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I don’t know how The Weinstein Co is going to stay on track with its reorganized finances if Dimension films keep bombing like this: a weak $12M opening weekend from 3,295 theaters. The whole underpinning of the Weinstein Brothers’ success at Miramax was that Dimension threw off wheelbarrows of box office cash. No more. Here’s yet another unnecessary sequel not helped by its 4D gimmickry, Aroma-Scope schtick, or Robert Rodriguez. (See Robert Rodriguez On His ‘Spy Kids’ Stinker.) The Weinstein Co saw the handwriting on the wall and didn’t bother to brief the media on the film ahead of time — and then failed to send out grosses Friday. With a ‘B+’ Cinemascore and exit polls showing that kids rated the film much higher than parents did (72 excellent and 90 in the top 2 boxes), the film should have done better especially with 3D’s higher ticket prices. But Spy Kids: All The Time In The World had 60/40 with 2D in terms of screens but only 54/46 in terms of business. (To give you some context, The Smurfs was 77/23 with 2D, which is more in line with the family film trend). Dimension can keep making this sequel swill, but until it comes up with fresh ideas for fresh films, then TWC could tank again.
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I’d like to think audiences are finally getting sick of sequels, remakes, and unnecessary 3D. But it’s probably more that 3 movies appealing to roughly the same genre audiences diluted the box office.
The first person on any of these three “autopsies” to make sense. I agree with the second sentence 100%. I actually saw two out of the three “bombs” this weekend, and enjoyed them both. Sorry “Conan,” you didn’t get any love this time, but maybe on DVD.
This one failed because it was too “busy” and unfocused. It was marketed as a mess of a film with no story or point. The first Spy Kids movies were about a brother and sister who became super spies. It was a cute concept, and kids latched on. Now it’s just been milked to death and makes no sense to boot. Then on top of that you have a bad actress sex symbol who even in her hayday couldn’t pack a theater in a leading role, turned mom. I actually like Alba, but c’mon! And her supporting actors….the guy from The Soup? Really? Yeaaaah. Ok. And people are really asking why this bombed?
He’s also the guy from Community, a very good show, BTW.
That is a good show, but c’mon. Like people would care either way about him. A good family film is appealing to both the kids and their parents. This one killed all appeal to parents with bad casting and on screen chaos.
Rodriguez wanted to make a ‘stinker.’ Success!
Is that just a pun, or do you think Rodriguez was trying to kill the franchise for good like Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson?
Just from the previews alone you could tell it was a stupid movie, with a stupid plot, bad acting, and poor visual effects — even for a kids movie.
What has happened to Jessica Alba? Who’s helping her make these bad career choices?
What has happened to Jessica Alba? Well she cannot act to save her life and there are a dozen pretty girls in her age group who can. I think she is damn lucky to be working.
Robert Rodriguez makes shitty movies. Can we all finally stop pretending otherwise?
Amen
He may have had some promise in the 90s but after his recent run of terrible films its clear he will never be a great director
Scary Movie 4 is so far TWC Dimension’s only real hit, so it’s easy to see why they revived their old Miramax Dimension franchises out of desperation. Will their first theatrical sequel to a TWC Dimension movie, Piranha 3DD, do any better or worse?
This movie needed more Cash Warren.
No autopsy necessary… this was DOA ten years ago. these movies just suck. for parents, for kids, even coma victims. Rod thought he could cash in on the kiddies, but he cashed out creatively.
No Carla Gugino = No Good
I didn’t spot Antonio Banderas.
No doubt. I have fantasies about Carla on a nightly bases. She could read an insurance pamphlet and I’d have a good night.
“SPy Kids 4″ had Jessica Alba WHO IS THE WORLDS WORSE ACTRESS. ANybody that over the age of 16 knows she can’tact and she is not funny! If HW wants make sure a comedy will fail cast Jessica Alba.
First of all, why are we talking about Rodriguez as though he’s such a fabulous director? His movies are famously dark, gory, and mostly tasteless. Why would anyone think he has such an inside track on how to make a kid’s movie work? The Spy Kids movies were not great to begin with, why would anyone think he could hit this one out of the park or even hit a single? When I saw in the previews the toddler bringing down the bad guy and the dog shooting balls out his posterior, I just thought, corny to the 10th degree. I think they forgot about one important factor: family movies shouldn’t appeal ONLY to kids, but also to the adults who take them to the theater and PAY for the tickets…
Being a DIYer seems to be Rodriguez’s main appeal.
First of all I think they waited way to long to make this. If they wanted to make another one of these it should have been at most four years after the third one. I remember being in 8th grade and being dragged to this movie. It wasn’t that great then and it sure as hell isn’t now. I don’t know why anyone would cast Jessica alba or Joe mchale but whoever did needs to get fired ASAP. Joe mchale should just stick to community and the soup.
We did get the well-received and profitable The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D and Shorts.
It has a 23 on Rotten Tomatoes.
A TWENTY-THREE.
The stench is keeping people away (in more ways than one).
A Machete sequel in 3D with sniff cards might not be a bad idea!
