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Edwin Davies: I think they should be pretty happy with this result because, as everyone has said, it didn't cost much and it had made most of that budget back by Sunday evening (and will probably make the rest back by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest) but also because of the kind of film it is and who is starring in it. These kind of slow, meditative yet thrilling and shockingly violent films aren't very common, and they really aren't the sort of films that would usually get this wide of a release. Furthermore, even though Nicholas Winding Refn is probably one of the ten best directors working today (Wonder why you're seeing Tom Hardy in everything these days? Check out Refn's brilliant, brilliant film Bronson, which stars Hardy in a terrifying and captivating central performance. His Pusher trilogy is also essential viewing if you want to see some of the best crime films ever made.) he's not exactly delivered any sizable hits in his career. (In fact his American debut, Fear X, was such a flop it bankrupted his studio.)

As for Gosling, he's been in some successful films but never really transferred that into a successful solo venture. That Drive opened to $8 million less than Crazy, Stupid Love, which boasted an ensemble of better known names and a more accessible genre, has to be taken as a good sign that his star is on the rise. FilmDistrict took a big gamble on Drive, and whilst it didn't break out in the way that a similarly arty action film like The American did, it's a pretty solid result which will probably earn a decent amount domestically, a similar amount overseas, and build a cult on DVD. Not bad at all.

Max Braden: I think the reason the critics and audiences are so polarized is that the great trailer suggested something the movie wasn't. The condensed version of the movie makes it look like an action movie with Gosling looking cool. When I was coming out of the movie one of the typical comments I overheard from the audience was "That was two hours of Ryan Gosling staring into the distance." Right from the neon opening credits and music, I was thinking "This movie would have been right at home in 1990." That doesn't make it bad, but I think the change in gears from what people expected resulted in some buzz that stunted the box office. On the other hand, if the trailer had more accurately reflected the tone of the movie, the box office probably would have been even low

Kim Hollis: I have to agree that they're fairly pleased with this. It's such an unlikely contender. People know Gosling, but I don't think he opens movies. Similarly, if you've seen the trailer or the commercials, they're a little off-putting, I think. That's probably for the best given the reception to the movie so far, but what I'm guessing is that people went in looking for another Transporter style film but what they got was something more cerebral.

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