Monday Morning Quarterback Part II
By BOP Staff
September 21, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Kim Hollis: Devil failed to scare up a lot of business, earning $12.3 million for Universal. Do you think this is a good result for a no-name horror cast, or a disappointment for a movie with M. Night Shyamalan's name attached to it?
Josh Spiegel: I am voting for the former. I have not seen this, and couldn't care less about it. Considering that we heard, in various online forums, people laughed and/or groaned at the sight of M. Night Shyamalan's name in the trailers, this could've flopped a lot harder. That it made over $10 million is surprising. What's odd is that the reviews - which came after the film opened, as it wasn't screened for critics - aren't as terrible as I'd have thought. Either way, this movie could have done a third of this number, so Universal should thank their lucky stars.
Bruce Hall: I am left wondering what in the world M. Night Shyamalan finally has to do to finally turn his name into indisputable box office poison. Despite the snickering and sneering, it hasn't happened yet and his involvement still, in part, draws audiences to films.
That this movie did as well as it did is a plus for Universal. But I can't help but wonder - even though he did not direct this, as the producer/story creator, Shyamalan's name was prominently marketed alongside Devil. I wonder if we aren't beginning to see the end of diminishing returns for a once esteemed filmmaker.
Matthew Huntley: Bruce, I thought we reached the "diminishing returns" stage after Lady in the Water and The Happening came out, but then The Last Airbender grossed $100 million+ and now I feel like we're right back where we started. Ugh! Granted, that movie cost a lot more to produce, but still, it's a sign M. Night's name still has some meaning with moviegoers.
To answer Kim's question: yes, I do think this is a good result for Universal, not only for the reasons Josh and Bruce laid out, but also because the movie only cost $10 million to make. It's sure to find more of an audience on the home market, and with Halloween coming up, it might stick around long enough to gross three or four times its budget. Airbender's dismal reception (despite its decent box-office return), and therefore Shyamalan's name, may have turned some people away, but there's probably a healthy size audience out there still curious to know what he'll do next. That audience is enough to secure a double-digit opening, which is perfect for low-budget horror movies.
Shalimar Sahota: Given that it was made on the cheap for only $10 million, this has got to be seen as a good result. However, because of Shyamalan's attachment to the film, I haven't noticed a lot of buzz for this. Having seen it, I thought it was generally good, with a payoff that actually delivered. In this case, screening it to critics might have helped for a slightly better opening. For director John Erick Dowdle, he previously took on the horror remake Quarantine, which finished with $31 million. I imagine Devil could finish up with around the same.
Edwin Davies: It's a solid result for a horror film with no one famous in it, but I can't help but wonder if it could have made more if they hadn't trumpeted Shyamalan's name so much in the advertising. The idea of a horror movie taking place entirely in a confined space where one person might be the Devil is really intriguing and the trailers did a good job of making it seem creepy, so I think the film would have done well whether or not Shyamalan's name was attached. But seeing his name attached seems to have turned a lot of people off seeing the film. It also didn't help that they decided to use the most pretentious credit imaginable ("From the mind of M. Night Shyamalan") in all of the adverts. I think it could have made at least a few million more on opening weekend if that groan-inducing credit had been removed, and maybe wound up with a higher overall total.
Reagen Sulewski: I think it's hard to tell whether Shyamalan's name hurt or helped, quite frankly. The number looks like what you'd expect if it wasn't on there so I suspect it's a wash. Cheap-to-produce horror films will always be easy money until people stop going to them - Devil could have flopped and still made money - so there's not a lot of sense in worrying about what this means in the larger scope of things. It can't throw under Darkness Falls or Dead Silence, anyway.
Next time, maybe try making an animated film that doesn't look like it was created for a morning cable show
Kim Hollis: Alpha and Omega, the Lionsgate animated film with the ostentatious title, earned only $9.1 million. How should the studio feel about this result?
Josh Spiegel: Well, this movie looked like it was animated in the middle of the 1980s, so Lionsgate should feel good that they pulled a fast one on some unsuspecting families before Warner Bros. attempts to do so next weekend with its fighting owls movie. This one seriously looked sad, all the more so for it being one of Dennis Hopper's last films.
Bruce Hall: That you made $9 million off a terrible looking animated flick whose title unintentionally riffs on one of the most prominent lines from the Book of Revelation has to be considered a plus. I would expect to be hit by lightning. Well done, Lionsgate.
Tim Briody: More proof you can put just about anything out there and it'll sucker some folks in. $9 million is nearly half of its production budget, which means this will probably be in the black by the time it leaves theaters. Well played, Lionsgate.
Matthew Huntley: Wow - everyone on this thread took the words right out of my mouth. Just curious, but did the movie remind anyone else of Balto from back in the day? If Lionsgate's intention was to make a cheesy-looking throwback to a sub-par '90s animated movie, mission accomplished.
Edwin Davies: Every time an animated film underperforms but doesn't bomb at the box office, I think all those involved should think to themselves, "Well, it did better than Delgo, so that's something."
It didn't cost Lionsgate all that much to make, and there seems to have been relatively little advertising for it so I assume it didn't cost all that much to market either, so I think it'll probably end up a very minor win for the studio once it finishes its run, and it'll probably have a nice second life on DVD when all the people who took their kids to see it this weekend see the DVD on the shelves and buy it to shut the kids up for an afternoon. Lionsgate should be happy that it falls into the "Could have been worse" column.
