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Felix Quinonez: This is hands down a great result. I was expecting an opening in the mid to high teens mostly because of the low screen count. I think this just further cements Denzel Washington's box office appeal. But I have to wonder if the real winner is Robert Zemeckis. He hadn't made a live action movie since Cast Away and his star power seemed to fade some after spending years on expensive somewhat creepy animated movies that never really caught on enough to justify their huge budgets. Washington was going to be fine either way but I think Zemeckis was the one who really needed this to be a hit...and it is. But I also have to wonder how much bigger they could have gotten this opening if they just released the movie wider. But that doesn't change the fact that this is a big win all around.

Kim Hollis: Washington is nothing but consistent. It helps, of course, that he chooses projects that appeal to a wide-ranging audience. Flight has an interesting looking trailer, and knowing that he is in the film gives moviegoers confidence that the product will follow through on the promise. I'm most impressed that it performed as it did on this few screens.

David Mumpower: An argument can be made that Denzel Washington is the most reliable box office performer working today. Flight is simply the latest proof of it.

Quentin Tarantino Presents… the Fourth Topic of Monday Morning Quarterback

Kim Hollis: The Man With the Iron Fists, the RZA-directed kung fu flick with Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu, opened to $7.9 million. Are these fists iron enough in your estimation?

Edwin Davies: This is towards the higher end of what was expected from The Man With The Iron Fists. Kung Fu films are pretty niche in general, and considering the weirdness of some of the casting (Russell Crowe?) and the director (The RZA?! Actually not that weird considering the presence of martial arts imagery in Wu-Tang's music, but even so, it's strange to think someone actually fronted the money to allow him to make a kung fu movie) it was unlikely to break out in a huge way. However, it cost only $15 million to make, and unless it absolutely collapses next week - which it might do, but the generally nice reviews suggest that it'll do okay - it will probably make most if not all of that back by the end of its run in theaters. After that, it's probably going to become a cult hit on DVD, and it'll probably do okay internationally. This is a win with a small w, but a win nonetheless.

Matthew Huntley: I was (and still am) excited for Man with the Fists and assumed its opening would at least be in the double-digit range (low end being $10-$11 million; high end being $13-$15 million), but in hindsight, that was probably asking for too much, especially given that Wreck-It-Ralph and Flight both opened the same weekend (why didn't the studio up Fists' opening by a week to give it some breathing room for the adult demographic?). In the end, there just wasn't enough room for it to carve much of a place at the box-office. Still, I think it will do better internationally, at least enough to secure profitability and I'll still see it. Whether other moviegoers share my same attitude remains to be seen, but I can see the movie ending up with $20 million in the U.S., which is far from great (or even good), but given its production budget, it's fair.

Jason Barney: Again, the budget is probably the best way to look at this, and Universal isn't really going to lose any money on this. The opening isn't a grand slam, but at least looking forward it will be enough to build upon. Anything overseas is going to be gravy, and Russell Crowe does tend to have a good following in other markets. The genre is an interesting choice for him, but I have not seen it yet, so I'll reserve judgment.

Felix Quinonez: I think because it had a low enough budget, that this is a totally acceptable opening. Although it won't be a smash I think the studio will at the very least break even on this.

Kim Hollis: I think this opening is fine. It will make enough money to justify its existence, and will possibly even manage to become a cult classic. I'm definitely intrigued to see it (I love kung fu movies) and I actually dislike Russell Crowe in general.

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