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SUNDAY AM: North American numbers show that, thanks to big weekend bounces in 3,965 theaters, Sony Pictures' No. 1 Hancock scored its first 3-day weekend with $66 mil and gave star Will Smith his biggest Independent Day holiday opening ever with a 5 1/2-day cume of $107.3 mil. The PG-13 pic went up 9% from Thursday to Friday for $18.8M, and up 39% from Friday to Saturday for $26.1M. The dark comedy about an unhappy superhero mustered the momentum despite receiving only 33% positive reviews from top critics and only so-so buzz. But Will Smith has traditionally owned the July 4th long weekend based on the past performance of his movies which opened on that holiday like Independence Day, Men In Black, Men In Black 2, and Wild Wild West. All went on to earn $442+M in worldwide gross. Hancock is the 5th film he has opened #1 during the Fourh of July holiday and his 8th #1 opening in a row and his 8th film to gross over $100M in a row since July 2002. Will has 12 #1 films throughout his career and has opened 9 films to opening weekend grosses higher than $40M. Because of that impressive track record from the one actor whom Hollywood considers able to reliably open a movie these days., Sony feels Hancock's franchise hopes are alive because "there is a huge disconnect between audiences and critics when you have big numbers added to the world's most bankable movie star." Demographics were fairly balanced with 52%/48% of the audience male/female, and 52%/48% under age 25 /over age 25.
Overseas, Hancock did an additional $78.3M and was #1 in 47 of 50 territories for a worldwide total to date of $185 million. (And it has yet to open in France, Russia, Belgium, Holland, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, Italy and Japan.)
In second place, Disney/Pixar's Wall-E keeps piling up the dough from 3,992 venues for a $33.4M weekend and new cume of $128.1M. Meanwhile, Picturehouse made a huge mistake by only platforming 
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl on July 2oth, a week before Wall-E opened, and then waiting for a July 2nd wider release after the Disney/Pixar toon was already a blockbuster. The studio foolishly thought its well-reviewed G-rated pic could counter-program Hancock with kid favorite Abigail Breslin, and also Will Smith's young daughter Willow. (Prompting Smith to tell her, "Daddy loves you sweetie, but I gots to stomp you at the box office."). As an insider explained, "They had the right date all along: the momentum was there, the reviews were there, and Wall-E was not! But then Picturehouse put Kit Kittredge down in the middle of freeway. Suicide." Even with a big kid matinee bump, the pic was only #8 from 1,843 runs for a Friday-Saturday-Sunday of just $3.6M and cume of $6.1M.
At No. 3, Universal's Wanted, the Angelina Jolie-James McAvoy actioner, made $20.6M for the 3-day weekend in 3,185 theaters for a new cume of $90.7M. The 4th slot went to Warner Bros' Get Smart with a $11.1M weekend from 3,574 plays and $98.1M cume. And No. 5 was DreamWorks Animation/Paramount's Kung Fu Panda which squeezed a $7.5M FSS from 3,347 venues and new cume of $193.3M. At #6, Marvel/Universal's The Incredible Hulk ended the weekend with $4.9M in 3,043 dates and a new cume of $124.9M. In 7th place, Paramount's Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull earned a $3.9M FSS in 2,192 theaters and cume of $306.5M. At #9, HBO Films/New Line/Warner Bros' Sex And The City took in $2.3M FSS in 1,275 dates and a new cume $143.8M. And rounding out the Top 10, Sony's You Don't Mess With The Zohan playing in 1,731 venues made $2M FSS and cume $94.7M.
Overall, the holiday weekend total of $155M was down 8% from last year's $170M.
SATURDAY AM: #1 Sony Pictures' Hancock received the bounce it needed, up 9% from Thursday, to make $18.8 million on Fourth of July Friday from 3,965 theaters. That gives the PG-13 dramedy $60.1M from its first 3 1/2 days. 
The studio expects a 3-day weekend in the low $60sM to put Hancock "comfortably over 100" for the 5 days -- somewhere between $102M-$105M.
Other films: #2 Disney/Pixar's Wall-E made $9.1M Friday (-61% from its opening day) from 3,992 venues. It should make $38M for FSS and a cume of $133M. #3 Universal's Wanted $5.3M (-72% from its opening) Friday in 3,185 runs, $22M FSS, cume $92M. #4 Warner Bros' Get Smart $3M Friday from 3,574 plays, $12M FSS, cume $98M. #5 DreamWorks Animation/Paramount's Kung Fu Panda $2M Friday in 3,347 theaters, $8M FSS, cume $194M.
#6 Marvel/Universal's The Incredible Hulk $1.2M Friday from 3,043 venues, $5M FSS, cume $125M. #7 Paramount's Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull $1.1M Friday in 2,192 plays, $3.7M FSS, cume $307M. #8 Picturehouse's Kit Kittredge: An American Girl made $857K on Fourth Of July in 1,843 theaters, $3.3M FSS, cume $6M. #9 HBO Films/New Line/Warner Bros' Sex And The City $630M Friday from 1,275 theaters, $2.4M FSS, cume $145M. #10 Sony's You Don't Mess With The Zohan, $475M Friday from 1,731 venues, $1.9M FSS, cume $94.7M.
FRIDAY AM: Sony Pictures' Hancock keeps adding to its domestic box office dough. It made $17.1 million from 3,965 theaters for Thursday, down only 2% from its Wednesday opening., bringing its 2 1/2 day total (including Tuesday's evening shows) to $41.3M.
THURSDAY AM: Sony Pictures now has a hefty $24.2 million total domestic gross in 1 1/2 days for its dramedy Hancock starring Will Smith and directed by Peter Berg: $6.8M Tuesday (from two evening shows starting at 7 PM at 3,680 North American theaters) and $17.3M Wednesday (from its full run in 3,965 venues for its official opening). The studio still has its sights set on the Will Smith dramedy earning more than $100M but $115M seems out of reach. Although the poorly reviewed film is doing big business overseas, there's some doubt now whether this can still be Sony's next franchise (or Will Smith's ... remember Warner Bros' Wild Wild West?)
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To get 100 for the five days, they need about 58 million, which means they have to average about 19 million for all three days. After not getting that either on opening day or the day before a holiday (which some people expect should behave like a friday), even 100 looks like a stretch. Those 115-125 predictions are looking pretty inflated right now.
There is no way that Hancock will be a franchise for either Sony or Will Smith. I think that Hancock is going to be resigned to the back of Smith’s fimography alongside Wild, Wild West.
Will Smith has a great franchise in him for sure, but he’s not going to get it at Sony. Though Sony do have the Spiderman franchise everything else in their ‘franchise closet’ is totally lame. What are they going to offer Smith? The big screen remaks of The Lone Ranger or Flash Gordon? Pfffft.
Just watch Akiva Goldsman try and lure Smith to his Robotech project at Warners. Seriously, imagine if they got the 2010 July 4th spot with Will Smith starring in a movie that sees him in a giant robot fighting other giant alien robots. Obama would probably pass a law requiring people to go and see that movie.
As it is, Hancock should have been a $30m, R rated movie called Tonight He Comes starring Jason Bateman and directed by Peter Berg with Will Smith doing something much more event movie friendly.
Hancock’s final gross will $160m once word gets out. They can rewrite the script all they like, but they can’t get rid of the adult vibe that the original piece had.
If word of mouth means anything….this movie will lose traction over the weekend. The story was awful, just really lost it about half an hour in and never really regained my interest. The last 15 minutes looked added on and I have seen enough of Will Smith for awhile, gosh he is like us all, aging. Jason Bateman while always a joy to watch, played dry Jason Batemen with a sweet edge…Charlize should have a sit down with her agents, really.
