The Hot Blog

HOSTEL at #1...geez didn't expect that but I guess horror opens big and peters out. The internet (AICN, CHUD etc) hype couldn't have hurt that one.

NARNIA a strong #2. The movie has legs, no doubt about it.

DICK AND JANE, which Sony predicted would flop big-time was single-hadedly saved by Jim Carrey's starpower even thought the flick is lightweight drivel. Flick will still lose money cause the damn thing cost over $120 million, but think of what it could have done if the movie was decent.

The Johny Knoxville THE RINGER, a movie no one has heard of outgrosses BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN? (25 vs 18.5 million - aint that something).

Someone put RUMOR and GEISHA out of their misery already.

985 screens and BLOODRAYNE makes less than half a mil, its not a distribution problem then its a marketing one and/or quality of the flick.

Oh and at this rate KING KONG will peter our at $230 million or so. Not a bad number. But if you adjust inflation then Dino De Laurentis' 1978 remake made more money and was seen by more worldwide -- aint that a kick in the balls?

Here we go again...

I wonder what Brokeback Mountain's gross would be if it were showing on 1688 screens, like The Ringer. BBM is averaging about $3500 per screen. If it averaged a third of that on the same number of screens, it would have taken in close to $2 million.

Of course, that's all woulda, shoulda, coulda, but fans are watching and waiting. It's going to do just fine.

Now, having said that, who is going to see "Hostel"? Torture, sadism, snuff...sad business , that. If I felt excited about seeing that film, I'd have to take a long hard look at myself.

"Hostel" opened into a market with no substantive competition in the horror/thriller genre. Yeah, it'll drop hard once its core audience sees it, but that's good for 50-60M, which will make Lion's Gate very happy.

The other two releases were both poorly handled. Leaving aside "Bloodrayne"s distribution problems, it was stupid to release it the same weekend as another horror flick and almost exactly a year after "Alone In The Dark." That's begging for reaming.

"Grandma's Boy" proves that "from Happy Madison" can't sell without Sandler or Schneider involved, at least against something else with substantial "young male" appeal.

Hostel will do well because it's a youth-oriented film at a time of the year that focusses heavily on upmarket prestige films. That basketball movie with Josh Lucas will do well for the same reason.

I was expecting more from "Munich." It's too bad it doesn't have a chance at a Globe boost...this movie needs a shot in the arm.

On the plus side, at least it will avoid the inevitable nominee mud-slinging and see its reputation burnished over time.

Box Office Mojo has "Munich" under "Cheaper 2," incidentally. And it has much different numbers for "Brokeback Mountain"...$1.7 mil, in 9th place over the $1.4 "Ringer" and $1.4 "Family Stone."

I bet you if they would of just said from Adam Sander it would of got another million for the opening. Why they have to go with the From Happy Gilmore crap.

Go Brokeback!!! Still can't believe that the official excuse for not showing Brokeback in Utah was a "business decision." Yeah, earning all these money is bad.

The best thing about Fun With Dick And Jane was the trailer for "Click" with Adam Sandler that was shown before it (Dick sucked, ahem). It's one of the funniest trailers I've seen in a long long long time.

Universal's having an off year. First it botched Cinderella Man. Then Jarhead fizzed out. King Kong isn't a bomb by any means, but it still didn't become the blockbuster of the year or even the holiday season. The Producers flopped. Now Munich is struggling with only a DGA nod to lick its wounds.

Focus may be a subsidiary of Uni, but I doubt they have any qualms about marching into Oscar with a strong slate (Brokeback, Gardener) as they usually do. The difference is this time it's theirs to lose.

Rentrak has grosses from 401 theatres for Brokeback. Jordan Crossings makes 402. There is one in Jackson Hole Wyoming that has been playing but its grosses never reported - so that 403. I don't think its Honolulu theatre is listed - 404.

