But the cries of anguish, the charges that it is an Al Qaeda recruitment film, the charges that it is the equivalent of the 'OJ Simpson verdict' in terms of showing women in a negative, superficial light is insane and downright sexist. It is likely not my cup of tea and frankly the only reason I would see it is to participate in the conversation that will surround the film in the coming days. I have not seen the film and may not see it anytime soon.
If it does 2.5x its opening as it's final gross, it ends up with $163 million (a very similar take to The Simpsons movie on both counts and ironically identical to the 1992 domestic take of Batman Returns). For the record, if it does 2.5x the Friday number it ends up with $65 million. Oh, and one weekend wonders have been hits - 'quick-kill blockbusters' - since Batman Returns in 1992. Yes, because a $65 million movie making at least $65 million in three days is a real flop if it collapses next weekend and only ends up with $150 million. It claims, among other things, that it is merely a one-weekend wonder and is thus not a hit. The reaction of the usually reasonable Jeff Wells' reaction sums up the lines of attack I'm reading in other places. D'oh!Ĭall it sexism, call it arrogance, but even on the eve of this performance, male analysts and studio execs are still shaking their heads in disbelief. There is one painfully obvious precedent that, had I remembered it and used it as a guide, would have allowed me to peg the Friday numbers on the nose, and come pretty close to the three day figures. I was also wrong, as were many others, about the lack of precedent for this kind of film. I screwed up because I chose The X-Files: Fight The Future ($30 million opening, $84 million final) as a template rather than the obvious one. I was wrong and that's because I underestimated the core audience. But I won't act stunned and shocked, because I should have known better. I guessed at the high end of expectations and still vastly underestimated the likely three day take. Judging by the data and personal observation, there aren't many men at Sex And The City this weekend. Despite cliches to the contrary, lots of women went to 300 and enjoyed it (because, again, some women enjoy bare-chested muscle men running around with swords just as much as men do, albeit some of them for different reasons). And this is a far more impressive performance than 300. Of course, if it passes a mere $70.8 million (about 2.7x the opening Friday), it'll surpass 300 as the third biggest R-rated opening in history (behind Passion Of The Christ's $83 million and The Matrix Reloaded's $92 million). Hardcore front loading is a possibility, but judging by the complete Saturday evening sell-outs at the Arclight Hollywood, I doubt it. That means, assuming it isn't insanely front loaded, it'll end up with at least $70 million. As I walked by the Callabasas Commons last night around 7:00pm and saw the lines around the block (maybe a dozen men total), I immediately gave myself a mental kick in the ass.Īccording to most box office sites (all of whom are 'shocked' and 'stunned'), Sex And The City has a one-day Friday take of just under $27 million. Apparently, even my high-end estimates of as much as $50 million were off by as much as 1/3. Lost was great last week and it's shaping up to be one of the great myths of our generation, but Perrineau was right about the cop-out of Michael.Īgain, pardon the crude analogy, but the Condoleezza Rice quote above fits the bill. And Lock and Ben seem to keep their mystique of fascinated sympathy despite their increasingly villainous actions. Charlie got away clean with kidnapping Sun and died a saintly martyr. Sawyer never had to pay for his sins both on and off the island. The idea that Michael must come back and redeem himself, with a cliche sacrifice to boot, is the sort of pandering to conventional morality that the show usually avoided. He murdered two innocent bystanders in order to save his son, then left the island with Walt, seemingly never to be seen again. Personally, I liked how Michael's murderous betrayal was going to seemingly go unpunished at the end of season two.
I felt like it was sort of pandering to some fans who wanted to see Michael punished because he betrayed people." I don't agree with his assessment that his skin color has anything to do with his character arc, but his other thoughts in this refreshingly candid TV Guide interview aren't inaccurate, and its worth a read if you're even a casual fan of the show. "I thought it was disappointing and a waste to come back, only to get beat up a few times and then killed. As compelling as Thursday night's Lost finale was, Harold Perrineau is dead on, in regards to his character and his annoyance about being brought back just to be a punching bag.