“Hancock” is an awful movie and boring as well. Jason Bateman was the only thing good in it or about it. As for Charlize talking to her agent she doesn’t have one at the moment is what I have read. Maybe she should get one..quick. Ah well..”Hancock” will get its 110 million dollars before people decide that maybe they should pass on this mess. After watching “Hancock” and “IJ4″ and “Incredible Hulk” … “Narnia-Price Caspian” is a gem and deserved a better boxoffice. Well, I suppose in the movie business life is just not fair is it.
I have been seeing Smith on the late nights and just not impressed by any of the previews he brought or the online ones. I love alot of his work, and thought I Am Legend was very good.
…but if you want the best action movie of all summer, with a good amount of dark humor sprinkled throughout, that would be Wanted.
…hands down great, with Iron Man a close second. Dark Night may top both but right now, Wanted is the one to beat. It is a very very good overall movie, that does not have the action overshadow the plot.
see it and tell a friend. a real joy to watch.
it takes bits and pieces from plots of other great movies & books, then twists and inverts them, thereby creating a very original film, with alot of modern movie magic.
I hope this does not become a franchise because it is pitch perfect as a high octane & funny one-shot. The Matrix should have been done the same way (which originally it was btw). One movie, then leave it be.
cheers and enjoy folks.
I found it far less predictable than Wall-E (which was Excellent), and amazingly sharp. The thing is that Hancock integrates topical urban legends with overcranked archetypes shockingly well.
Forewarned about jittering camera, nobody mentioned the wealth of disturbing closeups I’d never seen before the new Manchurian Candidate, nor since.
Obviously, money matters, but the internal logic built into this film is so gratifying it’s breathtaking! I like my escapist fantasy to be relevant, and that’s what Hancock is.
God, this movie sucked. I’m sorry folks, Will Smith has dropped 3 turds in a row(Pursuit of Happyness, I am Legend, and now this irredeemable piece of s***.) And for God’s sake, who convinced Charlize Theron she could be an action star? Dreadful. Just dreadful.
It is probably the worst film of the year, and I must say that Will gives his worst performance since the Wld, Wild West. I had high hopes for the superfilm, but this film is low-class and utterly hopeless.
I kind of not liking where this is going. Too much hype and too little substance. Emm, is Will w/o a will no more?
‘Hancock’ fails to deliver on both the laughs and the action – you can’t fail on both and be a true success. Jason Bateman wasn’t even that good (yeah, I said it!). Go look at his career on IMDB and you’ll see that Smith is a sequel-killer. It just isn’t a winner for him and you know what, that’s ok.
Would’ve like to see a July 5th though…
Wow, I love all the geniuses that come to this site. Such analysis! Such insight!
And when I read things like, “The Pursuit of Happyness” was a turd, um…you should probably stop posting.
And what I really, really, really love is how none of you get that your opinions and insights NEVER reflect what the general public is feeling or thinking. You all sound like irrelevant pundits on Bill O’Reilly.
God bless America and God bless Smith??
What an imbecile.
Sick of Will Smith and his self-importance.
Haven’t seen a Smith film in years. Tired of hyped actors with delusions of grandiosity, pushing Pres. candidates, creating schools, fancying themselves as international brokers of world peace while in reality doing little, making their bratty kids instant movie stars, etc.
You’re just actors, folks. Not God.
OK, call me crazy — but I liked Hancock. Hancock the character, I mean. I could see him in a movie again. A better scripted movie. With the fun factor turned up a little, maybe?
I’m kinda torn on the plot turn regarding Charlize Theron’s character. It surprized me – these sorts of movies don’t usually have much by way of surprises in them. But I’m kinda leaning towards –Huh?
Because the first half of the movie up to the Hancock at the bank was, to me, much more interesting. Overall I think the film went downhill after the reveal.
But, overall, I enjoyed Hancock. I do love Will Smith. He didn’t disappoint.
Hanock = Cliched Suck
Blogged it here:
Hancock: WTF Was THAT?!
For contrast:
Leverage: The (Leaked) TNT Pilot — which was TV, and CABLE TV, for god’s sake
How Good Is The Movie Iron Man?
Iron Man: The Legal Viewing
PAY To See Iron Man, Dammit
I saw Hancock – it didn’t SUCK.
I saw Wall E – it wasn’t genius.
Everything is so overblown here. Taking my twin neices today to that American Girl movie. Thos numbers looks kinda low. Why did they open wide against WallE? You can’t go against a robot.
Counting the days to Heath.
I’m one of those people who don’t believe reviews. But I hated Hancock, loved American Girl, loved WallE, hated Love Guru, thought Get Smart was ok, and thought Wanted was just a boy movie dressed in Angelina clothes.
So – maybe the critics aren’t off base. I predict Hancock will tumble when the REAL SUPERHERO comes. Batman will kick his ass. While SONY is busy tellling all of us how they’ll break even, make sure they add the $90 million P&A that they spent opening the movie. Do the math – Budget of the film $180 million + $90 million- $270 million to break even. Maybe they can do that. But not in the first five days.
I’m so tired of this kind of Will Smith movies. I think he’s talented and always brings a lot of energy, but really, MIB (twice), Independence Day, I Robot, I Am legend – Enough with that.
$100M in five days is normally pretty good, but I have a bad feeling about this, especially with the bad reviews. If it only manages $160M total, it’ll be considered a disappointment. If it gets to $200M, maybe we’ll see a sequel. But that’s still iffy, especially since it’s not well regarded.
We walked out of Hancock, and walked into Get Smart. Disappointed with both.
We’re seeing American Girl tomorrow. But I agree with Pete, they definitely missed the window on the opening of that movie. Why in the world are they trying to compete with Pixar? Still, I believe if they’re as good as I hear, people will find them.
I’m very curious about Mama Mia. Anyone else?
So Chris. We’re irrelevant? But you’re not? What a self-absorbed little peckerwood you are. Will Smith’s movies suck by the boatload, buddy. Get over it.
I walked in not having read review 1 and I walked out with a smile on my face. It was the perfect matinee escape for the 4th of July. I’ve never had high expectations for Will Smith as a classic actor and I wasn’t disappointed but to say this movie was trash is to reveal your bi-coastal snootery.
“Tired of hyped actors with delusions of grandiosity, pushing Pres. candidates, creating schools, fancying themselves as international brokers of world peace while in reality doing little, making their bratty kids instant movie stars, etc.
You’re just actors, folks. Not God.”
Tired of knuckle-draggers with delusions of self-importance, politicizing everything they can, invading schools, fancying themselves Everyman-mouthpieces for the Average American Joe while in reality regurgitating political talking points far too sophisticated for their uneducated minds to comprehend, much less question.
You’re just a citizen, folks. Not God. No one cares about your political views, either.
For anyone on the Will Smith hater bandwagon. You can spew all the negative comments you want, the reason why this guys is so popular is that he brings his A game 100% of the time, and cares about the people who matter his crews and fans, not the “Anton Ego” critcs out there. Having done 3 movies with him, i know this for a fact, and guess what? He’s going to have another 100 million hit in Dec with “Seven Pounds” and another likely Oscar Nod. Give it up Big Willie is here to stay !!
AH, look at Will Smith, still doing his 4th of July hit thing again.
Yes, I did pay money to see Bad Boys all those years ago. Wonder what Jazzy Jeff is up to.
Wall-E was boring, slow, and uninspired. Waste of my time and money. The socialist bent to the plot didn’t help either.
Get Smart was pretty funny – much better than expected. Wall-E was boring, slow, and uninspired.
