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UPDATE: Apple CEO Challenged For Moving “Crown … 
CAA Signs ‘Robocop’ Joel Kinnaman 
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UPFRONTS 2013: TV Spinoffs’ Almost Perfect Year 
SATURDAY PM UPDATE: Sources have given me North American grosses for Friday, Saturday, weekend, and cumes:
1. The Social Network (Sony) NEW [2,771 Theaters]
Friday $8M, Saturday $8.9M, Weekend $23M
The stories behind Microsoft and Apple only rated TV movies. But The Social Network received the full big screen PG-13 treatment as the first major pedigreed project about the Internet that wasn’t just another crime thriller. It’s that rarity in Hollywood: a younger movie with adult dialogue but not without an element of risk because it’s a drama. “Big kudos to Amy Pascal because it was not an obvious movie to make,” one Hollywood influencer reminded me. That’s why media coverage of this much-buzzed-about Facebook origins pic has been so breathless about every nuance of the marketing campaign: from the launch of the initial teaser spots to the brilliant one-sheet to the enigmatic trailer and “punk, genius, billionaire” outdoor ads.
It’s never been in doubt that this movie would be a success for Sony since it claims to have kept its budget under $40M thanks to no stars and deferred compensations for the filmmakers. But was it over-hyped? “No matter where we open, I think we will play for a long time with excellent word of mouth,” a Sony exec boasted to me. “For a film skewed towards adults this time of year, $20M is our bar and would be a fantastic start.” But Hollywood expected $25M and the pic slightly underperformed – $8M Friday (including $350K in post-midnight showings), up +11% for $8.9M Saturday, and with an estimated $6.1M that’s $23M this weekend. Still, I’m surprised box office wasn’t even better despite its middling release — like $30+M given its obvious Facebook/My Space/Twitter effect. Too bad those Harvard pretenders in the pic didn’t have more sex or dress better. And they’re brooders without even being vampires. And Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is no super-hero. But, seriously, the reason may well lie in the film’s elitism which could be keeping more mainstream audiences away. “Left coast, right coast, and a smidge of Chicago only. The rest of the country could care less,” a rival studio exec pointed out the pic’s attendance patterns to me late Friday, adding Saturday. “It’s a big city pic only.”
The Social Network isn’t just a figment of hype; it logged a “B+” Cinemascore and very positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Exit surveys showed the opening weekend audience was 53% female and 55% were ages 25 and older. Based on the book Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich, the film ironically wasn’t made by a new filmmaking generation but by the same old showbiz veterans: scripted by Aaron Sorkin (who made $3 million for the writing assignment) and directed by David Fincher (who I’m told took no money upfront at first) and produced by Scott Rudin (who also deferred everything but his producing fee) and Mike De Luca, Dana Brunetti, and Cean Chaffin.
Since its Labor Day screenings for the Hollywood influencers began, it’s been touted for a Best Picture Oscar — although I worry it’s peaking too early because of its early October release date. But from a box office standpoint, that’s the same weekend Social Network star Jesse Eisenberg’s Zombieland debuted last year to #1 with $24.7M for Sony. With 2 big movies opening around $24M each to his credit, Jesse is a new and unlikely star. Justin Timberlake again demonstrates he can act. And even the pic’s unknown stars are reaping its rewards: Sony recently cast Andrew Garfield as its rebooted Spider-Man, and chose Rooney Mara for the Hollywood version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo which, not surprisingly, Fincher is directing and Rudin producing.
The Social Network‘s tracking was unexpected. At first, its awareness was highest among adults. (“Old people thought it looked cool,” laughed one insider.) Then across-the-board strength built among ages 17-34 and teens both male and female. That’s because the Internet outreach campaign for younger people didn’t kick in until 2 weeks ago while campaigns for older people have to be laid in much longer in advance. Sorkin took the movie on a college tour for Sony as part of an extensive word-of-mouth screening campign. And the studio even ran a sweepstakes online where, if you had more than 500 friends on any social network site, you could enter to win a random drawing to host a screening of the film in every state for 50 friends. “The buzz has been building, and I have never seen a crescendo that is so unanimously strong,” a Sony exec gushed to me. The Social Network Original Score Album by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross even rocked the music charts as the top seller on Amazon’s MP3 Store.
2. Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls (Warner Bros) Week 2 [3,575 Theaters]
Friday $2.6M, Saturday $5M, Weekend $11M (-32%), Cume $30.1M
What a surprise #2 thanks to a big +90% Saturday kiddie matinee bounce. Though its opening weekend numbers didn’t heat up audiences, but it’s holding well.
2. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Fox) [3,597 Theaters]
Friday $3.2M, Saturday $4.3M, Weekend $10.1M (-47%), Cume $35.8M
A decent hold from what was a decent opening a week ago. Fox still thinks it skated, and I agree.
