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UPFRONTS 2013: The Overachievers 
Leonardo DiCaprio Still In Thriller Mode
SUNDAY AM UPDATE: Paramount’s delay of Shutter Island‘s domestic release from 2009 to 2010, once widely questioned, now looks shrewdly strategic. Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone), the psychological and supernatural thriller made $14.1 million Friday and $17M Saturday from 2,991 theaters and $40.2M for its debut on a weekend it has all to itself. That’s a big number for an R-rated film, that cost $100+M with large gross participations (but only $75 million net of the Massachusetts rebate). Explained one studio exec to me, “The delay only helped the movie with more time for the trailer to play and the ability to use the Super Bowl and Olympics to finish the campaign.” Indeed, a MovieTickets poll named the Shutter Island traileras the big football game’s 3rd most memorable.
This 4th film collaboration between Marty Scorsese and Leo DiCaprio is their highest grossing debut ever, bigger than 2002′s Gangs Of New York, 2004′s The Aviator, and 2006′s The Departed (which posted their previous biggest opening ever of $26.8M). That pic was also Scorsese’s best debut, now beaten by Shutter Island which will also be DiCaprio’s biggest, besting the $30M of 2002′s Steven Spielberg-directed Catch Me If You Can. But Shutter Island was the target of bad buzz following Paramount’s abrupt decision to push the widely touted 2009 awards contender from October 2nd out of competition entirely to 2010. The pic was already on people’s Oscar list. (Paramount Moves ’Shutter Island’) At the time, Paramount chief Brad Grey said he was delaying to give the pic ”every possible chance to succeed both creatively and financially”. Also, Leo wasn’t going to be available to promote the pic internationally. So the studio settled on the release date of February 19th because “that’s when Silence Of The Lambs came out” back in 1991. But Hollywood chattered that this pic must have been god-awful for the studio to do something that drastic. Actually, this American gothic tale is old-fashioned and older adults-oriented. The reviews this weekend were mixed, but 61% positive among top critics at Rotten Tomatoes. Overseas, Shutter Island opened in 9 countries with $9M.
The other movies all had huge drops coming off the double-holiday weekend: Warner Bros’ Valentine’s Day fell -61% from its opening last Friday and -70% from last weekend, Fox’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief -58%, and Universal’s The Wolfman -70% from last Friday and last weekend, cementing that movie’s complete disintegration. A bitter legacy of fired Universal Pictures chief Marc Shmuger for the studio, the film cost a giant $200M (but with tax credits the net budget came down to about $175M). Not only did the pic drop huge at the domestic box office its 2nd weekend, but it also fell apart overseas where it hadn’t opened particularly well anyway. As one of my financial sources says, ”This is a huge, huge writeoff.”
Roman Polanski’s latest, The Ghost Writer, was a pickup by Summit Entertainment. Platforming in 4 theaters, it opened to $49K Friday and $70K Saturday for a per screen average of $44,750 — the weekend’s biggest — and should have made $179K by end of Sunday. Polanski was given the Berlin Film Festival’s Silver Lion Award for Best Director for the pic, which will expand into 10 additional markets as well as adding theaters in LA and NY. Meanwhile, Fox Searchlight’s My Name Is Khan ushered in its 2nd week with $720K from 125 theatres for a cume of $3.2M after opening to the highest weekend number for a Bollywood film in North America.
Here’s the Top 10 as of Friday (numbers will be refined in the AM):
1. Shutter Island (Paramount) NEW [2,991 Theaters]
Friday $14.1M, Saturday $16.3M, Est Sunday $9.8, $40.2M Weekend
2. Valentine’s Day (Warner Bros) Week 2 [3,665 Theaters]
Friday $5.6M, Saturday $7.1M, Weekend $17.1M, Cume $87.4M
3. Avatar (Fox) Week 10 [2,582 Theaters]
Friday $3.9M, Saturday $7.3M, Weekend $16.1M, Cume $687.8M
4. Percy Jackson & The Olympians (Fox) Week 2 [3,396 Theaters]
Friday $4.0M, Saturday $6.7M, Weekend $15.3M, Cume $58.7M
5. The Wolfman (Universal) Week 2 [3,223 Theaters]
Friday $2.8M, Saturday $4.3M, Weekend $9.8M, Cume $50.3M
6. Dear John (Relativity/Sony) Week 3 [3,062 Theaters]
Friday $2.3M, Saturday $3.1M, Weekend $7.3M, Cume $65.9M
7. Tooth Fairy (Fox) Week 5 [2,523 Theaters]
Friday $1M, Saturday $2.0M, Weekend $4.5M, Cume $49.8M
8. Crazy Heart (Fox Searchlight) Week 10 [1,089 Theaters]
Friday $765K, Saturday $1.4M,Weekend $3.0M, Cume $21.5M
9. From Paris With Love (Lionsgate ) Week [2,311 Theaters]
Friday $725K, Saturday $1.1M, Weekend $2.5M, Cume $21.2M
10. Edge of Darkness (GK Films/Warner Bros) Week 4 [2,118 Theaters]
Friday $625K, Saturday $1.0M,Weekend $2.2M, Cume $40.3M
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Bigger than Titanic opening? I guess maybe it was the legs on Titanic that made me think otherwise.