Hancock is just the fading light of another dying action star. Goodbye Will, say hello to Tom. Thank God you have Scientology!
hmmm
first off Will Smith=Scientology
and his last three movies=bullS%%%
Do not ever give your hard earned money to a guy that wants this country to go to hell, where he is going.
American girl has been the hit of the summer for me. I loved the picture of a day when times were reallly tough and people pulled together. Bring on more movies where the actors actually play people who have a moral compass. Wonderful movie.
Hancock wasn’t Batman Begins, but it was a pretty good movie in my opinion. Maybe months of reading negativity on AICN left me with really low expectations, but I took the plunge and saw it anyway and was mildly surprised to find that it wasn’t the worst movie ever made by any stretch of the imagination. I think most of the people saying that it’s horrible either just want to ride with the “cool kids” or don’t like Will Smith.
Not a bad flick. Can’t wait ’till all the kids have seen Wall-E and I can see it without diapers everywhere.
HANCOCK was an excellent movie, with a nice twist in the middle. It was funny, had action and killing. If the Incredible Hulk had followed this lead, imagine how good of a movie THAT would have been. Having said that, this movie is one and done. Big Willie doesn’t do francises (only two sequels to his name MIB II and BB 2 that I can recall).
I liked the movie. It was funny and entertaining. Not sure why everyone disliked it.
What a load of rubbish this movie is. Will Smith was terribly miscast in this clunker. I’m glad the numbers will disappoint, this movie is more of the same garbage we’ve tricked into seeing over the years.
They seemed to be testing the girl audience waters, not the Wall-E crowd but the smart tweener crowd. Not quite sure why it didn’t land, though. It’s a good movie as far as these kinds of films go, not great, but a tad on the depressing side. I’m not sure Abigail Breslin is a major tween draw. If it was someone like Emma Roberts they might have a better shot.
eh no surprises, the movies are in the dulls at the moment, the only 3 movies worthy of seeing comming out the rest of the summer are Dark Knight, Mummy4 and Tropical Thunder. otherwise nm comming out till winter/next year. Dragonball. my view is slanted tho, i dig action/comedy/thrillers.
I am not a prude but I would like to ask a sincere question..Why is Hollywood so fascinated with the ‘F’ word and other obscenities? I have never known anyone who went to a movie because it such immature language..But they keeping sticking that word in scripts for no other reason to be ’scocking’ I guess..Hugh Prather said,”When one uses an obscenity they have stopped SAYING something and BECOME something..They have taken attention off their THOUGHTS and put it on their WORDS”
Will Smith betrayed his core audience..I have talked to three parents who deceived because the film did not have a well deserved R rating..One of them took their children 11,9 and 8..because Mr. Smith is known as a producer of Family films…Another SELL OUT
“delusions of grandiosity”
No. That’s redundant. “Grandiose” describes the behavior of someone who already has delusions of GRANDEUR. Grandiosity IS a delusion.
I’m wondering why Sex and the city is losing screens as compared to zohan — yet it doubles it’s per screen average and makes more than zohan. It seems a bit early for Sex to be in only 1275 theaters.
As for hancock — it’s not as bad as people say but I think it all depends on what you think of the last part of the movie that is causing the issues.
What do you all think of next week — when hellboy, journey to the center of the earth in 3d and meet dave open????
Long live the Dark Knight, the Batman is coming and he IS the night ! We the Sons of the Bat will reign supreme. A new State will rise from the ashes of Gotham.
It all boils down to expectations. Hancock was marketed much more friendly to general audiences, and quite frankly it wasn’t. I spent the first 10 minutes trying to figure out if it was R, and the next 10 determining it must be. Pushing the PG-13 rating with the one allowable use of the F-bomb, profanity throughout, profanity by children, dismemberments, and some intense violent sequences.
More like a PG-17 movie, really.
I ultimately enjoyed it, but it was only after I realized I was watching an adult movie.
It was marketed as a comedy (where it’s rather dark or dry), light-hearted (it’s more melodramatic), and family friendly (see comments above).
I enjoy my Tarantino films . . . when the kids are in bed. A drunk superhero bent on self-destruction is not how it’s marketed.
Anytime they’ve got to censor the movie in the trailers should send up warning flares (see Hancock confront Mitchell over the word ‘a-hole’ vs. ‘jerk’).
And for the record, Bad Boys is definitely an adult movie, as is Six Degrees, so he has his share of adult movies too.
I agree with you, Nikki – Picturehouse messed up. They had a big window of opportunity with American Girl and they chose to platform without any competition, instead of going wide. To go wide against Wall E was suicide. No wonder Bob Berney is out of business.
As far as Hancock goes, I didn’t hate it, but I don’t think it can sustain another weak. It’s lame.
My best movie choices so far are Kung Fun Panda, American Girl, Kit Kittredge, and WallE, and I don’t even have a kid. Can’t wait for Batman.
I’ll be skipping Meet Dave.
I saw American Girl this afternoon and enjoyed it immensely.
It is a period piece set during the Great Depression. The actors and actresses, both young and old, performed creditably; and the story held my interest till the very end.
Critics might argue that the plot requires too much of the willing suspension of disbelief and that the happy ending is predictable and saccharine.
I, however, left the movie theater feeling good about myself, my country, and my fellow citizens. The movie was devoid of the foul language, cynicism, and despair that characterize so many movie plots.
I am hardly the movie’s target audience. I know nothing about kids’ movies. I have no idea who Abigail Breslin is. But I’m glad I chose this G-rated movie over the other offerings at the Regal 12 this afternoon.
I read somewhere that a good 20 minutes where chopped out of “Hancock” at the eleventh hour to make it less painful. I honestly don’t know how any thoughtful person could expect to be entertained by 98 percent of the garbage Hollywood produces anymore. You can just tell from the trailers that most everything is going to be mindless trash with no connection to reality whatsoever. But that’s what you get when you continually hire hack (and hack is too kind of a word) young directors like Peter Berg, Brett Ratner or a slew of others. And I used to think someone like John Landis was bad. Whew.
In terms of superhero movies, although we know the Dark Knight approaches, please don’t discount Hellboy II which opens up a week before. The movie so far has a perfect score on Rottentomatoes, so I think it’s one to look out for.
Also I saw Hancock, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected, but in the summer of 2008’s outstanding superhero blockbusters, it’s nothing home to write about.
Much like Blankman in the 90s, it was entertaining, but quite forgettable.
Hancock doesn’t suck. IT SWALLOWS.
Even Charlize Theron isn’t enough to sit through a piece of filmic crap like this. I’ve had loads with far better structure than Hancock’s Second Act. Will Smith’s routine is getting old, but apparently the public isn’t sick of him yet. 1 or 2 more of these inflicted upon them and Smith will be supplanted by the next poseur du juor.
I give this TWO BOWEL MOVEMENTS DOWN.
Part of a review I wrote today, right after seeing Hancock:
Just possibly the best superhero movie ever made, with real psychological depth and pathos in addition to sheer entertainment.
It has the advantage of creating its own mythos, instead of merely ringing changes on an existing creation. Which is to say, it can surprise you in ways no film adaptation of a superhero franchise can.
Hancock and Iron Man in the same summer – not bad!
Hancock, a terrible movie, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep after the first five minutes. I would have walk out but I was with my wife who wanted to see it to the end. For me, Handcock is just another cartoon type movie for adults. Its nonsense.
Well, I have to say, although I’m a fan of Will Smith’s, this movie was a paycheck to him. I couyld tell that he.s not really in to this flick. Too bad though, he could have pressed at least three movies out of this. $20 million a picture is a lot of money. To be candid, all of the “Stars” (as they’re known) are all off their rockers. They blame America, Bush, the weather, you name it for all of the ills’ of the world, and to be frank, people are getting sick of it. I really think that’s keep ing people away from these movies. They should all really learn to just act, and not claim to be experts on government, the weather, and war.
