'Matrix Reloaded' Grosses 31.2 Mil Friday, Most Likely Will Eclipse All Time 4 Day BO Weekend Record

Box Office Mojo.com ^ | May 17, 2003 | Brandon Grey

[ewing]

The previous record holder was Spiderman at 125.8 million dollars.

[quebecois]

One thing that I noticed in the first one (and, from reviews that I've read, its even more pronounced in this new one) is the blatant racial propaganda. Zion is shown to be significantly (perhaps even majority) black, with black men leading the city.

On the other hand, the evil computer enforcers inside the matrix are ALL white men. I'm getting sick and tired of this sort of thing....so I may not go see the movie at all (or, if I do, I'll do my usual trick to see a movie that I don't want to give money to....I'll buy a ticket for another less offensive movie and walk in to see Reloaded)

[Bogey78O]

No I got it. Watched this one. Got it too.

[ValerieUSA]

I took my 7th grade son to see it today. I still don't get it. Neither Matrix movie makes sense to me.

[Proud2BAmerican]

Two questions from the movie:

Why doesn't Neo just fly away from the Agents to begin with...or say, halfway through the fight, etc.?

Second, Agents are fast enough to dodge bullets, and yet slow enough to let non-Keanu Reeves people get a few punches in? Except for Neo, none of the humans are able to actually dodge bullets. The agents are fast enough to dodge bullets. Ergo, the agents should also be fast enough to pummel anyone BUT Neo, without having their opponent lay a finger on them. I don't git it.

[Clovis_Skeptic]

Why doesn't Neo just fly away from the Agents to begin with...or say, halfway through the fight, etc.?

I thought the same thing while watching the fight scene. But, I guess there a similar instances in most movies, where if the character were to use common sense or logic, the whole movie/sequence/event would not have been necessary.

I enjoyed the movie. Especially the highway chase scene. I wonder how they film such things (the answer is always..."computers").

[Pukin Dog]

Neo does not just fly away from the Agents, because he has the capacity to destroy them, which is the goal of each encounter. Only when the odds became insurmountable was it a better idea to just fly away.

On the second question, you have to remember that the people inside the matrix are all gifted, but just not to the level of Neo. Morpheus and Trinity have the ability to bend physics inside the matrix, but they cannot fly. They were also freed from the matrix by others who thought at one time that they each might be "the one", until finally finding Neo, who is the actual "one"

[iowaboy]

As a fan of The Matrix, I was eager to see this sequel. After having seen it, I have mixed emotions.

THE GOOD: The special effects have once again raised the bar and are beyond belief or description. Also, the depth of plot that will "...really bake your noodle", in the words of The Oracle, are extremely well thought-out. I left the theater in deep thought, and it wasn't until the next day that I digested most of the plot line and where I think it's going. Pretty good writing...

THE BAD: This movie fully merits the "R" rating, unfortunately. There is a full 5-6 minute, completely un-necessary orgy/sex scene that seems to go on forever in what is supposed to be a "temple" in Zion. It is like something out of a pagan ritual. While we are treated to scenes of sweaty bodies grinding and groping, there are explicit scenes of Neo and Trinity having intercourse, orgasm and all. The sad thing is, none of this adds anything to the movie, which would have probably been "PG-13" had they simply edited out this 5-6 minute orgy. I don't know what is more shocking or disappointing: This scene being included in what was otherwise an excellent movie, or the fact that there was a family of a mom, dad, and three boys under the age of 10 in front of us.

OVERALL: Excellent movie, great effects, superb, deep, writing. But somewhat ruined by sexual content. I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars, but proceed with caution.

[ewing]

I didn't see any outright nudity in the dance sequence..

[Joe_October]

But I won't sit still for ultra-long stretches of psycho-babble. The movie was full of it.

Perhaps because you didn't "get it". Try watching it a few more times. I love the new direction.

Sorry, no offense but that movie was written by a couple 16 year old boys (or the equivalent of). Nothing to get. It clubbed you on the head over and over again. Is is Is, man. 1=1. Effect proves cause. Wow, deep. Look woman have groins.

Dress the woman in cotton instead of vinyl and six people watch.

The scene in the court yard with the agents was technically impressive except it was unbelievably stupid. So Neo fights Agent Smith for what seems like dozens of minutes trying all sorts of stunts and tricks. Now, from instant one in the mess, he never hurts even one of them. But, he continues to fight and fight for no reason, only to fly away in the end, a thing he could do at any moment. Had he been taking the out one by one, maybe he would stay in that fight but otherwise it make no sense.

I read in a magazine that the brothers Wachowski wrote the script for The Matrix after making Bound (described as Lesbian Noir - does a 16 year old know what that is?) with the intent of making a comic book. As they wrote it, the exclaimed, this would make a better movie. It would have never made it as a comic book. You actually need a plot and some substance in a comic (not much but some).

