web
counter
 

Blue is the New Green

By William Goss | Posted Under Box Office Round-Ups | Comments (17)



tumblr_kuuvgj336W1qa6g74o1_500.jpg

Well, here it is, the year 2010, and James Cameron’s still working on his New Year’s resolution to become the most successful Canadian of all time (watch your back, Celine!). His Avatar has predictably claimed another weekend with another $48.5 million for the record books; its total worldwide gross now stands at an amount so high that Dr. Seuss never got around to inventing a name for it. (Only Titanic has grossed more, natch.)

Sherlock Holmes stuck around in second with $16.6 million, while those damn Chipmunks claimed an additional $16.3 million right behind it. Fourth place went to the action-horror likes of Daybreakers with a decent $15 million opening, while the bloodsuckers of It’s Complicated hung around in fifth place with $11 million. That film has now grossed more than Nancy Meyers’ last one, The Holiday, but not nearly as much as her Something’s Gotta Give; at any rate, the thing has legs with women of a certain age like nothing else out there.

Unsuccessfully attempting to muscle in on Complicated’s demographic was Meryl’s own Doubt and Julie & Julia co-star Amy Adams with her limp rom-com offering, Leap Year (sixth place with $9.1 million), while The Blind Side stuck around in seventh place with $7.7 million. Doing well, but not as well, is number eight — Up in the Air — as it took in another $7.1 million after TV spots took a blatant turn for feel-good romance in an effort to combat the overwhelmingly “downer” word-of-mouth among moviegoers.

Opening in ninth place with $7 million was Michael Cera’s Youth in Revolt, which probably would’ve been met with the same indifference in October before its release date was bumped (review due Monday). Rounding out the top ten is the surprisingly tenacious The Princess and the Frog, earning $4.7 million despite losing screens to shrill rodents and Canuck megalomaniacs. See, Jim? Dreams CAN come true.









Coraline by Neil Gaiman | Last Train From Hiroshima













Comments

An open letter to my IN-laws re: It's Complicated:

Dear Inlaws-
Remember a few years ago when I was only your son's girlfriend, and you tried to coerce me into seeing Mamma Mia? Or slightly before that when you twisted my arm until I went to see that travesty of Phantom of the Opera? Or Sex and the City? Or any of the girly, fluffy crap that you are constantly trying to drag me to?

Let's get something clear. At no point, under any circumstances, will I willingly agree to go see this kind of movie. No matter how many times you tell me I will love it, or tell me it's NOT a rom com, or tell me that I am an idiot, I will never willingly sacrifice my $10 and two hours of my limited time to sit through this dreck.

I have informed you on multiple occasions that my tastes run more toward the spaceship/alien/exploding/unicorns/men in battle armor/alienated superhero type of movie. I would never dream of dragging you to one of MY movies. Now that I am legally a relative, I feel the need to reinforce this.

In the future, let's just settle with the occasional dinner and discussion of your health problems r your children's grades. Really. Just assume that if you like it, I won't, and I'll do the same.

Thanks and have a great day.

Posted by: meh at January 10, 2010 5:48 PM

Bah!

It sickens me how everyone is falling for Avatar's bullshit numbers brought to us by the Ministry of Propaganda. It's a loser, people, the studio is just trying to save face.

Posted by: BarbadoSlim at January 10, 2010 6:37 PM

On the plus side, Avatar has inspired me to hit the gym. And Sherwin-Williams. But that's neither here nor there.

Posted by: Ian at January 10, 2010 6:45 PM

Real conversation with my six-year-old nephew:

Me: How was [little friend's name]'s birthday party?

Nephew: Okay. We went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks Squeakquel in the theatre.

Me: Did you like going to the theatre with your friends?

Nephew: Yeah, I guess it was okay.

Me: What was the movie about?

Nephew: I don't remember. But then we came home and mom and dad rented Home Alone and Home Alone 2 from the library and we watched them and it's about this boy... [40 minutes of nephew describing the Home Alone movies].

Seriously, I love this kid. He can't be bothered by the Chipmunks dreck, but is fascinated by a movie that reached it's peak popularity when I was hitting puberty.

Posted by: Pea at January 10, 2010 6:48 PM

Thank...you...William?

