There are a couple of flicks out in the theaters right now that haven’t done NEARLY as well as I though they would (or as I thought they SHOULD have). These are just a couple:
1) Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow – I was so surprised by how entertaining this movie really was. Considering the cast and the good marketing, I had this one pegged as a $100 million easy. Wow was I wrong. So far, in it’s 5th week of release it’s only managed to pull in just under $36 million… and it probably won’t hit 40.
2) Wimbledon – Was this movie everything I was hoping it would be? No. But it was still pretty entertaining and had some good solid laughs in it too. Alas… also in it’s 5th week it has only made bus change… just over $16 million… barley enough to cover the marketing and promotional campaigns. Really disappointed about that… I think it deserved much better.
3) Vanity Fair – This was a GOOD movie. Not the kind that I usually go for, and it certainly had a few weaknesses, but overall it was a good motion picture. Add to that the fact that Reese Witherspoon is one of the hottest actresses going today and I thought it would pass $70 million no problem. Wow… wrong again. In it’s 7th week it’s only made $16 million. NEVER saw that coming.
4) Suspect Zero – A few weeks before release I thought this one looked really good. Turns out it sucked. Still.. the cast was solid and I thought it would be good for $40 million or so… especially when you consider Ben Kingsley is in it. Nope… just $8 million for this mega flop.
5) Shaun of the Dead – WHY AREN’T MORE PEOPLE GOING TO SEE THIS!?!?!?! This is the most entertaining movie I’ve seen this year so far (not the best overall film… but most entertaining). No way this movie should have only made $11 million. NO FRICKEN WAY! How can Ladder 59 make $59 million, Resident Evil make $50 million, while a fantastic movie like Shaun of the Dead only gets $11 million? Good grief!
Oh well… that’s my little rant. Which ones surprised you?
WHY THE MOVIE FLOPPED: Really uninteresting plot… the cartoon-grey filming… the STUPID title “Sky Captain..etc.” & Lame actors who all (appearently)previously starred in Hollywood FLOPS.
FLOP ACTORS + FLOP PLOT = FLOP MOVIE
Vic, if you got a Multi-region DVD player, you can get it now at all good (British) DVD suppliers.
I’ve been preaching the praises of Shaun of the Dead for weeks now to all of my friends. Sadly when I explain the premise I usually get a blank stare or “yeah..I’ll have to check that out.” I can’t get anyone to realize what a great movie this is. This one is going to sneak up on the masses once it hits dvd in the U.S. Keep fighting the good fight and oh yeah… you’ve got red on you.
Is Shaun of the Dead in limited release? If I want to see it on the big screen I’ll have to drive 30 miles. :-(
Of course it’s coming out on DVD in two months, so maybe I’ll just wait until then, and watch it after my wife goes to bed. :-)
Vic
shaun of the dead isn’t doing well in the box office because it’s been available on line for 6 to 9 months before it finally made it’s way to the states!
I do strongly believe that none of these are really “event” movies and with christmas approaching and money being tight, people are staying away from the cinemas. Shark Tale has done well, not because its a great film, but it is a kids film. Be they good or bad, kids films do well! Especially ones that get the publicity and advertising this one does. I think Shaun of the Dead is a suberb British Film. Enfact, its “Britishness” maybe why its not doing to great in North America. You Canadian’s understand Britishness and get sarcasm and British wit. Americans I feel struggle far more getting these forms of humour. Brit films like Notting Hill, Four Weddings, Love Actually, Brigit Jones do well because they are made with Americans in mind (normally with an American actor / actress involved so the film can be marketed around them). They portray Brits as posh, pompus, loveable fools how set around, drink tea and swear all f*&king day. PS John I did a post some time back recommending Brit Sit-coms. One to look out for is Early Doors. Stars Craig Cash (The Royle Family) and is extremely funny. PSS Anyone seen Kung Fu Guy on here recently?
i am very very surprised!
4 out of 5 of these movies are so very very good.
to be honest, this news really sucks!
I agree Peter, but it’s still in it’s 1st week, so I thought I should hold off for now. Look at what happened with My Big Fat Greek Wedding after it’s first couple of weeks. It took off. I doubt that will happen here… but it COULD.
And Team America? I am surprised it doesn´t appear on the list. I would bet it surpassed the lame shark tale but alas! Audiences are far from being understandable.
I didn’t like the Sky Captain. I had high expectations of this film, but it failed miserably. The whole glow effect was very difficult on the eyes and the movie was boring. I like how many cool things they’ve designed for it (amphibian planes, dinasour world, transforming flying robots, etc), but I was disappointed at how little screen time these things got. The rest of it was pretty boring… That’s a pity since this film had a lot of potential.
Shaun of the Dead hasn’t come here yet (Cyprus), but we were never a boost in movie revenues anyway. Still I am planning to see it when it’ll come.
The rest of the movies you’ve mentioned are unheard of around here (Cyprus again).
Between the ticket price, having to sit through commercials after paying said price, teenagers at the controls setting the volume WAY too high, and idiots talking in the theater as if they’re sitting in their living room, yeah… I don’t go to the movies as often as I used to.
Pretty much the only films I go see are “event” movies: Those with big action/SFX. If it’s a comedy or drama, I can watch it on my big screen at home.
Vic
My personal opinion is that summer months enjoy a good boost due in large part to air conditioned cinemas. There could be no other reason. The garbage on the screens during those months certainly wouldn’t be enough to draw me in, but if you have a hald decent flick, a slow night (I hate crowds) and air conditioning, BAM! I’m so there. As for the the other side of it, we have satellite, so we just bide our time and watch everything on that. Plus the boy gets free DVDs as part of his spending habits for work through on of his computer parts vendor, so who needs to buy anything anymore?
Having said that… *deep inhale* (confession time) I am planning to drag the boy out to see Christmas with Ben Afflek, Tony Soprano, Christina Applegate (b/c I like her ditzy characters so much) and a few others that work well in comedic ensembles. I actually think it might be funny. Besides, we paid to see Elf, so I figure if it’s on par, we won’t be too upset for laying out the cash. We’re just thankful we don’t have kids we have to pay someone to watch and we both love eating at Wendy’s. :-)
No, not really. When you look at the box office numbers for the summer they were really strong. I think it’s just more about the time of year. We’ll see how the numbers do when we get closer to Christmas
Do you think that the quick turnaround of films to DVD and the growing number of people with home theaters and big screen TVs has anything to do with the dismall box office #s? I happen to be one of those people, (and I also have 2 small children), so when you factor in the cost of a babysitter, tickets for 2 to an evening movie and popcorn/drinks, I REALLY have to want to see a movie to go out to the theater. I’m much more comfortable waiting 3-4 months, renting the DVD for $1-$3, and watching it in the comfort of my own home. It also should be noted that there is one movie theater in the area that I live in and it is a throwback to the early 80s. No stadium seating, no decent surround sound, and only 7 screens.
My gut feeling is that there are more and more people out there like me. In fact, Variety reported last week that “Walking Tall,” with The Rock, is raking in the bucks on DVD but didn’t do all that well at the box office.
Just my 2 cents.
Marc Bowker
Alter Ego Comics
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I am surprised at Shaun of the Dead, I adore it and would have thought it would have made more, I don’t know how much it made here (UK) but it seemed to be a huge hit, and is excellent on DVD.
john, you are suprised?
suprised people are idiots?
suprised people have terrible taste?
suprised shark tale has taken in 118 million so far?
yeah, i hate people…and the machinist is not coming to my theater. i am seriously pissed about that.