Brokeback's reported grosses vs screen count number is at normal shortfalls for other films listed, and since it is playing at a number of art houses that may not get covered by Rentrak, I think you can find reasons other than some conspiracy to inflate the grosses or a last-minute pull back on commitments to explain this.

im starting to wonder how long it is till elie samahe and uwe boll get together and make Springtime for Hitler.

grandma's boy died because it's got a horrible title. Apparently its an OK little comedy, but its chances at being a hit might have quadrupled if it was simply "Momma's Boy" and had like a Ryan Reynolds or some shit. As it was, there was no hook at all to sell it.

Why do people always accuse others of conspiracy theories on here?

I, for one, never suggested a conspiracy for a single second. It's just an unanswered question. Geez.

I hated Dick and Jane, but I think it's doing surprisingly good, already much better than Bewitched, and the minimal dropoff for this weekend shows that his fans and those who like comedy have been giving it a chance. It will probably have the smallest dropoff this weekend followed by, of all things, The Ringer.

As good as Hostel's opening take was, the film will only eventually hit roughly $30 million. January is one of the weakest months to open, and a take of $50 million would suggest to me some incredible legs for a film that hasn't had great reviews. Still, a hit for Liongate. For the record the original Saw opened with $18 million but only got to about $55.

Note to the GRANDMAS BOY people....
"you CAN'T do eeeeet!"

Thank you, I'll be here all week....

Are the Canadian theaters in the count, because that may explain the discrepancy. I thought that studios usually include the theaters north of the border, maybe this time someone isn't. If you equate the 85 missing theaters with the $300k discrepancy, that's about $3.5k pta which sounds about right. Not sure how many Canadian theaters are showing BBM but 85 out of 483 sounds fair.

I hated HOSTEL, and some of the Saturdays gross is my money. I'm so ashamed.

HOSTEL's going to open to about 18-19 (maybe a little less depending on Friday-Saturday drop). Even with mega-drops (which I think are unlikely, with a holiday weekend without genre competition coming up next weekend), I can't see it petering out at 30.

Also, in the East Village last night, Brokeback and Match Point were both motoring along at top speed, with Dick and Jane doing decent business because it's the only broad young-targetted comedy out there with a star.

Horror films always kick ass in week one. Its' week 2 that matters.

Well, Hostel is already doing better than Cabin Fever, right? That's something... so, umm, yay? More films from Eli Roth!

lol, hey, if it was Eli Roth or Uwe Boll I'd go with... actually, I'd pick Uwe Boll. At least he's really fun to pay out. IMDb's Uwe Boll forums (and for his films) are hysterical. "Coming soon from Uwe Boll - Tetris: Annihilation!"

On the matter of Fun With Dick & Jane - I think it's going great guns considering people were expecting it to die. $100mil isnt completely out of the question. It should also do really well on DVD, no? A lot of people will see Jim Carrey on the DVD box and go with it instantly.

Spacesheik, Rumor Has It isn't going terrible, so I don't really know what you're on about. $50mil gross is pretty good for a movie with no big name stars and a story that could confuse the younger audience (I'm guessing $50mil as a final gross, not where it's at right now)

Oh, btw. BOMojo is estimating Walk The Line will have $95.5mil by the end of Sunday - making it a sure bet to be the only $100mil possibility for Best Picture. Unless King Kong is still in the hunt, which I truly doubt it ever was.

King Kong was in the Oscar hunt until people actually saw it. Same with Munich (although that might get a director nod).

"Grandma's Boy" is a career-killer for those who are in it. Had it been released 6 days earlier it would have qualified for this year's Razzies. Unlike the Oscars you can't buy a Razzie -- you've got to earn it.

I knew "Grandma's Boy" was in major trouble when the NY Daily News and NY Post didn't run any ads for it.

Considering that the stars of Grandma's Boy are Happy Madison stalwarts and aging actresses who don't get a lot of work anyway, I can't see that anyone's career will really be altered.

I've got another dead movie. The Producers. Man that thing will bearly crack double digits it looks like.

lol, it already has cracked double digits.

"Horror films always kick ass in week one. Its' week 2 that matters."

not when u make $20mil in opening week from a budget of $4.5mil.

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