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Kim Hollis: Baggage Claim, a romantic comedy featuring Paula Patton and a host of other beautiful people, earned $9 million this weekend. What do you you think about this result?

Jason Barney: This one is not on my radar screen, but it is a small film that has already made its budget back, so it has to be considered a success. An opening of $9 million in weekend one, against a budget of $8.5 million....most films and studios wish they had those numbers.

Brett Ballard-Beach: For only the fourth time in their 18 year history, Fox Searchlight pushed a film out to over 2,000 locations in its debut weekend (and since you're dying to know, the others were Street Kings, The Hills Have Eyes, and The Banger Sisters). This is probably the best they could have hoped for considering the terrible reviews (for what they were worth), the fact that it didn't star any big big names (but a slew of familiar faces supporting lead Paula Patton) and subject matter that seemed to set rom-coms back at least 50 years. Based on its Friday numbers, the fact that it cracked $9 million is a victory in itself.

Felix Quinonez: I think when you consider its budget and cast, this is something that can be put into the win column.

Bruce Hall: Speaking of opening on over 2,000 screens, Baggage Claim can claim to have not only made back its budget in one weekend, it also earned the second best per theater average of anything opening in the top 10. There's evidence that this is a niche film that successfully found its audience.

Max Braden: This opening is lower than Patton's previous feel-good romance Jumping the Broom. I like her but these movies feel awfully toothless. I'd rather see her in more Mission Impossible type movies.

Kim Hollis: Considering that Patton isn't really a big name, I think it's impressive that a lackluster movie was even able to get to $9 million. It's another testament to the fact that movies using demographic targeting can be quite profitable. I think we'll start to see this approach more and more.

David Mumpower: I believe that the most impressive aspect of this opening weekend is that Baggage Claim is well below the radar for everyone who was never going to watch it. Anyone who had shown interest in Think Like a Man and Jumping the Broom (I certainly fall in that category) was directly targeted by the marketing, which is a masterful usage of marketing dollars. Baggage Claim is a small scale triumph. I also can't help but wonder if the recent tabloid headlines involving Paula Patton's husband, Robin Thicke, made her sympathetic and thereby enhanced the appeal of her movie. I am probably overthinking it, though.

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