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Why is the rum always gone?

Kim Hollis: The Rum Diary, a Johnny Depp feature from fledgling distributor FilmDistrict, opened to $5.1 million in 2,272 locations. How did they hide a Johnny Depp film in plain sight the way they did?

Brett Beach: I am not terribly surprised. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a film with a title that people who had never even read the book probably recognized, opened over a decade ago to less than this and only wound up with $10 million (to put it in perspective, it grossed the same as What's Eating Gilbert Grape and The Astronaut's Wife). The Johnny Depp of 2011 probably opened this as strong as anybody could (except maybe the Johnny Depp of 2003-2004? I would love to know what either of these might have grossed at that point in time). This was even moved from last year, so as not to compete with any other Depp films. I have seen a number of ads and trailers for this so I don't consider it all that well "hidden." I think the most surprising thing is that this has a $50 million budget. Depp's appearance is probably responsible for that amount being secured, but I think it is quite hefty for a quirky indie with a limited audience.

Edwin Davies: As we saw last year with The Tourist, people don't seem that fussed about Johnny Depp when he isn't Captain Jack or Tim Burtoning it up, and The Rum Diary was an even tougher sell that that film, which at least had espionage and intrigue to give people a handle on it. The adverts I saw made it almost impossible to tell what was going on, there wasn't any real hook other than watching Johnny Depp be drunk in a tropical locale. Admittedly, that does sound like fun, but without a stronger sense of story in the adverts it was never going to bring in a broad audience. The main draw seemed to be that it was reuniting Depp with the work of Hunter S. Thompson, but whilst Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas has led a richly deserved second life as a cult classic, it is undoubtedly a cult film, so even if everyone who watched and loved that film came out for The Rum Diary it was still going to struggle to do anything on opening weekend.

Jim Van Nest: I'd never heard of this film until I saw a TV spot that said "Now playing" over this weekend. I agree with the comparison to Fear and Loathing. I think the bottom line is that films like this aren't made to cash in at the box office. That's what Pirates of the Caribbean X: A New Hip is for. I would say this film will be looking for an audience on DVD and that's where Johnny Depp comes in. When looking at Netflix or the local video store and you can't find anything, what's more likely to go home with you? The latest Van Damme straight to DVD? Or that Johnny Depp movie you never heard of?

Kim Hollis: I'm honestly not terribly surprised by this result, as even though Depp is well-liked, this is still an odd-looking flick that has him returning to the Hunter S. Thompson well. It's not like Fear and Loathing was a massive blockbuster, though admittedly it came well before Pirates of the Caribbean. I will say, though, that I admire Depp for doing what he wants to do. Even as he plays the Captain Jack and Tim Burton roles, he still seems to be embracing his independent nature - nothing he does is ever conventional.

David Mumpower: Depp has achieved that stage of industry pull where he is ceded personal projects like this in exchange for acting like a pirate every now and again. We all know this but I still think it's valid to say that he needs to drop the Hunter S. Thompson fetish. It's a nice tribute to a man he clearly admires (is that the right word for their relationship?). It shouldn't come with a $50 million price tag, though. This was an exercise in economic malfeasance.

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