No. They didn’t mean biggest ever, just the biggest for Scorsese and DiCaprio.
If the comparison is made with the Dicaprio-Spielberg Catch Me If You Can, then clearly he means all Dicaprio films
How can one like this disjointed poorly edited waste of marvelous talents?
Amen!! It was a piece of crap!
Scorsese’s worst film. I thought maybe he took the assignment so he could get his Michael Powell groove on, but no – one of the saddest things about this film is he doesn’t seem to be having any fun with it – and that might have made this claptrap work, besides cutting about 40 minutes.
I think you must have seen the wrong movie, because this film was BRILLIANT!! Excellent writing, directing, and acting. You will not see a drop-off next weekend – the word about this film will spread. I think I might just go back and see this again to catch all the clues. THIS film is a MUST SEE!!
The word around here is that its a disappointment. I saw it…and it is. Sad to say
I felt the same way when this movie ended as when I saw No Country for Old Men. It was a “Huh”? moment. Now that I’ve had a few days, I like the movie more now than I did Friday night. Was it perfect? Nope, but I found it entertaining the way the movie played out.
The movie played to a packed house at the 10:10pm show. No one left that I saw/heard.
I’ll tell you though the names of a bunch of actors who i think would’ve been better than DiCaprio were flying through my mind like Tim Robbins/Gary Oldman/Sean Penn to name a few. DiCaprio doesn’t look old enough to be the character.
The editing was a little distracting in the beginning. But everything else was so spot on and the ending was actually better than the book — much more emotional and satisfying. This is a really good film. And anyone saying otherwise has an agenda.
And the sountrack is brilliant. One of the best in years. The use of Max Richter’s “On The Nature Of Daylight” was amazing. Perfect.
Because we’re not all overly bloated look-a-likes for the Simpsons Comic Book Guy who thinks they sound more intelligent with every “worst movie ever.”
totally agree. awful acting, possibly the worst editing in any major film ever, a dumb and obvious storyline, alongside scorsese’s over the top ego-driven direction… what a waste of a movie.
I have to agree. I saw it last night and thought it was terrible. I like the ending, in fact it almost saved the movie for me, but ultimately I thought it was disjointed, boring, repetitive and that god-awful score had me wanting to stick screwdrivers in my ears just to make it stop. A severe disappointment from Scorsese. Such a shame.
martin – Because its a pretty good well-made thriller?
Loved it. Didn’t like The Departed. I’ll go again
Martin, I agree the movie was terribly edited, but that aside it was a wonderful film. Of course while the overall ending was some what predictable, there were many twists that caught me off guard.
Leo did a decent job, one of his better roles, and Marty definitely pulled through.
8/10.
It was not “terribly edited” – you just don’t seem to be familiar with Scorsese’s use of jump-cutting in his films – it’s a technique that goes back to the New Wave. If you’re not familiar with it, it can seem disorienting – which was exactly why Scorsese was employing it here – to disorient the audience.
this was not jump cutting, this was bad editing, within a bad movie.
It looked more like cutting for time than cutting for tone. They were not jumpcuts.
Gotta agree with Mark. They were jump cuts.. and they were there to clue you in that something else is going on early in the film. This is Thelma Schoonmaker’s as editor.. and she’s an Academy Award winning one.
