The Hot Blog

*golf claps* well said David. screw these guys who try to prove you wrong. they must not have anything better to do.

Really, I don't mind someone trying to prove me wrong.

What irritates me is people weaving a ton of subtext into it.

Make a great argument - that agrees with me or does not - and you will be a Hot Blog star. Period.

It's not personal. It's business.

LOL @ "Hot Blog star."

You underestimated the opening weekend. Meh.

BO prognostication is like weather forecasting: get it right and no one remembers next day, but get it wrong and people are reminding you about it next year, and maybe the year after that. Whatever.

I don't get it. You blog for weeks about how a movie is going to underperform, turns out the film is a big hit, then you're surprised that people call you on it? I'm not sure where this self-righteous indignation comes from. You were wrong, end of story. "Nobody knows anything", that's what makes it fun.

David: Do you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, you would save yourself a lot of grief in situations like this if, after the opening-weekend b.o. results roll in, you would simply and briefly acknowledge your miscalculation, and just move on? Try something like this:

"Looks like I was wrong: Iron Man performed better than I expected. I'm mildly surprised. Well, on to next week's movies..."

I'm with Joe on this one. But I understand where "Heatsicle"(roffle) is coming from

But that's just it, Martin.

I NEVER said the movie was going to underperform. Not a single time.

OTHERS said that I was attacking the film's upside. They set these silly parameters, not me.

In fact, what I wrote was that the film would be successful and should be considered so if it grossed less than the hypesters were pushing... which turned out to be roughly the number. I am much more invested in flatenning the build-it-up/tear-it-down crap than anything else.

If you think a $75 million opening and $200 million domestic is "underperforming," bless you, but you need either medical help or some box office education. And the fact that this film is performing msrginally better than that is no proof of anything much, other than me predicting low.

When people choose to twist my words and repeat the dysinformation over and over, I guess it's not supposed to bother me. But it does.

And Joe... as always... when I want to be you, I will give you the call and arrange the Young Frankenstein surgery.

What you suggest I write is essentially what I did write... very little... but still the pissing match continues.

Regardless, as one of the kings of "told ya so... admit you are wrong!!!" on this blog, it is an interesting comment from you.

David: You know what your problem is? You're too much like Julius La Rosa. No humility.

A blog is a mirror.

-Lao Tzu

Those attempting to read subtext into all your posts has creeped me out this weekend, and all the weekends before for, like, four years now. They just keep coming back for more, day after day.

Your right. You said it would do $75 million, and you didn't like it. It did $100 million, and you didn't like it. Just brushing it off would honestly be boring, and not worthwhile reading. I look forward to your extended recap.

I think you underestimated how much people want to see something that's not crap.
How is Stark evil again?

So to be more precise... you were tempering expectations, and it ended up fulfilling the grandiose numbers that others were predicting.

Dave, if something I wrote made you think it was a gotcha, then I apologize. That was never the intent.

David...I do not write alot on the boards.....I read them for little inside tidbits and I always enjoy your writings. So, I hope that you take this the write whoops..right way....Relax...and do not take all this criticism to heart. I have read you since your TNT days, and have always found your opinions insightful and well researched. I would rather read about your views on the weekend's Box Office and about the Apple Itunes movie sales. I hope that you will continue to write like that and not just reactions to what other people say about you. You are not going to convice people otherwise and in many ways you are just adding fuel to the fire...As always I wish you continue success and look forward to your reviews of the summer flicks...
P.S. Haven't seen Iron Man yet....But based on what I have read, I look forward to it more based on the reviews than just the trailers...

Dave, I think the problem some people have is that you think critics only liked it because they weren't watching properly or whatever. The people who liked Iron Man didn't have an alterior motive for giving it good reviews, just like you didn't have one for not giving it a good review.

But, yeah, that's the nature of the Internet Dave. No matter what you right, you're going to have people who want to sound their disapproval. No matter how minor the issue. I get it on my tiny little blog here in Australia, so it's not anything new.