Now, if you want to see a real conscious raising video, get the Red Dwarf episode with the Psycho Squid. It will change your life if you are into that sort of thing.

The Matrix Reloaded is interesting as a pop phenomenon. How could so many people fall for such tripe? Then, I realized it as I sat in the movie theater with all those people checking their cell phones. They cheered when Neo gave the Architect the finger in the video images. The rest of the gobbledy gook, they were quiet, clearly perplexed. If they had just chosen to let Neo kick him in the gonads, the crowd would have erupted. Nothing like a good nut kicking to bring vital sense to a movie.

But, only a 15 year old author could thing of something so clever.

[Texaggie79]

Destiny. Does it exist? Can you control it? If it does exist, who controls it? How do/does they/it control it? Why?

I will admit the first movie's direction was a bit shallow. Humans being batteries. I suppose that was the only thing they could contrive that would supply a explanation for why the machines needed to keep us alive, as opposed to just annihilating us like in Terminator. However, the new direction it has taken, which I have yet to fully grasp, has created a very interesting situation.

I believe that if you attend another showing without your predisposed biased, you might actually enjoy it as well.

[gaijin]

Ummm...well, I'm hearing a lot of talk about the "signifigance", and strangely enough, no one is spelling it out.

So let me get specific:

Neo consults the Oracle, who tells him, "We are all here to do the thing that we have to do."

Now, I'll allow that she's an aged and endearing woman of color, and I like her just fine. But lay it on me, since I'm so simple:

HOW IS THAT DEEP? Go ahead --dazzle me.

[Pukin Dog]

Without giving away the entire plot of the movie, just consider that if the Oracle is not a real human, then why shouldnt we believe that certain others are something less than human as well.

Then, with that assumption of humanity; consider the WHY behind what each character in the film is doing. There are many assumptions made about the characters from the first film that were never established.

With a certain philosophical base of thinking, the movie's plot becomes very simple, and has already been done in a previous controversial film.

That's all you are getting, I am not going to spoil the film for everyone else.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Don't know what was on the t.v. screens. Guess I didn't make it that far (or I was dozing off!). The movie kind of reminds me of Waterworld.

[frosty snowman]

I found it entertaining as an action movie. Maybe I didn't "get it", but I thought the plot was too complicated and there are too many new characters to keep track of. The original made sense to me but this one didn't. Will watch on DVD sometime to catch the plot elements I missed.

[gaijin]

That's all you are getting...

Oh, Gosh...to have the rug yanked out from beneath me, just as you were getting me so philosophically inspired...

[Pukin Dog]

If enough people decide that it is fine for me to spoil the plot for you, then I will tell you. Lets watch to see how this thread progresses.

[gaijin]

Ummm...he wore a priest-ish looking get-up?

Was that the religiously original part of it?

It must be tough for you to put up with my foolish questions...

[Pukin Dog]

I don't mind your foolish questions. Some people get it, some people do not. I fail to see why those who do not would choose to go negative on the film and it's makers, but who cares?

The Matrix has nothing to do with Bound or anything else that the brothers had done before, except that they did read William Gibson's Neuromancer.

In reality, I am entertained by the way people are reacting to the film because it reinforces the message the film is trying to convey. What is real, and WHY?... How we go about answering this question is a lesson on human understanding.

I hope you will reply again after November when the secrets are let loose.

[Prodigal Son]

Well, I'm seeing it tomorrow so I'm not saying I want it spoiled for me but the first film obviously leaves one with lingering questions. Like the one most people hit on- how does Neo know the world he has been "awakened" into is real and not just a part of the Matrix? A backwards spin way of looking at it is perhaps the world Neo started in- where he was Thomas Anderson- was the real world and Morpheus has sucked him into a Matrix type of reality, or a version of Hell.

The question that niggles me personally is, How do we even know Neo is real? I think we, as the audience, buy readily into the illusion that Neo is real because we want him to be. But the Agents aren't "real" (or are they?). If they Agents aren't real, why do we assume Neo is? The Agents are supposed to be sentient programs but in that respect how do we ever know Neo isn't simply a similar program? (or any of the other characters for that matter?)

At the end of the day, I think the Wachowski Brothers always knew where they wanted to go with these films. It isn't something they just thought up in reponse to the first film (ie- afterwards). The original, quite plainly, left off with the story untold. My only hope is that they don't flub it with the last movie. Judging from people's reaction to this middle film, I'd say the Wachowski Brothers have produced the desired effect (ie people torn and arguing about what the film is about to this point). This is good (provided the last flick is good) because it keeps the anticipation and suspense to the last moment. I don't want to be able to guess how the movie ends now.

I might come back Wednesday night and offer a conjecture but to this point, given that Neo and company might simply be a version of software- I'll keep my powder dry.

[breakem]

It's time that tickets sold becomes the standard for records. The prices in our area went up 50 cents since Spiderman. That's about an 8% increase. I like it when they compare a current movie with one 10 years older and more.