So I hope most aren’t naive enough to believe that $75m negative cost for SHUTTER– unless the rebate was an unlikely $50m.
your saying “Shutter Island” cost $125M before any tax cuts were taken into account? That’s not possible unless Dicaprio was paid at least $40M? The studio reported in variety that the production cost was $80M so I don’t think Nikki is too far off.
Yeah. That’s what I’m saying. I’m afraid Variety is not a good source for what movies actually cost to make.
Shutter is a ponderous bore, and I say that with a heavy heart as a devout fan of both Leo and Marty. It’s telegraphed very early on where it’s headed and getting there is a terrible slog with no real chills or suspense to speak of. Credit Leo for jumping through an array of acting hoops to make it work – energy that ultimately gets expended for naught. I had strong hopes that this would be Marty’s Shining, but instead it’s his Eyes Wide Shut. Bare minimum 50% dropoff next week.
Waah, waah, waah. Nothing’s ever good enough to satisfy the internet, is it? Waah, waah, waah.
If you terminally-singles pulled your noses out of your copies of HSX once in awhile and read a book, you might notice Shutter Island is vastly superior to the underwritten novel. When watching the trailers, I was actually worried the film would be a disappointment because the novel is so skim. I was proven wrong.
First off, you can’t compare this to The Departed because they’re completely different films. The Departed is an ensemble piece with enough comedy for three movies; Shutter is not. Sydow’s first scene actually brought back memories of The Aviator. Perspective, people. Perspective.
I’m guessing so many nerds are disappointed because they wanted it to be more disturbing. The trailer hints some Really Messed-Up Stuff is about to happen, so maybe the gore-hounds wanted more titillation. If Shutter drops like a rock next week, it’s not because the film is bad, but because it’s advertised as a horror movie, and younger audiences will be disappointed when they learn it isn’t 1408.
Is the film a masterpiece? No, but it’s close. It was emotionally-affecting, for one thing, certainly more than any film in recent memory. Here’s hoping it rides well through next weekend when The Crazies attracts the desensitized.
Well stated DK. As someone who loved the book I thought the film was a great adaptation. The editing was a little rough. But the pacing was true to the story. I enjoyed it a lot. However one felt about the book is how I see them liking the movie. Amazing score as well. I guess it’s turning into a love it or hate it movie.
Hmmm…close to a masterpiece? Are you being serious? Honestly, that notion alone is far more enjoyable than Shutter Island was. I had hopes of being, at the very least, midly entertained. This was the first time in a long time that I actually considered getting my money back (which, by the way, one couple did!).
No, this movie is no near masterpiece at all. It is a quickly slipping tale that is utterly predictable from the get-go and actually stooped to lame “jump out at you” shock factors to simply infuse much needed energy.
If Shutter Island is close to perfection, I’m going to submit some paint-by-number pieces to a local museum…apparently the standards of perfection are falling as quickly as this movie’s ticket sales.
so. what movie like it do you like better. can’t wait to rip it apart. and not some safe answer, like the shining. I want a ballsy answer. this is a challenge.
Too funny. You want a challenge? Go to the bar and enter an arm-wrestling contest. Sorry if my accurate take on Shutter Island not being a masterpiece got your need for a “ballsy” answer in full gear. And, “The Shining”? Give me a break.
Look around for 5 minutes and you’ll find better made and more enjoyable flicks easily. The Manchurian Candidate can’t be touched (the original, obviously)…even Momento makes Shutter look like a remake. Maybe that is it after all…Shutter Island looks and feels like a remake. Too bad on all accounts.
Other worthwhile mentions (since you seemed so shocked that there may be better movies out there) would be Mulholland Drive, Taxi Driver and Les Diaboliques, to name a few.
Or did you just want me to say “Silence of the Lambs” so you could wax eloquent?
…the shining…I needed a good laugh.
How does one go about getting their money back from a theater’s box-office? Is it as simple as walking up and saying, “I didn’t like the film.” Seems a bit subjective. I’m curious.
DK, don’t know what you’ve been smoking, but even medication could not relieve the monotony and ultimate dissappointment of Shutter Island. It must have been made for people like you who think they are seeing “art,” when in fact they are seeing trite garbage propped up by a couple of names.
What’s also funny is that many here, including myself, WANTED very much to be thrilled by this movie. What that means is that it is not easy to say these critical words.
It could of been so much more.
But it wasn’t
Period.