The problem with Hancock wasn’t Will Smith. Or Bateman, or even Theron.
The problem was Peter Berg. Bad match of director and [summer movie] material.
I really liked Hancock. Don’t understand why people are so passionately against it. To compare it to Wild West is ridiculous. And the New Yorker, for god’s sake, called it the best big summer movie so far.
I’m just not interested in anymore Will Smith vehicles. I don’t enjoy his performances, I’m always acutely aware I am watching Will Smith. Even in an action film like this, I find him difficult to watch.
Looking forward to Hellboy and Dark Knight. Batman don’t shiv. He nasty. BALLS nasty.
I’m going to pass on Journey To The Center Of The Earth and Yet Another Mummy with Brendan Fraser. Has he ever made a GOOD movie? I’m still having Monkeybone flashbacks…
Hancock has a shallow plot, is slow, and the dialog is horrible! And the storyline… well, I was disappointed!
It was hard to believe anything Charlize said. Her acting lacked feeling and her performance was less than adequate!
Although I always enjoy Will Smith’s talent, and the beauty of Charlize, this movie disappointed on both counts!
Save your money for BATMAN and HEATH!
Saw Hancock. Loved it. Not sure what everyone is complaining about. Typical Will Smith fare with a bit of a twist. Would love to see another Hancock!
Was listening to all the negative reviews and almost didn’t go see it. Just came back from watching and totally enjoyed what I saw.
There was pathos and ethos that the average reviewer here seems to have missed. There’s still more story to tell and more to learn.
Thought it was one of the best movies of the year, fun but serious. I had a great time and it was good to see something a little different and surprising.
Amended:
Hi Nikki,
I just saw Hancock. Not a great film, but a fun film. It uses Jerry McGuire as a framework for its story…with Jason Bateman playing the McGuire role, and Cuba Gooding Jr’s star football player, now cast as a drunken super hero in need of a makeover. The story shifts away from the image consultant/agent over to the troubled icon, Will Smith, cast in the Gooding Jr. role. Yes, this is a super hero remake of Jerry McGuire…alright, with the tv series Greatest American Hero thrown in for good measure…and the audience I saw this film with loved it!!! They screamed, cheered, and laughed at all of the right places…and clapped during the end credits, even staying for a brief end scene that appears as the credits roll. The audience, freezed in the isles when they realized there was yet another scene awaiting them…and they stood in place, desperate to watch it.
I have read puzzled comments on many web sites, comments made by those in the general public who have seen Hancock asking, begging to know, why critics seem to hate this movie…and unfairly so, these advocates say. The only reason I could see, is the obvious reason, the implications of a wholesome interracial relationship between a black man and a white woman has brought out the racist in many critics…they won’t say it openly, because they can’t, that is, and hope to keep their jobs, yet it is true, or at least, that is my honest belief. I suspected it all along, but when I saw this film with a audience of every age range and color…and to see/witness, and hear their collective enjoyment of this film…while recalling the critical bashing of this film, the only logical conclusion of this anger, had to be, has to be, a heavy racial component…and that is just sad.
So again, I raise the question: Is this a great film??? No!!! Is it good??? Well, I would call it fun. A fun entertainment on a lazy summer’s day…and isn’t that what a big loud block buster is supposed to be??? Not every big film is going to be the next Star Wars, but I must say…Hancock was better than Superman Returns, Ang Lee’s The Hulk and Spiderman 3 by leaps and bounds…and that is saying a lot…since all 3 of those films had significantly better reviews…which should tell you all you need to know about hidden motives in regard to Hancock’s almost universal bad reviews and the critics behind them!!!
Good morning from the windy city. Just read your box office analysis and damn if you’re not spot on Nikki. Wouldn’t waste 50 cents on Hancock, but would go and see Kit Kittredge, Wall E, and Kung Fun Panda again. Yes, I have a family, but these movies happend to be damn good, fun, and entertaining.
Don’t know why they chose to release Kit Kittredge opposite Wall E, but it’s good enough to sustain the summer. At least if you ask my family.
We don’t see that many films, but we all want to see the new Batman.
I personally liked Hancock, but I didn’t go in expecting an oscar worthy picture ether.
I would like to say Charlize needs to lay off the plastic surgery she used to be the hottest thing that hit hollywood but I almost didn’t recognize her after the last face lift. I guess I’ll have to watch cider house rules to see her pre-op good looks from now on.
Why link only to the “Cream of the Crop” reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, Nikki?
That seems a little foolish, considering the criteria for “Cream” status is publication, not the actual critic or writing quality.
There are some hilariously awful reviews written by the “Cream” critics. Some brilliant ones written by the underlings.
I liked Hancock.
Yeah, I said it.
If you went to a Will Smith movie expecting cinema verite, well then, you’re an idiot.
And get over the fact he “might” be a Scientologist. Who cares? You’re not paying for their private lives. You’re paying to see them entertain you. They’re trained monkeys. I know it, you know it, maybe one day they’ll know it.
Will likes Barack and that’s good enough for me! Who cares about the movie?
I didn’t see Hancock over the Weekend but I did see no 3 Wanted. I was real impressed with it. The main reason I saw Wanted was becouse it was done by the director of Nightwatch and Daywatch.
I’m passing an FYI headsup Nikki you might want to look into. I read in Parade magazine that movie admissions costs are going up. You might want to look into this for a blog later one and see how the major cinema chains are affected by this. Becouse there has been box office drop of 3%. Of course contribute that to closing cinemas in smaller and medium markets as well. With high gas prices I can homestl tell you that some people aren’t going to drive thirty miles to see a movie here in the southeast.
By the way I saw Wanted in Destin,Florida at the Rave Cinema.Upscale and classy.
Everyone is so down on the economy, yet this weekend $105MM was dropped on one file.. and last week a video game delivered $1B in sales.
I watched Hancock. Will I want it again on NetFlix or HBO, probably. Would I buy it like Independence day, Star Wars, ET… Heck no. That doesn’t mean it was not a GOOD movie. It was much better than the Will Smith attempt at night of the living dead movie he releases.
What’s up with all these negative comments? Well in my opinion I loved it and you are talking to a person that doesn’t go to movies hardly at all. Will Smith can do no wrong and he deserved an Osacar for “The Pursuit of Happyness”.
I love you Will!
tim -
Calm down. If you can’t stand celebrities voicing opinions that conflict with yours, then tune them out. Don’t think that audiences are turned off though because this summer has posted some record breaking opening weekends despite your analysis (”I really think that’s keep ing people away from these movies.”)
I am aged. I am not addled. I never go to the movies.
Star Wars rings a distant bell. My 12 year old grand-daughter cajoled me (as they are so adroit at) on the 4th to go to Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. I shall be forever grateful to her and would be more than delighted to repeat the experience.
Anyone who fails to take their younsters to this film does them and themeslves an enormous disservice. In an
era burgeoned with trash and loin leachers this film
affords not only an unequalled education but an unprecedented opportunity for reawakening — both of which are of inestimable value.
HATE HIM OR LOVE HIM, HE’S DOING THE DAMN THING! AND HE’S MARRIED TO A BLACK WOMEN. LOVE HIM FOR THAT ALONE!!!!!!!!!
hancock actually was not bad. The plot was solid to the end and the movie has room for a sequal. I’m sorry but I can’t say that about 95% of the movies made today.
