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SUNDAY AM: Miley Cyrus now joins Kevin James in doing what a lot of established stars like Julia Roberts, Kevin Costner and Eddie Murphy can't these days: open a movie. And open she did on what Media By Numbers calculated was the biggest Easter Weekend on record at the North American box office -- $130.2M in 2009, compared to next highest $112.8M in 2008.
Disney had been expecting a North American Fri-Sat-Sun gross of only $17M for the entire Easter Weekend of G-rated Hannah Montana, The Movie. But now the Smiley Miley starrer opened with that tween girl haul just for Friday from 3,118 theaters, $17.3M and another $10.3M Saturday and an estimated $6.4M Sunday for what was $34M for the entire Fri-Sat-Sun. That made this not only the #1 biggest Easter Weekend family film of all time (Disney has all Top 3), but also the No. 2 highest grossing Easter Weekend pic ever (surging past The Panic Room's $30.1M in 2002, but not the $40.2M debut of Scary Movie 4 in 2006). Rival studios had been predicting $40M and upwards, but Disney made sure to point out that, historically on Easter Weekend, Saturday's box office usually drops by 41% from Friday's (and HMTM was down by 41%), with Sunday's similarly depressed, because of holiday activities. Friday's take was the highest opening day for a G-rated live-action film in industry history. Surprisingly, Disney said 20% of the audience was male.
Hollywood had expected great numbers because of the rabid fanbase for the Disney Channel TV show and for Miley Cyrus. But Disney cautiously projected the pic to play like another Disney Channel small screen to big screen hit, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, which opened on a non-Easter weekend to $17M for the 3 days. As for the huge success of 2008's Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour flick, that was helped by Disney's hyping it as a week-only engagement, which created a frenzy among tweens who couldn't get tickets to see Cyrus live in concert.
Second place went to Universal's blockbuster holdover Fast & Furious , the 4th in the street racing franchise, which easily crossed $100 million after just 8 days in theaters to $118M. Sure, it took a -65% tumble for $10.7M Friday after its humongous opening a week ago. But it earned $10.4M Saturday and ended Easter Weekend with around $28.8M (-59) from 3,472 venues. The fourquel also did $46.5M internationally this weekend from 50 territories to cross $200M worldwide.
DreamWorks Animation's Monsters v Aliens distributed by Paramount came in 3rd with $9M Friday and $8.1M Saturday from 4,136 plays, for a $22.6M Easter Weekend and a new cume of $141M.
In 4th place was Warner Bros' R-rated mall cop Observe And Report starring Seth Rogen, Anna Faris and Ray Liotta: it opened with about $4.7M Friday and $3.9M Saturday from 2,727 dates for a $10.9M Easter Weekend. But what was the studio thinking by allowing a "date rape" scene in which Rogen's character has sex with an unconscious female trashed on antidepressants and tequila? (Rogen in a recent interview said: "When we're having sex and she's unconscious like you can literally feel the audience thinking, like, how are they going to make this OK? ... And then she says, like, the one thing that makes it all okay: 'Why are you stopping'?" What utter crap. Everyone connected with this pic should be ashamed.
And following in 5th was Summit Entertainment's Knowing with $2.5M Friday and Saturday for a $6.7M Easter Weekend from 2,925 dates and a new $68M cume.
Top 10 chart
1. Hannah Montana, The Movie (Disney) OPENER [3,118] Wkd $34M
2. Fast & Furious (Uni) Week 2 [3,472] Wkd $28M (-59%) Cume $118M
3. Monsters v Aliens (DWA/Par) Week 3 [4,136] Wkd $22M, Cume $141M
4. Observe And Report (WB) OPENER [2,727] Wkd $11M
5. Knowing (Summit) Week 4 [2,925] Wkd $6.6M, Cume $68M
6. I Love You, Man (DWA/Par) Week 4 [2,643] Wkd $6.4M, Cume $58.9M
7. Haunting In Conn (LG) Week 3 [2,721] Wkd $5.7M, Cume $46.3M
8. Dragonball Evolution (Fox) OPENER [2,181] Wkd $4.6M
9. Adventureland (Miramax) Week 2 (-40%) [1,876] Wkd $3.4M, Cume $11.4M
10. Duplicity (Uni) Week 4 [1,965] Wkd $2.9M, Cume $36.8M
More on Hannah Montana, The Movie: Once again, the Disney marketing machine got it right, sending Miley and her dad Billy Ray Cyrus around the country for surprise appearances at selected movie theaters. 