Approaching this movie from a position of complete ignorance, as I have not read the book, I would have to say it was marvelous. Perhaps there were editing inconsistencies? Perhaps.
The story line was convoluted and confusing? Yea, definitely. But then again, that’s the point which is not lost on me.
Acting was fantastic. Directing was surreal. If you don’t like this movie, you’re a close minded narcissist. There are two sections of the movie. The first lays out groundwork. You have to look at everything and try to figure out what you believe to be the truth. The second part of the movie is where you have to make the decision for yourself, is Leo’s character crazy or sane? Is he being twisted into what the evil of the island wants him to be, or is he looking for something deeper?
I enjoy a movie that I can watch and feel like I understand and when it’s over leaves me thinking deeply about why I believe what I believed about it.
I would wager that the people who didn’t understand, or rather didn’t enjoy, this movie most likely assumed that DiCaprio was crazy from pretty early on. This deeply reflects their own personalities, just as my belief that he was seriously trying to investigate the place reflects mine.
If you think that you started watching this movie, and knew what was going to happen without having read the novel, and were therefore bored, you probably should just save your money and never watch another movie. You should at least not post on the internet degrading the work of genius.
Oh, I understood the movie perfectly….it was way too long and way too boring! What I don’t understand is someone calling it a masterpiece. Of course what do I know?…I thought The French Lieutenant’s Woman was a piece of crap..and it won best picture…it’s still a piece of crap.
Clarity,
I couldn’t agree with you more. You expressed my thoughts precisely. I feel I must have been watching a different movie from the movie trashed in so many of the comments. I think it’s the best that Scorcese has done. For me it was absolutely surreal and shocking to read so many negative comments.
MarcR
And, I thought I was alone thinking that Shutter Island was ponderous after reading all the glowing reviews.
I, too, am a big Marty fan, but never felt the Departed was a best picture either.
Except for the twenty minutes that I fell asleep, I felt Shutter Island was predictable and not in any way a great film. Leo did a fine job as did most of the actors, but the film just did not cut it.
Thanks to all who came away with similar thoughts.
I, too, fell asleep for 20 mins and predicted the ending. Editing was sloppy at points (I don’t buy the jumpcut argument), and Leo slipped out of his accent at times.
However, I thought the film looked ponderous from the trailer, then became more optimistic after the reviews…only to be let down again.
Solid, but no classic.
Couldn’t disagree more.
I thought it was brilliant and everyone in the theater was having an amazing time. A lot of gasps, jumps, and then applause at the end. A big audience pleaser.
Eyes Wide Shut is a psychic masterpiece of where we are right now as Americans especially – dazed, bought, sold, exploited/exploiting, women as blank, bored, doomed, objectified Project Monarch Barbie dolls, ‘achiever’ men trying to get a pass to some elite club that would never take them as members, only as victims, etc – there are many fascinating analyses of this movie out there now. It was the ultimate Christmas movie for Xmas 09 and requires another viewing, hopefully on BluRay – it’s one of Kubrick’s best!
Shutter Island might lack in story but it has MOOD
I remember where I saw Eyes Wide Shut, which I can’t say for most films. Reason being, I loathed it so much.
RAD, you are on the money. It is a psychic masterpiece that requires another/multiple viewings. It still creeps me out, though.
You’re kidding, right?
I watched EYES WIDE SHUT again last night, and it’s still awful. Nice excuse-making for it on your part. “Where we are as Americans”… what a crock of sh*t!
The last hour of the film is fatally dull. Nothing but robotic exposition. Early in the film there were some Scorsese hallmarks but at a certain point it became pure autopilot – totally anonymous of directorial presence. I’m grateful of the film’s existence for the dizzying range of reactions it’s elicited, though.
Brilliant? Everyone was having a wonderful time?
When I saw it, the gasps were feigned, and people couldn’t get out of the theater fast enough…
Anyone know how the Celine Dion concert movie is doing?
>>Shutter is a ponderous bore, and I say that with a heavy heart as a devout fan of both Leo and Marty.
Agreed. Appallingly heavy-handed with it & so interminably long-winded. It may open big but I reckon word of mouth from disappointed viewers will sink it quickly.
