HATCHING PLANS AT PARTIES: David Oyelowo says it was a conversation with Angelina Jolie at Tom Cruise's birthday party that led to her role in #ComeAway. pic.twitter.com/curX9E3Euh
— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) May 23, 2019
Rolling up both sleeves to show off his tattoo and new Breitling watch.
And doing his best to make sure he shows off the tattoo clearly and repeatedly. Brad has never been known to have the mannerism of repeatedly holding his chin or posing to ponder simple and obvious questions some of which were already answered in earlier interviews.
At the photo call, he made sure to pose with his left arm clearly visible to show off the Breitling. For junket interviews, he changed his shirt (Leo stayed with the same blue suit), rolled up both sleeves, and made sure his right arm was angled towards the fixed camera to show off his tattoo.
When the May 30 Order leaked, they said the leak was "misleading" and gives an "inaccurate and unfair picture of what is really happening." Because they agreed to stay within the framework of a dissolution case as a safeguard
for the children, they must choose from a set of associated legal
filings what they can use to help them achieve reconciliation, reinstatement, and reunification between Brad and the kids. Those filings -- the May 30 Order and the sealed judgement on status -- are merely tools to nudge the children to
improve their relationship with Brad. The filings thus provide a misleading and inaccurate picture of what is really happening.
Their message is: watch them and the clear signs they are giving for the true picture, not the petition which they never wanted and only agreed to keep at the urging of childcare professionals because they "are focused on what’s best for the kids." They have held tight, weathered the storm, and worked things through TOGETHER. As the new Miraval website makes clear, Brad and Angelina are ONE formidable force. They are PARTNERS since 2005. United, undivided, stronger and closer, and partnersfor LIFE.
I spent 27 minutes with Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio today (they were nice). Here's what they said about their new film, Quentin Tarantino and a few other things: https://t.co/VP1AGOMz73pic.twitter.com/IEbwx6cSKF
By Manohla Dargis
May 22, 2019
CANNES, France — On Tuesday, Quentin Tarantino
returned with a bang and much critical love to the Cannes Film Festival
with “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,” his finest in years. A dream
of a movie, it follows a handful of Hollywood types living in smoggy,
starry Los Angeles in 1969, the year the Manson family
went on a frenzied murder spree. Among the victims was the actress
Sharon Tate, then married to Roman Polanski. In Tarantino’s
Hollywoodland, Tate and Polanski live next door to Rick Dalton (Leonardo
DiCaprio), a struggling, self-doubting TV actor. His best friend is
Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), a stuntman whose glory days are probably behind
him. Rick could be another Clint Eastwood; Cliff should have been
another Steve McQueen.
On Wednesday
afternoon, I sat down for a brief chat with Pitt and DiCaprio in a suite
at the Carlton Hotel, one of the grand hotels overlooking the
Mediterranean. The two were in the midst of a massive publicity
operation that day, giving interview after interview. Presenting a movie
at Cannes can be big business and the army of Sony Pictures employees
handling this offensive had the air of people worried about fumbling the
most delicate of rarities. Their famous charges, by contrast, seemed
wholly relaxed. Each man was affable, direct and seemed happy to talk,
but, then, they have been in the business a long time. They know how to
do this.<
[Read our critic’s take on “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood.”]
Here are excerpts from the conversation.
MANOHLA DARGIS Did Tarantino show you movies to prepare for your roles? BRAD PITT [to DiCaprio] More you than me. LEONARDO DICAPRIO We had a screening of a multitude of B films that I had never heard of, a lot of 1960s television with actors like Ralph Meeker and Ty Hardin.
These guys could have been McQueen-esque, but didn’t make the
transition from black and white television, especially westerns, to
career-makers like “The Great Escape.” So it was almost like a love
story to them. Did they get that one opportunity? No, that may have
passed them by. So let’s start talking about your character, what he
might have been, what he’s struggling with as a working-class guy in the
industry who has been playing the heavy from television show to
television show. What that does to his psyche and his confidence? PITT
I [remember] a lot of that television. In fact [Tarantino] reminded me
of much of it that I had forgotten. We did watch “Billy Jack,” some Tom Laughlin,
just for fun. We were pretty much weaned on the same television and
film. We talked a lot about the stuntman-actor relationship. I got to
meet Bud Ekens,
who was Steve McQueen’s. This was a legendary relationship. He did the
jump for “The Great Escape,” got Steve McQueen into motorcycles. And,
then, Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham.
We got to talk to Burt. Originally he was going to play George Spahn.
We had rehearsals before he passed. I was surprised what a joy that was
and how giving he was, and I was really moved by it. But then I realized
that so much of my childhood was watching Burt Reynolds — he was the
biggest thing around in the late 1970s.
