Posted on 08/19/2006 10:27:46 AM PDT by gopwinsin04
Snakes On A Plane Flakes As Weak #1; World Trade Center Loses Audience; Pirates 2' Crossing $400 Mil U.S. Mark
SATURDAY: After all the Hollywood hype, New Line's Snakes on a Plane flakes. I'm told that, despite a long pre-release marketing campaign that sent some Internet showbiz blogs into a writhing frenzy of anticipation, the Samuel Jackson-starring horror flick has come up short for its Friday opening.
Sure it's No. 1, with rival studios putting its gross earnings at $6.3 mil yesterday from 3,555 theaters. (New Line says the pic did a total $7.8 including Thursday night's screenings, which technically shouldn't be included in the weekend #s.
A desperate Warner Bros. pulled a similar stunt to increase the figures for its Superman Returns this summer ) But that's at best a weak $15 mil opening weekend -- not anywhere close to the $25+ mil opening (and Variety even put forth a $30 mil guesstimate) that the studio was anticipating because of its huge manufactured buzz.
But it seems only the bloggers cared about this pic. As a result, Sony's Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is close behind for No. 2 even its third weekend out. The NASCAR spoof did $4 mil Friday for what should be a $13 mil Friday-Saturday-Sunday
. Also bowing in 2,913 theaters was Universal's slacker comedy Accepted, which took in $3.6 mil for what's expected to be an $11 million weekend and #3 place.
Whereas newcomer Material Girls, MGM's teen girl fantasy starring sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff, earned $1.6 mil from only 1,509 theaters for what may be a $4 mil opening.
Disney / Touchstone's surprise sleeper from last weekend, Step Up, did $3.4 mil for what may be a $10 mil weekend.
And Oliver Stone's World Trade Center wided to 41% more theaters but couldn't hold its audience with only $3.1 mil Friday for what should be well below $45 mil already 10 days out.
Disney's Pirates of the caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest could cross the magic $400 million U.S. mark as soon as this weekend, especially with its $1.2 mil Friday take and anticipated $4.7 mil weekend gross.
Finally, Fox Searchlight's critically well-received Little Miss Sunshine which had been platforming tp garner good buzz opened wider into 694 theaters and earned $1.5 mil for what will be a $4.5+ mil weekend.
As I wrote here five weeks ago, New Line's PR/marketing department was working overtime on Snakes on a Plane. I'd rarely read so much incessant blog chatter, and so early, about what was essentially just another over-hyped horror movie.
What interests me is that so many fine actors -- Samuel Jackson, Naomi Watts, Jennifer Connolly, Nicole Kidman (albeit hers was a classy one) -- have lined up to do this genre. Especially when Steve McQueen spent his career running away from The Blob.
I've been hearing from agents that everyone wants to make anything horror. My best guess as to why? They think they'll make a connection with the younger audiences who turn out for these kind of films so that, when these stars do their normally serious films, maybe the new fans will follow
I saw it Friday. The "horror" element comes primarily from fast cuts in which a snake suddenly jumps out at one of the passengers and the biting/death scenes that explored extensively how many different ways snakebites can kill you.
Acting was decent for a fun action flick, except for the one line that Jackson purported wrote for the script and included in his contract -- that was wooden, poorly delivered, and despite having Jackson's trademark 1:3 profanity to word ratio, really didn't fit the rest of the dialog.
Suspension of disbelief: oftimes difficult. Particularly what happens to the male flight attendant at the end.
Overall, it's worth a matinee or rental.
I see the disappointing performance of Snakes on a Plane as an analogue to the coming disappointing performance of the Democrats in the polls this fall.
Sure, everybody loves to talk about Snakes (... on a Plane!!!) but nobody wants to actually plunk down twenty bucks to see it. Similarly, everybody likes to talk about the anti-everything Democrats, but nobody wants to spend their vote on them when it counts. They are just too ridiculous to take seriously.
We are going to hear an awful lot of hype about the Donks this fall, but when the curtain swings closed, the voters are going to spend their votes wisely
This concludes our thread hijack. You are now free to go about your way.
If I hadn't had early rehearsal Saturday, I woulda gone!
I cannot WAIT to see this movie.
Apparently it was three months' too soon.
Oliver Stone is the one who gets to decide when the proper time arrives for these things.
That would be Pigs on a Plane.
I should have known!
And I thought the studios finally had managed an original idea!
Dang, I wish I could have a snake, but I have cats. And a nervous husband who doesn't like them.
I haven't kept a snake since I was in grade school, but I have some great childhood memories of them. Oh to be young again...
What kind of snakes did you have?
The only snakes allowed here in Hawaii are in the zoo. And those can only be the same sex of different species. Hence there are no snakes to be afraid of when hiking.
Funny, I didn't hear any liberals complaining about a 9-11 movie when it was made by Oliver Stone.
Hognose was my favorite, but we also had black racers, rat snakes and a bull snake once.
I've never known anyone who had a hognose, but I've seen a few. I've heard that the black racers are very interactive.
Hognoses are very good-tempered and seem to like people.
I'd recommend them over garters for a first snake. I've had several and have never seen them bite.
Yeah, I think the ultimate first snake is the corn snake. They are everywhere in every color imaginable.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.