2ND UPDATE: Charlie Sheen Fired Selma Blair From … 
Time Warner Cable Sued For Passing Lakers-Dodgers Costs On … 
Jonah Hill Signs For Management With LBI 
TOLDJA! ‘Dumb And Dumber To’ Proves No-Brainer … 
Salma Hayek’s Animated Passion Project ‘The … 
Relativity Moves Scott Cooper’s ‘Out Of The … 
Hot Trailer: ‘The Lego Movie’ 
Russell Crowe Sets ‘The Water Diviner’ For … 
Comedy ‘I Didn’t Do It’ Gets Series Order … 
CNN’s ‘New Day’ Debut Up In Demo But … 
Liv Tyler To Co-Star In Damon Lindelof’s HBO Pilot … 
DreamWorks Animation Launches Effort To Re-Position Itself … 
‘Pacific Rim’ Sequel In Planning Stages, … 
Legendary “Down To Handful” Of Studio Suitors: … 
UPDATE: Dan Harmon Apologizes For Comments Slamming … 
Paramount- Montecito Set Black List Scribes Eyal Podell … 
‘Bioshock’ Creator Ken Levine Takes On … 
Deadline Expands: Hires Washington Post Journalist Lisa De … 
Ratings Rat Race: ‘The Voice’ Rises, … 
Angelina Jolie Stunt Double Files First U.S. Phone-Hacking … 
MGM & BermanBraun Sign TV Production Deal, First-Look … 
April 27-29 Weekend Actuals
1. Think Like A Man (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 2 [2,015 Theaters] PG13
Friday $5.5M, Saturday $7.7, Sunday $4.4M Weekend $17.6M (-48%), Cume $60.5M2. Pirates! Band of Misfits 3D (Aardman/Sony) NEW [3,358 Theaters] PG
Friday $2.7M, Saturday $5.1M, Sunday $3.3M Weekend $11.1M3. The Hunger Games (Lionsgate) Week 6 [3,572 Theaters] PG13
Friday $3M, Saturday $5.0 M, Sunday $2.6M Weekend $10.8M (-26%), Cume $372.0M4. The Lucky One (Warner Bros) Week 2 [3,175 Theaters] PG13
Friday $3.9M, Saturday $4.6M, Sunday $2.3M, Weekend $10.8M (-52%), Cume $39.4M5. The Five-Year Engagement (Universal) NEW [2,936 Theaters] R
Friday $3.5M, Saturday $4.5M, Sunday $2.6M, Weekend $10.6M6. Safe (Lionsgate) NEW [2,266 Theaters] R
Friday $2.6M, Saturday $3.1M, Sunday $2.1M Weekend $7.9M7. The Raven (Intrepid/Relativity) NEW [2,203 Theaters] R
Friday $2.5M, Saturday $2.9M, Sunday $1.8M, Weekend $7.3M8. Chimpanzee (Disney) Week 2 [1,567 Theaters] G
Friday $1.6M, Saturday $2.2M, Sunday $1.4M Weekend $5.2M (-51%), Cume $18.9M9. The Three Stooges (Fox) Week 3 [3,105 Theaters] PG
Friday $1.3M, Saturday $2.5M, Sunday $1.4M Weekend $5.2M (-47%), Cume $36.9M10. Cabin in The Woods (Lionsgate) Week 3 [2,639 Theaters] R
Friday $1.4M, Saturday $2.0M, Sunday $1.2M,Weekend $4.6M (-42%), Cume $34.8M
Marvel’s ‘The Avengers’ Amasses $178.4M Overseas
SUNDAY AM, 7TH UPDATE: I’m still on vacation but can’t ignore four 
new low-cost movies opening in North American wide release and performing worse than expected at the box office. This was one of 2012′s worst weekends with overall box office $111M, or a big -30% down from last year. Full analysis in the morning. Universal’s R-rated comedy The Five–Year Engagement (2,936 theaters) from Judd Apatow’s banner is tanking. Good thing it was low-budget. It fell victim to both of last weekend’s winners and one newcomer. Sony/Screen Gems’ holdover Think Like A Man (2,014 theaters) will end up #1 (and may be the first ‘urban comedy’ to finish on top two weeks in a row since director Tim Story’s Barbershop). Sony’s 3D Aardman toon Pirates! Band Of Misfits (3,358 theaters) jumped into second place by end of Sunday because of its kiddie matinee bump. Its worldwide total to date is $75.1M. Warner Bros’ The Lucky One (3,175 theaters) ended up #3. Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games (3,572 theaters) hangs in for #4 as it inches towards $375M domestic cume. Lionsgate’s Safe (2,266 theaters) and Relativity’s acquisition of Intrepid Pictures’ The Raven (2,203 theaters) also struggled to open this weekend. Audiences handed out the following CinemaScores: The Five-Year Engagement ‘B-’, Pirates! ‘B’, Safe ‘B+’, The Raven ‘B’. Full analysis coming.