3. The Town (Warner Bros) Week 3 [2,935 Theaters]
Friday $3.1M, Saturday $4.2M, Weekend $9.9M, Estimated Cume $64.2M
A very strong -36% hold going into its 3rd week in release bodes well for Ben Affleck’s future as a director. And Warner Bros just offered him Superman to helm on Chris Nolan’s suggestion. (But Affleck likely will turn it down.)
5. Easy A (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 3 [2,974 Theaters]
Friday $2.2M, Saturday $3M, Weekend $6.8M, Cume $42.2M
This cheap teen pic keeps holding around -36% which should mean a $55M-$60M domestic result.
6. You Again (Disney) Week 3 [2,548 Theaters]
Friday $1.7M, Saturday $2.5M, Weekend $5.5M, Estimated Cume $16.4M
7. Case 39 (Paramount) NEW [2,211 Theaters]
Friday $1.8M, Saturday $2.1M, Weekend $5.1M
This horror holdover from Paramount Vantage looks to have had a bite taken out of its female-driven horror audience by Let Me In despite logging a “B-” Cinemascore. Talk about a bizarre release pattern: Case 39 starring Renee Zellweger (remember back when she was a star?) with a bit part by Bradley Cooper (before he made The Hangover) was made back in 2006 when Brad Weston was president of production for Paramount. (That was two execs ago…) It had a moderate budget of $27 million. The studio opened the pic internationally and it did $17M overseas. Because it did reasonably well in Mexico and Spain, Paramount decided to release it now in the United States with a very targeted marketing campaign focusing on Hispanic audiences. But it looks like it will underperform even modest studio expectations of $6M-$8M.
8. Let Me In (Relativity/Overture] NEW [2,020 Theaters]
Friday $1.9M, Saturday $2M, Weekend $5M
This unnecessary vampire remake, based on the Swedish horror pic Let the Right One In, logged only a “C+” Cinemascore. That’s quite an inauspicious start for Overture’s first outing since the distribution operation was taken over by Relativity. But only publicity hound Ryan Kavanaugh would do a victory lap in the naive mainstream media this week before he knew how Let Me In would perform at the box office so as to avoid the tough questions afterwards. And judging from Friday’s weak number and even weaker weekend estimate, despite the presence of Kick-Ass star Chloe Moretz, this is yet another stand-alone Relativity disaster area. Especially because film financing circles tell me the company will lose most of the P&A investment on the film.
9. Devil (Universal) Week 3 [,392 Theaters]
Friday $1.1M, Saturday $1.6M, Weekend $3.6M, Cume $27.3M
10. Alpha & Omega 3D (Week 3) [2,303 Theaters]
Friday $620K,Saturday $1.4M, Weekend $2.9M, Estimated Cume $18.9M
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Oh my god! What happened to LET ME IN?? Where are all the horror/fantasy fans who show up on opening day?
Let Me In is another unnecessary remake. The Swedish version was excellent and nothing Hollywood can do will capitalize on it. Expect Fincher’s The girl with the dragon tattoo to do poorly as well. Theater goers are sending a message that Hollywood needs to stop the remakes.
For all the hype I expect Social Network to bomb like Scott Pilgrim, but it didn’t. The best picture nomination is sealed and Jesse Eisenberg will be busy with all the work.
Case 39 should have stayed in the abyss where it belong. Renee Z. and Bradley Cooper are box office poison. The Hangover did well but that had little to do with Cooper as The A Team showed. Renee Z. is lucky to still be getting work. Bridgett Jones 3 where she has a baby and other cliches should be it for her.
Maybe Michael Cera can reinvent himself as a Jesse Eisenberg rip-off. Turn-about is fair play. Half the people who enjoyed “Zombieland” were convinced Cera was in it.
As for “The Social Network,” it’s great to see Aaron Sorkin back in features, were he belongs.
East coast vs. west coast? Maybe that’s it. Or maybe it’s something called “the generation gap,” which makes sense considering it’s a frigging Facebook movie. Compound that with the fact that the 14-25 demo is the most cash-strapped of all due to massive retail downsizing and limited shift availability, and a $25m debut isn’t bad at all, just not in-line with projections. Didn’t Zombieland open with the same amount last year?
The real disappointment is that abominable debut for Let Me In, especially considering the non-stop TV spots. It seemed like they were actually outgunning Social Network for total advertising, so a sub-$2m Friday is pretty anemic. Case 39 is just disposable, much like Bradley Cooper himself.
By the way, Social Network is a great movie, and that’s coming from someone who has never even registered with a social networking site. I think all that crap is detrimental to society, but it made for a great movie.
“Theater goers are sending a message that Hollywood needs to stop the remakes.”
haha you’re dumb
No encore-What’s different between Girl with the Dragon Tatoo and Let me in, is that the former is already based off of a hugley popular best-seller while the latter was a remake of an art-house fave that very few saw or even heard of until Matt Reeves took the helm of the American incanrnation. I’m not expecting ridiculous Harry Potter type of business for Finchers take on the Swedish novel but there’s no reason to assume that it can’t perform well and find an audience.