It could have been a great movie, for those who like the comic, super hero type movies,…..but they just had to throw in your face and go there, and it ruined the movie. People go to see these movies for the action and to see the feats of the heroes, everything else is just a chance to promote someone vision of PC, and this is just a scheme of how can we subliminally fool them this time. If they would just stick with what people want to see and leave all the political correct BS out of the movies, they could establish more franchises, but when they throw the PC into the movie, people lose interest.
I’m holding off paying to see this film until the DVD comes out. My retirement budget limits how often I will use my money to see a film in a theater unless there is a real desire to. The reviews I have read certainly don’t push me to see Hancock now. I refer not to the news media, I seldom believe so called professionals when it comes to film. I refer to those in this thread. I did go to see the latest Narnia film, Indiana Jones 4 and Iron Man with grandkids and am glad I did. They were great. Kung Fu Panda wasn’t bad when you have kids with you nor was Wall-e. I look forward to seeing the latest Batman in the theater. Also Bond and Twilight Zone in the theater, with just my wife. However, a nice large LCD screen and a DVD film with no interruptions from the audience is hard to beat. Especailly when you can put it on pause to get a snack, answer the phone or do something else. : )
Further proof that neither talent nor competence is necessary to succeed in Hollywood.
hancock was great movie and to the douche bag that said I am legend was wack get your vision or stop watching movies beacuse obviously you don’t know what your talking about.
Nikki – Is Bob Berney mad? As in, nuts? He had every little girl drooling to see Kit Kittredge, he had national tracking up there where it needed to be, and yet he WAITED UNTIL WALL E was here to open wide? That’s more than suicide, that’s hari kari. I’ve never seen momentum like that. It was the cover of the NY Times Arts and Leisure last week.
Why in the world would he think he could/should/or need to take on Wall E? The hubris is stunning. Release a movie like that in late May, early June, anytime EXCEPT opposite a Pixar movie.
He’s going to have some angry american girls to answer to on Monday. Good move, genius.
I don’t doubt that Heath Ledger did a good job in “Dark Knight,” but nobody could ever surpass a man named JACK in that role.
I love how all these people saying that Will Smith has made terrible movies and such but as you can see, he’s been in movies, you have not. Get a life people, no one cares about your “movie reviews”. Try to get an audition to a movie and see how far that gets you. No wait i can tell you, NOWHERE because you don’t have lives. Thank you very much.
Media Messiah you are full of shit.
to say that most film critics are racist is to ignore 50 yrs of film critics enjoying movies for exactly the reasons you claimed they are racist. why didnt you just say they are also nazis in disguise?
next you are going to say that a majority of film critics are secret agents of the vatican. hmmm? give me a fukin break.
try again without the lies and all the attempts at mind-reading…and stop being a shill for hancock.
Sorry, Anonymous, but JACK has been surpassed in this department.
I am outraged that American Girl was forced to compete against Wall E. Didn’t they have like 2 cents to make the film and 1 cent to market it? No wonder Picturehouse is going out of business. I saw the film with my 11 year old daughter and two of her friends for her birthday. It was an early gift, but one she asked for. That more little girls and their parents aren’t going to get this opportunity because a studio is so greedy that they think they can compete against the big boys is a shame for the small girls.
Why pile on movies on the same dates? There’s room for everyone? If this movie goes away, Nikki, people like Bob Berney owe the American Girls an apology.
I’m serious – Steph
I can answer your question Chuck. It is because theaters with fewer screens aren’t that profitable anymore or aren’t at all.
Let me give you an example in my neck of the woods. The biggest theater in the Bismarck-Mandan area has always been the independently owned Grand except for the few years that Carmike had a 8 screen theater at Gateway mall.
In the mid 1980’s, the Bismarck-Mandan area had about 16 screens in 6 theaters including the six screen Grand. Mandan had only one theater and screen on Main Street and that one did pretty well while Bismarck boasted a two screen Theater in the central part of town while both malls had a three screen theater each.
By the middle of the 1990’s Mandan’s one screen and Bismarck’s two screen theater had closed leaving the area with 13 screens until the Carmike in the north mall expanded to 8 screens giving the area 21 total. At that point, I thought I was going to see the end of expansion, but I was in the Mall of America in 1997 and learned that their theater had 14 screens and thought that we will never see that many screens in a single theater.
To make a long story short, in 2002, Grand Theaters started to renovate and expand. Today that theater boasts 15 Screens!!!, while the small 3 screen theater in the south mall is closed, and Carmike in the north mall still has its 8 screens, but you have to walk a long hallway to access that theater from the north. That theater is at a crossroads since Grand boasts stadium style seating in all but six screens and eight screens just isn’t good enough anymore.
I am quite sure that the box offices are down. 8 percent down from last year? Factor in inflation and the real down numbers would be higher.
I went to the movies the other night alone on a whim. I saw Get Smart. If was funny, but it swore quite a bit. I’m not going to bring the whole family to it or anything worse.
It’s true that increasingly obscene movies aren’t the only reason box-office take-in is down, but it is definitely one factor. Why spend $30 taking your family to the movies when studios see films as an opportunity to preach about global warming, socialism, or the supposed virtues of promiscuity or vulgarity?
Did you folks watch the same movie I just saw? I thought Hancock was great. I even foresaw the plot twist early on. I like movies abotu reluctant heroes, and Hancock is the most reluctant of them all.
The point is though, Will Smith rocked another 4th weekend, and he’ll be back. Hopefully in the mean time, he can come watch you work, and if it’s not exactly to his liking, he’ll publicly call you a turd, and then YOUR children can read about it.
Ya’ll suck.
My granddaughter and I went to see Kit Kittredge:An American Girl. We both thoroughly enjoyed the movie and I loved its wholesomeness. I recommend this as a must see for all young girls.
I believe this will be a “word of mouth” blockbuster similar to the success of “My Greek Wedding”.
Nobody plays crazy better than JACK. He has more screen presence in his little finger than Heath Ledger did in his entire body. A lot of people are just eager to make a big fuss over Ledger because he died of a drug overdose. Ledger might be acting the part of the Joker, but Jack IS the Joker.
To: Lu-ee
Where were the critics to stand-up and demand Best Oscar wins for “What’s Love Got To Do With It”, for best film, best director, best actor and actress when it was released? That is right, nowhere to be found!!!
And what about Cecely Tyson, an actress that should have won 5 to 6 Oscars by now, has been ignored. She is every bit as great as Meryl Streep, and I would dare argue better, on any day…but goes ignored by this industry??? This is just about ethnic talent being put at the back of the bus and told to use different bathrooms and water fountains…but in a stealth manner. It is covert racism. Now, if you add in the issue of a Black man being with a White woman, suddenly things get very heated as you have proven by the tone of your posting. And you are telling me there is no racism going on here given these examples, and I can go on for pages about many others???
Yes, I said it, and it deserves repeating, whenever you place a Black man on screen with a White women in a romantic sense…suddenly people become very uncomfortable, especially when the Black man is successful and handsome. Did Denzel Washington kiss Julia Roberts when they worked together??? No…because the film would have have become a target for backlash by racists. The fimmakers knew that, hence, the reason they avoided the situation…and the same is true of Hancock. The mere revelation that the two leads had a wholesome loving relationship has caused the critics to show their true strips.
So how does Hollywood deal with these issues elsewhere??? Well, just like these examples, the couple has to always break-up or somebody must die…or is proven unworthy, it even happened in Hancock…and the couple weren’t even allowed to kiss??? Most times, the same thing happens with gays and lesbians in movies. If they are depicted as couples, someone in the relationship must die or there is a break-up or one, or the other, is proven unworthy…all to satisfy the racists and intolerant church factions in the Bible Belt and those who are the Powers That Be, from Goverment to Industry, and Religion…and regular people like yourself who refuse to admit that the King is a fool, and has no clothes???