At 12:05 PM, the duo entered the Regal Pinnacle in Knoxville, Tennessee, and "the crowd went insane," according to one report reaching me. "Miley and Billy Ray spoke to the audience, thanked them for being there, and told them that they were the reason for their success. Billy Ray asked if they would like to hear one of Miley's songs. Everyone started yelling, 'Yes!' Then she sang the chorus from “The Best of Both Worlds”. The crowd kept chanting her name. (Photo, left, by Adam Brimer/Knoxville News Sentinel)
In Salt Lake City, Miley and Billy Ray showed up at the Megaplex 20 in the District around 3:40 PM. "It was pandemonium. Miley and Billy Ray again thanked the screaming audience for being there. Billy Ray invited all the kids to come down and pose with Miley and him. The crowd was staring in awe, kids were in tears, and everybody was unbelievably excited. As the duo were leaving, behind the theatre, a crowd of at least 500 formed and chanted 'Miley'. The father and daughter signed some autographs and went on their way."
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Wow…this girl has zero talent and yet has the number 1 movie
Sign of the times
She really is a homely-looking girl with odd teeth. What is all the fuss??
Do you think they’ll keep doing the surprises tomorrow and Sunday? My daughter would flip…
And you can pretty much look for lowered expectations from other sites such as AOL owned Blogging Stocks.com. Take a look at the link in my name and you will see what I mean. The author expects at least a $30 million opening, but tempers it by listing all the failures in the past few months. I made a comment and predicted a $40 million opening, but it could hit $50 million by the time this weekend is done.
I honestly don’t understand why any family movies open on easter weekend when there are so many family activities that make it impossible to catch a movie in the middle of all of it. Also, with this and 17 Again, starring Zac Efron — which is getting rave reviews by the way — opening next week — the studios forget that if they had opened in the summer, they would be able to get more repeat business. Just look at what happened with High school musical 3 opening in October.
What’s with dogging Julia Roberts? That movie had a yawning script with molasses pacing, and Clive Owen was miscast. Too much heaviness placed on that film as her “comeback,” (the industry’s neurotic need for artificial landmarks)with impossible standards set for women. You know better, Nikki. Meanwhile, Bruce Willis and others tank over and over and are still considered big stars. Please stop. There are very few movies we’ll bother seeing, including Hannah Montana, but will go to see Roberts.
Are people really bashing a tween actress?
Sign of the times, indeed.
This girl is untalented, like every other girl that has came out of the Disney Factory, but there is no need to attack her looks and teeth…Remember people, she is only a child.
wow theres been hardly any dissapointments this year, each movie that opens does great. expect 17 again to be massive aswell, in the cinema company i work at in australia, opening night sold out at 3 different complex’s.
M Cyrus did not open this movie. Hannah Montana did. Just like Sara Jessica Parker did not open Sex in the City. These shows have a tv base that come out to see the character even though the movie(s) are lousy.
“Wow…this girl has zero talent and yet has the number 1 movie”
She must be doing something right to have a number one movie.
And the first two comments demonstrate exactly why Hollywood is in deep shit. Two bitter no-talents moaning about a winning formula that would create a lot of jobs if more studios adopted it.
hey DOEN….what are you doing on an industry site…because if you saw the movie, seen her tv show, watched her on interviews or even listened to that voice…you would realize you obviously don’t have a creative bone in your body….MILEY has immense talent…she is funny, real and that VOICE…insane! and hey TJ…taking a shot at a teenagers teeth, why don’t you post a picture of yourself…and let us comment…..her fans don’t seem to mind her gorgeous way..and that’s what matters in Hollywood…not insecure comments on a blog.
So, when is Miley going to go batshit insane and do crazy stuff like Britney? You know it’s just a matter of time.
It’s nice to see Stars promote their films and seem
like they are having fun doing it.
Don’t pick on the kid. She might not be your kind of star, but she does have talent and star power and is actually a nice person. And what her and her father are doing by going out and saying thanks to the fans is amazing and should be applauded. I hope her film does gangbusters. We need more movies where gross dude humor, fast cars, guns and blood aren’t part of the story line.
Anybody surpriseed by this has not been paying attention. The fat lug from King of Queens has 120 million cum domestic.
Shocked over the low grosses for Observe and Report. The trailer and the eventual movie were awesome. Some bold stuff was in there. Not the typical PG13 crap we usually get. I’d figure it would at least do 30 million for the weekend. Sucks indeed. Another notch for the rated R naysayers.
personally I didnt see Observe & Report because it seemed like a blatant ripoff of Mall Cop/Guy or whatever. yeah I noticed the R and personally didnt like the setup. too soon after the other one. why would anyone release such an obvious rip-off so close to the original?
…and if the date rape was shown as Nikki reports, then I am further glad I didnt see this kind of flick.
just plain stupid. even Watchmen didnt play out a scene that shocking, which it seems some people in this thread think was “daring.”
people seem to want to see sex in any kind of movie that they dont care what the excuse is to have it shown. Just plain crazy…..and I do not mind R rated movies.
Jake, you question the wisdom of opening up family movies on Easter (why wouldn’t they take advantage of a family holiday?), and use as examples two films that cleaned up on that very weekend.
As the kids say…WTF?
Even Seth Rogan was talking trash about his movie on SNL. They refered to it as MALL COP. I’m not a Seth fan. I don’t get it, his movie proves that he can’t open a movie.
