Monday Morning Quarterback Part I
By BOP Staff
January 18, 2011
Matthew Huntley: I'm actually not surprised at all, especially when you consider this movie was booked in over 3,500 theaters and has been heavily advertised over the past few months (like those so-so funny Carl's Jr. commercials) and at Comic-Con last summer. I expected at least a mid-30s opening. I'm more surprised that it didn't open bigger. Given its saturation-level release and target audience, I would have predicted $42 million over the three days and closer to $50 million for the four. I think the action part of it had more to do with it than Seth Rogen.
Shalimar Sahota: I'm not that surprised. I think this is pretty much on target and a part of me thought it might even reach as high as $40 million. Studios may be scraping the barrel for superhero properties now, but Sony Columbia has shown that you can simply open your summer blockbuster early (or late, depending on your point of view) in the middle of January, because the demand for it is certainly there and the competition isn't. I've been seeing plenty of ads for this since the start of the new year and I wouldn't mind watching it, but my local cinemas are showing it ONLY in 3D (though a few reports suggest it's one of the better 3D conversions rather than a rush job).
Reagen Sulewski: Rogen seems to have gotten to that place where Adam Sandler was in the mid '90s, where he's built up an audience that will follow him anywhere, as long as he promises not to get serious or too weird (see: Punch-Drunk Love and Observe and Report). Quality doesn't really matter, because he's built up enough trust in his core audience, until something that was supposed to be a hit flops miserably. Ask any of your stoner friends - Rogen's films are must-sees at this point.
David Mumpower: I will take the contrarian opinion here. I view this as a surprising result given the cold streak Rogen has been experiencing. Funny People, Observe and Report and Zack and Miri Make a Porno were his three most recent live action roles. That's $112 million worth of production budgets against $107.3 million in domestic receipts. We have a tendency to remember the good movies and dismiss the Observe and Reports from our collective conscious, which is what keeps the John Travoltas of the world gainfully employed. Rogen has worked a lot during his window as Judd Apatow's most intriguing disciple, and I commend him for that. The brutal truth is that he needed a Green Hornet-sized hit, though. Otherwise, people would start seeing him as a supporting character rather than a lead. I always thought The Green Hornet looked funny and I'm pleased to see it do well, particularly after the exceptional Mythbusters episode spawned from it.
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