As for Social Network, this was about on par with my expectations for it. It was never going to have a gigantic openning but simply a respectable debut for a fall release. I think it will continue do admirable business and Columbia will get it’s investment back safley.
What the hell? I didn’t say anything about Girl With the Dragon Tattoo… what are you talking about?
Haha so Hangover did well despite of him but A-Team was all his fault. I think someone is a little jealous of Bradley Cooper.
HAHAHA The A-Team was just mediocre to begin with from the script and direction.
It didn’t even make 100 million total overseas after 4 months.
And barely 77 domestic. Massive belly flop. Don’t think the cast was at fault.
The A-Team made its budget back, plus 66 million.
Bellyflop?
James, you are mistaken.
You forget marketing and advertisement costs. The A-Team lost money. Sorry.
Tired of remakes? You point to one example of failure and I can point out many just from this year alone. Karate Kid, Piranha 3D, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Clash of the Titans, Alice in Wonderland, and I am sure there are more. And again that is just from this year!
The A-Team cost 115 million and another 100 to market.
Total worldwide box office is 177 million in 70 countries.
Would need to make 300 million to even come close to being profitable. Films have to make 2 1/2 to 3 times their total costs to be in the black.
A-team is a bust.
While the remake aspect of “Let Me In” would be an issue for most movie goers if the orginal was well known, I doubt it had any impact on this weekends box office. Actaully it was a rather good film if one wants to that a realist view of a fantasy…vampires. The problem is that is what the horror genre is about. Rather is about thrills and an opening to get more physcial with one’s date. This film gave little of that which is fine with me but not the typical horror fan. Chloe Mortetz gave an another excellent performance.
Fans of the Swedish film want to believe that LMI tanked because everyone loved the original. However, the original didn`t set the boxoffice on fire in US at all and many people said it was too slow. So LMI tanking has nothing to do with the remake backlash. More likely, previews didn`t look good to the mainstream audience just like the original`s previews failed to turn it into a hit here.
C+ Cinemascore is no surprise because previews pumped action and the movie is low on it, so expectations weren`t met.
Too bad for Chloe Moretz who gives excellent performance here and in Kick Ass, but both movies failed to break out.
Some people said it was slow, just some. The original one is already a cult classic. The fact that it wasn’t a huge box-office hit in the US is hardly surprising, isn’t it? How many foreign-language become popular there each year?
But I agree that saying it bombed due to “remake-backlash” sounds far-fetched.
I’m willing to be that 90% of the people who know of this film don’t realize that Let the Right One In exists.
If I had to guess its a film with no stars (and fair or not Abrams gets more credit for Cloverfield than Rieves), opening when we already have vampire burnout and 3 other horror films in theaters (Devil, Case 39, Resident Evil).
The reviews I’ve read from those who know LTROI have been good (though you may have to read between the lines – its quality is oft buried between complaints about it being a “needless remake). But these are people who know what to expect. Those who went seeing a bloody action thriller (what more horror fans EXPECTED to happen to the movie) are bound to be disappointed.
‘Let the Right One In’ is one of those movies that film bloggers rave about but their readers haven’t bothered to see. So it gets a lot of attention but not actually a lot of fans. It was simply a very minor cult favorite here, so it’s not surprising a remake isn’t setting the box office on fire. To the general public, ‘Let Me In’ was marketed like a typical horror film, just without any big scares or gimmicks.
Too bad though. It’s getting a lot of good reviews.
“Let me In”…. another American remake of a pretty good Swedish movie (another one being The Girl with the Dragon Tatts) another great Swedish film. Let’s see how bad American’s can fug up a remake of a European import. fyi, “Brothers” was another American remake of a European import. ho hum, no originality here in the good old USA!. pfft. Stick with the European original. Better acting. –
fyi- Movie PR and media agencies can buy positive press reviews in the USA, so I would not really look to what the ” reviews” here in the USA give it.
Awesome for Fincher-Sorkin and The Social Network. But I’m shocked at Let Me In’s gross. Yikes. It’s a great film. Not as brilliant as the original but well done. Case 39 bombing was expected. 3 years in the can, should’ve stayed there.
I agree. I don’t understand Nikki saying its an “unnecessary remake”, because it isn’t a remake of the first film, its a completely separate entity and movie from the Swedish film, based on the same source. Plus it did well with critics. There are plenty of actual unnecessary remakes I could think of.
Are you kidding with this this “not a remake” but “a film based on the same source” nonsense? It’s a scene for scene remake right down to the same camera set ups with a little more gore added.
That simply isn’t the case. While there are some similar shots, thematically Reeves has a substantially different take on the material
It’s still a remake, though. Let’s not split hairs.
lol
Oh, Mr. Reeves’ version is different? Great. Then he has some explaining to do. What an abomination. People at the studio should resign over the decision to remake this.
you are out of your mind. it was exactly the same movie right down to camera angles, blocking, color palette, key scenes didn’t bother changing one word of dialogue. how was it thematically different? because a cop led the investigation instead of the dead guy’s best friend? because the mother was a faceless nut instead of a loving presence? because there was a cool car accident? because they used heavier CG when she went into vampire mode? you are confusing “thematically different” with “more hollywood.” this was an epic rip-off and we learned nothing about matt reeves except that he’s really good at paint-by-numbers.
what?? how can anyone say this is thematically different?? reeves’ take was a fine movie, but it’s the same movie. only in english. with american actors.
