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Matthew Huntley: Using only myself as a basis, I have no idea what this movie is about (I haven't seen an official trailer or read a synopsis), but I want to see it anyway. There's something about the TV spots and the attention this movie is receiving that makes me more and more curious about it, and I wonder if others share my perspective, which might explain why it's doing as well as it is in limited release. Of the little advertising I have seen for The Place Beyond the Pines, it intrigues me, despite the rather poor reviews.

With that said, I honestly can't see this becoming a breakout hit and earning much more than its production budget ($15 million), not unless Focus Features continues rolling it out into more venues and its audience reception supersedes its critical reactions. But we've seen it happen, and to great success (Silver Linings Playbook), so it's definitely possible. At this point, I don't think it's peaked, but it's still too early to tell in my opinion.

Kim Hollis: I’m a little curious that Matt’s perception of the film is that it has poor reviews, while Brett feels they are overwhelmingly positive. It sits at 81% at Rotten Tomatoes, though Top Critics are somewhat less enthusiastic about it at 70% (still overall positive, though). I think this sort of commentary is going to make people interested in the movie, though it’s probably the sort of thing that mostly appeals to that smaller art house crowd. There’s enough buzz around it – and a pretty big gap in other quality fare lately – that it may be able to take advantage if Focus handles it right, though.

Edwin Davies: Having not seen the film yet (I was going to see it today, but we had a tornado warning which made a trip to the cinema seem like something that could wait a day or two), I don't know if the content of the film will prevent it from being a breakout hit, but my suspicion is that it probably is going to end up being a film that works for critics and art house audiences but doesn't draw in bigger crowds than that. The ads remind me a lot of Derek Cianfrance's last film, Blue Valentine, which was a film which on the surface looked like a typical indie romance but was ultimately a lot harsher and more difficult, and while The Place Beyond The Pines has a more potentially commercial genre, it looks like a film that isn't trying to be that at all. Still, the buzz surrounding it and the very strong marketing campaign suggest to me that an expansion over the coming weeks could see it become a minor hit, finishing in the $30-40 million range if it's handled just right.

Bruce Hall: Recently, I've read more articles about this film than I have for Iron Man 3, which has dropped a new teaser/trailer every 48 hours for months. That's the fascinating thing to me about The Place Beyond the Pines; the buzz. Evidently this is an unconventionally structured film that makes some very uncomfortable choices/compromises, depending on how you look at it. In the world of critics and film buffs at least, LOTS of people are talking about it, whether they appreciated it or not. The strong per theater average it's enjoyed could be interpreted to mean good word-of-mouth, and I think this will help entice a slightly wider audience. But even though I don't expect this movie to resonate with the mainstream, I do expect it to have its advocates come award season.

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