Here’s the Top Ten (based on weekend estimates):
1. Think Like A Man (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 2 [2,015 Theaters] PG13
Friday $5.5M, Saturday $7.6, Weekend $17.4M (-48%), Cume $60.8M
2. Pirates! Band of Misfits 3D (Aardman/Sony) NEW [3,358 Theaters] PG
Friday $2.7M, Saturday $5.1M, Weekend $11.4M
3. The Lucky One (Warner Bros) Week 2 [3,175 Theaters] PG13
Friday $3.9M, Saturday $4.8M, Weekend $11.3M (-50%), Cume $39.9M
4. The Hunger Games (Lionsgate) Week 6 [3,572 Theaters] PG13
Friday $2.9M, Saturday $4.6M, Weekend $11.2M, Cume $372.4M
5. The Five-Year Engagement (Universal) NEW [2,936 Theaters] R
Friday $3.5M, Saturday $4.5M, Weekend $11.2M
6. Safe (Lionsgate) NEW [2,266 Theaters] R
Friday $2.6M, Saturday $3.0M, Weekend $7.7M,
7. The Raven (Intrepid/Relativity) NEW [2,203 Theaters] R
Friday $2.5M, Saturday $2.9M, Weekend $7.2M,
8. Chimpanzee (Disney) Week 2 [1,567 Theaters] G
Friday $1.6M, Saturday $2.1M, Weekend $5.4M (-49%), Cume $19.1M
9. The Three Stooges (Fox) Week 3 [3,105 Theaters] PG
Friday $1.3M, Saturday $2.4M, Weekend $5.4M, Cume $37.1M
10. Cabin In The Woods (Lionsgate) Week 3 [2,639 Theaters] R
Friday $1.4M, Saturday $2.0M, Weekend $4.5M, Cume $34.6M
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
Loading ...
Sony really doesn’t know what they’re doing in the Animation dept. After Hannah’s “Cloudy/Meatballs” (which was also largely driven by Lord/Miller, who proved they weren’t a fluke with “Jump Street”), Sony hasn’t had a fully-animated hit. Arthur Christmas, Pirates, even the Transylvania film looks iffy. With Sony’s stellar marketing abilities, they really should be given better films to sell.
Mike – check your stats first. Sony’s The Smurfs grossed almost $600m worldwide, so I think they do know what they are doing if given the right animated property to sell.
Did you actually see The Smurfs…? It was horrendous.
Yes, it’s a commercial property – thanks to Michael Lynton.
Johnnybegood, check the original poster’s message carefully before writing stupid stuff. The guy has a point because he mentioned “fully animated hit”.
Totally agree. I’m sure Michael Lynton will make some changes and figure things out there — especially since he was the one who brought in Smurfs (their only global semi-animated hit).
Hotel Transylvania looks like another unfunny flop. Have you seen that new trailer??
Arthur Christmas was actually pretty good and got the reviews to match; it just wasn’t released at a decent time. Too many other kid’s films were competing AND children’s films took a massive hit at the end of 2011, regardless of perceived quality. As for Teh Pirates, Stop Motion films hardly ever do “huge number”, it’s more of a credit to those studios and artists (Tim Burton, Nick Park, Henry Selick etc.) who keep that particular art form going, when there is a very definite limit on the box office potential, than anything else.
Yes Sony needed to get a big hit to follow Meatballs, but in teaming up with Aardman they went for quality and hoped that quality would lead to box office. Alas, as we all know, Good films fail and bad films succeed every single month (every week?!) in this business.
“Arthur Christmas was actually pretty good and got the reviews to match; it just wasn’t released at a decent time.”
November-December isn’t a “decent time”? When should it have been released — April or May? lol.
I make it very clear that I’m referring to the fact that there were to many films aimed at children released at the same time. It came out on the same date as 2 other children’s films and one week after another. In the UK it came out 2 weeks earlier and it did very well indeed, increasing it’s take week n week up to Christmas. If they had released n the same date in North America it would have had no other kids films against it for a week and then could have carried on grossing through Christmas. It may not have done much better after the other films opened, but word of mouth have helped it and it would have had a shot at a bigger opening weekend / week.
Considering that both Arthur Christmas and Pirates! have both been incredibly well-received despite their lack of monetary success, I’d say it’s the marketing department at Sony that has failed them.
Look at the upcoming Spider-Man reboot. It received next to zero audience awareness/anticipation in a recent Fandango poll. Save for 21 Jump Street, Sony’s marketing is reaching Disney-with-John-Carter levels of failure.
How would you have marketed PIRATES and ARTHUR CHRISTMAS differently?
Sony Marketing pretty much sold the movies exactly as they were, and they spent a TON of money doing it.
Actually none of you know what you’re talking about.
The Sony brass made a multi-picture deal with England’s Aardman Studios, banking on another breakout hit like Chicken Run. Sony Animation doesn’t touch the films, they are finished acquisitions, and the poor marketing department has to scramble to make commercial whatever dry British humor non-concept may show up at their feet and their group would have never approved.