That sounds about right. Hopefully it goes above $10m today and $30m for the weekend. WOM and great reviews should carry it from here on.
The Social Network is as estimated but Let Me In’s very weak showing is a bit of a surprise.
Looks like Let me in tanked.
The Social Network was definitely a great film. Congrats to all involved. Whether they win anything or not, we’ll definitely see them at the Oscars.
Timberlake gave it a great shot. However he just isn’t a good enough actor to go toe-to-toe with the headline talent in this film.
Genius musician, but after nearly 10 films, it’s clear acting just isn’t his forte. Which is fine – there are less than a handful of great musicians who can actually act. Timberlake just isn’t one of them.
Was very cute though.
Sorry – I was around Sean Parker in the day, and this was a more-than-good portrayal.
Yes – Sorkin, Fincher, and that fabulous work by Mr. Cronenweth helped A LOT. But, I gotta say, for me – it was a pretty creepy how Timberlake tapped into Parker’s pathology. Maybe it was a little too subtle for audiences that didn’t know Parker??
Maybe it was a little too subtle for audiences that didn’t know Parker??
That’s possible, and good to hear an alternate perspective from someone who’s seen Parker in action.
Unfortunately, movies (and great acting) are oftentimes about exaggeration for effect. Maybe Justin doesn’t understand?
Needs classes.
@ gotta disagree — you were around Sean Parker in the day? Kinda impossible, since he doesn’t exist. The founder of Napster is Shawn Fanning.
‘Genius musician’?
Genius?
MUSICIAN?
Wake up!
Just because you don’t like the genre, his voice or style doesn’t mean he’s not a millionaire because tons of others do.
what’s your problem? Timerlake IS a great musician – and he can act.
Justin Timberlake is not a musician.
27 million for SN is respectable. But with all the hoopla, you’d expect a little more. Maybe 40? 37? 32?
I agree. All the movies in the past few weeks have been opening in the low 20s. It seems like less people are going to the movies lately. We haven’t seen anything break 30 in awhile.
Yea for a second, it seemed like TSN was going to be front loaded box office wise, but I think the word of mouth will keep this thing going for quite awhile. Lots of repeat business.
Main problem with Let me in was its lack of a wide release – only 2000 theaters, much lower than many of the the other films.
Actually, the 2000 theatres represent just about every large theatre/multiplex in the country with a track record of performing on an ‘R’ film that appeals to the targeted demos the distributor was after with its marketing.
You’ve got to realize that these 2000 theatres are chosen for prints based on their gross potential, and, if they’d added, say, another 1000 theatres, those additional screens would be almost all in smaller markets that would not have added much to the gross, because they’d be ones that historically underperform on this kind of film. However, if you’ve got a more family/wide audience type of release, like, say, the upcoming Megamind, those extra smaller theatres in smaller markets can throw out substantial numbers. As an old buddy and film peddler from the Road Show days of MGM used to say (Mel Maron), there’s “horses for courses”…
And having said that, I liked Let The Right One In, but I LOVED Let Me In…it’ll be interesting to see if w.o.m. will save it. So disappointed in such soft numbers for such a creative, energetic, suspenseful, and thought-provoking young-vampire film. Not many out there.
Well if audiences react to those types of films this way, there will be none out there in the future. Gotta turn a profit, ya know.
Some people just don’t care for vampires. And don’t say Twilight because Twilight isn’t a vampire film it’s a romance movie.
ok so double it and give let me in a 4000 screen opening, something only the hugest of blockbusters can pull. dougle its gross and it woulda made $10.4 million. nice logic, bro.
27 million for a drama set in the world of computers when your biggest star is Jesse Eisenberg is pretty damn impressive. Fincher and Sorkin deserve all the praise they get. It’s really good.
Nikki you never cease to amaze me. I like Eisenberg, a lot, but “stole every scene in Zombieland?” Really? If anyone stole scenes it was Harrelson but I thought they were both equally great. The kid is going places.
Bang on. I hardly noticed the nerdy looking kid except in the beginning. Other than that, he sucked compared to Woody honestly, who was awesome in that movie.
Oh, and I just have absolutely no interest in seeing The Social Network. I’m sure it’s a well-made film, but he created a social networking site, so what? Meh. Doesn’t come close to what guys like Jobs and Gates did over 30 years ago.
Put down the tonic man – Zuckerberg became the youngest billionaire in the world, beating Gates and Jobs by years, hands down. Facebook I believe, has overtaken GOOGLE as the number one most visited internet site on earth.
Having done all of this by 24, this movie was a no-brainer.
