One Month Out Part I
June 2010
By BOP Staff
May 12, 2010
Matthew Huntley: At first glance, it looks like the previous weekend's box-office winners will remain on top - namely Sex and the City 2 and The Prince of Persia. None of the new releases look like they're strong enough to steal those films' thunder, even with the expected post-Memorial Day declines. Of the the films on the list, the only ones that have a shot are Get Him to the Greel (because of the adolescent male demographic) and Killers (because of the couples demographic). The others are too low-profile and/or have anemic ad campaigns, so they'll likely cause little raucous at the turnstiles. Are kids today even aware of the Marmaduke comic strip? As for Splice, it probably seemed interesting and creepy on paper, but the trailer gives too much away and undermines any effective elements the film might have. It seems like just another run-of-the-mill horror movie along the lines of Species. With the new releases, audiences will probably be thinking, "been there, done that" and avoid them.
Jim Van Nest: Are we sure this isn't a weekend in February? How can so much crap come out on the same day? And in the summertime, for crying out loud! I have no love for Sex and the City or Prince of Persia, but I'm with Matthew...they should BOTH outperform all four of these offerings.
Jason Lee: I think I fall among the general sentiment in this discussion. There isn't a single film there that I'd shell out 15 bucks to go see. This is like the weekend that summer forgot.
David Mumpower: Get Him to the Greek was a project that I was thrilled about upon its announcement. I had loved that character in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, as he had a surprising amount of depth as well as innate decency. He could have been a one note gag, but Russell Brand was given more and he justified that result with a strong performance. Seeing the clips from this movie breaks my heart. There is simply no funny anywhere to be found. I hope the movie itself proves me wrong, but this looks like a mistake. Marmaduke will make money and everyone involved with it will enjoy their residual checks while feeling very, very dirty about sinking to that level if only for a while. It reminds me a lot of the first Garfield, which in turn reminds me a lot of a great Zombieland joke. Killers will be a surprise hit to a lot of people. For all of her faults, Katherine Heigl is a box office draw and Ashton Kutcher is as well. This is probably going to wind up with a nice, tidy What Happens in Vegas type of domestic performance. Splice probably won’t be large enough to matter from a box office perspective, but that’s the film I am currently anticipating the most out of this quartet.
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