DARGIS Did you two hang out so you could develop your flow together? DICAPRIO
You come to Hollywood and you’re basically isolated and left to your
own devices. [Rick and Cliff] rely on this friendship for everything. We
immediately fell into those shoes. We understood that relationship
[laughs] so quickly that on the first day, we were those guys. PITT
It was pretty automatic. We both came on the scene around the same
time, we have crossed paths many times, we have the same reference
points. I’ve always felt that you don’t understand the deal you’re
making when suddenly you’re that lone gazelle on the plain and the
herd’s gone, so to speak. And, you know, my friend here [he gestures
toward DiCaprio] has been the same. So there’s automatic comfort in
having experienced the same thing in that way. That’s not a complaint in
any way, I say that merely as fact. We have mutual respect and I know
when an actor elevates a scene, so we carry that respect.
DARGIS
Obviously Tarantino’s movies are very written and his voice is very
strong. Does it take awhile to shake his voice out and fill in yours? DICAPRIO
And hear your own, is that what you’re saying? [Laughs] I suppose so.
He is such an absolute powerhouse of a personality, of course, and an
artist as well. But, look, he gives you real ownership. [There are]
beats that you need to hit. But there are plenty of opportunities where
once you get into the groove, there can be a completely improvisational
scene. And you’re almost making reference points from his dialogue and
his voice and the multitude of talks that you’ve had with him about who
this character is and what kind of movie he wants to make. They sort of
bloom sometimes, and that’s happened quite a few times. PITT
You know when you have an altercation in public or you put your foot in
your mouth, and you’re driving home and you think of that witty thing
that you wished you would have said? His dialogue is that witty thing.
DARGIS Rick Dalton is kind of like the Clint Eastwood who doesn’t happen. DICAPRIO
He is the guy who almost got that shot — and that’s what’s torturing my
character. I grew up in this industry, I have a lot of friends who are
actors, and there’s so much talent out there. But it really boils down
to being at the right place at the right time. PITT
We talk about this with streaming. With streaming, we see so much
talent that was always there. There are so many more opportunities.
We’re seeing this wealth of actors, writers and directors. And it just
reminds us how lucky we were to land where we landed. DICAPRIO Mm-hmm.
DARGIS I worry that so much seems disposable. PITT
It may be. I’ve been really interested in younger generations that
cannot just sit in a chair for the length of a movie. They want their
information quicker. That may just be the changing of the times. I don’t
know.
DICAPRIO
I see positives in the fact that things and ideas and story lines that
normally studios might not take a chance on, through these new streaming
services, will see the light of day. So cream may rise to the top. What
were people saying about the transition from silent films to talkies
and the advent of television? There were all these changes, but great
art is going to be spoken about and, hopefully, we don’t get so
inundated that we become confused.
DARGIS I found “Once Upon a Time” surprisingly moving. PITT Absolutely, you can see it in the script, you can feel it. DICAPRIO
The only thing I’ll say is that I know what the Manson murders sort of
represented, being a native of Los Angeles and having parents who are
still hippies to this day.
DARGIS Real hippies? PITT I met his dad on set and said, “How nice, he’s going to be an extra in the film.” And he goes “No, that’s him every day.” DICAPRIO
They talked about this loss of innocence, this real turning point where
they had these ideals about what the future could be. And then all of a
sudden this one longhaired guy — and how he manipulated these kids to
do what they did — it changed the world forever. PITT I walk away [from the film] with a hopeful reminder of what it can be, what we can be.
DARGIS What was the hopeful part? PITT
Taking care of each other, that’s what I feel at the end. It really
endears me to Quentin. I could be projecting, but I see a kid who was
home by himself a lot and found his — DICAPRIO — solace — PITT
— solace and direction in these heroes on the screen, big and small. I
find that in his dialogue. I find that in the scenarios. I find this one
really endearing. He’s exposing his own self-doubts. [DiCaprio starts
mm-hmming.] I just see this real innocent kid who wishes life could be
this way. Maybe it’s because I know Quentin I find it hopeful and
endearing. I was really, really moved at the end.
DARGIS I find it’s interesting that he’s gone back to the past again. PITT He’s going back to his childhood. DICAPRIO
Yeah, I agree. What Brad said is very pertinent because cinema and
television and all this stuff, it’s in [Tarantino’s] DNA. He puts things
in historical context but he also creates a fairy tale. This whole idea
of him recreating history — like what he did in “Inglourious Basterds” with Hitler — much like Scorsese, too, where in their childhood, cinema became part of their DNA and their language and their ability to converse with others — PITT — their spiritual grounding — DICAPRIO
— yeah, it’s embedded in who they are as human beings. You rarely find
people like that. Like Brad was saying, this is his homage and his
reminiscence of 1969 where everything changed culturally and
cinematically. It’s incredibly imaginative.
Nothing is more vulgar, tawdry, tedious or banal than
an interest in the mating habits of famous people. It's
shiver-inducingly crass.
Actually, scratch that. 1 thing is worse than interest in famous
people's babies: an interest in the spawning occasions of infamous
persons.
