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David Mumpower: Edwin has touched on a key aspect of this discussion. December releases historically have lower opening weekend totals then demonstrate strong legs. And even allowing for that behavior, Exodus: Gods and Kings is still likely to be a loser. I have questioned the demand for this movie for some time now. Even if the film earns $100 million domestically, something that is still a distinct possibility, it will fall far short of its production budget. As has been the theme for most large budget films in 2014, overseas numbers are its only hope for finishing in the black.

As for why it struggled, I have a theory based upon my residence in the Bible Belt. Many of my friends are religious, and they universally expressed disappointment with regards to Russell Crowe's Biblical release, Noah. I suspect that Exodus: Gods and Kings was treated by that key demographic as a de facto sequel. They gave Hollywood the benefit of the doubt for the first film's opening weekend. The second was less fortunate. The other aspect is that Noah is a lot more marketable due to its storyline, which 97% of the world's population knows. Exodus has advertising best described as inscrutable. I feel bad for Joel Edgerton. He's a good actor, and even Nic Cage doesn't deserve *that* makeup.

Max Braden: I guess they were... plagued... by low box office turn out. (I'm the first person to make that joke, right?) I saw a ton of advertising for this and was intrigued by Moses as a warrior rather than bookish guide. But as much as Ridley Scott's name was a draw, I was turned off by Angry Bale and the Super Caucasian Cast. Sound and fury etc etc. For all that money and production, despite historically moderate December openings, this is a weak showing and I don't expect it to have the traditional holiday legs.

Kim Hollis: The critically beloved Top Five, Chris Rock's film that he wrote, directed and stars in, earned $6.9 million this weekend in only 979 venues. What do you think of this result?

Matthew Huntley: I'm not sure why the critical reception for Top Five is so positive. I saw it this weekend and while it has some funny moments, it's too inconsistent to recommend. Nevertheless, its box office figures are good for a movie that only cost $10 million to make, and even though I wasn't wild about this particular picture, if its success allows the likable and more-often-funny-than-not Chris Rock a chance to make more movies in the future, I hope it continues to do well.

Edwin Davies: This is a very solid result which should hopefully allow it to expand a bit, or at least play nicely at a lower level while the big hitters of the holiday season duke it out. Rock's directorial career has been very hit and miss, both commercially and critically, and the love for his third feature, and how distinct it is from everything out there at the moment, should hopefully buoy it in the weeks ahead.

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