of BOP's readers when I say that I'm really going to miss those ads on the site.

Push the button! The shiny red button!

Kim Hollis: North American audiences largely decided not to open The Box, as the Warner Bros. release debuted to $7.6 million. Why do you think this film failed to entice consumers?

Michael Lynderey: With all the horror movies flooding the marketplace, something had to give. But even with that in mind, I always thought The Box would open to almost twice that number. The trailer was very effective, and while Diaz isn't a huge draw, her opening weekends are usually in the double digits. It probably didn't help that the movie itself is relentlessly weird, that it's been delayed several times, and that it came out six days after Halloween - a seasonal mis-match. You wouldn't release a Christmas movie on January 5th, would you?





George Rose: Someone needs to tell all the producers of Hollywood that Cameron Diaz is not bankable. Her name alone hasn't sold a darn thing. Being in Shrek doesn't make her bankable either. It sure won't help her in a movie that's targeting the same audience as the director's previous work, Donnie Darko. It can be argued that James Marsden isn't as big a celebrity as Diaz either, but even he has had more blockbuster movies in the last few years than her. From the first time I saw a trailer, this just looked awkward. The plot revolves a button that pays $1 million and kills a person in the world, and then the trailer also reveals that the person expected to die is within the same family. Go figure! It's like they wanted to turn Deal or No Deal into a movie and this thriller is what came of it. Frankly, Warner Bros. should be jumping for joy with the $7.6 million. That's $6.6 million more than it should have made and someone at WB should have to die for releasing it. Now THAT'S a movie I'd pay to see.

Josh Spiegel: Again, audiences may be horror-ed out. They've also got plenty of choices at the movies, what with Paranormal Activity, The Fourth Kind, Saw VI, and The Stepfather. Granted, the movie may end up being Richard Kelly's most successful effort, but the premise seemed relatively mainstream, enough so to catch on with mass audiences. Sometimes, Cameron Diaz in 70s gear doesn't sell tickets.

Kim Hollis: It just looked too weird. You can sell a romantic comedy based on Cameron Diaz's presence, but not a suspenseful thriller/horror flick. It's going to need a stellar hook to draw in audiences, and "push the button and get some cash, but kill a random person" just isn't good enough.

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