MEMO: TO BOB BERNEY C/O WHAT ONCE WAS PICTUREHOUSE
ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? YOU HAVE A WHITE HOT BRAND. YOU HAVE REVIEWS MOST PEOPLE WOULD KILL FOR, OR AT LEAST, IF THEY’RE SONY, MAKE UP. YOU CAN RELEASE YOUR GEM ANYTIME DURING THE YEAR, SO WHAT, YOU PICK THE ONE DATE THAT PIXAR PICKS, AND YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A THROW DOWN? UMMM, EXCUSE ME FOR BEING DUMB, BUT HOW IS ONE KID MOVIE AGAINST ANOTHER COUNTER PROGRAMMING? AND WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH OR STRONG ENOUGH OR POWERFUL ENOGUH TO COMPETE WITH PIXAR ON A MOVIE THAT THEY ARE SPENDING OVER $100 MILLION TO MARKET?
WATCHING THE RELEASE PATTERN ON AMERICAN GIRL IS LIKE WATCHING AN OLYMPIC SKIER, AN UNDERDOG, WHO HAS A SHOT AT THE GOLD – SLAM INTO A TREE.
NICE WORK – BB – WHAT DO YOU DO FOR AN ENCORE?
Now that Will is down with the scientologists, we must remember to disregard 95-99% of the “positive” review type postings of his films as they come from a handful of folks in the “church” and are mere propaganda meant to boost their new breadwinner.
Will Smith is a role model to not only black men but also all african americans in the world. To hear all of these negative comments and evil things you guys are saying about him really hurts. So what if you didn’t like the movie, everyone has their opinion. But why do u have to make him out to be this horrible person? I am 15 yrs old and a Will and I have the same color skin.. my father left me when I was born, my mothers father left her when she was 1 yrs. old..that story just repeats itself!! I am so proud of Will Smith being a black man and being not only a wonderful husband but also being a great father!! He is my role model and its so sad that all of you who didn’t like the movie are saying all of these mean things about this man???? What has he done to you?
You only make us stronger
I thought Hancock would be a boring and dissapointing movie when I took my family to see it Saturday night. Guess what? It actually made me laugh. Sure the humor is crude and if my kids weren’t teens, I wouldn’t have taken them to see it. And of course it’s not Will’s best movie; the plot is just God-awful. Still, it did the job of entertaining my family. I would buy it on DVD when it comes out. BTW, I laughed my a** off when Charlize mentioned the summer of 4 BC. Yes, jolly good laugh.
I went and saw the movie on the day it premiered and I LOVED IT!!! My kids and my husband loved it. We love ANYTHING that Will Smith does. He’s naturally talented and funny. Not to mention the brother wore that suit “oh so well” so those who are hating on his character obviously doesn’t know him outside of the “HANCOCK” role because he’s a wonderful actor and I hope to see a HANCOCK 2!! Just my opinion and like a$$ holes, we all have one. Much love to you Will!!
LSimpson
It’s pretty telling when people defend a movie by saying “it wasn’t terrible” or “your expectations needed to be lower” or trying to play the race card on critics.
I disagree that profanity is hurting ticket sales, if you look at the numbers, there are plenty of movies with harsh language that have done great, and plenty of movies (like the american girl one, also with fantastic reviews) that are family friendly that tank. People complain about language, but when a G or even PG movie comes out, people don’t support it.
Twist? What twist? Theron telegraphed the damn thing from scene one like she was wearing a Western Union hat… Call me an a–hole, but I liked it. I rate it “see once at the matinee”.
_Wall-E_ was better, but whatevs.
Milo I happen to agree with u about films with harsh languages by the way. I didn’t see Hancock so I couldn’t say if it was good nor bad. My nephew saw it and he told me it was “OK”. Anyway I like Will Smith. I liked his Robert Neville in I AM LEGEND.
Now the film I saw was WANTED which is based on an adult graphic comic book. It’s an action flick from the beginning and Angelie Jolie is bad too in it. I like to see her in another Lara Croft Tombraider by the way.
The plot twist was obvious and I only laughed once the entire time (the villian’s hook was identical to Buster’s from Arrested Development).
That being said, the movie was much better than I expected and everyone else in the theatre seemed to enjoy it as well. It was certainly better than the new Hulk, though not better than Iron Man or Wall-E. I won’t be purchasing it on DVD but I certainly don’t regret buying my ticket.
Jessy thanks for the insight on the cinema dilemma. Like to hear what I learned about the demise of the one cinema hear?
Vicksburg Ms used to have one mall cinema,a four screen multiplex. It was originally owned by Regel Entertainment Group then ‘04 they sold it to Village Entertainment out of Valipariso Indiana. Village I learned didn’t have real good reputation for taking of thier property. Then in Decemnber of ‘06 the community here was rocked:CBL Associates which owned the cinema got into a feud with Village Entertainment. Becouse Village didn’t want to pay the high rent costs; not to mention the cinema employees committed some crimes. But the old mall cinema had fallen into disrepair at this time: broken chairs,broken projectors,and a ceiling desperately needed repair. At the sametime communtities like Clinton and Madison get classy box cinemas.But after the cinema closed here. It generated a lot of rumors of a new one but it hasn’t happen yet.
I did a Google search and I found a lot mall cinemas are closing. As for Vicksburg leaders are having real hard time to attract a new cinema investor in the marketplace. I doubt it a stadium cinema would come here to this marketplace. Honestly I can tell you there are a lot of angry film buffs here in town. I took my anger and got the story out is what I did.
For now civil leaders here are quiet on the cinema issue. But for the time being locals like myself frequently travel to Clinton or Madison to the movies now. Just rescently when I was on Vacation last week in Destin,Florida I experince my first taste of the digital cinema at the Rave Motion Picture cinema chain. Stadium cinema and digital sound. I saw Wanted and the pic and sound was amazing.
Amended…Thanks Nikki:
To: Lu-ee
Where were the critics to stand-up and demand Best Oscar wins for “What’s Love Got To Do With It”, for best film, best director, best actor and actress when it was released? That is right, nowhere to be found!!!
And what about Cecely Tyson, an actress that should have won 5 to 6 Oscars by now, has been ignored. She is every bit as great as Meryl Streep, and I would dare argue better, on any day…but goes ignored by this industry??? This is just about ethnic talent being put at the back of the bus and told to use different bathrooms and water fountains…but in a stealth manner. It is covert racism. Now, if you add in the issue of a Black man being with a White woman, suddenly things get very heated as you have proven by the tone of your posting. And you are telling me there is no racism going on here given these examples, and I can go on for pages about many others???
Yes, I said it, and it deserves repeating, whenever you place a Black man on screen with a White woman in a romantic sense…suddenly people become very uncomfortable, especially when the Black man is successful and handsome. Did Denzel Washington kiss Julia Roberts when they worked together??? No…because the film would have have become a target for backlash by racists. The fimmakers knew that, hence, the reason they avoided the situation…and the same is true of Hancock. The mere revelation that the two leads had a wholesome loving relationship has caused the critics to show their true stripes.
So how does Hollywood deal with these issues elsewhere??? Well, just like these examples, the couple has to always break-up or somebody must die…or is proven unworthy, it even happened in Hancock…and the couple weren’t even allowed to kiss??? Most times, the same thing happens with gays and lesbians in movies. If they are depicted as couples, someone in the relationship must die or there is a break-up or one, or the other, is proven unworthy…all to satisfy the racists and intolerant church factions in the Bible Belt and those who are the Powers That Be, from Goverment to Industry, and Religion…and regular people like yourself who refuse to admit that the King is a fool, and has no clothes???
