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Pete Kilmer: I think this was totally aimed as the "feel good film" of the holidays and people were looking for something like it.

Kim Hollis: I believe I'm one of the few people who was completely *unsurprised* by this result. When you do puppy movies right, people will come. It's not a guarantee, but I think it's pretty easy to sniff out (hee hee) which ones have the formula for success. Snow Dogs, Eight Below and Beverly Hills Chihuahua all had that *something* that you could tell was going to lead to magic. Marley & Me trumps them all by A) Being based on a very popular memoir, B) Opening on Christmas and C) Having a labrador retriever as its star. They're one of the most popular dogs in America. People can relate to this story.

Either way, we're happy for both of their success.

David Mumpower: Do you attribute the success of Marley & Me to the star power of Owen Wilson or Jennifer Aniston to any degree?

Scott Lumley: Hey, don't forget the dog. He's a pretty cute dog. I heard Angelina Jolie called him twice already...





Joel Corcoran: I think the star power of Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston - individually and co-starring as a couple - lent quite a lot to Marley & Me's success. This type of goof-ball comedy is a typical film for Wilson, a role he does well, and one that movie-goers are used to seeing him in. Jennifer Aniston alone in this film would be enough for a big draw, but she's also a good choice to act opposite Wilson. She has the comedy chops to keep up with him, but also has a more serious presence to bring some breaks into the film and provide a better rhythm overall.

Showing up together in a movie opening opposite a few choices with completely different couples only boosts the Wilson/Aniston effect. Bedtime Stories has Adam Sandler and Keri Russell - Happy Gilmore and "that chick from Felicity". The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is portrayed as a movie focusing on Brad Pitt's character that has romantic dalliances with Cate Blanchett and Julia Ormond. It's not a film focusing on a "couple" per se, and while Brad Pitt is much more popular than Owen Wilson, it's just too strange a story compared to Marley & Me. And while Blanchett and Ormond are very serious, extremely talented actresses, neither holds a candle to Aniston in terms of sheer popularity.

Sean Collier: They seem like a fairly natural pair, and they're already semi-associated with one another under the Vince Vaughn's Co-Stars heading. I personally could do without either of them, but, you know, I'm not exactly the target audience for Marley & Me. I don't know how much either of them would be as the main draw - see Drillbit Taylor and Rumor Has It - but there's enough drawing power between the two of them to float a film, I think.

Daron Aldridge: Aniston has been on a media blitz with many interviews and press about her relationship with Brad Pitt. That kept her in the public consciousness long enough for the movie to open, so I think she was a bigger factor than Wilson. She seemed to be akin to Rachel from Friends, which probably helped. Also, apparently, the movie is based a somewhat well-known book (granted I didn't know about it). I think that also heightened the awareness.

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