He’d better convert his paper fortune to real assets soon – remember when MySpace was the hot place to be? When’s the last time you (or anybody) thought of it?
What are you, nuts? Facebook is pulling in SERIOUS advertising cash, and Zukerberg’s got a HUGE stake! Investors would sell their arms to get a piece.
Stop bashing Zuckerberg – when’s the last time someone made a movie about YOU?
Google is still number one.
Oh man you are a rebel cause you won’t go see a movie that everyone likes because the main star looks like a nerd…your an idiot
Hey, Anonymous. He may be an idiot (TSN was fantastic) but you can’t call someone an idiot then misspell “you’re”. For future reference, next time, try: “You’re an idiot.” Maybe it’ll have more resonance.
Isn’t “For future reference, next time,” redundant seeing how the next time is in the future?
Did you know Zuckerberg is ranked higher than Steve Jobs on Forbes 400 richest list? Not bad for 26.
Let’s wait for the Saturdays gross now. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps looked promising on Friday too. But Sarutday showed that it won’t have legs. And there it it. $10.2M second weekend, estimated Cume $36M. Instead of some predicted 75 million it will probably end up around 50.
Fox should be THRILLED anyone is seeing “Wall Street 2.” It is so lame and really puts the fork in O-Stone’s career. Did think Shia was pretty solid in it, though!
Shia was actually pretty good in it. I was totally against his casting but the kid really put a lot of time into preparing for that role and it really showed.
Shia has blossomed from the nerd you saw in Dumb and Dumberer to lead actor in Indiana Jones 4 and Eagle Eye, and now the follow-up to Wall Street. There can be nothing but good things in his future and I’m glad to see that he’s surpassing expectations in the Michael Douglas starrer.
he was the school mascot in freaks and geeks!!!
The Social Network was fantastic and it will have major legs. Meanwhile big Fox was banking on Wall Street to salvage its miserable year (aside from Avatar), and now it has to brace itself for the disaster that will be Gulliver’s Travels…if Social Network had been made at Fox, they would’ve hired Allan Loeb to write and John Moore to direct and made it in Toronto for $20M. Ergo, it would be DOA. Kudos to Sony.
Comparing to where the wild things are that Social Network number is bad. Alsi significantly lower than Benjamin Button’s numbers. But with ten slots it will get a Best Pic nomination.
ben button opened over a 5 day holiday weekend. 3 day numbers are very similar.
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?id=davidfincher.htm
Would love to see what all the toads who predicted zero audience for Social Network to post. Guess people do give a shit about challenging movies.
I think the 27-30m opening for the SN is a dissapointment and despite the stellar reviews, the cinemascore will generally affect the final grosses. With a budget of near 40m and double that for the marketing the film will be a financial disappointment. With that said, the film is excellent and Jesse Eisenberg, Armie hammer and Justin Timberlake deserve academy recognition. Andrew Garfield was also endearing, but, not up to the caliber of the other 3.
A movie which cost less than $40 million to make and was predicted to make $25 million makes that, maybe a little more, and you think that’s a disappointment? It cost the same as THE TOWN and made more money, was that a disappointment too?
Stop being stupid.
Saw TSN yesterday in NYC. And want to see it again; I think good word of mouth and repeat business will help drive this film for the long term. At one point in the movie, when I knew the story was coming to a conclusion, I didn’t want it to end! Riveting and engaging from the very start of the film, Eisenberg’s portrayal had me at hello; without the anchor of his geek cum Art of War persona, a movie about a social network would have been meh. Surprisingly, Timberlake was effectively charming and smarmy. The breakout star is Armie Hammer.
I can’t wait to own this DVD because beyond Eisenberg’s delivery of his staccato dialogue with its underlying complexity inclusive of heart and soul, the nuanced facial movements, e.g. the Winkelvi lawyer’s wink at his clients during the deposition scene was such a surprisingly nuanced inclusion… that I’m sure I’ve missed much more of the aforementioned and am excited to catch more of these.
With the speed of a thriller movie, this two hour long movie felt like 20 minutes and totally worth the time and energy – yes, energy, because I haven’t seen a main stream movie which engages the audience to actively participate in the machinations of the movie as its unfolding before them on screen in quite some time.
Right, this is a real person.
like
TOTALLY agree. At worst I often fall asleep in many critically-acclaimed films (The Town, Inception), and at best can barely keep awake. This film had me at the edge of my seat throughout the entire 2 hours. Kudos to David Fincher on this one!
LOL! I thought the same thing. The line “I can’t wait to own this DVD” is so laughable. No one buys DVDs anymore. Ever hear of Netflix, Redbox, or streaming??? No one is buying those drink coasters.
This must have been posted by a Sony Home Entertainment PR flack. If you’re going to post fake comments, at least write them as a real person would.
Obviously Sony didn’t learn it’s lesson from the fake testimonials from a few years ago.
Hi jjj and shazam. So you both think, and I use that word loosely here, just because a viewer gets excited over a movie on the internet, that they can’t be a real person or are a part of a marketing conspiracy. Interesting.
