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Why is the rum always gone?

Kim Hollis: Pirates! Band of Misfits opened to $11.1 million in North America, good enough for second place at the box office this weekend. The Sony release had a per location average of $3,317. What do you think of this result?

Reagen Sulewski: For whatever reason, audiences don't seem to react positively to Aardman Animation, despite them being the second greatest creative force in the medium today behind Pixar. Even Chicken Run was well below the standard of the day for animation box office. Meanwhile, Ice Age is about to get its fourth movie. The phrase "I hate people" doesn't quite cover it. I'd say it's the claymation thing, but Flushed Away didn't blow out the doors. I'd say it's the lack of big name voice actors, but Ray Romano isn't really a huge name and Ice Age does fine (again, I hate people). I think it comes down to the thought that Aardman's films aren't "big" enough, epic enough, or filled with enough pop culture jokes. I worry that they're going to break down and make a Shrek.

Edwin Davies: On the one hand, this isn't too bad a result, since the film has done really well, and continues to do really well, overseas, so the budget will be covered fairly easily. On the other hand, it's a shame that the film didn't do well because it's probably the Aardman film that had the best chance of finally breaking them in America, since it manages to balance the typical Aardman Britishness with a slightly broader, equally funny sensibility. They seem to have become the film equivalent of Oasis, a band that was a phenomenon in Britain but never managed to get a foothold in the States. I'd be less worried about them making a crassly commercial film to finally have a hit than just throwing their hands up and not bothering with America anymore, which would be great for Brits, but a loss to American fans of quality animation.

Kim Hollis: I think it's an okay result. I don't really feel like any true support was given to the film in North America by the studio, and it's somewhat understandable because they didn't necessarily have to. Pirates! has made plenty of money overseas, which is where the real profit was always going to come anyway. What I do think Aardman can be proud of is the fact that they have once again made a delightful movie that will have some passionate supporters. Those people will almost assuredly recommend it to friends on DVD/Blu-ray/streaming services. In fact, I've noticed a lot of people saying they would watch it on DVD - it's just that kind of movie, I suppose. There's not any real rush to get out and see it. (With that said, it's a very charming film - great for families!)

David Mumpower: I agree with Kim that the problem the film faced domestically was apathy. Even the name change from Pirates! In an Adventure With Scientists to The Pirates! Band of Misfits demonstrates how little attention was given to the project. Rather than marketing it as a hilarious movie that has a rare level of positivity for a mainstream release, Sony ran away screaming from the concept of marketing a celebration of science as family friendly. I still haven't seen Chimpanzee, the G-rated movie we discussed last time, yet I have a difficult time imagining it as a gentler movie. Consumers constantly complain about the lack of quality family entertainment released into the market, which is why the franchise Reagen mentions, Ice Age, does so well almost by default. With Pirates, Sony has marketable subject matter that fills a niche, yet the movie is at best a modest success. A lot of money has been lost here in opportunity cost. To a larger point, I warmly recommend this movie to our readers who want to enjoy movies with their children. It's a throwback title in this regard.

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