One Month Out Part I
By BOP Staff
March 18, 2010
Michael Lynderey: I wouldn't really think of Kick-Ass as a Nic Cage movie, and I'd say there are two ways this one can go: cult classic or unabashed box office hit. There's been a strong precedent lately of well-reviewed, much-anticipated genre films breaking out well beyond the pale of message board fandom and into the big leagues (District 9, Inglourious Basterds, and, uh, Avatar), and Kick-Ass seems to be cut from the same cloth, especially considering the large dozes of hype already boiling out there. Usually, this wouldn't have been something I'd peg as much of a hit, but all the right pieces are in place. $100 million is definitely not out of the question.
Shalimar Sahota: Michael pretty much said what I wanted to say. Cage is taking a back seat as a supporting character in this. It will do well because of a concept that's breaking all the groundrules set up by the onslaught of former comic book movies, and because of Chloe Moretz.
Tom Macy: I think it will do well and win the Nic Cage sweeps by defeating the movie with one of the "best" worst trailers of 2009, The Hour of the Witch. Maybe this is just the marketing, but I'm concerned that Kick-Ass won't be as edgy as it clearly is being made out to be. Like Watchmen, it's a movie that's supposed to subvert our preconceived notions about superheroes, making the the leads less infallible and more vulnerable everyday people. But judging by the trailer, they still fight like they're in the Matrix, just as with Watchmen. What's interesting about that? Regardless, this is the only Nicolas Cage release I'm likely to see in the foreseeable future.
Kim Hollis: I think that the marketing is making it look very appealing, emphasizing the humor and the McLovin aspects of the film rather than the violence and the Nic Cage bits. They might be tricking people into seeing something that Kick Ass is not, but I'm inclined to give it a shot for the sake of Matthew Vaughn (even if the comic is from the same dude that created Wanted - a movie that I loathed).
David Mumpower: I fully agree with Michael Lynderey's assessment of the two ways this can go. In fact the thought that keeps running through my mind when I see the trailers is Mystery Men. I think the marketing has been clever enough to avoid that film's box office fate (it was annihilated by The Blair Witch Project), because it has celebrated the fun nature of the idea. I expect audiences to find the film much different than they expect, but early reviews are quite positive, which is always a good sign. The question is whether this project suffers the same fate as director Matthew Vaughn's last one, Stardust, in that it was a great film with a large budget that failed to make the money it should have. I'm inclined to believe that Kick-Ass has enough going for it to become a solid box office performer, at least matching its $70 million budget domestically. I'm hoping for an even better showing that establishes this as a franchise, because it's the type of clever idea that deserves such recognition. Of course, Mystery Men looked great on paper, too.
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