Posted on 11/15/2004 6:33:49 AM PST by FrankRepublican
There is now link but in today's Wall Street Journal on page B1 there is a story on the Tom Hank's movie "Polar Express" which is turning into a mega bomb. The reviews have been pretty awful. The film cost $170 million plus $125 million in distribution costs and has sold about $23.5 million. It will probably start disappearing from the theaters soon.
Time Warner was lucky that they offloaded half of the project's marketing and production budget ($62.5 million) on Steven Bing. Bing is a multi-millioanire and real estate heir. He also funded Kerry's 527 to a tune of close to $14 million or so. Bing's family owns lots of real estate in NYC and are reportedly billionaires. Bing has been trying to break into Hollywood and asked Warner for a distribution deal. Looks like he got one. He is rumored to have some unsavory connections with organized crime families in NY.
Avoid Polar Express. We want Mr. Bing to lose big on this one.
How about everybody go buy a Mel Gibson DVD instead?
Cold day in HELL-YWOOD?
The Polar Express is a great children's book, that takes fifteen minutes tops to read. How you can stretch that out into a feature film is baffling. It will slink out of theaters soon.
Thanks for confirming my suspicions...the PE trailer doesn't impress. Bet Hallmark (among others) is wishing it hadn't gone so heavily for the merchandizing on this.
They would've done much better if they'd released it in December anyway. Duh.
I said the same thing about "The Grinch." Good thing Dr. Seuss wasn't alive to see it.
Bada-Bing!
RIGHT ON!I won't even watch it on HBO!!
This will still not take the swelling out of Hanks head. He has been made out to be more of an actor than he really is for years.
Ya know what I'm thinking? Mel should run for the Senate. Does he reside in California? If so, he might be able to oust one of CA's resident ultra-liberal Senators!
Mel's kind of a Buchananite but overall a decent guy.
Apparently, Steve was a virgin in the arena of feature films. A Bing Cherry. Now, he's been screwed.
Dan
Biblical Christianity web site
To Tell the Truth, Virginia...
What a scumbag.
In an interview this weekend, Hanks said that the film was about "one aspect of the Christmas myth."
I thought to myself, "Well you've just talked yourself out of a few million customers."
Also the guy who (for all intents and purposes) treated poor Elizabeth Hurley like a five dollar fraternity gang "date," if memory serves.
LOL! The Christmas movie season hasn't yet started. I'm sure this movie will do well.
I don't put Tom Hanks in the same category as Michael Moore and Sean Penn; he's always been supportive of the folks in uniform. I'm planning to see the movie, and in 3-D, no less!! I loved the book, though I have never been able to read it all the way through with my kids because I always get fahklempt at the last couple of pages.
he 37-year-old "Austin Powers" actress and model, who has always maintained that Bing is the father, could now receive millions of dollars in child support. The 35-year-old California film producer is believed to be heir to a $400 million property fortune.
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.