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I went on Sunday. New York. Overcast day. Not sunny. And the theatre was jammed to the rafters. This was at 2pm. Not saying its universal but something struck the masses out there.

The magic of Harry keeps on giving. He has ended the "slump". I wonder if they are going to write about that now.

I did say before IMO the Saturday numbers for Charlie was a negative difference in $1 - $2 million because of HP6. Good to see the Sunday numbers went up, so those theories proved to be right.

The summer season. Unpredictable to say the least.

I still think it's telling that the only movie in the Top 20 to see a Friday-to-Saturday dip was the one that most clearly overlapped demographics with Potter. That sort of drop is pretty rare for a high-quality children's film and it's worth several million dollars to Warner Bros. and a few places in the record books.

Why did they choose this weekend to release Charlie, again?

Just remember: More people bought the Potter book over the weekend, then went to the movies. That's a very telling stat.

If there were other books out there that did tens of millions opening weekend, I'd say thats an important stat. Otherwise all it says is that yes, people are sheep and flocked to the 6th potter book like lemmings off a cliff.

As much as I truly love the Potter books I wasn't sitting at home waiting for it on Saturday. Then receiving it and promptly setting out to read it. Finishing it that day and doing nothing.

Martin, your lemmings analogy implies that they didn't like what they found at their destination.

This is looking like it could be a better July then last year, too...would that make it the best July ever? (FF and Charlies already beat last year's I Robot and Bourne)

That slump. Where did you go so fast?

Plus, lemmings have a whole evolutionary reason for what they do. I have no idea why anyone would want to attack fandom of any kind. A lot of people were made happy by a medium that so many people complain no one cares for anymore. How can that be a bad thing? Martin, Mark, Bob, or whatever you feel what calling yourself. Nothing wrong with embracing something that does not happen that often. But do I have to point to the happy again? Anyone against being happy. Has more issues than NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC!

and the last comment more of a sly shout-out to someone else here on the blog then an insult.

JW: Maybe you better explain what "shout-out" means for the benefit of our less enlightened Caucasian brethren. Some of them are still puzzling over "dap."

Asking JW to expalin himself is like asking Bub from Dawn of the Dead to explain himself. The original Dawn. Nod to the classics.

Daggummit 21. If you are going to insult me. You might as well get the movie fight. Bub (or BOB for those of us that like to think Frankenstein had a sense of humour) appears in Day of the Dead. He shoots Joe Pilato's character, and that leads to these words being said. "CHOKE ON'EM! CHOKE ON'EM! CHOKE (grrgggle) ON eeeeM!" Such great stuff in a truly underappreciated horrour classic.

Mighty Joe a SHOUT-OUT:

Has two meanings. 1) "I want to give a shout-out to God, for making this all happen." With this meaning, it refers to RECOGNIZING someone, place, deity, or thing.

2) More of an allusion, where someone says something, that alludes to something else, some place, or someone. This is more of the allusion based SHOUT-OUT that I used in last post.

Lemmings (the game) is fun.

I should download that.

1. Lemmings don't actually commit mass suicide. Tis a Disney-propagated myth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemming

2. Lemmings, the video game, WAS awesome. I'd love to play it again.

3. Knowing my family, the drill would have been "745 - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 1030 - dinner and ice cream at Friendly's, 1200 - buy Potter book" - but IF Harry Potter bit into Willy Wonka's pocketbooks, all it really means is this: the flick will have a damn solid 2nd weekend, Bad News Bears and all.

4. How hard is it for you knuckleheads to stay on-topic? ;)

Stay on TOPIC? STAY ON TOPIC? WE DONT NEEDS TO STAY ON NO FREAKIN TOPIC!

this topic is dried up.

"Why did they choose this weekend to release Charlie, again?"

You're assuming they knew way ahead of time what HP6's release date would be. With all the promotional tie-ins (and competition from other high-profile films), it would've been suicide to try and change the release date at the point that they found out. Yes, they may have lost some biz over the weekend, but it's summer, and they'll make it up over the next few days.

Well Both CATCF and WC had great Mondays with 8.6 million for Charlie and 5.7 for WC.

Tried to see "Charlie" in NYC on Friday night -- sold out...all the IMAX shows for the weekend...sold out. There was also a huge line at the Toys r Us in Times Square for HP. I think this movie will hang on for a while. Not much family stuff out there for a while, unless you count Sky High...but who really cares about that?

I guess it really depends on The Island, but I think the next month is going to be very strong at the box office. I think the Island, Bad News Bears will all do between $80 and $100 million, but the big hit could be Dukes of Hazzard.

