Snapshot: August 1-3, 1997
By Joel West
March 27, 2009
Air Bud ultimately made $23 million and currently has a very successful direct-to-DVD franchise going on. The power of dogs, sigh.
The weekend's smaller movies, 187 and In the Company of Men, finished their runs with $5.7 million and $2.8 million, respectfully. Jackson over his career has earned the reputation of starring in everything, some of it crappy, some not. Occasionally, small gems that nobody sees, like 187 and Black Snake Moan ($9 million), pop up and remind us what a vibrant talent he is, but for the most part we get Snakes on a Plane ($34 million) and Jumper ($80 million). Despite being unable to say "No," he has been able to establish himself as semi-successful box office draw. 187 was just released during the wrong month and has been unfairly forgotten throughout the years; whereas, In the Company of Men has rightfully earned the reputation as a cult favorite. While LaBute has hit an artistic wall in his transition to a mainstream director (again with The Wicker Man), he is still a talent that can't be ignored. Eckhart has taken a little longer to catch on (surely 2003's The Core didn't help), but his critical and commercial successes in 2006's Thank You for Smoking and The Dark Knight have rightfully put him on the brink of A-list stardom.
The Verdict: Easy, when Ford is in hero mode in a late summer action vehicle, stay away. In the late '90s, studios slowly started unloading their big guns in early August as opposed to dumping their crap films (that dumping ground is now called early September). Sure Picture Perfect and Spawn weren't outright blockbusters, but they each carried a buzz that wasn't normally released so late in the summer. These days, August has evolved into a rather reliable time to release potential blockbusters (2008 itself saw The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - $102 million, Pineapple Express - $87 million, and Tropic Thunder - $110 million perform well).
Continued:
1
2
3
4
Print this column
