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Joshua Pasch: I have to imagine that sub-20 isn't that close to what they were hoping for here. I Am Number 4 has a solid following as a book and I think that $80 million was probably what they viewed as a minimum to jump start the franchise. Also, DJ Caruso's recent 1-2 of Disturbia and Eagle Eye indicates that the $80-100 million range was probably what they had in mind. This looks to finish up with hardly more than half of that. While it wont be a huge loss financially, it is definitely a lost opportunity.

Kim Hollis: It did exactly what I expected it to - a sub-$20 million performance. It never, ever reminded me of Twilight, and it certainly doesn't have the sort of crossover appeal that franchise does. Basically, it was just another generic young adult-targeted flick that had no distinguishing characteristics whatsoever.

Michael Lynderey: The goal seemed to be to start a franchise off this one, and that is looking increasingly like a no-go. In that respect, probably the most important one, it's a disappointment. May the film still do fairly well and turn a profit? Probably. But studios and producers think in the long-term more often than not, and in that sense, this will join that band of teen-aimed films that never did get the part 2 they were hoping for.

Aaaaaaaaah! Make the bad pain go away.

Kim Hollis: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son opened to $16.3 million, down significantly from the second film's $27.7 million. Do you think this is a good enough result? Why do you believe it was less popular than its predecessor?





Edwin Davies: I was going to say that the lapse between installments in this great modern saga might have been responsible for the disparity between the openings, but then I saw that there was a gap of six years between the first and second Big Momma films (what dark days they were when we had but one Big Momma's film to satisfy our needs!) compared to a mere five years between the second and third. Then I was going to suggest that maybe Martin Lawrence is no longer the draw that he once was, but outside of his franchises, voiceover work and Wild Hogs he hasn't been much of a draw since the first Big Momma's House anyway. I guess most people looked at the trailer, thought, "Sweet Lord, that looks like a piece of crap" and decided to go and spend their money elsewhere. That, or in the period between the films, America has adopted Madea as its black-man-in-a-fat-suit of choice and can't find room in their hearts for two.

Josh Spiegel: Edwin offers plenty of good reasons for why Big Mommas: The Reckoning (is that not the subtitle? It should be) didn't do so well, but I'll offer another one: lack of marketing. Granted, from anecdotal evidence (via my wife, a high school teacher), some teenagers were talking about seeing this movie, but while I was vaguely aware of this film, I didn't know when it was opening. I saw lots of ads for Unknown, and for I Am Number Four. Barely anything for this.

Fun fact: Paul Giamatti is in the first Big Momma's House. Paul Giamatti. Wow.

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