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: I'll echo Edwin's comment that Lord and Miller have a true talent for finding the exact perfect approach for strange or unlikely concepts and making them work. Clearly, based on the reviews and word-of-mouth for this movie so far, they've succeeded. Also, Lego's not just for kids anymore. With the architecture sets, Simpsons house, Harry Potter tie-ins, and the other stuff people have already mentioned, they're attractive to a much wider demographic than what they were when I was growing up. This was exquisitely timed.

David Mumpower: What strikes me as crucial to the popularity of The Lego Movie is its jovial nature. Let's forget for a moment how popular Legos are as a toy. We know from recent fiasco releases such as Battleship that toy popularity means little. What The Lego Movie possesses as a selling point is its silly brand of well-natured humor. It is almost the edgier version of The Smurfs in this regard. The central difference is that adults were enticed into going as well, because the jokes in the hysterical trailers appealed directly to them. The marketing correctly deduced that children were in the bag. The way that the popularity of Legos mattered is that most first-time animated titles in potential franchises debut in the $40s or $50s. By adding an established name brand to a wonderful looking project, The Lego Movie broke out to a larger degree than would have been possible for a non-branded (i.e. ordinary) animated release.

Kim Hollis: The Monuments Men, a star-studded film set in World War II from director George Clooney, earned $22 million this weekend. What do you think of this result?

Jason Barney: I think everyone involved has to be sighing with relief that this has not turned into a disaster. The opening weekend has prevented that. A $22 million start against a $70 million budget is not great, but at least it will remove this from potentially being a huge bomb. The move from late 2013 probably didn't hurt that much, but I don't think it helped, and the reviews are not going to bring audiences out to see it. The cast will bring out some, as the talent on display here is a really nice mix, but The Monuments Men has a lot of work to do.

People want to go out and spend their hard earned money on a good film, this does not appear to be near the mark. Rotten Tomatoes ratings do not define how good or bad a film is, but they mean something, and a 33% fresh is just awful.

Felix Quinonez: I think this result will allow everyone to at least save face. It's definitely not a breakout success but it will at least stop the "Monuments Men is a FLOP" headlines that a lot of people were hoping to write. The release date move from Oscar season to now was pretty much a confirmation that the movie wasn't great. I don't think too many people were really fooled when it was announced that the reason for the move was that the special effects weren't ready.

I think the performance also speaks very highly of the star power involved. But its long term performance is still up in the air. I think, because of the star power involved, there is still a chance for enough people to embrace the film that it at least breaks even.
The Monuments Men has A LOT of work to do if it wants to even approach profitability. I'd be surprised if it holds half of its audience going into weekend two, which means it will still be well below its budget when it starts to lose screens. International money and support will have to be exceptional for this to be a success.

Continued:       1       2       3