Having any interest in someone's life outside of their work is just a
sad bafflement to me: Why care what Kanye does/is beyond his records? James Rocchi
@jamesrocchi
I just figure that Angelina Jolie doesn't care
about my personal life, and I extend her the same courtesy. To do
otherwise is dopey madness.
There is no question that Cruise's drawing power has been affected by his recurring personal problems, but expectations for Reacher were also inflated by MI-4's
success. I've always felt that Brad Bird's
skillful direction is what propelled MI-4 to far outperform its predecessor, MI-3, since little else changed. MI-4's almost $700M was a franchise best and a career best for Cruise. Both Cruise and the studios then rushed to take
advantage of what they saw as his box office resurgence. Aside from Reacher, two
other action films are in various stages of production with MI-5 tentatively set for 2015.
Oblivion from Universal is due out April 2013 and All You Need is Kill from Warner Bros. will be released March 2014. Both are big-budget $140M productions. Reacher's modest holiday numbers are probably causing greater anxiety in the executive offices of Universal and Warner than in Paramount which backed Reacher
with a lower $60M budget. Nevertheless, Paramount had clung to the hope that Reacher
would hit $100M domestic even as its $15M opening made that figure look exceedingly optimistic. It probably gives us an idea of what Paramount execs were expecting when they greenlit the film.
Cruise was at one point arguably the biggest movie star in the world with a string of critical and commercial hits. He established a rep for being one of the hardest working actors, always deeply involved in crafting his characters, and seldom appeared in a bad film. He maintained a pleasant and steady public persona flashing his trademark megawatt smile.
Things started to change a few years ago after he fired his long-time PR agent Pat Kingsley who had tightly controlled his press coverage and had his sister take over. Appearing more spontaneous, outspoken and combative, he went on Oprah and ebulliently jumped on her couch. He then took on Matt Lauer, psychiatry and Brooke Shields in rapid succession. It was Cruise unshackled and some would say unhinged. There was a tectonic shift in public opinion abetted by the internet which was gathering steam as the driving force behind pop culture. In its aftermath, MI-3 and Knight and Day disappointed and studios shied away or drove harder bargains. Then came MI-4.
Just before Rock of Ages opened, Katie Holmes' stealthily planned and precision-executed "escape" blind-sided Cruise. Various unflattering articles subsequently appeared in Vanity Fair and others and all told, was like a drone strike that derailed his PR comeback. They all but cemented his image as a coldly calculating Scientology automaton. Even serious movie writers couldn't resist the temptation to have some fun at Cruise's expense.
There are few
bonafide worldwide box office stars today so the studios' eagerness to
re-embrace Cruise and have him anchor their tentpoles is
understandable. He is a true movie star -- tireless, reliable and professional in his dealings with studios and his fans. But having one action film after another was a questionable decision and is looking like a bigger gamble now after both Rock of Ages and Jack Reacher have underperformed. Ages was at least just an off-beat supporting role in a musical parody much like his part in Tropic Thunder. Reacher is a full-bore star vehicle and a hoped-for franchise starter that shows off his action skills in his bread and butter genre.
To be a blockbuster hit, a film must appeal to a broad
audience outside of the core movie fans who regularly watch most new releases. That
means enticing moviegoers who usually only watch a handful of
films a year. With his recent problems, marketing for a
Cruise blockbuster must work harder to lure in audiences -- including those who may be
uneasy about his personal life -- and convince them to buy him as a
larger-than-life hero. It's obviously easier to buy heroic figures onscreen if
they don't have a lot of unheroic off-screen baggage. That Cruise
almost always plays action heroes that are knights-in-shining armor
rather than dark and conflicted characters makes it a more difficult
task.
Reacher had a lot going for it that should have translated into much bigger box office numbers. It has Cruise in full bad-ass action mode which has consistently produced his best box office results, it can draw from the established fan base for Lee Child's best-selling novels, and it received decent reviews. Studio execs had many reasons to expect Reacher to do much better than the similar-themed Taken. Before Taken, the older Liam Neeson was known more as a dramatic actor and Taken was a totally new story from Luc Besson made for a much smaller budget. That Reacher seems on track to finish with just half of Taken's
domestic gross will, at the very least, throw into doubt a Reacher sequel.
The numbers for Reacher so far are closer to what Mark Wahlberg or Jason Statham routinely put up -- good enough for a B-movie, but not for a starring vehicle of a mega-star of his stature and pay scale. If Cruise can't fill enough seats
for Reacher, there will be serious questions about his box office drawing power. The unavoidable conclusion based on the results of his last few films is that his persistent personal problems may be causing a sizable segment of his erstwhile audience to turn away. This means his ability to be an effective marquee draw for big-budget blockbusters may be limited to just his MI franchise, and even then, its success may be more dependent on the skills of the director.
Cruise has been down before and bounced back and the studios behind the films he has coming out must hope that he can do so again. A key question is whether audiences who left, came back for MI-4 and left
again can still be enticed back or if they're gone for good.
At 50, the clock is ticking on how many more high-octane MI films Cruise can or should do to try and reclaim his box office position.