Just because you don’t buy DVDs anymore this means no one else does. Mkay. And it can’t possibly mean I don’t also have a Netflix account with which I stream movies.
Step away from the computer shazam and interact with real people who express themselves with real feelings, you know, the ones you’ve forgotten exist with all the time you spend with your nose pressed up against the computer with your basic and average negative musings, you internets and interwebs litterbug, you.
You’re an idiot if you don’t think people buy DVDs anymore.
Sorry, Will and Moi, but you two are dumb and dumber!!! I know several vp’s personally who work in home entertainment and who acknowledge that people are not buying DVDs. The industry is trying to reinvent itself.
It is not my opinion you numskull, it is fact. Since you obviously do not work in the industry and have no valid facts, all you have to do is walk into a Target, Walmart, Best Buy, etc and see how much floor space has been reduced for DVDs/Blu-ray.
On top of that, talk to some real people (friends if you even have any) and ask them how many DVDs they buy a year. Most people are NOT buying DVDs!!! They are either getting them through legal means or getting pirated copies.
If you still refuse to listen to the facts, then you must have been one of the brilliant music industry execs who didn’t believe this new-fangled download-thing would last.
You sir, can’t handle the truth!!! And the morons in home entertainment who don’t learn from the music industry’s mistakes are bound to repeat the music industry’s downfall.
Sorry but I agree with the comment.
I can’t stand that when someone posts a glowing review of a film they truly liked on Deadline, it’s either GOT to be the studio, reps for the talent, or someone from the production itself.
Instead of simply slinging mud, why not just post your own rebuttal featuring your OWN opinion? Geez.
Excuse me? Noone buys DVDs anymore? Redbox and Netlix are RENTAL venues. We are talking about BUYING DVDS. And what about the features? I don’t think downloadable movies would have the “extra bonus disk of features”. And what about gift giving? Would you rather give a physical gift, or some downloaded gift that is not as personal? You are truly delusional. Same with music. Music quality is better on the actual CD, NOT the downloaded form on itunes, amazon, etc. And it makes a better gift for being physical.
Please open your minde.
Please open your mind Steven! We are talking about buying DVDs! Which no one is doing!!! Ok, no one is an exaggeration, but people are NOT buying DVDs like they used to. What planet are you living on??? People are buying less and renting and downloading more. The home entertainment industry is in flux. Again, take a look at the retail space devoted to DVD in the big box retailers, “it ain’t what it used to be!”
Again, I repeat, you also must have been one of those brilliant record execs who said that people won’t choose downloads over the physical product. We are not talking about quality, that is a whole other issue. We are also not talking about the value of the bonus features.
Sorry Steven, but it is you who is truly delusional. It is not a matter of what I want or what you want. I agree with you that the music quality is better on a CD, I agree with you that having a physical DVD is nice, and makes a great gift. However, you need to open up your mind and do some reading to see that the business is shrinking not expanding. Your personal preference to purchase a physical CD or DVD has nothing to do with the reality of what is happening in the marketplace.
By remaining ignorant of how the consumer is spending their entertainment dollars, it is people like you who helped contribute to the demise of the music industry, and now the home entertainment industry.
I still buy DVD’s. Granted I do rent / download more films on my xbox and PS3 these days, I still enjoy owning physical copies of movies that I love. If I rented a movie and it sucked, I won’t be buying it. But if I loved the movie, I’m going to own the DVD. So I guess that makes me an an idiot.
You think $30 million would be a disappointment? Yeah man, I’d love for it to open like an Adam Sandler movie too, but this is an adult-skewing starless drama opening at the beginning of October. Best to get your head out of the clouds.
Aside from your misguided comment about the movie being a financial “dissapointment”, insinuating that Justin Timberlake deserves an Oscar nod for his mediocre acting completely discredits your entire post.
LMAO!
Justin deserving a Oscar? Which planet you from?
Did you even see TSN?
Justin Timberlake did a damn good job of acting in it.
Timberlake took more than a few people out of the story because his acting was not on par with Jesse’s or Andrew’s.
You can’t argue that the part would have been better had they cast someone with more talent.
I disagree. Justin Timberlake not only exceeded my expectations, his portrayal of Parker was one of the stand out performances in the film.
You didn’t think Justin did a good job? Please explain in great detail. Otherwise, I’m gonna ask you what galaxy you are from. Sorry.
Case 39 was actually pretty effective
The crowd I saw it with 80 % full jumped, screamed
and it held everyone’s attention.
Think The Ring meets Orphan meets The Exorcist
I thought LET ME IN would do better, Lots of genre
movies came out, don’t forget the dreadful CHAIN LETTER
and HATCHET 2 so audiences were being selective
but one thing is for sure
EMMA STONE is a SUPERSTAR with Easy A !!!!
A superstar… really?
I enjoyed Easy A think Emma Stone has lots of potential – but come on!
She will be if she does play MJ in SM.
