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

Kim Hollis: The Call, a WWE Films-produced thriller starring Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin, debuted in second place this weekend with $17.1 million. Why did this movie perform so well at the box office?

Brett Ballard-Beach: Although it looked generic in some aspects and Halle Berry isn't the box office draw she once was, I think this had enough of a high-concept hook that it stood out from all the dudes with guns and explosions movies that have tanked over the past 10 weeks (in that sense, it stood out like Mama did though this wasn't strictly a horror movie). Either that or the dirty old man contingent who wanted to see a teen Abigail Breslin terrified and screaming and with her shirt off turned out in droves. On a side note, this is director Brad Anderson's largest opening weekend (as well as his first film to ever open and/or play wide). In fact, opening day just about surpassed the combined final grosses of his previous six feature films.

Jay Barney: This is a huge win for WWE Films and I think a lot of us are wondering just why this did so well. A budget of $13 million isn't too high, but for it to do $17 million in the first weekend is just incredible. It made back its production budget before the first weekend was over. Not many movies can claim that sort of success. This should hang around in the top 10 for the next couple of weeks, all the while just improving on this outstanding number. Maybe it did so well because it is the counter-programing choice for the weekend, but boy, was tracking off on this one.

Felix Quinonez: I'm pretty shocked by this. The closest thing to an explanation that I can come up with is that perhaps it was seen as counter-programming choice of the weekend. Or maybe it just seemed odd enough to attract attention.

Matthew Huntley: I think Felix was right to suggest counter-programming as the primary reason The Call did so (unexpectedly) well. With March Madness brewing, the NHL hitting its mid-season, and Oz eating up the family crowd, The Call gave young women their own option this weekend and they (along with any other demographics that happen to see it) ran with it. With that said, I think its success can also be attributed to the trailer/marketing, which put women in control of a high concept, and perhaps this is just the beginning of a new phase in cinema, where women run the show in action movies. But, to be fair, I hated the trailer, not only because it gave everything away, but because it made the movie look like a joke. Granted, I haven't seen it yet, but those were my impressions. Honestly, I could have seen this movie either doing really well or really badly. Obviously, the former was the way it went.

Bruce Hall: I think that if you wanted to see something new this weekend, your choices were either this, or Burt Wonderstone. Add to this Oz the Great and Powerful having a pretty strong second weekend, and it was always going to be a two horse race for second, between a movie most people didn't want to see, and a movie nobody wanted to see. I guess the difference was, one had a hook and the other had Steve Buscemi in a wig.

Continued:       1       2       3