I enjoyed Hancock, I thought it was funny I also thought Will Smith did a great job with his quick wit and his gift to give you a character like you and me ( average person) that inherits this power that he’s been thrown into to save the world, look this is by far not caliber to win a oscar , But it was entertaining at best. I love Will Smith ! I also went to see Wanted and thought that was also a good action flick from beginning to end, my money is on the Dark Knight that will be the best summer movie. I cannot wait!
Media Messiah — the politics of Hancock were terrible. Most of the movie going public is closer to Jason Bateman’s character than Will Smith. Given the second half of the film, in which Bateman’s character’s relationship with his wife is essentially, destroyed, is it any wonder that audiences mostly tuned out?
Particularly since this was a “date night” movie and the movie strongly suggests in so many words that the guy’s date should prefer a “real” Will Smith instead of a Jason Bateman? [If the movie had dumped that plot point and played up a Bateman-Smith buddy angle, it would have cleaned up.]
I note WANTED Tanked. Just like I Predicted.
It dropped 60% week-to-week. Hollywood is too enamored of personalities in the tabloids (Smith, Jolie) to figure out it’s story that attracts especially the young male audience that will see a movie again, and again, and again.
I saw it and I liked it.
It is said that Will smith wanted a more grownup flick but in order to get a PG rating they had to cut out a lot of the good parts, too adult for the kids.
I think they should have opened it in the winter time when adult films are released, then there wouldn’t be the summer time kids friendly flick pressure.
It could have been much better! It should have been much better! but then it’s still better, more contemporary than the children fantasies called Superheros films, that they have been stuffing down our throats.
Hancock2 – Make it for adults, don’t cut out the sex scenes and don’t redeem the hero – Once redeemed there can be no franchise.
I can see Sony executives fingerprints all over the cutting of Hancock, so Will Smith needs to have final cut in hancock2
Actuals are in.
They way overestimated Hancock, it ended up with 103.8 for the six days and 62.6 for the weekend, putting it behind Wall*E’s opening weekend.
Media Messiah – I like Will Smith and am amazed by his success and ethics, also I liked Hancock, but the critics were right it’s not the best of what it could be and that has nothing to do with race.
By bringing race into this you are doing a disservice to a fine actor like will smith who transcends the racial barrier by refusing to categorize people racially. In fact he has more White fans than Black fans – So stop already.
Will chose Charlize and Justin to be his co-stars, so that gives you an insight into how way beyond race he is mentally.
Hey Whiskey,
Wanted tanked? According to boxofficemojo.com its made $153 million worldwide with a production budget of $75. That sounds like a better than mild hit to me. Deff. not a tank. I would Wanted again and again. Most films, even big hits drop considerably on second weekend, especially in the summer.
To each it’s own……I enjoyed it so did my son……I thought it got quite interesting(wasn’t exprecting the twist at all) and pretty funny!
i think will smith did a fantasic job playing the role of hankcock and for all you worthless losers who say any different answer me this when the last time you did a movie
Media Messiah,
sigh (and now the tiredness sets in)
….you are still royally full of shit.
you are one of those people, that when the movie(s) you like, doesnt get what YOU FEEL IT DESERVES, then everyone else must be SOME KIND OF “ISM.”
MAYBE THE MOVIES YOU LIKE SIMPLY DONT DESERVE PRAISE OR EVEN ARTISTIC RECOGNITION? EVER THINK THAT MIGHT JUST BE THE CASE? JUST BECAUSE A MOVIE IS POPULAR, DOESNT MEAN IT IS A WORK DESERVING OF ARTISTIC PRAISE OR AWARD. ISNT THAT WHAT EVERY ONE SAID/SAYS ABOUT Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and Spiderman 3? OH COME ON…you know what elitists snobs like yourself said last year, “Oh just because they are popular doesnt mean they are not full of shit.”
I hear from some people who like this movie, some in this very thread, is because it has Will Smith in it. They just say, “i like it because Will Smith is in it. Everything he does is great” Well i like him too but that doesnt mean I just think everything he does is PERFECT. WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF ATTITUDE IS THAT?????
And then you thro out charges of “racism this,” & “homophobia that…” you do not even know what you are talking about. You act as if you are some kind of person trying to be his/her own pope or televangelist or something…
Ever hear of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?,” Back in the “good ol’ days,” when Hollywood and the movie critics were MUCH MORE CONSERVATIVE THEN TODAY, this movie was universally praised for being great & historic. The plot was about the love between an african-amercian man and a european-amercian woman. DO YOU EVEN KNOW ABOUT MOVIE HISTORY? OR ARE YOU JUST TRYING TO RE-WRITE IT TO FIT IN WITH YOUR PARANOIA????
Here are the movie’s stats. read em & weep. You are really a sad person who only seems to want to promote hatred. I am really disgusted with people like you, who have build their lives on lies & hate, and try to CONVERT others to your beliefs based on those lies.
SO NOW CONTEMPORARY HOLLYWOOD IS INDEBTED TO THE BIBLE BELTERS AND THAT IS WHY THEY NEGATIVELY REVIEW MOVIES THAT YOU LIKE??? AND NOW EVEN MOVIE REPORTERS AND REVIEWERS BASE WHAT THEY SAY ON THE BIBLE BELTERS BEHALF??? WHEN DID THIS FUKIN HAPPEN?????? SHOW YOUR PROOF? WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??????
STATS for “Guess Who is Coming to Dinner?”
Awards
Wins
1967: Academy Award for Best Actress (Katharine Hepburn)
1967: Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay
1968: BAFTA Film Award for Best Actor (Spencer Tracy)
1968: BAFTA Film Award for Best Actress (Katharine Hepburn)
Nominations
1967: Academy Award for Best Picture
1967: Academy Award for Best Director
1967: Academy Award for Best Actor (Spencer Tracy)
1967: Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Cecil Kellaway)
1967: Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Beah Richards)
1967: Academy Award for Best Art Direction
1967: Academy Award for Film Editing
1967: Academy Award for Best Original Score
…and before you scream that Sidney Poitier should have gotten an Oscar, he had starred in three classic films that year, “To Sir, With Love;” “In the Heat of the Night;” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” and the “Guess who is Coming to Dinner?” was not his best acting, although better then most other actors thatt year. But he was the lead actor in the other two and was incredible. Also, he had won an Oscar earlier, in 1963, for “Lillies of the Field,” the first african-american to do so. SO I GUESS IN YOUR MIND, THE ACADEMY SET HIM UP TO WIN IN 1963, SO HE WOULDNT GET THE OSCAR IN 1967? RIGHT CHAMP????
….and in terms of homosexuality and the movies, ever hear of “Dog Day Afternoon?” two main charaters are gay (and one wants to be transgender) it is an incredible movie, and here are the stats (Elton John even allowed for one of his songs to be used in the opening credits, so dont tell me gays didnt know about this film, or it was being pushed only by bible belters) :
STATS for “Dog Day Afternoon?”
Oscars Awards
Dog Day Afternoon won the 1975: Academy Award for Writing – Original Screenplay (Frank Pierson)
Oscar Nominations:
1975: Best Picture
1975: Best Director (Sidney Lumet)
1975: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Al Pacino)
1975: Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Chris Sarandon)
1975: Best Film Editing (Dede Allen)
Golden Globe Nominations:
1975: Best Motion Picture – Drama
1975: Best Director – Motion Picture (Sidney Lumet)
1975: Best Motion Picture Actor – Drama (Al Pacino)
1975: Best Screenplay – Motion Picture (Frank Pierson)
1975: Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (Charles Durning)
1975: Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (John Cazale)
1975: Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture – Male (Chris Sarandon)
The film won other awards, including the 1975, National Board of Review of Motion Pictures (NBR) Award for Best Supporting Actor (Charles Durning) and a Writers Guild Award for Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen (Frank Pierson) as well as the British Academy Award for Best Actor (Al Pacino). The film is also #70 on AFI’s “100 Years… 100 Thrills” list. In 2006, Premiere magazine issued its “100 Greatest Performances of All Time”, citing Pacino’s performance as Sonny as the 4th greatest ever.