Joshua Pasch: Well this is about six times the opening weekend of Lionsgate's recent animated entry, Battle of Terra. I, too, had this pegged closer to Delgo than double digits so I tip my cap to them. Apparently stuff like The Expendables isn't the only thing these guys can peddle.
Reagen Sulewski: I really am stunned at this one, even though it's just a modest amount. The animation looks to throw under direct-to-video crap. At least kids are learning their Greek letters, I guess.
Who cares about animated dogs? Let's watch TV!
Kim Hollis: BOP has posted our lists of TV shows we're planning to watch this year. Which new show are you most excited to check out? Which returning series are you hyped for?
Josh Spiegel: Well, I'm still seriously considering getting HBO to watch Boardwalk Empire, for all the obvious reasons. Among network shows, I can't say I'm wildly excited about anything, but Lone Star, Hawaii Five-0 (to honor Jin Kwon, of course), No Ordinary Family, and Running Wilde (if only to continue honoring Arrested Development) are intriguing me. I cannot wait for the Thursday night block of NBC comedies (sans Outsourced, which looks horrifically unfunny and racist, to boot) to return. That said, right now, I'm either watching mostly cable programs or...well, nothing. Network TV, at least this season, looks embarrassingly weak.
Bruce Hall: Mad Men. I don't care about anything else. But I don't really watch television much so I am probably not the best guy to ask. Maybe Running Wilde, mainly because I could watch Will Arnett pay his bills every week and be entertained.
Matthew Huntley: Now that Lost has ended, I doubt I'll be watching any shows on TV as they actually air. I'm just now in the middle of Dexter: Season 1 and I'm loving it (but I doubt I'll finish the first four seasons to be ready for season 5). I must say I am curious about The Event and Hawaii Five-0, but those will have to get in line behind Dollhouse and Madmen (I know, I have some serious TV watching to do).
Jim Van Nest: Anyone who says anything but Dexter is just wrong. Also, NBC finally did it. They pummeled me into submission and now I absolutely MUST know what The Event is. I'm thrilled to have Survivor back and I'm also really looking forward to the return of The Good Guys. Speaking of which...y'all better start setting your DVRs and watching the Good Guys, 'cause if it gets canceled, I'm coming to all of your houses to punch you all in the face!
Edwin Davies: I'm most looking forward to seeing Boardwalk Empire, which features at least five of my favorite actors and just looks amazing.
There aren't that many new shows that have piqued my interest. Terriers on FX is the only one that I was really, really excited about before it aired, and I'm enjoying the hell out of it so far. I'll probably check out Undercovers and Running Wilde, if only for my unwavering support of their creators (JJ Abrams and Mitch Hurwitz, respectively) though.
Returning shows are a very different proposition; Sons of Anarchy and Mad Men have already started strong, Dexter's coming back after its best season yet, and I can't wait to see more of 30 Rock and Community. It's a bit of a way off yet, but I'm really stoked for the mid-season return of Parks & Recreation, too.
Joshua Pasch: I'm interested in the League and Boardwalk Empire. The only thing that network television is good for is Sofia Vergara and Football. Lots and lots of football. In fact, they may want to consider scrapping other programming all together. The Event? Really? I give more credit to Shyamalan's creative titling with The Happening.
David Mumpower: We sample almost everything (except for monstrosities like Mike & Molly, Outsourced and Shatner My Dad Says). In terms of what has me excited this season, however, the only new show that I consider of the highest quality, at least on paper, is Boardwalk Empire...and I was pretty bored during the pilot.
Everything else I'm giving a chance is based almost exclusively upon actors I like such as Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park for Hawaii 5-0, Adrianne Palicki for Lone Star and Jimmy Smits for Judge Jimmy Smits. And even that isn't enough to get me to watch whatever Magnum P.I.'s show wound up being called or the sitcom monstrosity featuring Felicity. Also, Bruce is my sworn television enemy since the presence of Will Arnett in anything makes me automatically hate it. I think the only time he ever made me laugh was Blades of Glory...well, that and riding the Segway on Arrested Development, a show I grew to hate by its end.
In terms of returning shows, Modern Family and Cougar Town are 1 and 1A on my list. The precision of the writing on Modern Family makes it a fascinating complement to the messy warmth of Cougar Town. As an aside, the Cougar Town team really, really needs to release a single of Confident in My Sexuality. That song has been my permanent earworm for the body of 2010.
Kim Hollis: For me, the only new show I'm really excited for, like many here, is Boardwalk Empire, which I watched last night. I thought it was a little slow for the first half of the show, but I was really enjoying it in the second half. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what they do with it. I've also watched Nikita and The Event, and won't watch either one again. There are a few other shows I'll sample, but everything is on a short leash. I have no patience for crappy TV.
For returning shows, I'll echo David's vote for Modern Family and Cougar Town. Wednesday night is the only TV night I really look forward to, and I'm actively annoyed with CBS for putting Survivor on Wednesday. The ABC comedies are definitely top choice over that, even with Jimmy Johnson involved.