Cruise isn't the only mega-star who seems to find it difficult to move away from tentpole fare and all its attendant benefits. After tasting success with Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny Depp has rarely ventured far from heavily made-up fantasy characters. And Depp too has had to contend with disappointing box office numbers for his recent non-POTC films -- Rum Diary and Dark Shadows.
Cruise and Depp are the same age and have 3 Oscar nominations each. It may be time for both to move away
from blockbuster fare and tackle more challenging, dramatic roles which they are clearly capable of. Serious films may not pay as much, but then surely at this point both Cruise and Depp no longer need the
extra money and an Oscar would be a nice addition on their mantle.
The Hobbit’ Remains #1; ‘Django Unchained’ Outpaces ‘Les Misérables’ for #2December 30, 2012 08:26 AM
by Daniel Garris
Warner's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey grossed an
estimated $32.9 million over the weekend to lead the weekend box office
for a third consecutive frame. The Peter Jackson directed 3D fantasy
film was able to hold off new releases Django Unchained and Les Misérables in a close three-way race this weekend. With the aid of the holiday season and very good word of mouth, The Hobbit fell a slim 11 percent from last weekend. In comparison, 2007's I Am Legend fell 18 percent in its third weekend to gross $27.41 million, while 2001's The Fellowship of the Ring
fell 18 percent in its second weekend to gross $38.70 million (both
comparisons occurred in years when Christmas fell on a Tuesday). The Hobbit
has grossed $222.70 million through 17 days of domestic release. That
places the film 14.5 percent ahead of the $194.49 million 17-day take of
I Am Legend and 9 percent behind the $243.59 million 17-day gross of 2002's The Two Towers.
On the international front The Hobbit grossed $106.5 million
from 62 foreign territories this weekend. The film has now taken in
$464.0 million internationally and $686.7 million worldwide. The Hobbit
debuted with $18.6 million in Australia and registered third weekend
grosses of $16.7 million in Germany, $10.9 million in the United Kingdom
and $8.6 million in France. Django Unchained placed in a close second with an estimated
$30.7 million. The Quentin Tarantino directed western from The
Weinstein Company gained momentum on Friday and Saturday on the heels of
an already solid midweek start. After increasing 37 percent to gross
$9.69 million on Friday, the film increased 17 percent to gross $11.35
million on Saturday. The film's three-day to Friday ratio of 3.17 to 1
is a good sign going forward. Strong early word of mouth (the film
earned an A- rating on CinemaScore) and the film's Christmas Day start
(as good as it was) being a bit deflated given its themes both helped
out Django Unchained over the weekend. Django Unchained has grossed $64.01 million in six days. That is 84 percent stronger than the $34.74 million six-day start of 2001's Ali and 27 percent stronger than the $50.57 million six-day August 2009 launch of Tarantino's last film, Inglourious Basterds. Les Misérables finished in third with an estimated $28.0
million. Universal's highly anticipated musical proved to be quite
front-loaded towards its strong Christmas Day and Boxing Day
performances during its first six days of release, but nonetheless has
grossed an impressive $67.47 million to date domestically. That places Les Misérables 106 percent ahead of the $32.68 million grossed by 2006's Dreamgirls in its first six days of semi-wide release and 94 percent ahead of the six-day start of Ali. With the initial rush-out for the film out of the way, Les Misérables
will hope to stabilize going forward with the aid of strong word of
mouth (the film earned a very encouraging A rating on CinemaScore) and
continued awards season buzz. The audience breakdown for Les Misérables skewed heavily towards female moviegoers (67 percent). Les Misérables was very strong internationally this weekend,
where it grossed $38.3 million from just 8 foreign territories. That
places the film's international total at $48.7 million and early
worldwide haul at $116.2 million. Key international takes this weekend
included a $20.1 million six-day haul in Korea and a $8.3 million
five-day haul in Australia.
Fox's Parental Guidance debuted in fourth place with an
estimated take of $14.8 million. The comedy starring Billy Crystal and
Bette Midler has grossed a stronger than expected $29.59 million through
six days of release. Given the film's daily holding patterns thus far,
it appears to be skewing somewhere in the middle of a film aimed at
older adults and a film aimed at family audiences. Parental Guidance is currently running 76 percent stronger than the $16.80 million six-day start of 2007's The Water Horse. With a lack of new family options during the month of January, Parental Guidance will have a good chance of holding up well going forward. The film's A- rating on CinemaScore is also an encouraging sign.
Internationally, Parental Guidance grossed $7.0 million from
7 foreign territories this weekend. Key grosses included $2.8 million
in Australia, $2.1 million in the United Kingdom and $1.4 million in
Mexico.
Paramount's Jack Reacher and Universal's This Is 40
remained relatively close this weekend with respective estimated fifth
and sixth place takes of $14.0 million and $13.2 million. Jack Reacher fell 10 percent from last weekend's debut, while This Is 40 was up a healthy 14 percent. Respective ten-day grosses stand at $44.66 million for Jack Reacher and at $37.12 million for This Is 40, as both films continue to perform in line with pre-release expectations.