She just got cast as Mary Jane in the new Spiderman. Someone thinks she has superstar potential.
Emma Stone will be a superstar after she stars in “The Help” next year.
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN was a fabulous movie and fans resented the idea of the remake LET ME IN very very much. The trailer didn’t help one bit. Let’s see if fans can resist their curiousity, though.
BRADLEY COOPER *doesn’t* star in CASE 39, his role is rather small. That’s just one of the problems this movie has – he should have co-starred with Zellweger. Author wrote himself in a corner. Far cry from the superior, similarly themed ORPHAN.
I thought THE SOCIAL NETWORK killed its own buzz. Weren’t the press screenings scheduled very close to the release date or something? I don’t see a lot of interest, which is surprising. WOM could work its magic. Fingers crossed.
Let Me In’s number was low no matter the scale. The only prayer it has will be the positive critical buzz getting some asses in seats. Not likely but studio’s gotta be praying. I really hoped it would resonate with wide audience. *sigh*
I thought THE SOCIAL NETWORK killed its own buzz.
I don’t know what part of the country you live in, but all showings of this movie were completely sold out opening night at the theater I saw it at. That’s what GOOD buzz does. Sony knows what they’re doing.
another Nikki-being-breathless-about-Amy P-story…cmon…not hard to find out that Fincher definitely DID make money up front…not his full fee..but Sorkin made 3 for the screenplay up front and Rudin got full fee for his producing efforts…full fee for Rudin and he STILL couldn’t get the real Harvard for Fincher to shoot- they had to settle for a school nearby which everyone knows ‘just doesn’t cut it’ for the ever exactly Fincher..oh and who knows producing fee wise what DeLuca, Kevin and the self promoting do noting Dana Brunetti also pulled in//.
Something tells me Blake didn’t go to Harvard.
Yes Blake writes with all the grace and erudition of an E! hostess.
For all of the hype, ‘Social Network’ is a flop! Only 25m?! Jeezus!! A Tyler Perry Film open bigger than that!!
You cannot compare Tyler Perry comedies with a drama.
It’s not a flop.
If this movie is a flop then THE TOWN was a flop as well since THE TOWN cost the same and made less its opening weekend.
Overhyped, maybe. A flop, no.
It’s is amazing how much leeway Fincher gets from everyone. Seriously, what was the publicity budget on this film? It’s got to be 60-70 mil easy. They’ve had sneaks all over the country, the stars and the filmmakers have been on every show available except Sesame Street, major TV and Internet AD buys for over a month and you know they still have to mount a major OScar campaign.
For all of this they a mid-20′s opening and a B+ viewer rating. A B+ on opening day with the very people that want to see it. Wait till a few regular people stumble in to see it over the weekend. I predict the WOM in most of the country will be brutal. I saw it at 12:05 down by USC and there was a small smattering of applause after the film but that was it. If those kids are less than enthused think about everyone else.
TSN is simply the most over hyped film ever. It’s not revolutionary or generational like the blowhard critics are saying. It’s pure Sorkin where everyone sounds alike and talks incessantly, pure Fincher i.e. he simply shoots the script as written in a slick commercial kind of way and sends his gaffer home early so even the daytime scenes looks dark and other than Eisenberg, who is indeed brillaint, the actors could be any young actors out there. It’s kind of like 21 if all the kids sounded like they imitating the West Wing and you could barely see.
The only thing the Social Network is going to prove is just how completely worthless Internet hype and the the critics are in this day and age. And how irrelevant they are anyway. Comparing this film to Citizen Kane and The Godfather. Any critic who mentioned either film in their review as a comparison should be summarily fired this weekend.
You need to remember that this is only opening weekend, and if Social Network ends up on top Monday morning, “THE NUMBER ONE MOVIE IN AMERICA” will bring in all manner of curiosity seekers throughout the following week. That’s how movies work.
And yes, the Internet buzz definitely helped, but positive WOM will help much more.
Comparing this film to Citizen Kane and The Godfather. Any critic who mentioned either film in their review as a comparison should be summarily fired this weekend.
The film is really good but is no Citizen Kane or Godfather. I’m not sure which critics you’ve been listening to.
Reminds me more of All The President’s Men.
I believe critics compare The Social Network to Citizen Kane in terms of story. Both of these movies tell the story of someone who rises to power yet still yearn for something in their past. Zuckerberg and Kane will step on and over their friends (i.e. people who help them along the way) in order to get what they want. Zuckerberg alone at the laptop parallels Kane walking around his cavernous house. What’s wrong with you? Don’t you enjoy films?
So after all the hype and the great reviews this movie opened with barely more than what the Bounty Hunter did opening weekend. Wallstreet also did the same amount of business it’s opening weekend and you called that a hit. Maybe it’s time to stop bashing Jennifer Aniston Nikke.
The difference is the OVERALL take. From what I understand, Aniston’s films typically either circle the profit bowl and just BARELY make it to the bottom, aka breakeven, or just eek out a pittance of return. The last film she did opened below a Bow Wow flick. That ain’t good.
