Box Office Weekend Reality: Old Dragon Almost Slays New Superheroes Dan Koelsch, April 19, 2010April 21, 2010 Although estimates of weekend box office figures are usually pretty accurate, sometimes we get a bit of a surprise. This weekend was a great example, as new release Kick-Ass barely beat out three week old How to Train Your Dragon, which was expected to win out. However, everything isn’t coming up roses for the superhero flick. See the results of the weekend after the break. Kick-Ass nudged out Dragon by less than $200,000, taking in $19.8 million. However, some anaylsts expected it to make closer to $35 million, especially given all the buzz it got in the weeks leading up to its release. The critics generally liked it, it did well at film festivals, and the trailers were pretty solid. So, why couldn’t it even pull in $20 million its opening weekend? Some point to its dyslexic concept that appeals to kids but is intended for adults. The R rating may have made the film better, but it definitely doesn’t help rake in the big bucks. I think the lack of large fan base is what really doomed Kick-Ass. Not a lot of people have read the comic, and without a big name (outside of Nick Cage’s supporting role) to sell the film with, it’s hard to expect The Dark Knight type numbers. The Fantasic Four had a similar problem with stars, but it’s built-in fanbase was enough to make it good money. Top 10 results for the weekend below. 1) Kick-Ass – $19.8 Million 2) How to Train Your Dragon – $19.6 Million 3) Date Night – $16.7 Million 4) Death at a Funeral – $16.2 Million 5) Clash of the Titans – $15.4 Million 6) The Last Song – $6 Million 7) Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too? – $4.1 Million 8 ) Alice in Wonderland – $3.7 Million 9) Hot Tub Time Machine – $3.5 Million 10) The Bounty Hunter – $3.1 Million Why do you think Kick-Ass underperformed? News Box OfficeDeath at a FuneralHow to Train Your DragonKick-AssThe Dark KnightWeekend Box Office
Entertainment Tonight on Set of Iron Man 2 September 25, 2009For the past week, Entertainment Tonight has been promoting the hell out of their behind-the-scenes look at Iron Man 2. Was it worth the hype? Check it out for yourself: The faux Monaco Grand Prix set looks pretty cool, but not a whole lot of new information comes out. Not… Read More
Viral Video Round Up: Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings, Quentin Tarantino, And More! January 6, 2013The Internet is full of videos related to movies, whether they be fan made, studio made, or somewhere in between. We regularly bring you the best, most interesting, or just plain weirdest, and today we do it again. Check out the latest viral videos after the break. Read More
Propaganda Posters Emerge On “Transformers 4” Set August 30, 2013August 30, 2013Like its predecessor, Transformers 4 is once again tearing up the streets of the Windy City. Director Michael Bay and a new cast lead by Mark Wahlberg are currently shooting the next installment of the franchise in downtown Chicago, where there are plenty of folks with camera phones and good enough access to provide a direct… Read More
Frankly, I am not sure the film has underperformed, yet. The opening weekend was not as big as some analysts expected, but a roughly $20 million debut is not bad for a rated R superhero comedy (of which there is little precedent). It’s really not fair to compare this to a Batman film or expecting it to make the kind of money The Dark Knight made (which is an aberration in my opinion as no Batman film previously made nearly as much). But if we are going to compare this to a Batman film a better comparison may be Batman Begins which started out weakly at the box office but had legs due to good word of mouth. My prediction is that Kick-Ass will as well. We’ll see, but I also don’t expect it to make the kind of money that a more mainstream superhero film would. It is what it is.