In other box office news, Sony's Skyfall reached the $1
billion worldwide milestone this weekend. Respective international and
domestic total grosses for the blockbuster James Bond film stand at
$710.6 million and $289.6 million.
Crowds will be in full force this weekend as audiences have their
plates filled with eight new releases since December 21. This final
weekend of 2012 should be a big one thanks to the rush of adults and
kids alike between the lucrative Christmas and New Year's holidays.
Django Unchained PROS:
- Quentin Tarantino's established fan base plus his added appeal coming off the huge success of Inglorious Basterds three years ago gives this some of the highest upfront awareness that a Tarantino film has ever had.
- The all-star ensemble cast will attract a variety of audiences.
- Marketing has been steady and consistent while reviews are excellent. CONS:
- The Christmas-timed release for a violent film could put off some moviegoers. Les Miserables (2012) PROS:
- The musical stands as one of the most beloved of all-time.
- An all-star cast helps to turn this into even more of a must-see film for the general audience.
-
Reviews have been solid and the film is already generating significant
Oscar buzz, particularly for Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman.
- Pre-sales on Fandango reached record status for a Christmas release, topping their 2009 advance sales activity for Sherlock Holmes. CONS:
- Musicals are hit and missat the box office. Could Les Miserables be front-loaded by its fans? Parental Guidance PROS:
- Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei offer some familiarity for adult audiences.
- The family market is relatively empty right now with Monsters, Inc. 3D performing at low levels and The Hobbit remaining the only viable option since November releases.
- Past family comedies released at this time of year have over-performed. See: Cheaper by the Dozen. CONS:
- The older cast could easily be a turn-off for younger audiences.
- Are Crystal and Midler still strong enough box office draws for older crowds?
Check out our predictions for these films and the rest of this weekend's top 10 in the table below.
It wasn't surprising that The Hobbit had a steep drop from last week's already lower-than-expected numbers. The film's "A+" Cinemascore was at odds with its broader audience RT score of 81% which is lower than all 3 of the previous LOTR films -- indicating that the Cinemascore was wildly inflated by hard-core opening night fans.
This weekend, Jack Reacher seems to be following a similar pattern with an "A-" Cinemascore while its broader RT score is down to 75%. After Brad Bird's entertaining over-the-top spectacles helped make MI-4 the highest grossing film in the franchise and the highest of Cruise's career, studios felt it was safe to bet on Cruise again and he has back to back to back action films coming out. The strategy seems puzzling as it risks audience fatigue at a time when Cruise's PR problems have resurfaced. Cruise has Oblivion by Joseph Kosinski (Tron Legacy) coming out in April 2013 and Doug Liman's All You Need is Kill on March 7, 2014 . Kill was originally announced for March 14, 2014, setting it up for a potentially ruinous showdown with Maleficent before studio execs advanced it by a week. Neither Kosinski nor Liman has impressed critically or commercially so they will be depending heavily on Cruise's box office clout which has been spotty of late. His only bonafide hit over the last 5 years is MI-4 and I give Brad Bird more credit for that.
I don't expect Reacher's $15.6M opening weekend is making execs at Universal (Oblivion) or Warner (Kill) all that sanguine given that it's Cruise in his bread and butter action mode and Lee Child's bestselling series has a big fan base. That combination would have led Paramount to expect it to open above $20M when they first greenlit the project. Reacher's director, Christopher McQuarrie, will re-team with Cruise for MI-5 which by then will be Cruise's 4th action film in a row and it will be interesting to see how that film fares vis-a-vis MI-4.
'The Hobbit' what happened? You were supposed to be our hero, 'The Hobbit.' The “Lord Of The Rings”
pictures, all released during the holiday period, had
steady-to-muscular second weekend holds. But 'The Hobbit,' you’re
looking more like an average blockbuster, losing almost 60% of your
audience. What’s going on? You were expected to dominate this frame like
you did last weekend. Could it be that your mighty Cinemascore was
inflated by the first-weekend Tolkien superfans? Could it be that your
ad campaign simply emphasized the ties to the earlier films, implying
less of an individual story and instead, “Yes, more of this”? Oh, 'The
Hobbit,' you’ve disappointed us greatly.
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is still pulling
in enough money to justify the expenditure. Overseas, the film did the
bulk of its damage already, however, it very much looks like the billion
dollars pulled in by “The Lord of The Rings: Return of The King”
is out of reach. But never fear: chances are, audiences spent the
weekend shopping to deal with an early-week Christmas, and it’s very
likely families will continue to make 'The Hobbit' a top attraction into
the new year. $300 million domestic is still a possibility, though it
would have to show a stronger hold next weekend to maintain that pace.
