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Edwin Davies: Sony should feel very pleased with this result. Looper was always going to be a risky proposition owing to its complex, hard sci-fi plot and the fact that both its star and director are pretty much untested when it comes to delivering a commercial hit. (JGL has been in some very, very successful films but was never the draw, and anyone who saw Premium Rush's numbers knows that prior to this he was not a strong draw on his own.) That the film did so well is a testament to the strength of the material - I saw the film today and loved it - and the marketing, which sold the intrigue and spectacle without giving too much away. As far as legs go, I could see the film either doing great as people talk about what a cool original action film it is, or cratering as they talk about what a headscratcher it is, but the budget was so modest that either way it'll wind up being in the black before it leaves theaters. Ideally, though, it'd become a leggy hit and justify studios taking a couple more risks like this in the future. Or traveling back in time and taking those risks in the past.

Matthew Huntley: Sony, particularly TriStar, was one of many hands involved the marketing and distribution of this film. They didn't actually produce it. So they should be very pleased indeed. Without having to incur production costs, they may already be in the black on their investment (similar to their involvement with District 9). From here on out, with likely strong legs and even more revenue from the home market, this should be mostly gravy for the studio.

Shalimar Sahota: For such a strange yet remarkably original idea, I'd see it as a win that it actually got funded and released in the first place. That it opened with over $20 million is even better, and I'd probably attribute a good chunk of that down to the casting of Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (if he's wielding a huge gun, he's a draw). Reviews are through the roof, so hopefully it'll have some staying power and strong word-of-mouth. However, there's an inkling that some audiences will stay away, likely down to not wanting to get involved with something that looks like it might be convoluted (even though it isn't).

Reagen Sulewski: It was the weekend of shaky former mega-stars, apparently. Willis needed a hit badly, and given the challenging premise of the film, this more than counts. It's a win for all involved really, including Rian Johnson, who after being quirkier than quirky, likely has offers being fired his way now that he's proven he can be commercial, even though it's mostly just Primer with the rough edges filed off (you should make plans to see this yesterday. You'll get that after you see it). And JGL (we're tight like that) gets to have a hit under his name as well.

David Mumpower: Given the borderline oppressive complexity of Looper, I consider this to be an exceptional debut for a modest production. The fact that its overseas take is $36 million borders on staggering for such a modest financial outlay. Looper will wind up being one of the strongest performers of 2012 in terms of return on investment. This is great news for Reagen's dear friend, JGL, who really needed a hit to establish his credibility after the bike movie was such a dud.

In my estimation, the big winner is not an actor, though. Looper has already earned more than double the total of director's Rian Johnson's previous two movies in combination. In Hollywood circles, he has just gone from being an obscure indie director with promise to another Duncan Jones. Given that this is the career trajectory that Christopher Nolan once followed, it's a good path to walk if an auteur handles the pressure well.

Max Braden: The look of this movie reminded me of Justin Timberlake's sci-fi movie In Time, which opened to $12 million at the end of October last year, which MMQB thought was a disappointment. I had predicted $15 for Looper in the Trailer Hitch for it, so I think $21 million is a positive result. I liked the movie, but I do wonder how audiences are going to remember it. JGL doesn't look very Gordon-Levitt, and Bruce Willis's character has a pretty big character flaw that is tough to overcome.

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