Uh, that’s actually not true. Osher championed the Aardman deal and Sony Animation IS involved in the selection of the concepts/projects. They DO have development involvement as well, but have chosen to let Aardman have a looser leash. Chicken Run was not an “accident” — DreamWorks developed it, and it was a fun (aka commercial) high concept.
But, given that Aardman has this leeway, it’s not a good sign that the only well-reviewed films Sony Animation has released are the ones you say they didn’t actually develop or oversee. Meanwhile, something like Smurfs (which is an enormous worldwide property) was a hit even though the movie was terrible. My kids can’t even make it through the entire movie.
I’m very surprised that Five Year Engagement isn’t doing better business this weekend. I thought the trailer was pretty funny and Jason Segel seems to have a following. Not sure the Avengers theory below is 100% right, but something else (strange) must have played a role.
Yeah, cause we all know if “well-received” movies don’t make money, it’s marketing’s fault. Tiny Furniture should have done 100!
Exactly. Clearly Sony Animation doesn’t know how to pick/develop commercial concepts. Somehow, with all of the strength of the studio’s marketing, a great visual effects company, and a marketplace that really grows for big animated hits, Sony Animation keeps striking out. Feels like everything good they’ve had was a result of Hannah Minghella’s time in that division.
They now rank behind Pixar, Dreamworks, Disney, Fox, Illumination, and even Paramount (who are at least one for one with Rango). Only Warner Bros, with misstep after misstep in animation, actually have a worse animation track record than Sony.
Um, no one knew Lord/Miller before Cloudy.
So they are hardly the reason for it doing well.
Have you seen Arthur Christmas or the Pirates!?
They are brilliant films. It’s too bad that their marketing department can’t find a way to make British humour relatable to the American populace.
Then again, when you all embrace Cars 2, Mater and Larry the Cable Guy, it’s no wonder.
Sorry, Sense. They’re not brilliant films. And no one said that Lord/Miller brought an audience to ANY of their movies. They just helped make Cloudy the only decent/good film that Sony Animation has released. That’s one movie out of eight… And Smurfs (non-animated) was their only global hit — because Lynton (as the above post points out) got the rights to a big global property.
How can these films compete when they are on hugely different amounts of screens?
5-Year. . . . . . . . . .2,936 Theaters
Think Like Man. . .2,014 Theaters
Pirates. . . . . . . . . .3,358 Theaters
The Raven. . . . . . .2,203 Theaters
ONCE AGAIN, the success of a “Black” film is not given its just due. Less screens and less theaters BUT STILL manages to beat out the huge marketing campaigns, mega stars and hoopla Hollywood machine. Think Like A Man per screen average was over twice the amount as the other top five (5) movies last week. Hollywood is full of awful people.
Think Like a Man is a black film?! I just thought it was funny…
(I’m white, by the way)
Matt–
You’re right, it is just a comedy, but unfortunately the media critics, who are also white BTW, insist on calling it “urban” (which happened here last week) and when that failed to stop it from being number one last week they took the gloves off and flat-out said, it’s “aimed at black moviegoers,” even though NONE of the film’s producers or actors ever said anything like that.
This is a tactic thats been used by media critics to attack black-led films, by deliberately trying to stuff them into a niche, and limit their marketing/revenue potential, with an ethnic exclusivity label.
Well, sicne TLAM is outperforming everyone this weekend can we start calling Judd Apatow’s latest flick a “suburban comedy aimed squarely at whites” now?
That’s not what I got from Kirk’s comment. It may be labeled as ‘a black movie’ and have a disadvantage because of it but this movie reaches beyond racial boundaries to attact all kinds of people. There were no extra theaters for them, no over-the-top promtion, no media rounds–just word of mouth. That is why it remains number one.
Laughed my ass off at this movie: Kevin Hart and Regina Hall are hilarious. Though I’m thrilled it’s number one two weeks in a row, I think without the “urban” label, it would definitely make even more.
your really insightful argument (which isn’t really addressed when picking box office winners & losers) was undermined at the last second with your weird hyperbole.
i am an awful person btw
Kirk, in vein with your post, below is my earlier post to a social media website:
“Just finished reading the LA Times’ Calendar (entertainment) section and was surprised! It wasn’t something I saw or read that surprised me, but rather what I didn’t see – an ad for the film “Think Like A Man.”
Usually when a studio has the #1 movie in America, they will cram that fact down our throats via ads. I did see ads for other already-opened films like “The Lucky One,” “Titanic 3D” and “Chimpanzee!” though.
Way to go Screen Gems/Sony! First you blew it by underestimating your film’s weekend take by over $15 million and now you’re missing another opportunity to capitalize on it’s success by full ad support. Smh.”
Kirk, after reading this article, I went back to the LA Times and saw that there is a full page ad for Sony’s “Pirates.” I guess Sony thought it best not to highlight the fact (even though one film is for kids, the other for adults) that they released two of their films in back-to-back weeks by advertising them both.