The first two 'Hobbit' films are said to cost (after rebates)
somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 million each, essentially double
what the first two 'Lord Of The Rings' films cost. You would have to
think that WB are a bit concerned. To be certain, 'The Hobbit' has a
massive core audience, but core audiences don’t drive films to a billion
dollars; casual low-interest moviegoers do, and right now it seems like
they're not turning out in the same numbers. The movie is looking,
domestically at least, more like "King Kong" than any of the LOTR pictures, but it's not exactly the strongest launching-off point for a new trilogy.
Meanwhile, expectations were muted for “Jack Reacher,” which was pushed as more of an off-brand entry for Tom Cruise.
The ad presence seemed to dim in the days up to the release, due to the
recent tragedy in Newtown. But it was a somewhat tough sell in the
first place, selling Cruise as a vigilante bruiser, but downplayed any
story that could interest potential ticket-buyers. And those familiar
with the best-selling book series were not enticed with the prospect of
the diminutive star stepping in the considerably huge boots of Reacher
himself, often described as a hulking giant of a man.
Placing the film in the heart of the holiday season was an attempt to grab the same audience that spent last Christmas making “Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol”
Cruise’s biggest hit of all-time. But even though the ads attempted to
hide this fact, “Jack Reacher” was always destined to be a much smaller
effort, costing a respectable $60 million (which isn’t very much once
Cruise’s salary is subtracted). But despite the sometimes-negative
press, Cruise is still Cruise: superstar comfort food for casual
audiences who like to know what they’re getting. “Tom Cruise Action
Film” is basically a genre similar to “Superhero Film” at this point, so
that basic brand recognition could allow the film to quietly play
through January as the top choice for action junkies and, possibly, teen
audiences. And while it is fairly long for what seems like a generic
procedural, one cannot ignore that it seems to be the only wide release
out there that isn’t eleventy billion hours long.
Speaking of overlong, “This Is Forty.” “Knocked Up” was only five years ago, but given how prolific Judd Apatow
has been over the years, it might as well be a distant memory. This had
none of that film’s emphasis on youthful fun and quipping despite using
the title as part of the marketing campaign, instead hoping that the
Apatow fanbase had aged. But those hoping for a similar experience to
“Knocked Up” helped give this effort a ‘B-’ Cinemascore, which is likely
not what the studio was hoping for. This opening is less than half of
the initial showing for Apatow’s “Funny People,” itself considered a disappointment at the time. And while the sell was on Apatow as a brand, it's clear that Paul Rudd (who also led the Apatow produced, Universal released flop "Wanderlust" earlier this year) and Leslie Mann aren't star power draws, and perhaps better utilized as strong supporting players.
Maintaining a level box office from last weekend was “Rise Of The Guardians,”
which inexplicably has had no competition for the CGI-toon dollar since
its release five weeks ago. How is this possible? How is it that
Hollywood was asleep for so long that they left all of December bereft
of animated kiddie fare, particularly as it feels like we’re bombarded
with them every three weeks? Perhaps there were fears 'The Hobbit' would
be ruling the marketplace, but whatever the case, 'Guardians' will
benefit from being the only ‘toon around at Christmas, and the only
seasonal offering, allowing it to possibly pole-vault over $100 million
by next weekend.That looked unlikely after the film’s tepid opening, so
it’s something of a victory. Then again, DreamWorks Animation expected a lot more, and they’ve been flummoxed with the lack of traction overseas, so, not much of a victory here.
Holding strong in its eighth week of release was “Lincoln,”
solidifying it’s position for the Academy Award voting by also looking
like the people’s choice -- a steady stream of ticketbuyers could keep
the film afloat into the new year, possibly up to $140-$150 million or
more. It depends on if award nominations in January provide the film
with an extra oomph . Still, for Daniel Day-Lewis, long
considered the finest actor of his generation, this is his first $100
million domestic grosser, and the first real suggestion that the
notoriously reclusive legend could be legitimately bankable. “Quick, get
this guy in a cape and tights,” said some asshole in Hollywood.
The bloom is off the rose for Disney’s 3D re-releases, with “Monsters Inc. 3D” failing to move the needle since its Wednesday debut. The 3D-ified Pixar
favorite had a piddling per-screen average on 2,618 screens, strictly
playing to the animation nuts. It’s been a downward trend since Disney
brought back “The Lion King” to a surprising near-$100
million gross last year. This cow has sufficiently been milked, though
at least they had a built-in excuse: this re-issue essentially works as a
pricey ad for the upcoming “Monsters University.” You
have to wonder, though, given that Disney opted for a couple of Pixar
films in their 3D re-release plan, while also openly giving a platform
to sequels to “Monsters Inc” and “Cars” as well as next summer’s spinoff “Planes” -- is the over-familiarity a possible threat to dilute Pixar’s brand? The flimsy overseas numbers for “Brave” this summer don’t dispute this.
