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Michael Lynderey: I don't think it's the story - it's not exactly a tale that inspires in me thoughts of a movie that's got a real shot at $100 million. I think Bullock was clearly a big part of this number - of all the female stars of the '90s, she's the one who's survived the longest, and she's clearly riding high right now. The momentum she got from The Proposal wasn't enough to save a bad movie like All About Steve, but when you take that momentum and mix it up with a generally well-reviewed and vaguely appealing project like The Blind Side, a $34 million opening isn't such a fantasy after all.

David Mumpower: I think that Reagen is correct in stating that the short list of actresses who would have similar box office pull here without sacrificing any of the story starts and ends with Julia Roberts. I also believe that Bullock's presence absolutely aided the comfort level of people in seeing what looked to be a relatively small-ish production. In the end, I see this as equal parts engaging story a la Remember the Titans and The Rookie and star power on display as Bullock has her second blockbuster of the year.

People just don't smell what the Rock is cooking. Not even when he's animated.

Kim Hollis: Planet 51 opened to $12.3 million. Why wasn't Sony able to strike a chord with this animated film?

Pete Kilmer: It wasn't a Pixar film; worse, it looked like a bad knock off of Buzz Lightyear (who the kids under ten today may not know). It just looked really, really generic.

Josh Spiegel: The marketing for this movie didn't do any favors; though there was an abundance of ads, none of them made this movie look any good. Also, it may mean that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson should stick to live-action family fare. Also worth noting: at least in my theater, there were a lot of kids under 10 at New Moon, so that film may have sucked some of this animated film's audience away.

David Mumpower: I'm disappointed, because I think the premise and the trailers are hilarious. Clearly, I'm seeing something here that nobody else did.

Sean Collier: It's about the 38th generic computer animation feature this year, and New Moon is doubling as a kids' movie for some disturbing reason. No chance.





Shalimar Sahota: The concept is an interesting one, but the trailer didn't make me laugh and the aliens look a little too Shrek-like. A film telling children a story where humans are the monsters probably wasn't a good idea, but I admire the guts in trying to get this across while they're young!

Tom Macy: There was just too much going on this weekend for a run-of-the mill kids' flick starring the Rock to break through. Along with previous releases The Game Plan, Race to Witch Mountain and the upcoming The Tooth Fairy – opening on the choice 3rd week of January slot – I wonder if The Rock has no mirrors in his house or no windows. Either way I'm sure the walls are made of gold.

Jim Van Nest: I agree with the others. There are simply too many of these movies. Computer animated flicks like this seem to be the new generic horror movies. They're coming out so often and they're largely interchangeable. If they're not Pixar or a sequel, there's really no reason to go to the theaters to see these.

Jason Lee: This film had a neat little premise, but it just looked so dumb. Even kids could see through the marketing on this film.

Michael Lynderey: There's been a storm of children's movies lately - sometimes two a week - and it looks like this was one of the casualties. The lack of 3-D hurt, of course, but the middling reviews and trailers that were witty only on the one-joke level didn't help. Plus, Planet 51's not based on a book or a TV show, so it's not really left with a lot of resources. Still, I think this might have OK legs, even with Old Dogs coming in for the kill in a few days.

Max Braden: I thought it was a little strange that you didn't hear Johnson's voice in the trailer, like they were trying to bank on his name without using him. I'd call it a clever premise but one you'd expect to see a short skit about rather than a full movie, but then I didn't see the depth of Up from its trailer either... I guess aliens just aren't as cuddly as talking dogs.

Kim Hollis: It did look very generic, and as someone who watches Saturday/Sunday morning programming on Nickelodeon (yes, I admit it), the marketing had a slight air of desperation to it. Somehow, kids can sense this. I don't know what gives them that spidey-sense, but they do have it.

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