I remember the week TLAM came out it was given a little corner of Ad space in the Times whereas some unreleased movie (I think it was 5 Year) got a full page.
news flash… news paper ads account for diddley… THINK LIKE A MAN ads in LA Times not a ticket selling deal breaker…
And there’s a hint at Hollywood – and particularly Sony and Universal’s marketing problems, they are using marketing and media strategies that are 10 years old. TLAM is a funny movie that has the built in benefit of a core audience that goes to a lot of movies and is easy to reach with advertising. Missed opportunity in cross-over potential – which could have been picked up in previews, but I’m betting they only recruited from the urban population and so never even knew what they had.
Hollywood simply has no idea how to market bad movies anymore. Not to say they’re ALL bad but most are, and the way they used to win was to market so well it took a weekend to realize how bad they were but they’d hopefully made good $ by then.
Now it’s P&A spend vs. social contextual influence and the big guys don’t know how to play this game of attention currency. They’re too insulated–too disconnected from everyday people and the language of impulse to truly understand the war being waged against them by savvy little films that could.
It’s a beautiful time to be an independent movie producer.
Hollywood is not full of awful people. Just pretentious, clueless and self-absorbed. No one would market a movie for ‘white people’, but what a waste to take a movie like TLAM (which I haven’t seen but have had tons of friends, all races, tell me they how much they enjoyed it) and continue to treat it as a limited release….if the studio had a brain they’d jump in, expand it/position it as the breakout hit it seems to be and enjoy the fact that someone actually made – gasp – a good movie that people like. A rom-com, no less. The big irony is that T5YE was supposed to be the cool rom-com this weekend, with a tired premise and the same old people in front of/behind the camera…..
‘Fewer’ Kirk. Not less.
Jason S. is the man. Can’t wait to see Safe this weekend!
That weekend estimate for Five-Year Engagement seems a bit low to me. I would also expect a $12 mil+ weekend for Pirates.
Part of the reason for the slow numbers too has to be everyone waiting for The Avengers to come out next week. I think even the studios know that, thus the lack of any real strong films this week.
Yes, that’s it, i’m not gonna watch anything this weekend because I want to see the avengers next weekend — makes a whole lot of sense.
Hey, why waste money on a bunch of crappy movies this week when you can see a great one next week? All I’m saying.
They are hardly crappy movies, superhero fanboy.
Yes, the Avengers, I’ve seen it, is great, but these aren’t crappy.
Only a fanboy would say so.
That’s actually how a lot of people think believe it or not
Of course it makes sense. If you’ve only got so much in your budget for entertainment for May, and you’ve already decided you want to see “The Avengers”, if necessary you’re going to wait until that opens to go to the movies.
Obviously you’re not big on empathy, but there are plenty of people living on tight budgets at the moment, even if you’re not.
This is why I *rarely* go to the theater anymore. Why pay $5 at my local theater for a matinee when I can just wait until Redbox for a buck or sometimes no money for the promo codes? I’ve got more important things to plop my pell grant money down for than just going to the movies.
Yep, exactly. Why blow $25 for two people (not including popcorn, babysitting, parking, whatever) on an uncompelling movie when you know that a movie you truly want to see – in this case, The Avengers – is due in a week? If there was nothing exciting on the horizon, maybe I’d check out The Pirates. But because there’s plenty exciting on the horizon, I’m saving my money.
As noted it does make a lot of sense. If you want to take the family, lets say 2 adults and 2 kids, to see The Avengers in 3D next weekend, you are very likely to be thinking a trip for the same 4 to see the Pirates! in 3D is way more than your wallet will allow.
We took our two kids to ee Th Avengers (in the UK) on Thursday. If we didn’t have our cinema passes (Cineworld) it would have cost us £29.20, or $47.49. No snacks, no drinks, no special Avengers 3D glasses. Same again next week? and then in 2 weeks tie when Dark Shadows opens? For a lot of people that’s a big no.
Really? Lol!
It couldn’t simply be that nobody wants to see these movies (except THINK LIKE A MAN)? Don’t kid yourself to feel better about these numbers–that’s the other half the problem. The viewing audience is changing. What people want to see is changing. Hollywood isn’t changing. End of story.
Can we stop trying to make Emily Blunt a star now?
Can we stop trying to make Jason Segal a star now??
@Matt: That’s not really fair. T5YE means totally different things to the actors.
It’s just another day for Segel. He hasn’t attempted to establish himself as anything but a moderately-successful comedian, so T5YE is business as usual. It’s only a vehicle for Blunt, who’s been covering most genres.
I’m on the fence with Blunt. She isn’t a very talented actress, but she has a lot more class and discipline and self-respect than most actresses working today; have we even seen her undies yet? Too bad she hasn’t chosen any interesting scripts.
I adore Emily Blunt. I believe she doesn’t want to be a star, but she deserves a better film career. I will take Blunt over Rooney Mara, paint drying Michelle Williams, and the boring Carey Mulligan.
Hey say what you will about Williams and Mulligan, leave Mara alone!
