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Sean Collier: Yeah, I'm with David. If you had asked ten people on the street what District 9 was actually about last Thursday, they probably would've replied, "Umm...something? Aliens? Or the government?" While the viral marketing was (clearly) effective and innovative, any movie with no stars, no advertising hook, and very little plot awareness is not exactly a sure-fire hit, no matter how viral you go. Sony should be thrilled, and as one of the few yet to see District 9, I am pumped.

Kim Hollis: I thought this movie was a complete wild card. Up until a week or two ago, I would never have expected it to open this high. But the buzz and viral marketing were extremely effective, so kudos to everyone at Sony for their handling of the release. Consider that the only real A-List name on the project was Peter Jackson. If you think about that, a $37 million result is all the more impressive. It's not like viral marketing has always been successful (Snakes on a Plane, anyone?).

A lot of people thought he was a few prawns short of a galaxy

Kim Hollis: Do you feel that District 9's debut and reviews justify Peter Jackson's faith in Neill Blomkamp as a director? Also, despite his protestations, do you think this puts Blomkamp back in the equation for a Halo movie?





Josh Spiegel: I doubt that Peter Jackson needed to see millions line behind Blomkamp for his faith to be rewarded; if anything, this is a reward for Sony, for standing behind Blomkamp and Jackson. District 9, to some people, might seem like it could never make back its budget (small as it is), what with no known actors, a strange and unique concept, a foreign setting, and so forth. For Sony to back the movie is very impressive. My guess, with regards to Halo, is that Blomkamp may be courted for many other projects, so his interest might never hone back into that franchise.

Scott Lumley: I imagine Peter Jackson's faith was rewarded a long time ago in the editing room when the dailies started showing up for this. The only real question about this film was whether or not it could break out and it has. As for Halo, I hope not. Why would he constrain himself to someone else's world and canon when he's obviously quite adept at building his own?

Jason Lee: Opening a $30 million sci-fi film in August that immediately starts in the black is impressive, yes, but it's completely different than opening a big-budget tentpole release with a ginormous fanbase to appease. I think that while Blomkamp may definitely be an up-and-coming director to watch, if I were the folks at Fox I still would wait before I give him Halo.

Reagen Sulewski: While I think this definitely proves he could handle a Halo movie - parts of District 9 were the Halo movie in all but name - to me it's almost a question of whether Blomkamp would want to do it. I imagine they'll throw gobs of cash at him to do it, but I'd have to wonder if he would feel like he was repeating himself too much.

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