New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

Box office predictions for the film’s opening weekend ranged from a low of $10 million to a high of $21 million. Jennifer’s Body opened on September 18, 2009. It was one of four new releases that opened wide that weekend. It charted at #5 with a disappointing opening weekend take of $6.8 million. Spending just two weeks in the US top 10, it finished up its run with $16.2 million. Its gross overseas amounted to just $15.3 million. In some territories it was released straight-to-DVD. Even though it featured Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried making out, Jennifer’s Body failed to bring in an audience, earning a worldwide total of $31.5 million.

The film did receive mixed reviews. More female critics found favor with the film against those that hated it (though it’s a very small margin), while most of the male critics slated it.

According to Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations he theorized that the R-rating killed the film’s chances of success. There have been successful R-rated horror films before, but because of the film’s setting and the fact that it was essentially marketed towards teens, most of them unfortunately couldn’t really get in to view the film. Those that did probably snuck in after purchasing a ticket for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (the film that made it to #1 the weekend Jennifer’s Body opened). He also commented on how “the horror-comedy genre is the toughest sell in Hollywood” and cited how once those two genres are merged, “people suddenly get very dumb.”

Bock didn’t say how people get dumb, but I’m guessing that maybe they’re the same kind of people that look at what’s showing at their local movie theater and think about their choices the same way they do when ordering a sandwich, saying to themselves, “Hmm, I’m in the mood for a comedy, but I don’t necessarily want the horror,” and vice-versa. Suggesting that Americans can’t comprehend receiving two genres for the price of one is a bit difficult to accept. But then again, looking back at Grindhouse, they didn’t even budge when they were offered two films for the price of one.

S.T. VanAirsdale of Movieline offered numerous reasons why the film faltered. He seemed to agree that the mix of horror and comedy confused even the critics. Even though the film offered a twist on the typical high school horror setting, the critics that gave the film a negative write up would simply note that it “didn't do enough to adhere to convention.” He also mentioned the overall lack of marketing, saying, “I never saw a single TV spot, billboard, transit poster, lobby standee, or other promotional measure for Jennifer's Body anywhere in New York.” He did note that he couldn’t be sure how the film was marketed elsewhere.

Annalee Newitz of io9 believed that the film failed because it was marketed more towards boys as an R-rated comedy in the vein of The Hangover or American Pie.

Continued:       1       2       3