I was so looking forward to this. The trailer was brilliant at setting a ghastly mood. And its Marty for petes sake. But damn I hate to admit it but this was just boring as all hell. The production design was top notch, yet the story and the acting was just shockingly subpar. By far, and I don’t say this with any relish of any kind but this was Marty’s worst movie he’s ever done. I’d sooner watch Age of Innocence than this pile of steaming turd ever again. And this really seals the deal for me about Dicaprio’s aptitude of late as an actor. I don’t know what happened to the kid from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, but he’s long gone. You would think by working opposite of the likes of Daniel Day Lewis and Tom Hanks that he would pick up a few pointers about modulation of emotion. The guy’s got two expressions. The frown and the gape. That’s it. The whole time I was watching this I kept thinking when is Scorsesse gonna work with DeNiro again? The writing is on the wall. Marty’s just using the guy to keep working in an unforgiving blockbuster based system. I’ll give them the Departed, that was a good movie, but I truly hope this is the end of the road of their partnership.
Shutter Island is a very fine film. 9 out of 10. Kudo’s to all involved.
- signed Leo’s agent…
Ruffalo steals every scene he’s in.
“What do we do now, boss?”
“I had strong hopes that this would be Marty’s Shining, but instead it’s his Eyes Wide Shut. ”
Hey remember when critics crapped all over SHINING back in the day?
And last I checked, EYES WIDE SHUT was pretty good too. Heck it was on Scorsese’s Top 5 list of 1990s cinema.
A stylish thriller for adults that doesn’t insult the intelligence, directed by an auteur … the kind of film all Hollywood should be delighted to see succeed these days. Glad to see it paying off in a big way.
of course he’s joking…
Cinemascore exits were a C+. Marty’s lowest
on record.
And I heard that advance screenings of Goodfellas yielded even poorer results. And look at how that one turned out.
What is the source for this cinemascore as I have been unable to find it anywhere else?
At almost every major plot twist/red herring reveal, more people got up and left the theatre when I saw it last night.
I really disliked this film, and I’m a Scorsese devotee.
I expect a huge dropoff next week as well…
EXACTLY!
We had the same thing happen at our theater. The buzz at the beginning was electric, everyone was eager to see the film. It was opening night and we were ready for a wonderfully made movie along the lines of Hitchcock.
Alas, the bottom fell out early.
People kept leaving and the mood became one of drudgery.
Finally, at the end, one guy summed it up when he declared, “What?”. He wasn’t confused about the amazingly simple plot line, he was shocked that after nearly three hours that was all we got.
Waste. Of. Time.
Enough said.
Mass currently has a 25% rebate but their Governor wants to cap the film tax credit at $50 million for the next two years. “Tax Credit Cap Threatens Bay State’s Burgeoning Film Industry” http://www.wbur.org/2010/02/11/film-credit
Just got out of the Saturday Matinee Shutter Island. SO glad I only paid $7 for my ticket. Nicely shot, little lengthy, weirdly edited, acting was good all around. BUT the plot…I mean, come on, who didn’t see that twist coming???! And really, could’ve been about 25 min shorter. Definitely not Scorsese’s best work…at $7 for a ticket, not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning. But if you’re thinking about paying full freight, be forewarned that you’re getting ripped off.
“Nicely shot, little lengthy, weirdly edited, acting was good all around. BUT the plot…I mean, come on, who didn’t see that twist coming???!”
Summed up perfectly.
Saw it this afternoon and loved it. DeCaprio has finally grown up.
“DeCaprio has finally grown up” if by “grown up” you mean “has learned to yell a lot.”
Very disappointed. I was expecting 3D.
LOL!
How does Mike Medavoy keep makeing bad movies he keeps failing upward
Anonymous – Believe it or not son, not every thriller (like most made today) have to totally hinge on the ending to work. Its about the journey, not the destination.
Heck I had a good guess of what the big twist would be, so did most of the audience.
Anybody else felt the influence of VERTIGO (an ending everybody, evne those not seen it, know) and Robert Wise’s THE HAUNTING?
Titan, that’s because people keep going to his movies; bad or otherwise.
I know Paul he has not made a movie that got back its negative cost in 20 years.
Honest to god, I guessed the “twist” when I saw the trailer for the first time. But I still went, and still really enjoyed the movie despite never really being that big on DiCaprio.
I’d heard figures in that neighborhood for Wolfman; the $80ish that was being circulated online was always pure fantasy.
That makes it one of the biggest money losers in recent memory and it joins Lovely Bones as recent misconceived projects.