In no way do I want to pile on to the "I told you so" mentality (because arguing about how much money a movie will make it just lame) buuuuuut...

I think it was your low-ball grosses guess coupled with the fact that you didn't like IRON MAN that made it seem like you were kind of...drawing a line in the sand. Almost as if you said "not only does this movie suck, it will also underperform." I think that got people revved up and ready to argue/say "I-told-you-so."

I also think the fact that you are a big Wachowski Bros fan and supporter and the way you've been hyping SPEED RACER made it seem like you were poo-pooing IRON MAN. Just my take...

100 Million... CHOKE ON IT! CHOKE ON IT! CHOKE ON IT! Hold on. I have to make a call.

[phone ringing]

Me: "Matthew Vaughn... get off your ass... the LORD OF THUNDER IS CALLING!"

Matthew Vaughn [somewhat relieved]: "About damn time."

Me: "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"

That aside Mr. Lewis is correct in his sentiments. Heatiscle acted in such a way towards Iron-Man, that it earned him another nick name. He crapped on movie in his own attempt to uplift another. This is how he works. Everything is a battle and a competion with Poland. He's either fighting other critics who love something, or he's fighting for something he loves against the swarming hoards. It's how he rolls. Of course some of us can love the Wachowskis and Iron-Man at the same time, but some of us just roll that way.

you obviously are taking it personally, david. or else you wouldn't have written the post.

maybe you didn't think you were undervalueing the performance of the movie, but that was what you were projecting. you're frustrated that people aren't understanding what you are REALLY saying. I think the responsibility of making yourself clear is yours. if a large group of people misunderstand, it's not necessarily the large group of people's fault either.

Almost every single sports columnist predicted the Mavs to beat the Hornets in the first round of the playoffs. They were all wrong, predicting the Mavs success because of the experience involved. I don't see anyone calling for those writers' heads; they made a prediction, they were wrong, no big deal and they'll live to be wrong another day.

Clearly, the movie industry (and box office in particular) is not an exact science. David made a prediction, he was off by a little bit, so what? The real question is: what is Speed Racer going to do this weekend? Is 30 million a disaster?

Once again, you are telling me what I "really" think, Hend.

And as I think I have made very clear, on some things, people hear/read what they want. What I (or others) actually say is just the wall they bounce their ball off of.

And Don, while I can see what you are saying, the problem with that is that it leaves out the actual facts in favor of what "it feels like."

Suggesting repeatedly that Iron Man would take the second-best ever record for a non-sequel in this slot... a slam?

And besides like Speed Racer, what have I suggested that indicates some raving support? On my first box office charts, it is $50 million behind Iron Man, at only $138m. And I have repeatedly criticized the marketing.

There is a disconnect here... and I am afraid it is not mine.

It takes two to disconnect, DP.

I'm kind of shocked that David is so hard on the perceived subtext of Iron Man considering the fact that Favreau is also a speechwriter for Obama.

That explains his new "America, you are so money" stump speech.

mjn-
You do know that there's *another* John Favreau that is Obama's speechwriter, right?

And DP...of course the disconnect isn't yours, it never is.

No excuses necessary, sir. POLAND OWNS.

But SPEED RACER IS GONNA TANK LIKE JAMES GARNER AND C. THOMAS HOWELL.

KNOW YOUR FACTS.

My apologies, however the speechwriter first name is spelled Jon, I had read in an article a couple of months ago and it mentioned several celebrities (Tim Robbins, James Denton,etc) on the bus with Obama, Favreau's name was in the article as well. So naturally I made the assumption the speechwriter and writer/director were one and the same. I just read the Newsweek about speechwriter Favreau and I realize that I was incorrect. Thanks Don for setting me straight.

I had to look it up so don't worry, it's not like I knew offhand. It just struck me as odd that filmmaker John Favreau would have time to write speeches when his career is basically on the line with IRON MAN.

david:

no, i'm not. i'm saying your actions and your words are not connecting. you are saying one thing, but the act of posting on this topic belies what you are saying.

what did you think would happen when you posted this?

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