Now, I have no desire to see this movie, but am the only one that can see this just being HUGE? Like The Longest Yard, it's got a cast that can attract many different demographics, big name recognition, possible NASCAR and country tie-ins, and it just feels like it will do very well in the heartland. I can easily see $150 million.

This weekend has the potential to be strong: 3 new titles in wide release, "Hustle and Flow" at least semi-wide, "March of the Penguins" going national. Warner is booking "Penguins" into megaplexes and aiming its TV ads at the family audience.

"Bad News Bears" had no promotion until this week -- a hint that this remake may flop. The baseball theme doesn't help; these days baseball isn't that strong unless you're in New York, Boston, Chicago or St. Louis.

I wouldn't be so cocksure about "The Dukes of Hazzard". One reason "Herbie Fully Loaded" stiffed is because its NASCAR angle meant a short NYC run (2 weeks and out at the Regal Union Square).

Glad Penguins will be waddling all over the US. It's the one movie that found Universal favor from age 4 to 75 in the extended family in our big city. Can you nom a penguin for an oscar? Best perf all year.

Discovery channel and Animal Planet have the kids primed, and the parents grew up on Cousteau reruns and Jim pretending to battle a (drugged) anaconda on Wild Kingdom.

Bad News Bears has promotion in my big city but at least part of it is dumb-ish. Why put stickers on revolving doors--who has time to read a frickin revolving door? The posters are out. Billy bob is a big plus.

Also, I have zero interest in Dukes. I vaguely remember the show as a kid, and consciously didnt want to watch it--don't like that rebby boy symbol on top of the car (are they actually having that flag on top of the new car in the remake?). For a hick-com I'll take Arnold the pig and Zsa Zsa's sister anyday Dah-ling. And the Clampetts with their CE-ment pond. Dukes is not intelligent or Humorous looking, except Knoxville is cute even though he is a bigger Ho than Jessica.

It should be called the HOs of Hazzard. Yeeee-haw.

Lota: So, does this mean you would prefer Knoxville to Bigelow as your Man-Whore?

I understand that yes, the Confederate flag is still on the roof of the car. A friend who saw the movie said that they excuse it as the work of graffiti artists in the movie, which is a colossally lame way to justify something like that.
It reminds me of a rumor proved untrue long ago that Bill Cosby had bought the rights to the Dukes so that he could suppress the show because he found it offensive. Like I said, not true.

Bigelow?! heh heh

there are about a dozen man-whores I'd prefer to Knoxville but some are dead (Jean Gabin, Boris Karloff) or if time travel were possible Omar Sharif or Franco Nero in their prime, and some could be reading this blog so I won't mention them. Knoxville would only have short term usage and he wouldn't be any good anyway since he's married and w/baby.

Jeff that is the most lame thing I've ever heard. You can be a good ol fun loving southern rogue without the symbols of slavery. Nah, I'm not seeing it. It was one of the dumbest shows I've ever seen anyway and i thought it was offensive to southerners even though I'm not one.

it wouldn't be dukes of hazzard without the flag on the car. bill cosby is too busy feeling up and trying to grope young girls for him to care about any show that offends him.

It would be the Dukes without the flag Bob--the flag had no speaking parts and no one hour specials and didn't write no books on "DUkes of Hazzard...my story".

and as Jeff said the rumor re. Cosby buying the rights is not true. i am sure many blacks and indians who had great granparents who were part of the slave market won't like the symbols--I certainly don't. It reminds of a sad chapter in our history--the car would have been the car without it.

The flag was on top of the car. No reason to have it.

Lota, you are obviously ignorant of Southern culture. Before you start telling a whole section of people how to act you may want to inquire about what goes on there first.

Terence, my mother's entire family is from Louisiana and I have cousins in Alabama and Florida so don't tell me I am ignorant of Southern culture.

The confederate flag may be a symbol of defiance to the North who were heavy handed in the civil war period to Southerners, but at the same time to many people of mixed race, which i am one, it is the sign of the proposed government that wanted to continue slavery so it is a negative symbol to many and I think it is out of place and unnecessary in a 2005 movie.

Was she telling people how to act? I missed that part. And it looks like she knows what she is talking about Terence. How would you know anyway? It's not like you know her. Why act like you do and jump down her throat?

A day cannot go by where Stella's Boy doesn't get involved and instigate some kind of conflict. If you're not involved, stay out and let them debate it. They're adults and apparently semi intelligent people.

Is that so hard?

The Dukes actually looks like a fun movie. I like the Knoxville and Scott team up.

As an African American I am not a big fan of that flag but it doesn't really bother me too much. I don't think every person that has one is a racist. I may be too optimisitic and laid back. It was also a long ass time ago.

