B, I was watching The Rotten TOmatoes Show, when they reviewed Scott Pilgrim. One of the critics called attention to Cera's seeming one-noteness, palying the geeky-type, and then said something to the effect that he was making a niche for himself there. Personally, I ahve only one problem with the man.
He's got more money than I do. On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 4:01 PM, B Smith <daikaij...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > There also seems to be some Michael Cera backlash going on. Some folks > really hate that guy. > > --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com <scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com>, Keith > Johnson <keithbjohn...@...> wrote: > > > > I think the confusion here is an example of how the suits and > prognosticators just don't get it. Anyone who expected "Scott Pilgrim" to do > really big numbers needed to do more research. It's based on work that not a > lot of people have read, its skews a bit younger in some cases, and the very > ads for the movie feature mostly young teens. Frankly, I think a ten million > or so box office is pretty decent and in line with what I expected. There is > also the fact that a lot of school systems are starting back up again, so > some of the target audience was out shopping for clothes and supplies and > may have delayed going for a week or two. > > Either way, they need to do a better job in H'Wood of managing > expectations and understanding that some pictures should only be expected to > do decent money, and not all can or should be mega-blockbusters. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "brent wodehouse" <brent_wodeho...@...> > > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com <scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com> > > Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 9:27:24 PM > > Subject: [scifinoir2] Geeks cool off at box office > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/2010/08/17/15051616.html > > > > Geeks cool off at box office > > > > By CARL DiORIO, Hollywood Reporter > > > > LOS ANGELES - Geeks might be less dependable than gals but not > necessarily > > less desirable. > > > > That’s the industry consensus after the simultaneous misfire of a > fanboy > > movie and impressive launch of what only can be described as a chick > flick > > last weekend. > > > > “Eat Pray Love†enjoyed a box office feast served up by overwhelmingly > > > older-female audiences during the weekend, and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the > > World†fought a losing battle to put geek butts in theater seats. > > > > Lionsgate’s older-males magnet “The Expendables†topped domestic > rankings > > with a $34.8 million opening, but Sony’s book-based “Love†debuted > > impressively in second place with $23.1 million. The big love for > “Love†> > followed lucrative outings by 2008’s “Sex and the City†and “Mamma > Mia!†- > > which fetched $153 million and $144 million in their respective campaigns > > > - and last year’s “Julie & Julia,†a $94 million domestic grosser. > > > > The trifecta success of such female-targeting films makes it plain there > > is box office gold in the gender genre. (Opening audiences for “Love†> were > > 72% female, with 60% of patrons 25 or older.) > > > > So niche pics can be lucrative. But what’s up with the penny-pinching > geek > > squad? > > > > Universal’s “Pilgrim†traveled to just $10.6 million in a > fifth-place > > launch. The studio puts the pic’s negative cost at $60 million after > > accounting for $25 million in tax credits. > > > > “If that film had been made for $15 milion-$20 million, nobody would be > > > crying,†an executive at a rival studio said Monday. “But you have an > > offbeat movie with an offbeat title starring somebody who is sort of a > > niche-targeted guy to begin with.†> > > > Michael Cera’s topline turn in the comics-spawned “Pilgrim“ > followed his > > roles in indie fare including this year’s “Youth in Revolt,†a $15.3 > > > million domestic performer for Dimension, and “Paper Heart,†which > took in > > less than $2 million for Overture after unspooling in August 2009. > > > > Even Cera’s pairing with Jack Black in Sony’s $43 million grosser > “Year > > One†last summer represents mere chump change compared with his $144 > > million and $122 million outings among the ensemble casts of Fox > > Searchlight’s “Juno†and Sony’s “Superbad,†respectively, in > 2007. By > > contrast, “Love†boasts the marquee magic of Julia Roberts and is > based on > > a best-seller. > > > > But the question remains: If all creative and marketing considerations > are > > equal, is the audience for a geek-seeking pic as big as that for a chick > > flick? > > > > “’Watchmen’ opened to $55 million, so I think the answer is yes,†> a > > distribution executive mused. “Geeks can still rule, no question about > > it.†> > > > With a production budget estimated at $130 million, Warner Bros.’ > > comics-based “Watchmen†was considered a disappointment in fetching > less > > than $108 million last year during its domestic run. But its big opening > > hinted at the enormous potential of fanboy movies that can tap into > > broader groups of moviegoers via positive word-of-mouth and mount leggy > > theatrical runs. > > > > Warners’ “The Matrix†did just that. The 1999 Keanu Reeves starrer > rang up > > $171 million domestically and spawned two sequels. > > > > “You can get lucky and hit like a ‘Matrix’ or a ‘Watchmen,’ or > you can get > > unlucky and have a ‘Scott Pilgrim,†’ one industryite said with a > shrug. > > > > The latter pic is expected to struggle to get past even $30 million > > domestically after opening so poorly. Its lack of commercial appeal might > > > be conceptual in part. Directed by Edgar Wright (“Hot Fuzz“), > “Pilgrim†> > displays a quirky campiness that played well with critics but calls to > > mind the critically lauded but commercially limited “Kick-Ass,†the > > Nicolas Cage starrer that Lionsgate unspooled in April and fetched $48 > > million in total U.S. and Canadian coin. That put the modestly budgeted > > actioner into profitability but lagged prerelease expectations for the > > fanboy romp. > > > > “Pilgrim†is about a teen who must battle his girlfriend’s seven > evil exes > > to win her heart. The film co-stars include Mary Elizabeth Winstead, > > Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans and Jason Schwartzman. > > > > One film producer suggested the pic would have been better served > offering > > more of a date-movie vibe and leaning less on “geeky, kung fu movie†> > elements. > > > > Still, not even the core audience is guaranteed to show up if > geek-seeking > > pics fail to heed fanboy sensitivities in transferring characters and > > story lines from the comic book page to the silver screen. To wit: > > Warners’ Josh Brolin starrer “Jonah Hex†took in less than $11 > million > > overall domestically after triggering fanboy ire this summer. > > > > Promoted heavily at Comic-Con, “Pilgrim†played well with its core > > audience but drew few outside the fan base. Opening audiences skewed 64% > > male, with 58% of patrons under 25. > > > > “They made a movie that was too niche, too geeky and too hipstery,†an > > > exec at a rival studio said. “You can’t count on the comic to draw > the > > audience.†> > > > (please visit our entertainment blog via www.reuters.com or on > > http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/ ) > > > > > -- "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script?" -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