“The Guilt Trip” opened and… yeah. Other than pushy
grandmas and that distant aunt you never talk to, who exactly was the
audience for “The Guilt Trip”? Why would you even title a movie “The
Guilt Trip” in the first place, releasing it during the holidays? Might
as well call it, “You’re A Miserable Excuse For A Son” and charge 3D
prices. While marrying Seth Rogen's youthful audience with Barbra Streisand's huge older fanbase might have seemed genius on paper, it didn't work in execution, as nobody seemed to want to see it.
“Skyfall” is now spitting distance from $1 billion worldwide, and is expected to hit that target by the end of 2012. “Life Of Pi”
is also wrapping up, but a nine figure landing spot is unlikely
domestically -- overseas is where the film continues to bring in the
heavy cheddar.
In limited release, "Zero Dark Thirty" got out of the
gate huge, torture endorsing or not. It played to a spectacular $82,000
per screen average on five screens ni New York and Los Angeles, and as
chatter grows around the movie, that January 11th wide opening release
looks more and more like a smart move by Sony. Particularly as it will
come the day after the Oscar nominations are announced. Paramount put out its third movie of the weekend after “Jack Reacher” and “The Guilt Trip” with two-a-day shows for “Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away.” The 3D attraction grabbed a so-so touristy audience with $2.3 million to land outside of the top ten. Finally, “The Impossible” will collect a respectable $115k at its fifteen locations. Support your local arthouse theaters, boys and girls.
1. The Hobbit: Un Journey Expectado (WB) - $36.7 million ($149.9 mil.)
2. Tiny Enforcer (Paramount) - $15.6 million
3. Judd Apatow Presents: Marriage Counseling (Universal) - $12 million
4. Rise Of The Guardians (Dreamworks/Paramount) - $5.9 million ($79.7 mil.)
5. The 16th President - No Googling (Dreamworks/Disney) - $5.6 million ($116.8 mil.)
6. The Guilt Trip (Disney) - $5.3 million ($7.4 mil.)
7. Trailer For Monsters University (Disney) - $5 million ($6.5 mil.)
8. Skyfall (Sony) - $4.7 million ($279.9 mil.)
9. Life Of Pizza Pi (Fox) - $3.8 million ($76.1 mil.)
10. The Twilight Saga: Yeah, They're Still Buying Tickets For This (Summit/Lionsgate) - $2.6 million ($281.6 mil.)
Box Office
by Tom Brueggemann
December 22, 2012 5:39 PM
Warning signs for this year's year-end box office prospects appeared in
Friday's numbers. Even though pre-Christmas Friday was two days earlier
this year (generally the closer the day is to the holiday, the fewer
people are going to movies), the take for the Top Ten was only $28
million yesterday, compared to $37 million on the same Friday last year.
That's despite the #1 film for the day - "The Hobbit: An Unexpected
Journey" (Warner Brothers) - grossing more (because of 3-D and other
surcharges) than last year's "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol," also
in its second week. But while "The Hobbit" was tops for the day, the
prequel dropped a staggering $26 million from its opening day. Even with
the $13-million midnight first show grosses removed, it still dropped
nearly 60% - not a good sign for a film that, while its US and
international take already is impressive (over $300 million),
doesn't look certain to hold a #1 position indefinitely.
Four new releases plus one 3-D do-over opened this week. Given the
smaller potential audience, which makes numbers smaller, some or all of
these could improve starting Tuesday. But it still looks like a weaker
than usual array of films so far.
Best of the bunch was the Tom Cruise-starrer "Jack Reacher"
(Paramount) which came in #2 for the day with $5.1 million, a bit better
than half of what "MI:GP" did last year on its second weekend.
Expectations, at least domestically, haven't been high for this action
effort, and it seems to be performing no better than hoped -- at least
so far. As with all the openers though, any good word of mouth will have
a particularly potent impact -- at no time of the year do people gather
and discuss movies more than during Christmas.
Judd Apatow's family (literally) comedy/drama "This Is
40" (Universal) -- more likely to succumb to pre-Christmas doldrums
because of its older appeal - managed third place at $3.7 million.
Perceived comedies often perform well this time of the year, and the
marketing of the film pushed similarities to his other films such as
"Knocked Up." How those who sample the film over the weekend react to
the comparison will have a lot to do with reaction and its further
success.
Wednesday's openers - the Seth Rogen/Barbra Streisand "Guilt Trip"
(Warner Brothers) and Disney's 3-D return of "Monsters, Inc." both
continued their very weak performance, coming in at 5th and 7th
respectively, both under $1.5 million for the day. Their prospects don't
look good going forward even with the holiday bump.
The final opener is an oddball of sorts - "Cirque du Soleil: Worlds
Away" (Paramount) in 3-D, squeezed in as one matinee and one early
evening show daily, an almost unheard of release pattern. It managed
10th place at under $1 million at only 840 theaters.
UPDATE: With the exception of the oddity called
“Lions for Lambs,” Tom Cruise has never had a lower opening weekend box
office than with “Jack Reacher.” I’m counting here his movies that
opened in more than 2,000 theatres. “Reacher” took in just $15.6
million. That’s actually less than each of Cruise’s last two films,
“Knight and Day” and “Valkyrie,” which were in similar size releases
and– in the case of the lamentable “Valkyrie”– at Christmas as well.