“Smell now for Trejo sweat!”
The problem isn’t so much the lack of quality or staleness… the problem is that kids just aren’t interested in pure live-action PG movies anymore. It seems that it has to at least be a hybrid w/ CGI/animation like Smurfs or Hop for a live-action PG flick to have a chance.
Look at the recent pure-ish live-action movies: 2011 (Zookeeper, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Judy Moody), 2010 (Percy Jackson, Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of whatever, Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Tooth Fairy, Cats & Dogs) and 2009 (Race to Witch Mtn, Pink Panther 2, Where the Wild Things Are) — all of these pretty much tanked. (as always, there are exceptions, like Blart, Night/Museum).
Yeah, some of these films do have CGI in them, but not in the colorful animated variety a la the successful hybrids but not in the colorful animated variety like Chipmunks, Smurfs, Hop, Alice & Wonderland, Yogi Bear, etc. It’s as if kids won’t watch it unless there are bright, literally colorful characters on screen.
It makes me worried for The Muppets movie coming up.
Puppets are live-action?
To Stink: is it the kids or the parents not taking kids to see the live-action movies you mention? Most of the films you mentioned (ZOOKEEPER, JUDY MOODY, POPPER’S PENGUINS, CATS & DOGS, etc.) did NOT get good reviews from critics who are adults and for whom the movies are not made. These films did get good reviews from kids (that’s what we do at KidsPickFlicks.com – give kids a place to review films that are marketed to them).
Incidentally, SPY KIDS 4 is for elementary age kids – and the KidsPickFlicks critics who saw it liked it. The 16-year old critic who grew up with the franchise, however, was devastated.
Did anyone *want* another Spy Kids movie? Plus, Alba being in a pic is almost always a guarantee that it’s total dog-shit. Sure, it’s an accomplishment for her to still have it at her age, especially after getting “ruined” by Cash Warren, but her looks are all she’s got. And if no one wanted to watch her for free on Flipper, why the hell would they see her in Spy Kids?
Dear Bob Weinstein. Yeah, we all know the majors are having unfortunate luck rebooting all their lame fanboy franchises. But miramax was never a major. Stop trying to imitate them by franchising ad infinitum every tired name brand you created a decade ago. Show some balls already. Let the majors do what they do. Now you go back to doing something cooler. Asap.
I think its a good thing that some film-makers want to make family movies. But here’s a radical idea: How about one that isn’t dumbed down with unneeded 3D and gimmickry, but rather has a good story to tell? Rodriquez has the ability to be a good film-maker, but especially with the Spy Kids sequels it just seems like he stopped trying. (Others make that same contention about some of his other efforts.)
Aside from the investment a large or small studio makes in a film these days, there is also the investment an audience has to make as well. Would a family of four really pay, say, $40 or more for tickets (not counting concession purchases), for this film? The box office numbers seem to say “no”.
Thing is, too many studios (movie and television) underestimate the taste and savviness of younger viewers. Kids know when they are being pandered to and there are only so many poop and fart jokes that can be squeezed into a film. (Are you listening Sandler, Schneider, and others?) Few of today’s offerings are in danger of being considered “classics”, so maybe they won’t get remade again by 2013. Maybe presumign they even want to be “classics” may be to great a leap.
Take a look at previous “classic” childrens movies and you will see they deal with fairly adult themes. Bambi and Ol’ Yeller, for instance, dealt with fairly strong themes, although they are still considered childrens fare by many.
One studio that seems to understand this is Pixar. Up, as an example, dealt with death and loss in its first 20 minutes. Theree were light moments to be sure, but the film never pandered to children. The same could be said of the Toy Story franchise, Wall-E, the first Cars, and others. They work on many age levels and can withstand multiple viewings. Good writing, story telling, and character development are key attributes to this.
Sadly, this effort by Rodriquez is all too forgettable and was not embraced by its core audience. Maybe it will do better in DVD sales and downloads, or should have been a direct-to-DVD release. Either way, Robert, we hope your career doesn’t follow M. Night Shamlyan’s trajectory.
An unnecessary sequel and horrible marketing – a perfect combination for disaster
This autopsy report is wrong for the simple fact that the movie didn’t bomb. It will make money.
That’s what they said about Scream 4.
I went to dinner with three 7- and 8-year-olds Friday, without having read any movie reviews, and the children told me Spy Kid 4D was the best movie ever made and that it was hilarious.
I think one thing that happened to films Friday is that the weather was horrible. No one who was under a nice dry roof Friday evening in the Northeast wanted to go outside.
But, anyhow: I think it’s a myth that children necessarily prefer animation over live action.
Children want movies that are straightforward, funny and exciting, but not too scary or otherwise disturbing.
People who make animated films tend to make fairly straightforward, easy-to-understand films, so children go into an animated film expecting to be able to enjoy it.
But when children go into a live-action film — even a mediocre live-action film like the Spy Kids sequels or the new Flubber — and they can understand the film, they’re just as happy with a live-action film as with a comparable animated film.
Not all kids are interchangeable and simple-minded.