Oh, how right you are! Blunt is an exceptional actor, who needs to be very careful right now. She should be getting Oscars rather than endlessly playing the girlfriend. Emily, please, dig deep: you have everything it takes.
Yes. Everything it takes except being a draw for moviegoers AND boxoffice success.
I’m a big fan of Emily Blunt too. She’s really good in Five Year Engagement. I’d love to see her continue to get big roles.
When your post says Jason S. is the man, and you are looking forward to Safe, it actually could mean Jason Segal and 5 Yr Engagement as well. Boring movie by the way (5YE) and probably only 10 people this afternoon at my theater.
yes 5 year engagement and safe are the same WTF?
I’m guessing he meant that 5 Year Engagement is a “safe” (i.e. predictable and unremarkable) movie.
Good to see Lionsgate back to business as usual. With Cabin in the Woods and now Safe, the Tim Palen marketing machine is back in full swing. Amazing they re-upped his deal through 2015. Only three more years of terrible grosses to look forward to.
JOHN CUSACK IS EDGAR ALLEN POE! Didja hear me? I said JOHN CUSACK IS EDGAR ALLEN POE! (Crickets). Whatever else he is, he ain’t a movie star.
If Johnny Depp was Poe, there would be a line around the block. The screening last night was instead filled with unintentional laughter at this pathetic SE7EN ripoff, as John Cusack played John Cusack in a moustache. Can’t wait for DARK SHADOWS!
I saw Sweeny Todd opening weekend. There was no line.
Hell, the theater was half empty. So there goes THAT theory.
John Cusack wasn’t the problem; the problem was I saw a whopping total of one trailer on TV before the movie opened yesterday, not to mention zilch posters or anything in the theaters (and I go at least once a month).
How’s anyone supposed to get excited over a film they don;t know is opening?
that means the studio knew it sucked.
I thought The Raven kind of ripped off From Hell not Se7en.
I saw the first TV commercial for “The Raven,” and it was so frightening, I had to block my eyes because the next time it was showing. It was scary enough to make me avoid it like the plague. I get goosebumps just even thinking about it, and I know it sounds like this is something a kid would say, but the movie really looked frightening judging from the commercials.
I’m sure others were turned off because the commercials were too scary even for regular television. Or maybe Edgar Allen Poe is not a figure people would want to see in a film.
So 5 year engagement was beaten out by a comedy with an all black cast playing in about 1000 less theaters in its second week of release.
That’s ok though. Hollywood will keep trying and trying and trying to make Jason Segel and Emily Blunt stars by giving them shot after shot, while all the awesome Black talent in TLAM will
be relegated to “black best friend” roles in mainstream film along with some TV work.
Kind of sad how 4 of the actors in the #1 flick in America are relegated to TV work (Ealy and Henson, with Good and Hall in pilots) while lackluster talents like Segel will be shoved in our faces on the big screen until the end of time.
agreed. Well said
While I am in debt for Segal to bringing back The Muppets, I must tip my cap to your superior argument.
Seriously. Nick Stoller and Jason Segel come up with jokes about their small penis size, and it’s considered art? Commerce? What?
Look around Hollywood. The country is diverse. People in China name black basketball players as their favorite Americans. And this country does not give a damn about Emily Blunt, even if she’s talented. She’s not Mila Kunis. That’s who guys AND girls want to see in movies. Hell, they even want to see Timberlake, who I can’t stand.
Start putting people of color as your leads, because people of color are the only ones turning out to see the swill that counts for major releases these days.
This business becomes more irrelevant by the day. And in 5, 10 or 15 years, there’s going to be something that rivals the Internet in terms of people’s time being spent on. Movies will never die, but you’re turning off audiences by giving them the same refried garbage in terms of stories and characters.
You are sooo right. But lets be completely candid. Hollywood is one of the most biased businesses on the planet and they get no push back because they do not “employ” people in the traditional sense. So the employment discrimination laws don’t technically apply to actors, writers and directors.
They don;t give a shit about equality and they will stay in this house on fire until it burns to the ground.
I beg to differ. Yes the actors in “Think Like a Man” are decent, but black talent, that’s not the main reason it’s doing well. It’s doing well because of the MESSAGE. “Think Like a Man” is promoted & discussed on conservative talk radio shows and the folks in fly over states listen. It has a great message, and America is sick of Hollywood crap, especially crap spewed out by overrated Judd Apatow and his list of hack actors and throwing his family in every film thinking America will love them… he’s rejected and movies with good messages are accepted.
No smart woman with common sense really gives a crap about no-degree-having Steve Harvey’s “message.” The movie’s well-written, Michael Ealy’s hot, Kevin Hart’s caught fire recently, and there has been a lack of palatable rom-coms that you would want to see on a date. This movie definitely filled a gaping void.
Steve Harvey has a college degree, or did you mean a psychology degree?
Clearly you know nothing about Kevin Hart’s massive fan base.
plz enlighten me about the myriad of massive movies where Hollywood have tried to make Emily Blunt a star. The semi-low buedgeted Adj Bureau. Any more?