Lota, I think its fine that you don't like the flag. A lot of people don't. It is a symbol of hate and oppression for some people. But others look at it like culture and it is a part of who they are. I'm saying we shouldn't be PC and start censoring movies because some people don't like the images that are in it. That is not how creativity is supposed to get done.

Bill Cosby really shouldn't be moralizing anywhere. Because thats really funny. It's like taking say no to drugs advice from Robert Downey Jr.

You can't have the Dukes without the Confederate flag. If you don't like it, don't buy a ticket and support it.

i'm sure by the time this movie comes out many more people will say the movie is racist. its an easy target.

This movie is all ready to get savaged by critics but adored by audiences. Daisy Dukes are going to be back in fashion. Thanks, Jess.

Yeah Terrence, I see your point, and many people who have a confed flag slapped on something half the time don't know what it means, it still doesn't make it good. It has nothing to do with being PC becasue Lota isn't PC in the least.

And besides that, the symbol doesn't mean anything to the DUkes of Hazzard anyway--they were supposed to be nice southern boys who weren't bigots. Time to bury the hatchet against the North who did behave in a brutal way to southerners for decades after the War and get rid of that flag.

And yeah Lester it was a long time ago, which also supports the fact that it is antiquated and not required for a 2005 Hos of Hazzard. The movie is about sex anyway judging from Jessica SImpson's video etc.

Blustealer, no one has 'instigated' any conflict, relax.

I still won't see it because I thought the show was dumb and I think Jessica SImpson is annoying.

I look at the white hoods as more of a bad thing than the flag. The flag is just who these people are. I wouldn't want them doing a movie about the Klan without the white hoods because I am offended. That wouldn't be right.

Lota, I agree with you. They might not need the flag but a lot of hardcore fans of the show would be mightily disappointed. And the fan backlash of the PC version would not be in the best interests of the movie.

Lester, the confed flag is one of the symbols that people who do wear white sheets (on their heads or over their hearts) sport. Very few people wear their white sheets openly and instead display various symbols to indicate they are of a persuasion sympathetic to supremacy like rebel symbols, Nazi symbols, and militia stuff.

It DOESN'T mean that EVERY or even most people who have a confed tattoo or denim applique are supremcists or even sympathetic--but I don;t feel comfortable around people who display it all around the place. ANd why show a new generation of kids this symbol in a movie? By displaying it, it says somehow that it's 'cool'. It isn't cool. The Civil war wasn't cool. Half my ancestors died in that stupid war on both sides.

Most of my relatives on my mother's side are white and they don't like that symbol becasue the war is over, time to move on. They don;t appreciate being portrayed as bumpkins who still think it's 1865. And most importantly, they, like most middle class white people in the CW era did profit from slavery--they were lawyers and accountants to plantation owners. No they didn't own slaves, but they were part of it, who wants a reminder with that Confed flag? Some traditons, like slavery, are meant to be broken,ended and repaired.

Fortunately my Grandfather who inherited the money made off slaves (like many people have) acknowleged that and paid major reparations to Negro and American Indian college funds. He also hired black people when other white business owners flat out refused in the 50s and 60s and he was punished for it by white people--he had to leave the state of Louisiana. White people KNOW where the COnfed heritage comes from, so out of respect for the damage done to generations of people they should just keep the good part of the SOuthern culture, but get rid of a needless symbol that supremacists still proudly wear.

It's real easy Lota. The flag is now considered hip. It is cool and non issue for most of the public. A white hood on the other hand is racist and really inflaming. It takes the cake as they say. While you can have a Confederate flag on your bumper, if you get out wearing a white hood? That would get your ass beat. Hard.

i just can't see the dodge charger without that flag on it and the duke boys flying over the hood. maybe they should move them to illinois instead of the deep south if its gonna piss off so many people.

I think a lot of the people who put a confederate flag sticker on their truck or car, or mudflaps or whatever the case may be, really don't care much about history or what it means. Like Lester said, it's cool or hip, and that's what they care about. I could be wrong, but that's the impression I get.

it is just sad that the filmmakers know so little about southern culture or history that they just replicate a "series" into a movie without giving any thought to whether or not the top of a car (which no one really sees that much) required decoration in the first place.

And if the confed flag "makes" them the DUkes then that's even sadder. Plenty of smart hick-coms, but not that one.

Y'all can go see it, not me. I rather see the non-pc cursing in the Bad news bears.

I'd rather see the Bears myself. I never even liked the tv show of the Dukes of Hazzard. Just the theme song.

The theme song is a classic. Right behind the Greatest American Superhero.

Obviously, the greatest tv theme song is The Golden Girls, no?

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