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
Rumor: G.I. Joe/Transformers Crossover June 7, 2009July 10, 2010Could Hasbro be going the way of Marvel? Matt found this tidbit of trivia on IMDB.com: SPOILER: Tyrese Gibson confirmed that his character Sergeant Epps would make contact with Hawk from G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra(2009). Both Transformers and G.I. Joe are Hasbro toylines, and have crossed over in the past:… Read More
ParkerPOV Viral Reveals Parker’s Schedule and the Hunt for The Lizard May 7, 2012May 10, 2012The Amazing Spider-Man is turning out to be the viral that we here at MovieViral have been waiting for. Like The Dark Knight viral that ran a few years back, fans of the franchise and viral enthusiasts are looking forward to the next great update for the highly anticipated movie…. Read More
Details About The Awesome “The Guardians of the Galaxy” 17 Minute 3D IMAX Preview Screening [Updated With Extended Look Trailer] July 7, 2014July 7, 2014While everyone is salivating for the release of Guardians of the Galaxy on August 1st, a select few had a chance to see 17 minutes of the movie in preview screenings across the country. My screening in Toronto, Canada was packed, but featured no surprises beyond what was promised and a short… 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.