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I don't know. I want my movies to have that Micah dude from Paranormal Activity…

Kim Hollis: Given that Megamind heavily pushed the presence of Will Ferrell and Brad Pitt in its advertisements, and that Due Date featured Robert Downey Jr. and the weird guy from The Hangover, do you see this weekend as a win, lose or draw for star power?

Josh Spiegel: Hey now, the weird guy from The Hangover is Zach Galifianakis and he's a really great comedian (the Between Two Ferns series never disappoints in its awkwardness). That said, I think this is somewhere between a draw and a win. If these movies - or at least Megamind - had opened closer to the holiday weekend, they might have made more money, but the two films, combined, opened to pretty huge numbers for this time of year, especially as we've been seeing movies open smaller and just taper off over the past few months. Could these movies have done better? Sure, but I don't think the ceiling was much higher.

Bruce Hall: I made mention in the last thread of the Post Star Era in Hollywood. I really think that while people do have their favorite stars, it is in a much more casual way now than it has ever been. Geeks like us may know everything under the sun about well respected performers like say, Zach Galifianakis and Eddie Izzard, but most people don't, and don't care. Most casual moviegoers just seem to want a positive overall experience, regardless of who is in the project.





If a film had great word of mouth and media exposure, it seems just as likely to make a mint as something just because Tom hanks is in it. I think stars still mean something to people but we're in a very media savvy time now, and even the least informed of us are able to tell which way the wind is blowing media wise on something, regardless of how many Names are in it.

I think this is a good thing. I have actors I love, but Hollywood is filled with countless thousands of talented and not-so-talented people. I just want to see a good movie, first and foremost. If someone I already happen to love is in it, then that's a good thing. But if I come away knocked out by great new talent then so much the better. There is room for far more exposure for far more true talent in this world, and I think that over time, audiences on every level are beginning to sense that.

Kim Hollis: I'm having a hard time seeing how Due Date's success can be attributed to anything other than Robert Downey Jr. and a tidal wave of nerds who find Zach G. to be funny. I'm less certain that Megamind needed big voices to deliver that level of box office, but I do think that Will Ferrell's massive support for the film certainly made it a film that seemed to target more than just kids and their parents.

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