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Kim Hollis: Crimson Peak, Guillermo del Toro's latest gothic horror creation, earned $13.1 million this weekend. What do you think of this result?

Felix Quinonez: I think Crimson Peak's performance falls on the opposite end of the box office spectrum than Bridge of Spies. Unlike Spielberg's Oscar bait, this is exactly the kind of movie that people rush out to see. So I think this opening is pretty disappointing. Also, while it has okay reviews, they're not the kind that will inspire people who are on the fence about it to go see it. And its "B-" Cinemascore doesn't build confidence. While not a flop, it could turn out to be a money loser.

Edwin Davies: This strikes me as a film, not unlike Pacific Rim, that could end up underperforming at home but doing solid overseas business. If that doesn't appear, however, then this could be one of Universal's bigger missteps in what has been an otherwise amazing year for them. The film is a bit of an odd duck since it's been sold as a horror movie (by everyone except Guillermo Del Toro, who has been very vocal about it not being one) when it's clearly a Gothic romance in the vein of Rebecca or Jane Eyre, but with a few ghosts thrown in. That's a much harder sell than a horror film, so I think Universal probably made the right choice in terms of getting people to see the film, but they also doomed it to one weekend of remotely decent business because all the people who wanted a horror movie will be pissed.

Michael Lynderey: I know Halloween is coming up, but even then I think the film won't have very good legs (and there's a lot of competition. Even Goosebumps). Crimson Peak needed a really strong opening to get out of the gate and distinguish itself this month, but it lost the three-way race this weekend, and the start is such that the film might not even pass $30 million domestically. It's curious, too, because the reviews are really pretty solid as far as these things go, but I could see that the film wouldn't appeal to a lot of the people who go see horror movies these days, given the setting, length, and pacing. It's one of those disconnects between critics and viewers that slips through the cracks once in a while, really the kind of big-budget art film that general audiences don't tend to embrace.

I disagree with Edwin about the genre, though. This is certainly a horror film, and a fairly violent one at that. One of the characters makes for a heck for a horror film villain.

Kim Hollis: I don't know that I think this is hugely disappointing. Horror films need a pretty unique hook if they're going to take off and make a lot of money, and Crimson Peak didn't have that (and since it's not really a true horror film, I think it's hard to create one out of thin air). The film will probably pick up enough overseas to be worthwhile. I do wonder if del Toro hasn't lost his touch a bit, though. There was a time when you could count on him to deliver on a project like this, and yet its reviews are middling at best. With his TV series The Strain also just an okay show, he hasn't really connected with his fans and his typical audience in the way that he once did.

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