Monday Morning Quarterback Part II
By BOP Staff
December 14, 2010
That's *Golden Globe nominated* "comedy" The Tourist, folks...
Kim Hollis: The Tourist opened to $17 million. Why did a film starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp open to less than, say, Easy A?
Josh Spiegel: I feel like this movie proves that star power is pointless. Couldn't it be argued that Jolie and Depp are the most famous actors - or among the most famous - in the entire world? Johnny Depp's career has managed to stay afloat even with the non-Pirates films he's done, and his presence may well have helped Alice in Wonderland push a billion dollars worldwide. But this movie looked like a relic from the mid-1990s. Would I like to see this one day? Yeah, maybe, on Netflix. I don't need to see it now. I'm particularly disappointed that the film has such weak reviews, considering it's from the helmer of The Lives of Others, a great German thriller. Hopefully, everyone just rebounds from this and remembers that star power is worthless now.
Edwin Davies: Considering that there has been a glut of quality films for adults released recently, a lot of people might have been unwilling to part with their cash in order to see a film which looks so average. I've seen the trailer for this film quite a few times over the last year and it always just seemed a little...off. The performances seemed stilted and sleepy, the action didn't look that exciting, and the plot didn't look compelling. It seems that a lot of people felt the same way that I did and decided to go and see something else.
Reagen Sulewski: I don't think it proves that star power is pointless - but it definitely proves that older audiences still listen to reviews. The Tourist had as bad a set of reviews as a major thriller has had in some time and didn't have huge action set pieces to fall back on for a draw. Without Jolie and Depp this movie never makes it to 2,700 venues.
Matthew Huntley: A couple weeks ago, The Hollywood Reporter mentioned The Tourist was only tracking at about a $20 million opening, but it's clear even that figure was overestimated. I think the problem, other than the potential quality of the film, was the nebulous marketing. I never had a clear sense of what this movie was about - not from the trailers, the TV spots, the posters, nothing. More importantly, though, I didn't care, and that's when a film's fate is sealed. I'm not saying I want the advertising to tell me everything (I like when it doesn't), but audiences need some sort of intrigue, which The Tourist did not provide. Plus, the title is generic and bland, which didn't help.
I agree with Reagen that star power still plays a role in marketing a movie. Imagine how low the opening would have been with no-name actors attached (although the budget would have been less).
Shalimar Sahota: Although I was aware of the film early on, I felt that the marketing didn't really get into full gear till the last minute. It may just be where I am, but the few people I talked to about it weren't even aware that this film existed. The poster relies on just putting the faces of the two leads out there, and doesn't explain a lot. The trailer suggested good fun, and nothing more. Josh may describe it as "a relic from the mid-1990s," but for me, I wouldn't mind taking such a nostalgia trip, provided it was good enough.
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