Posted by: Jim Doggie at January 10, 2010 8:37 PM

Heh.

Posted by: William Goss at January 10, 2010 8:43 PM

James Cameron picked a great release date for Avatar, nobody'll go to see a romantic comedy that's Ashton Kutchurian level terrible, or Michael Cera play the exact same character he's played in every movie and T.V. show he's ever been in for the upteenth time, or basically any fucking movie bad enough to get released in January when they can watch blue people blow the shit out of a bunch of Blackwater/Halliburton clones.

Hell, I stole Slim's wallet just to buy tickets to Avatar, just because I could.

Posted by: George at January 10, 2010 10:57 PM

"women of a certain age"

Sweet fancy Godtopus. Today my mom told me my 60ish widow aunt and a couple of her widow lady friends went to the movies. I didn't think about it at the time but now I have a horrible notion I know what they went to see.

I'd offer to bet on it but I'd have to give like 1-11 million odds.

Posted by: , at January 11, 2010 1:23 AM

Okay, I haven't really had a problem with all of the Avatar bullshit but now, as my theater enters its FOURTH WEEK of sellouts (4-5 shows a day, seven days a week) with a three-person management staff, I'm getting pretty tired.

When I get tired, I get cranky. When I get cranky, I lose my patience for blue-hued assholes. I'LL MAKE YOUR ASSHOLE BLUE-HUED IF YOU CALL TO ASK IF WE'RE "REALLY" SOLD OUT AGAIN.

I hate everything that has to do with Avatar. Everything. Even Giovanni Ribisi, that fucking cultist bastard. Fuck you, James Cameron. And JP from Grandma's Boy, who now has the distinction of being in TWO of the worst movies ever.

It's going to be another great day in IMAX!

Posted by: vikky at January 11, 2010 9:15 AM

At last, a soul mate, I thought I was alone on the planet! I hate everything to do with Avatar, but that's just because I thought it was a crappy piece of cinema. Hated it. Hate hate hate. It made me angry.

Giovanni Ribisi was, as usual, good, though.

Posted by: extemporanea at January 11, 2010 9:22 AM

And when adjusted for inflation, Gone With The Wind is still the domestic gross champion. Avatar is still at #58 on that list. (Titanic is at #6 and Star Wars is at #2)

Posted by: Adam C at January 11, 2010 10:16 AM

Excellent call Adam C. You have to adjust for a like comparison

Posted by: Alex at January 11, 2010 10:33 AM

"You have to adjust for like comparison"

Hee hee!

Posted by: Kballs at January 11, 2010 10:38 AM

La la la Avatar was awesome la la la I can't hear you la la la.

Posted by: Snath at January 11, 2010 12:04 PM

I'm really just annoyed at how crazy work has been, Snath. I haven't actually seen the movie (though the bits I've seen haven't impressed me, but I realized that's not really fair).

I'm so glad we're doing well, and that means my job is safe. I'm just tired, so why not take out my crankiness on a kajillionaire director and an inexplicable Happy Madison cast-off?

Posted by: vikky at January 11, 2010 12:15 PM

I don't know. Considering that a 3-D ticket is outrageously expensive, I think the numbers mean fuck all when it comes to a movie's popularity. How many tickets are being sold, and in that regard, is it a more popular movie than anything else on the list? I think BSlim is right, the numbers are way overinflated and probably fooling millions into the real 'worth' of the movie. And now we'll get 50,000 other projects exactly like it, and they will fail miserably.

Posted by: figgy at January 11, 2010 12:42 PM

i found the best review of avatar... autotelic.com
http://autotelic.com/21308bc66bd2241f812ce61146cf6d5c~


metacontext; it's hilarious :)

Posted by: kikz at January 12, 2010 9:45 AM


















Viral Hits

>> Pajiba Movie Posters

>> Pop Culture's 20 Greatest Dancing GIFs

>> Mindhole Blowers

>> The 100 Greatest Insults of All Time

>> The "Other" 100 Greatest Movie Quotes

>> The 100 Greatest Movie Threats of All Time

>> The Sean Bean Death Reel

>> Chicks Dig Beards: It's Science

>> The Coolest TV Show Title Sequences

>> The Most Rewatchable Movies

>> The Most Expensive Movies of All Time