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David Mumpower: Kim Hollis and I were having a conversation about this last week. The key difference between Seabiscuit and Secretariat is that the story in Seabiscuit is the horse itself whereas Secretariat is more about the difficulties faced in getting the horse to the races. As Reagen points out, once Secretariat was competing, it was like a Pee Wee League team facing off against the 1985 Chicago Bears. For whatever reason, audiences are more actively engaged when the animal is the story rather than when the humans are the ones facing the drama. This is why I'm pitching Disney on a story about a mule who can kick clutch field goals. To a larger point, I also think that the problem Secretariat has always faced is that people don't really need two movies about horse racing. It was largely viewed as redundant and this is what will happen when a movie so clearly follows in the footsteps of another popular release if it fails to differentiate itself.

The soul was available, but no one would claim it.

Kim Hollis: My Soul to Take, the latest Wes Craven production, opened to only $6.8 million. What went wrong with this Universal release?

Brett Beach: I don't normally come out swinging against trailers - even if they're for films I don't care to see, I can acknowledge when it makes me want to see it despite myself - but the trailer for My Soul to Take was one of the worst I have ever viewed. I would call it a parody of bad trailers, except I didn't smile and it wasn't funny. At the end, I didn't feel scared, I didn't feel creeped out and I sure didn't feel intrigued. I was bored to tears. At two and a half minutes of the highlights of the film! Plus, there was a horrible nu-metal song that did not fit with the atmosphere they were failing at attempting to convey (apparently it is "You're Going Down" by Sick Puppies).





So, I fervently believe that an awful trailer did its job and kept people away. The early reviews tend to support the fact that it's a major disappointment. I figure if not for the 3D and the cachet of Craven's name, this would have thrown under both Case 39 and Let Me In. I am concerned now for Scream 4 next spring. (By the by, Craven turned 71 this year. I knew that Woody Allen and Clint Eastwood were getting up in years, but for some reason the fact that Craven is in his 70s makes ME feel old.)

Edwin Davies: A lack of awareness probably hurt the film; the only reason I knew this film existed was because my first assignment for BOP back in May was to write about it, and the studio seemed to wait until the very last moment to actually advertise the film.

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