Those two releases opened in the $20 mil range.
You have to go back 20 years to “Far and Away” to find a Cruise
opening weekend that made less money–$10 mil, only 1800 theaters. Is
this a referendum for Cruise in non Mission Impossible vehicles? It’s
definitely a wake up call. As I’ve said for years, his best shot at
regaining a larger audience is to find a new “Jerry Maguire” role where
he can woo the female audience with his infectious grin. He’s also going
to have to get real with promotion– actual interviews, with real
answers to questions. And maybe he’ll get the message that Scientology
has helped destroy three marriages, and now, possibly, it imperils his
career.
Earlier: The confluence of many things, starting with the Newtown,
Connecticut killings and ending with Tom Cruise’s aversion to doing much
personal publicity, has ended with a disappointing opening night for
“Jack Reacher.” Playing in over 3,300 theaters, “Reacher” made only $5.1
million on Friday night.
That’s considerably less–a million dollars or so — than “Knight and
Day” made in 2010 on its first Friday night. That movie went on to make
just around $78 million.
Of course, the producers of “Jack Reacher” say it only cost $60
million. That’s ridiculous since Cruise gets $20 million off the top.
And they spent a lot on international premieres, and canceled junkets.
No matter– “Jack Reacher” didn’t cost just $40 million other than
Cruise’s salary.
“Reacher” is a key referendum on Tom Cruise outside of “Mission
Impossible” franchise. If it makes $15 million or less this weekend,
that’s not a good sign. “Reacher” has been clobbered by the main
critics. It’s also up against “The Hobbit”–which made twice as much
money last night– as well as lingering and popular films like “Skyfall”
and “Lincoln.” If a new Tom Cruise isn’t making much of a dent in the
box office, that’s not good news.
Tomorrow we’ll see how the whole thing played out.
PS Good news: what no one’s talking about is that Ang Lee’s “Life of
Pi” has quietly cruised to $73 million very quickly. How nice! I thought
this Pi might have been undercooked, but it’s not so. Could very well
be a Best Picture nominee, along with Lincoln, Argo, Silver Linings,
Django, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Les Miz, The Master, Beasts of the
Southern Wild, and –hmmm– Amour?
thanks to Boxofficemojo.com:
The peak of holiday season kicks into full gear this week with five new wide releases joining the market. The Guilt Trip and Monsters, Inc. 3D open on Wednesday, December 19 while Jack Reacher, This Is 40 and Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away launch on Friday, December 21.
Meanwhile, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is expected to
hold well as families begin turning out during the holiday rush. Due to
the high midnight figure on its opening day, expect a sizable
Friday-to-Friday drop followed by some stabilization for the film. The
remainder of the market should also exhibit good holds.
The Guilt Trip PROS:
- Seth Rogen still has his fans out there, and Barbara Streisand could bring in the older female audience that Rogen lacks.
- Opening the week before Christmas gives it a chance to spread its wings over the long run - pending good word of mouth. CONS:
- Rogen's box office draw has never fully established itself while
Streisand's audience is getting older and could easily opt for This Is 40 this weekend.
- The market is highly competitive for adult audiences beginning this weekend.
- Reviews are looking sour.
Monsters, Inc. 3D PROS:
- The Pixar name and "new animated classic" status of the film give it an advantage.
- Outside of The Hobbit, families haven't had much to choose from since Rise of the Guardians disappointed in its opening last month. CONS:
- 3D re-releases tend to be more "flop" than "hit", as evidenced by Finding Nemo 3D's lackluster run during the fall months.
Jack Reacher PROS:
- Tom Cruise is still an A-list star and comes off the success of last year's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol with a potential franchise-starter.
- Audiences haven't had an action flick to choose from since Skyfall. CONS:
- Cruise has been back in the public eye this year, and not in a
great way. He's also coming off the box office disappointment of Rock of Ages.
- With the enormously positive reception toward Skyfall, audiences may be even more picky than usual when it comes to this genre.
This Is 40 PROS:
- Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann are part of the Judd Apatow draw, which got a big boost thanks to last year's Bridesmaids.
- Selling the film as a "sort-of sequel" to Knocked Up gives audiences something familiar to latch onto.
- The lack of adult comedies lately could result in a higher demand than usual for this kind of film.
- Early word of mouth has been positive. CONS:
- Apatow's last directorial effort (Funny People) was a box office disappointment.
- Opening the weekend before Christmas means the target adult audience could wait and see this next week.
- Reviews aren't glowing.
Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away PROS:
- Cirque Du Soleil has its fair share of fans out there. Their IMAX film grossed over $15 million back in 2000. CONS:
- With a slew of new releases opening against it this week and next,
its hard to imagine this specialty film finding much of an audience.
Check out our predictions for these films and the rest of this weekend's top 11 in the table below.