She was the love interest in the awful Wolfman, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Gulliver’s Travels, and the forthcoming Looper. All coming from one amusing supporting performance in Prada.
If she had failed any greater in her big roll-out, she’d be Isla Fisher.
@track Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a low budget indie film that earned $11M WW and Gulliver’s Travels earned $238M WW. One of her next project, Your Sister’s Sister has RT=100%. Not sure about you, but I think she is pretty set.
youre a moron if you believe she gets decent parts from only her Prada role. Young Victoria? Jane Austen? Salmon Fishing? Your Siter’s Sister? The fact is she is a great actress.
If that translates to stardom is doubtful. BUT she certainly hasnt been thrown in to a lot of high budget movies yet. Only the atrocious moneylosing wolf man. The rest are low to medium budgeted movies. And they all made money
Gabrielle Union is filming a TV pilot now, too. So, that is 5 cast members.
I don’t know why people knock on TV. Television’s quality of work is much better than film nowadays. I’d rather bust out $24 a month for Showtime and HBO than go to the movies.
Who cares? Jason Segel is in a TV show too…
think like a man is the exception not the rule
THIS is the problem with Hollywood.
‘Black’ films are historically almost always financially successful given the typically low budgets behind them, yet when they rise to too unexpected box office levels, they are considered an ‘exception’. From ‘Waiting to Exhale’ to Tyler Perry’s films this is always the case. So tired of it. Black production company Rainforest Films has now produced five box office hits in a row: STOMP THE YARD, THIS CHRISTMAS, OBSESSION, TAKERS, & TLAM. But I guess these where all exceptions as well. If they were a ‘white’ production company we’d be hearing there names all over the trades, but instead they get barely a mention. Ridiculous.
love your post SL. Think Like A Man is an unqualified success and yet Hollywood, the inward-looking, circle-jerk factory that it is, will continue to drum beat Jason Segal into being a star, in spite of his middling Five-Year Engagement fiasco. Yes, Segal is funny and talented (Ie, the Muppets, You The Man, etc) but he is NOT a movie star. In a perfect world, Hollywood execs would be lining up the writing and producing talent of Think Like A Man and Nikki (or other Hollywood sites) would be talking on Monday about the dozens of projects the surprising success of that movie has yielded, based on the last two weekend box office triumphs. Alas, because Hollywood is still like much of America (biased and un-diverse behind closed corporate doors, and chock-full of nepotistic mediocrity) it will treat Think Like A Man like an anomaly rather than proof of a burgeoning, under-served and profitable market of cinematic eyeballs. Sigh.
Amazing how a movie underperforms and you all come in with your negativity.
@Jake Exactly! All this negativity is uncalled for.
I agree. No one has even seen 5 Year yet just assumes it is crap because the ‘sell’ side wasn’t great. I hear it is quite good. Comedy is hard to make and very subjective. Maybe 1 or 2 good comedies come out every year. But America made Horrible Bosses and Bad Teacher hits, and I walked out of both. 21 Jump Street was great.
I also love how Nikki jumps right at Judd in “Judd Apatow’s film bombs”. It was written, directed and produced by Nick Stoller. It was written, produced and led by Jason Segel. Yet called an Apatow film.
He does take such ownership to anything that is a hit – curious to what his ownership will be on this one.
I do think Judd’s ‘tone’ and group of actors have run their course. Most actors – like athletes – have a 3 year span where they are at the peak of their career. Rogen, Rudd, Segel… have had a good run. Time to find some new blood. Those comedies don’t feel fresh anymore – they feel contrived.
But I can guarantee that 5 Year is better than most.
The Three Stooges is performing better than expected which is nice to see. I haven’t seen the film yet and I want to really bad but I have almost no time to. Oh well, I’ll just wait until it hits DVD/Blu-Ray.
“The Three Stooges is performing better than expected”
no it isnt.
It is if you’re judging it by the directors of the movie who haven’t had a real hit in a decade.
I agree. The Three Stooges was my favorite film of the year. My kids have seen it three times and can’t wait to buy the DVD. I am surprised it didn’t make $100 million.
A movie can still be good and not do great box office…and vice versa too. Glad urban auds are getting films targeted to them, that market’s been underserved. I still have no desire to see TLAM, or T Perry movies, that just doesn’t appeal to me. It’s same-ism not the r word, I just don’t relate to that. But if you do, glad you can see them. Also, I like Emily Blunt and Jason Segal, but the movie is too long, same problem some other J Apatow comedies have, too long, they’re comedies, not Lawrence of Arabia.
Ok Hollywood, so what’s your latest excuse for not funding minority films and talent?
You probably didn’t hear me because you were too busy writing checks to some untalented white guys (Jason Segal, Jude Apatow…etc.)rather than listen to any black or hispanic filmmaker who just pitched you a story.
You were too busy putting a faded white movie star (Julia Roberts)on the cover of Vanity Fair rather than Taraji P. Henson. Jerks.
