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Shalimar Sahota: Nothing wrong with winning the weekend with a $40 million+ take, so Sony ought to be pleased. I imagine that a few iconic monsters in animated form might have played just as much of a part as the voice talent in bringing people in. I just like the idea of a hotel for monsters and am a little surprised that it's taken a while to bring it to the mainstream. If not a sequel, I can see this working equally as well as a cartoon TV series.

Reagen Sulewski: These aren't quite summer animated movie numbers (See: Despicable Me), but it's a respectable figure given that animated films aren't a sure thing anymore. It's also important for its stars, who had probably been feeling a bit vulnerable after the relative failure of That's My Boy. I don't think Sandler and Samberg had all that much to do with why it drew this month, but it likely did give the studio enough confidence that they *could* sell this, and deigned to give it a big push.

David Mumpower: I agree with Huntley's line of reasoning regarding the trailer. I would add that some film concepts simply work better than others. The idea of an entire group of kid-friendly gothic icons is every bit as clever as Toy Story or Night at the Museum. The box office battle for Hotel Transvylania was won during the pitch meeting.

We have chronicled Adam Sandler's struggles as he attempts to move beyond the arrested development frat boy humor into the next phase of his career. Jack & Jill could have been a career killer, at least for a time. This turn of events precluded the movie from being marketed primarily as a Sandler showcase, a serendipitous twist for Sony even if it is bad news for the comedian himself.

I also believe that the quality vacuum that we mention from time to time here at BOP is a factor here. Ignoring the Finding Nemo re-release, there had not been a high profile animated release since the weekend of July 13th when Ice Age: Continental Drift debuted. That ten week gap inflated demand for worthy family film choice.

Kim Hollis: I think there really is something to the notion that the trailer did a great job of selling the film. It's a nice subversion of the vampire genre and reminds me of the Groovie Goolies from many many years ago (I'm probably the only person here who remembers that show). Monsters being silly is fun. The "I do not say 'blah blah blah'" line is funny for some inexplicable reason. It appealed to a mainstream audience.

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Kim Hollis: Looper, the sci-fi travel movie reuniting Joseph Gordon-Levitt with Brick director Rian Johnson, earned $20.8 million this weekend. How should Sony feel about this result?

Jason Barney: With a production budget of $30 million, there is no other way to look at this but a win. Sometime next week, Looper will have matched its production budget domestically. That is no small achievement. Most studios drool at returns like this. I'm not sure what the advertising numbers were, but $21 million is a nice number for opening weekend. It probably could have been a little higher, based on a lack of competition in the action genre, but no one will be tossing and turning wondering how this will perform over the long hall. The ratings are so good, it is only going to benefit the film's dollar output from here on out. It is nice to see another win for Bruce Willis, by the way. Sometimes I think he is slighted as an actor and maybe he doesn't take on all the best roles, but this is a nice showing for him.

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