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Jim Van Nest: I have two sons who really like the Wimpy Kid books. They've seen the first two movies. I am a member of BOP staff and I swear that this thread is the first time I heard that there was a third Wimpy kid movie. How can anyone go see it if no one knows it's there?

Reagen Sulewski: I think the release date issue is just a convenient (and advance-placed) scapegoat for the fact that you just can't get a lot of films out of a tween franchise before your actors and/or your audience outgrows you. Still, as mentioned, they've done a smart thing with the budgets of these films and no one will be crying poverty over them. Sane fiscal management isn't a sexy thing exactly, particularly when it comes to the movies, but it saves jobs.

David Mumpower: I don't line up with everyone on this topic (except for Jim, who is right about the lack of awareness). I think you're offering conventional explanations that don't quite fit here. The first Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie opened in March of 2010. We are only 28 months down the road for the third film. The audience hasn't grown up that much nor have the actors aged a great deal since principal photography started on the original. Instead, I think we are looking at a combination of two factors. The first is that three films in 28 months is...a lot. Saturation becomes a factor after this much product is released in such a short period. The other aspect ties into the first, at least somewhat. The quality of the first one, a more than satisfactory adaptation of a much loved book, enhanced the appeal of the second movie. When Rodrick Rules proved to be lackluster, the combination of lessened demand due to the lackluster quality of the predecessor and the sheer volume of product damaged Dog Days. Combined with the lack of advertising for the third movie relative to the other Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies, nothing that has happened here surprises me. Fox is hoping that a late summer release will extend the legs of Dog Days enough to absorb the opening weekend loss. While I agree with Reagen that release date isn't a factor in its box office, I do feel the film made more sense in June since school starts much earlier these days. There is opportunity cost lost revenue by waiting until now rather than playing the movie all summer.

Max Braden: I was vaguely aware that this sequel was coming but saw no advertising for it this weekend amid all the Olympics I was watching on vacation. I think the problem here is not the age of the audience, but that the material has aged beyond its medium: Wimpy 3 would have been a fine project for a direct-to-video title with an awaiting market. But to release it in theaters and not support it, with no eager kids and parents who don't want to pay those ticket prices, was just a waste of money.

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