Because, other than Tyler Perry movies (and Red Tails and Think Like A Man), movies with black directors don’t open well. As for Hispanic directors, other than Gregory Nava (spelling?), there’s not that many, many of them end up as artsy fartsy fare only seen by hipsters.
There have been so few wide-release films with black directors in the last few years that aren’t TP or the two films mentioned above, and even fewer that are decently promoted, that to say they “don’t open well” is more self-fulfilling prophecy than anything else.
Del Toro has done alright for himself, despite his Hispanic ethnicity. I guess being a decent director is the important factor here, not race.
most films don’t open well. so what are you talking about? The opportunity to fail and still get opportunities is what it’s all about. Look at the lead in Safe, the dude gets chance after chance after chance to succeed.
But, has anyone else ever heard of it? That film you mentioned could been labeled as boring.
How does Think Like a Man represent quality or talent or even a competent marketing team? The only reason this homogenized crap is kicking ass is because it has the market cornered: Black audiences rarely get anything directly addressed to them. If we had 2-3 black-centric films released in 3000 theaters every week, the flash would soon evaporate.
And I totally agree on T5YE overlength. I thought it would end during the birthday scene, and then it goes on for another 25 minutes. Still, I’m surprised it’s opening that low . . . I’d have thought anything less than $15m would be considered near-disastrous.
“Think Like a Man”, if nothing else, had a great social-network-driven marketing scheme going for it. Every member of the cast and crew flooded Twitter and Facebook with updates about the film, and producer Will Packer had the cast pop up randomly at theaters in some of the major cities to surprise patrons.
Also, isn’t your hypothetical statement about 2-3 “black-centric” (huh?) films released every week just a bit over-exaggerated to sell your point?
Really where are these 2-3 black films released every week.
@JennaHaze: Is it still considered illiteracy if you can write but cannot read?
@KBC: It’s not exaggerated at all. We get 2 or 3 new films every weekend, and how many of those are targeted directly to black audiences? Sure, blacks watch films with all-white casts, but why are we surprised when Think Like a Man posts a $17,000 PTA? There must be something unique or compelling about that product . . . ah, yes, it’s the first black-centric (Do you really not understand what that means?) film released since I don’t remember what.
As a minority female, a lesson…
Julia Roberts sells magazine covers. Taraji P. Henson does not. Worse, much more famous black women do not sell covers. Beyonce does. Most others do not. America is still a racist place, as evidenced by liberal use of the N-word on Twitter directed at the Washington Capitals hockey player who scored a goal in the playoffs to win his team a game.
Also, Apatow’s next movie is going to bomb terribly, and Segal’s current movie is not doing well. That said, they have both made the studios good money, and are not the ones to blame for this mess. Can an argument be made that black talent could have done the same? Absolutely.
Chin up, because those who control the purse strings are paying attention. They do see that whether it’s a Taiwanese film playing in America, an Indian film playing in America, or a black film made in America, people are color are BECOMING THE FACE OF AMERICA.
They are going to have minorities as leads in films in increasing numbers. People are not going to the movies as much. Moviegoers are increasingly unhappy with the product, and have lost a lot of respect for Hollywood. Stars are losing their earning power, when reality show types are making more. Of course, Jon Hamm and such will whine about this, as if what they do for a living is as valuable as a scientist’s contributions. But the industry is changing, and it’s ears are being more adept at listening to the winds of change.
Chin up.
Salaries in this country have never been tied to an intrinsic worth to society. If anything, they are inversely proportional.
So your characterization of Jon Hamm’s negotiating ploy for a higher salary is quite laughable.
You think somebody never compared Julia Roberts to Taraji P. Henson before? To be honest i find Mrs. Henson’s story of being a working actress AND single mother in Glendale with no famous brother more compelling than whatever Julia Roberts was doing at her ranch in Taos(when the moderator asked how busy she was in the wake of “Benjamin Button”-we were then up another strike, Henson said she had gone on nothing but “looksies” the Industry audience gasped) “America is still a racist place, as evidenced by liberal use of the N-word on Twitter directed at the Washington Capitals hockey player who scored a goal in the playoffs” sll, you do us a disservice when you make Boston hockey fans your American cross-section. Not too long ago me & barely a thousand other people watched Joel Ward play for Barry Kemp’s IceDogs down @ the Long Beach Arena, if anything it points up the ignorance of Boston fans, as the Bruins were the 1st modern day team to put “the Jackie Robinson of hockey”, Willie O’Ree, on their roster in 1958. I should further note that both O’Ree & Ward are Canadians
comparing Taraji P. Henson to Julia Roberts? Jesus youre a moron.
Jason Segal and Emily Blunt ARE talented they just happened to be in a bad movie that is being rejected. Check out Blunt’s other movies, she is great and no one is “trying to make her happen”. She got there on her own tale talents not looks.