…have you had your brain on crooked all the years or what? HOW COME YOU SO CONVENIENTLY FORGOT TO MENTION THESE GREAT MOVIES AND THE RECOGNITION GIVEN THEM AND THEIR RESPECTIVE ACTORS, WRITERS, & DIRECTORS??????
hmm????
get out of my face you racist bigot, hater and liar….
Some insiders think Sony juiced their numbers. From $107M to a current, $103M…I think the number is closer to $100M (maybe $98M) Why? Sony, Will and other execs can’t afford to report anything less. Big stakes for a lonely weekend. Some laughable headlines wrote that Hancock crushed Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. You can’t compare the two entrants. OR Will Smith Owns 4th of July Again! Of course he owned the 4th,-there was NO Competition. Oh, and plus he is the most likable talent in the world– right now. However, if The Dark Knight opened up on the 4th, Hancock would’ve LOSS regardless of Will Smith. That says a lot, considering the timing and lack of competition. Plus, no box office records were really broken. We all knew Will was going to win the weekend with no competition. He and the studios make sure no formidable picture opens against him.
To: Seth
Will Smith may be beyond race, but the cosideration to hamper his kiss with Ms. Theron from happening, was a studio decision as there is still fear over race in Middle America and even Main Street America. Smith has been quoted as saying that he regularly gets pulled over on the streets by police constantly…even going as far as saying a cop boldly threatened him for an autograph. And Taye Diggs and wife regularly get serious death threats. Is that the racism free America that you speak of???
Covert racism isn’t practiced by yelling the N-word in front of cameras, it is practiced by undermining a person–throwing rocks and hiding one’s hands. I think you’ll recall false comments contributed to Smith which appeared to praise Hitler during, and around the time I Am Legend was released? Next, the building attacks involving Scientology, now these suspect reviews for Hancock??? Almost sounds like an organized campaign???
In a world where the Charlie’s Angel’s films can get great reviews…but Hancock is hit not only with bad reviews, but its lead actor is hit with relentless personal attacks…well, something is wrong…and that something doesn’t add-up, and when something doesn’t make sense, and a whole lot of smart people are doing it, then it is an agenda that makes sense to someone…but they are just smart enough not to openly share what that agenda is with those who might disagree…people who would be kind enough to stand-up against it, if they knew it was there, people like you Seth.
The problem??? Sometimes the truth can’t be seen if you are always wearing your rose colored glasses…while others see only the truth…and the circumstantial evidence is pointing to something that Americans like to keep hidden in their closets, but is always there, the monster of bigotry.
I find it interesting that Sony would jack up the numbers for publiciyty sake for an opening weekend. Also R-rated films like Wanted to fair to well at the box office. The real cinema money makers are always some g-rated films for kids and family.
So Nicki, where’s the update with finals? The headline still has the inflated 107 number with no mention of the 103 final.
OntheSet – Who are the “some insiders” I hate when we get these anonymous “some people”, usually it means I am trying to pass off my opinion but I am afraid to own it.
Pretzel like logic or not, what if it it made 5/7/9 million less, does that make it a failure?
Remember it was also #1 in 47 of 50 countries.
Also, usually on a holiday weekend people tend to flock to the kids friendly movies, so Hancock deified the odds.
They actually chose to leave the kids at home.
Axe grinding call be a un-pretty affair OntheSet.
Boxoffice said it made $103.8 million dollars, others still say 107.3 million, quibbling over $4 million is the equivalent of bending over and sticking ones head into that dark, dark place to find signs of intelligence.
I am more concerned about Hancock 2, there is the possibility of actually saving the patient and creating a franchise, once they decide to stop trying to cater to the PG-13 and below crowd, and truly commit to making an adult movie, something like a “Hancock noir” which means going back to the original script.
I understand the original called for charlize to kick his ass, and for Hancock to vow to destroy every living thing until Mary (Charlize) returns to him.
The critics (bless their stupid hearts) would scream “Hancock is too mean” but we the hardcore audience would cheer.
So, folks here is a dose of reality, Hancock was made to not offend families with young kids, so we’ll just have o wait for the DVD to get the better version.
As of Monday the total USA take for hancock is $112.3 million, haven’t gotten the foreign total for Monday, so the weekend in 50 countries stand at $87.7 million bring it to a total of $200 million and counting.
It’s a huge failure only $200 million in the first week, Will Smith is losing his touch, all washed up.
Seth, we’re all talking about box office numbers here. It’s not really “quibbling” to discuss the *actual* numbers and not inflated ones that Sony made up.
The original numbers are the ones that get the headlines, which is why studios put out the numbers they want instead of what the numbers actually are. The fact that this site updated every day with breathless gushing over the estimated numbers, then didn’t bother to update since that would require admitting that the hype and huge projections were even more wrong than initially thought.
Enough with the “It’s not a failure!” comments, nobody has ever called it a failure. It’s just not the huge phenomenon some hyped it to be.
Expectations were too high (toldja!). That’s it.
And I don’t think there’s any hope of a sequel. And I think you’re totally wrong about the critics, I think this would have been much better received if they stuck with the darker (and reportedly brilliant) original script – many of the complaints are that it gets too sappy and the happy ending is preposterous and tacked-on. Although AUDIENCES certainly wouldn’t take to a darker version as well. You’re absolutely right that they watered it down and took a script that should have been R and shoehorned it into a PG-13 purely for financial reasons. I would have loved this to be closer to the original and an R, but there’s no way the studio has the balls to do that (and from a $$$ standpoint, they may be right in their pandering – the better movie doesn’t necessarily make more money).
Seth, Seth, Seth. You’d have to be on the set to know
In all fairness, it doesn’t matter anyway. Not sure where you’re at in this business, but you obviously have enough time on your hands to post on Nikke’s site. Saw your name several times here while ‘reading’. I posted b/c I worked on the movie, read the script and saw the movie. When 12.5 Million moviegoers see a holiday blockbuster that ran over 5 days, that’s not stellar for a Will Smith presentation. You must like Will in any movie, like the 12.5 million moviegoers. And studios do boost their numbers. It’s part of the infamous accounting. You knew that, though right. Quibble, Quibble.
hancock was cool
I thought they were both decent movies
Milo – I totally agree with you on the “darker, more adult” Hancock.
The Box office results that was first put out and the later actual figures were a difference of 3.4 million, to worry about that is “quibbling”, there is always an over estimation caused by rounding-UP figures and not wanting to short-change your Studio.
Hancock was a movie that “I married her first then learned to love her flaws” when compared to other Superhero movies, there was dimension, depth and mirth that kept us in the seats but then there was an attempt to serve two masters, family w/kids and SciFi buffs. (the twain should never meet)and that’s where it failed to deliver. Families w/kids got more value than us SciFi buffs.
Now Milo if Will Smith gave us what we wanted, what would it do to his family w/kids image, would parents still trust the “I AM WHOLESOME WILLY” brand?
OntheSet – You are right when averaged, but in actual figures it’s his second biggest Box Office opening. So? He didn’t best his “I am Legend” record, but show me another consistent Box Office Star.
Presently 120 million locally.