Monday Morning Quarterback Part I
By BOP Staff
March 20, 2012
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Kim Hollis: 21 Jump Street, the movie incarnation of a TV series that made Johnny Depp famous (sorry, Richard Grieco), opened to $36.3 million. What are your thoughts on this result?
Matthew Huntley: Like most people, I was not impressed with 21 Jump Street's initial trailer. It made the movie seem sloppy, unfunny and...it starred Channing Tatum. But the more I saw of it, and the more the buzz grew, so did the movie...on me, and apparently on a whole lotta other people. So far, based on what I've seen, and what others have told me, the movie is a riot, with more than its fair share of laugh-out-loud moments, and Sony's marketing clearly made this a selling point and a surprise must-see for the third weekend of March. Given the hard R-rating, they did a superb job of reaching out to a demographic that went beyond just the typical teenage demographic and may have even reached fans of the original TV series (they'd be about, what, 40 by now?) that were looking for a laugh. But for those not familiar with the show, the studio probably picked the two most recognizable names that audiences are willing to pay to see -- Jonah Hill and the aforementioned Mr. Tatum. These guys have been having fantastic years and should there be a 21 Jump Street sequel, you can be sure their salaries will probably double, and if this movie shows legs and reaches $100 million or more (on a $42 million budget), those figures could be justifiable.
Kim Hollis: I'm not so sure how much the marketing for this reached fans of the original series (I am one, and always thought the trailer looked pretty horrible), but when a lot of people who I trust started having a lot of good things to say about the film, I wondered if it might be fun after all. I have a feeling a lot of that sort of thing was going on this weekend.
Tom Houseman: This is the second time I assumed a movie would be terrible based on its trailer, and later found out it was directed by the two guys who created Clone High. Both times that was the sole reason I decided to see the movie, and both movies are hilarious (the other was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs). From now on movies they direct need to be advertised as "From the Guys Who Made Clone High, Just So You Know, Tom Houseman."
I'm sure everyone at Sony is blissfully happy with this opening. This is a movie targeted towards people in their 20s that also appeals to older audiences and teenagers with fake IDs. The spectacular word-of-mouth will lead to very good legs, as it will serve as counter programming to both Hunger Games and Wrath of the Titans. $100 million seems to be in the bag.
Bruce Hall: As much ink as was spilled last week over the atrocious marketing for John Carter, some should be devoted this week to the strategy for 21 Jump Street. I once considered myself a fan of the original show, but like most of the things you enjoyed in high school, you eventually realize that it sucked eggs. And 21 Jump Street the TV show did suck eggs. But do you remember what I said a few weeks ago when The Vow surprised most of us? Like him or not, C-Tates is hot stuff right now. People like him. I don't, and personally, Jonah Hill gives me hives. But sadly, like most of the things in life, this is not about me. An R-rated version of a barely PG television series that played like an extended public service announcement starring two of the most popular young actors in Hollywood right now went off exactly as Sony planned. And in retrospect, it's the only way they could have played it. A serious film about 30 year old cops pretending to be high school kids would most likely have backfired, just as it does when you try to watch reruns of the original. The trailer was terrible but ultimately, playing the concept for laughs was a stroke of genius. Go ahead and prepare yourself for a sequel. Prepare yourself for more C-Tates. It's coming.
David Mumpower: I was always dubious of this concept as a movie prior to the release phase. I too thought that the trailers were awful and in fact would suggest this title as a future topic for Samuel Hoelker's new column, Trailer Trash. There is simply not much laughter to be had in the ads. The moment I turned around on it was when I heard its tagline, "They're Too Old For This Shift". That's a very clever tip of the cap not only to the casting but to the casting of the original show. All four members of the original crew were in their early to mid-20s when the show began.
When the reviews started coming in and were universally positive, I was still taken aback and remain surprised. When word leaked that a sequel was in the works a couple of weeks prior to the first film's release, I was against caught off-guard. Sony knew what we did not. 21 Jump Street is a remarkably good adaptation with the best cameo since Zombieland. None of this makes me any less surprised about a $35 million opening weekend, though. That total is legitimately double what I had expected. I guess Jonah Hill beating up a friend of his mom is funnier than I thought.
Finally, praise of Clone High is always welcome. THERE is a TV show that needs a movie adaptation.
Reagen Sulewski: It's probably difficult to take too many lessons from this success, since it ultimately boils down to "make a funny movie." There, I've told you how, now go do it! Sony did a great job of managing expectations here though, and once they knew what they had, sold it to everyone who would listen and let them tell the world. It sort of reminds me a bit what Universal did with Bridesmaids, although that's with poorer trailers. I think there was also a nice bit of kismet, in that they were coming off Jonah Hill's biggest exposure ever with his Oscar nomination (that still sounds weird) and Channing Tatum's biggest hit yet. It's a nice bit of lightning in a bottle.
Edwin Davies: This does seem to have been something of a perfect storm for 21 Jump Street. It has two stars who have hit peaks in their careers at more or less the same time, with the success of The Vow in particular potentially drawing more of a female audience to the film than might have been tempted to it beforehand, and a clever marketing campaign that played on the ridiculousness of the central premise. Most importantly, the film itself is really, really good and genuinely funny. Without that crucial component, I don't think the other two would have been enough to open the film to this much: we just need to look back a few months at The Sitter's performance to see what happens when you have a high-profile star, a big marketing push and a terrible film that no one wants to see.