TLAM should get credit for it’s great box office with low theater count I agree. Zac Efron is getting too much credit for coming at #2 with a Nucholas Sparks film playing at over 1000 more theaters. It should be called Under-performing. However TLAM’s great box office has more to do with Steve Harvey, a good script and good direction. The actors in the film are decent but they aren’t stars, they can’t open a film like Denzel Washington or Will Smith so let’s not go over board and call them big stars. They are’t in Halle Berry territory abd SHE has problrms opening a film. They just happen to be in a good movie. Calm down people.
A lot of the stars of Think Like A Man are VERY popular in BLACK households, and these persons make up most of the audience of Think Like A Man. Ask most black people if they know and like Gabrielle Union, Taraji. P. Henson, Kevin Hart, etc. and they would say a resounding yes. They are stars in the black community and most are considered A-list in “Black” Hollywood.
The fact is that this film looked interesting and starred a well-known black cast based on a best-selling book. If unknown or less popular black stars had starred in the film, would the box office be as high? No, but the cast is likable and marketable. That’s why they were hired.
Denzel and Halle are mainstream because they are known and focused on by the (white) media, but Black America also loves non-mainstream black stars.
Jennifer Lawrence and Rooney Mara are getting countless offers by just being white. They have no proven box office draw. Same goes for countless other white people who were in one successful movie that might have been successful without them. The same opportunities should be afforded to the black actors in Think Like A A Man but they won’t be.
Dude, I like your point, but J Lawrence has had an Oscar Nomination a global hit in X-Men: First Class and a domestic monster, international hit, with The Hunger Games. She’s got at least 2 more Hunger Games films and at least one more X-Men film to come, so it is hardly a surprise that someone who is so visible AND critically lauded is getting a lot of offers is it?
Yes things are still not where they should be, but there’s a big difference between the exposure and box office of the films of the 2 ladies mentioned there and Think Like a Man, which hasn’t even been released elsewhere yet.
Taraji Henson is an oscar nominee as well. J Lawrence got the XMEN and HUNGER GAMES offers without being a box office draw. it does not happen the other way around. Period.
When any of the cast stars in an actual ACTING movie like the Hunger Games or the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, let me know.
Otherwise romantic comedies are not the basis of movie deals.
Especially in ensembles.
Tool.
You can not book roles that are not open to you. Black actors are rarely considered for the type off films you are referring to unless the part calls for maids or butlers.
I agree with your sentiment MacUffin but your example sounds off to me. “Black actors are only being cast as maids or butlers” held true in decades past but I can’t think of any film production casting that way today unless it was trying to make an ironic or political statement.
These arguments are hilarious. Hello, America, Will Smith is STILL the only bankable movie star in the world. The world. He’s black, last time I checked. Oh, and remember Eddie Murphy — also a global movie star beloved by whites and blacks alike. These comments are not color blind, that’s for sure.
@almost–I was referring to The Help and the up coming The Butler.
You must be for Affirmative Action then.
Blunt is super-talented, I agree.
The real story here, I suspect, is what this box office still-birth bodes for brand Apatow and his upcoming This Is 40.
I’m guessing considerable less than 40.
Guatavo you are splitting hairs here. Do you really think the general public and wider audience differentiate between fully animated and semi animated before choosing to see a movie? Of course they don’t. The fact remains that the original poster attacked Sony’s animation dept while conveniently overlooking a huge worldwide hit in The Smurfs. And I am sure Hotel Transylvania will make up for the disappointment of Pirates as it’s a much more commercial property.
It’s preposterous how many people in here arrogantly deride other comments while addressing only HALF of the inciting comment’s points. The original poster didn’t say that fall/winter was a bad time to release the film; he said that PARTICULAR holiday season was particularly crowded, implying that Arthur Christmas’s placement within the season was the issue. These myopic comments show such short attention spans, it’s no wonder studios dumb down content. Sheesh.
I’m glad Five year engagement is flopping. Nothing against the actors, I like Emmily Blunt, but this films has been promoted since February if not before. So Universal was trying really hard to shove this down people’s throats for this long. Yet Universal fails to do more promos for other potencially good films. I wonder what the marketing budget was? LOL
Really? I felt like the marketing for Five-Year Engagement was weak and the push came way too late. Could be my location though.
Actually I don’t live in USA but I’ve see TV ads for this since February. I remember thinking this film was coming out in early march but when I checked it had late april release. For this amount of promotion I would think they expected huge numbers.
We’re all heading back for seconds of The Three Stooges this weekend. Funny!!!
You should have checked out the Pirates.
Enough about making every movie with people of color (though I think it’s the same one or two people commenting). Think Luke A Man is notable because it’s overperforming, not because it’s the norm. Some urban movies perform well, others don’t… Just like every other category of film.
In our country we don’t have any of this four films releasing,but we got the big one THE AVENGERS,so going this Sunday !!!!
So one urban film does ok and everyone jumps to conclusions? So what? TLAM cast will never be on the cover of Vanity Fair. Face it!
That’s obvious because every knows Vanity Fair is infamously racist in terms of who lands a cover.
n.
I can see an exec reviewing this list, “cancel all rated R projects adults no longer go to the theatre!”
Wolfman, Gulliver’s Travels….