THAT’S (one of the reasons) why Nikke bashes Aniston.
Why is everyone so obsessed with The Bounty Hunter?
Bill – Ha Ha, you’re alright!! You nailed Fincher COLD
It’s rare that a critically acclaimed drama with no action, no movie stars (sorry Timberlake), and heavy dialogue does this well in its opening weeekend. Heck, the studios don’t even make movies like this anymore!
Not a flop.
No movie Stars? Justing Timberlake and Jesse Eisenburg? Hello??
Justin Timberlake is not a movie star.
Ah, poor baby is pissed because he failed math.
Blake – the self promoting “do noting” Brunetti? If you knew anything about this project, which clearly you don’t, you would know that Brunetti is the reason this project exists as he worked with Mezrich to get Saverin to talk in the first place. No Saverin, no source, and no proposal for Sorkin to get swept up by. How you’ve looked past Rudin when talking about self-promoting producers is beyond me.
Dana, shut up. You’re regarded as being as important to this movie as the projector is. No theater projector, no movie. You aren’t but a pimple on Sorkin’s ass.
thanks for schooling me on that Dana..i mean Brake. don’t worry..I’m sure when you push Cean Chaffin to the ground to get up there and try and touch the Oscar…everyone will know how much you did on the project.
I see what you did there. That was clever. Sounds like you’d like to touch an Oscar. Try making a good film rather than getting your facts wrong on an anonymous message board.
Ha Ha. Being accused of replying to a post about me that I didn’t post. Love the interwebs.
To “Blake”, I have no problem posting under my own name if I have something to say (as I am here) and admittedly I am a self promoter (I do work in Hollywood), but your comment of me being a do nothing I find quite funny. While some sit and post anonymously from the dark corners of the internet, I’m out doing things that they, and especially you, can only dream of while taking blind, uninformed swipes from your keyboard. Do a little research and you will see that “Brake” is correct, and I do not need to push anyone to the ground who helped make this project happen. Have a great weekend.
defensive people always make me laugh. you just gave them what they all want, dana.
Snarking on a producer the weekend his film is #1 reeks of jealousy, no matter what role he had in bringing it to life. Getting films made is harder than hard. And he was in the group that pulled this one off. Go pull off a #1 film yourself, haters.
Even more importantly, tip of the hat to anybody who uses their real name here. A-hole or saint, narcissist, neurotic or nut-job, it’s a badge of honor to own up to your words. Maybe one day I’ll have the balls to do it.
My personal prediction is this film will have huge legs. I didn’t get to see it at the guild screenings as they were overbooked. It was sold out at the theater near my place in NY this weekend so far. It’s feels like a must-see and I think a lot of people are just waiting for the frenzy to die down so they can go watch it without the insane crowds. That may be more of a city thing, for sure, but the drop-off next week is going to be an interesting number. I may eat my words. As William Goldman said about Hwood “Nobody knows anything”, but I really think cum BO is going to be solid.
ps: I’ve never met Dana Brunetti personally.
I have met Dana Brunetti, personally, in fact he got my script produced and me in the director’s chair, although I had never directed anything before.
He did it through determination and sheer force of will, when everyone in Hollywood said it couldn’t be done.
He obviously needs no defending here, as he done it himself, but Blake, you are an idiot and a coward. If you knew anything, you would know he produced Ben Mezrich’s other book, “Bringing Down the House” and was the primary catalyst for TSN.
You would be lucky to ever work with a producer like Dana.
And I’d like extra whip cream on my cappuccino, chop, chop.
I’m sure some may blast me for nit-picking, but I’m not addressing a typo or the grammar of a reader’s reply, but…How can any person with an education not understand the difference between “could care less” and the intended “couldn’t care less”?
That bugged me a lot as well.
In the Unites States, they both mean the same. A while ago, Harper’s Dictionary of Usage… accused the term, “couldn’t” as being a debasement of the English language but that assessment is archaic and modern usage has made the distinction irrelevant.
No. No they don’t mean the same thing.
In EVERYDAY ENGLISH when speaking in conversation, they mean THE DAMN SAME. Now move on, as this post is about box office.
Not it England it doesn’t mean the same. One makes sense, the other doesn’t. Simple.
When you could not care less, you are the most careless, and it’s the lowest you can go for your concern for a movie, or anything.
When you could care less, it’s not necessarily the worst movie you have seen.
Regardless of if Let Me In is unnecessary, Matt Reeves did a phenomenal job with a near impossible task of remaking a masterpiece which is based on a piece of literature, not the film Let The Right One In. Critics agree for the most part and it should do better. The movie is worth seeing in it’s own right and it’s not a shot for shot remake. Anyone who really knows both movies, would know that.
The Social Network is superb.
Sorkin is brilliant.
Just one thought – don’t jump on me. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of anti-semitism in TSN. I say this because Zuckerberg was accused of doing the same thing that Jewish people have been unfairly accused of doing for two millennium.