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Jim Van Nest: If ever there was a film that screamed "Watch me for free on Netflix" this one was it.

Edwin Davies: I think it's a case of "fool me once, shame on you" in that the people who showed for - and largely hated - Valentine's Day decided that they didn't need to see New Year's Day, especially since it didn't have the gimmicky release date to compel people to see it. More than that, it seemed like such a mercenary move that it could have put people off. Exploiting Valentine's Day by using it as the setting for a romantic comedy is one thing, but anyone with half a brain could see that in this case they had arbitrarily picked a date and thrown some celebrities at it.

David Mumpower: I agree with all of you that New Year's Eve fell victim to the lingering aftertaste of Valentine's Day. If you are going to make a de facto sequel to a movie that had innumerable fatal flaws (the casting of Taylor Swift and, worst yet, Eric Dane being two of them), you have to distinguish why the new version is also the improved version. I would be hard pressed to name a moment from the New Year's Eve trailer that differentiates itself or provides a distinct identity. There just isn't enough originality there to dissuade the skeptics.

Who knows? They might have more luck with Good Friday.

We miss you, Robert Altman

Kim Hollis: Do you think that consumers are growing tired of superstar ensemble films, or is that reading too much into the weekend result for New Year's Eve?

Bruce Hall: I'm not sure if it'e even a matter of fatigue. I think it's possible that the traditional idea of the "Movie Star" is a little dated. Celebrities on the whole are trotted before us on a flavor of the week basis these days. That's not to say that there aren't and won't probably always be stars with enduring appeal, but everyone is so busy looking for the Next Big Thing, and audience attention spans are so short that it's hard for consumers to stay focused. Doesn't it seem like Zac Efron was a much bigger deal not long ago? Remember Channing Tatum? Taylor Lautner could be making sandwiches at Subway two years from now. It's just one Vaguely Androgynous Spiky Haired Tween after another. I can't tell them apart any more.

I think a big part of what happened with New Year's Eve was a matter of timing. Let's not forget that the predecessor to New Year's Eve - Valentine's Day - was a very successful flick. Red is getting a sequel. And the Ocean's Eleven trilogy concluded relatively successfully not long ago. But one movie does not a trend make. So while it's definitely worth noting for future reference, I'd be reluctant to overstate this individual result.

Brett Beach: I think that true ensemble pictures in the hands of directors who give a diverse cast the space to create a character in only a few minutes of onscreen time (Taranatino, the Coens, et al) are beloved by audiences of all stripes. When I see 20-odd "big" names in a film like this that clocks in under two hours, all I can think is "so they'll each be on screen for five to 10 minutes tops, and, far from making themselves stand out, they'll all kind of blend into the sitcom-ish beige-walled background."

Max Braden: It's all about story. As long as the audience doesn't get the impression that the producers are coasting on names rather than plot, they'll buy tickets. Of course, I'm going to see The Expendables 2 because of the cast list, but mostly that's because they're blowing up stuff *together*. And blowing up stuff isn't sappy.

Edwin Davies: I agree with Max that story is key to these things. There's a massive difference between something like Red, which has a lot of famous faces running through a simple, easily digestible plot, and New Year's Day, which basically says "Look at all these stars! Aren't they great? Don't you want to see them, I dunno, do...something?" There needs to be something more to the movie than, "Oh, love and stuff" to get an audience interested.

David Mumpower: I agree that the story is the imperative here. The lingering issue of discontent I had with New Year's Eve is that it seemed like the (latest) return of The Love Boat but with superstars instead of Charo. There is simply nothing memorable about the trailer, which is a far cry from Ocean's Thirteen ("Well, I know all the guys that you'd hire to come after me, and they like me better than you.") or The Expendables ("They are the world's greatest mercenaries."). Even Valentine's Day had the cute bit with the boy buying flowers for his girlfriend. There has to be a means through which the consumer can identify that there is a concerted effort toward quality. In lieu of the pervading presumption is that everyone stopped trying the instant the agents and studio bosses had finalized the contracts for the talent.

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