As for the Hannah movie, normally somebody like that would bug me but it doesn’t. She’s a kid and having fun. I hope her movie does well at the box office.
I’m not part of the Hannah Montana demographic but I’m glad that the kids have a role model who – right now – seems to have a grip on who she is and what she wants. And I will admit that I am totally jealous of Miley and her success. I wish I had just 1/8 of the success that she has enjoyed so far. I just hope that she doesn’t pull a Britney or a Lindsay and self-destructs because of that success. I don’t think that will happen though. Again, she seems to have a grip on things.
yes, we are bashing her, and you.
she’s not any worse a teen idol than Troy Donahue for those of you who remember.
“Remember people, she is only a child.”
Who in real life dresses like a hooker and dates a 20 year old underwear model. Such a great role model.
I thought the Observe and Report trailer was pretty weak. Maybe that’s why I didn’t go see it.
While Miley’s talent may be debatable, Rogen’s isn’t. he has none. He relies on the disgusting and profane and can’t act his way out of a bag of BC Bud. Now, it turns out he’s done one misogynistic movie too many. Date Rape is not a joke. It shouldn’t be portrayed as oneever, in any light, EVER.
May this movie, and Seth Rogan disappear quickly.
Thank goodness the American movie audience cares less what movie critics and movie pundits think and more about whether they were entertained by the film. It’s a great thing when a zero talented, odd teethed, homely looking teen actress can develop a character that millions of Americans can appreciate and love. That makes her quite the clever actress to pull off that kind of amazing appeal! And both Hannah Montana and Monsters versus Aliens will have huge weekends hovering at the 30+ million and 40+ million marks. Hannah made nearly 20 million, on Good Friday no less, and Monsters versus Aliens came in just under 10 million. Fast & Furious may be quickly dieing at the box office but these two family films are going to thrive during the next week and a half of Easter vacation time.
“personally I didnt see Observe & Report because it seemed like a blatant ripoff of Mall Cop/Guy or whatever. yeah I noticed the R and personally didnt like the setup. too soon after the other one. why would anyone release such an obvious rip-off so close to the original?”
Yep, they obviously saw Paul Blart: Mall Cop and obviously thought, “Hey, let’s rip this movie off. And we’ll get Seth Rogen to star in it. And we’ll make it R-rated so we can put some sick stuff in it. It’s gonna be awesome!”
In case you didn’t notice it, I was being sarcastic. Because Observe and Report is obviously not a rip-off of Paul Blart. Paul Blart was released only three months ago. Yeah, maybe they shouldn’t have released it so close to Paul Blart, but then again, nobody expected Paul Blart to be a huge success. Other than the fact that the main characters in these two movies are both mall cops, they’re movies are completely different. No one stole anything from anyone. It’s just a coincidence.
Lotta dumb folks in this big ol’ country of ours. And we wonder why we get spoon fed dumb movies?
People calling Observe and Report a rip-off amuses me. As if someone who saw Mall Cop walked out of the theater saying “That’s brilliant! Let’s write, cast, produce, post, market, and release a total rip-off in three months! Only with a completely different tone and story!” Sheesh…
And the irony is that the “look at the stupid fat guy crawl on the floor” comedy breaks 100 million and the edgier, more interesting comedy can’t get out of the starting blocks.
As for Miley/Hannah/whoever, I’m not a fan, but I don’t get what sad little void it fills in people to bash her. Human nature, I guess. But to all the Miley defenders? Hey, its laudable, you sound like nice folks, but “she’s just a kid” is no argument. My friends’ daughters are “just” kids. You wanna be a superstar? You take your knocks.
Why is it that stars aren’t bothered when random people gush over them for no reason, but are so confused when random people revile them for no reason? Folks, they’ve got no more intrinsic value than any of the rest of us. Celebrity is in the eye of the beholder.
The trailer for Observe and Report was horrible. I laughed once. I saw the movie at an advance screening at my University and I only did it to support the charity of a friend of mine and because it was $5…and I was pleasantly surprised at how funny it was. It was definitely an offensive movie (jokes about alcoholism, borderline racism, and the date-rape scene), but Seth Rogen is a quality comedic actor who can carry a film.
What’s with all the Rogen-bashing? Movies that make fun of murder, child abuse etc are fine (see: most of this years comedy) but one joke about date-rape and he’s worse than Hitler? Funny is funny.
How stupid are you people? A Mall Cop rip-off? This was written LONG before Mall Cop, and started shooting 9 months before Mall Cop even came out. And Nikki, why should the people who made Observe and Report be ashamed because of the date-rape scene. It happens all the time. It’s a part of life. Jody is just being an honest filmmaker. The story dictated its inclusion and it reveals important details about both the characters in the scene. Would you say the makers of The Accused should be ashamed? Your moral righteousness is starting to disgust me.
Observe And Report was nothing at all like Paul Blart: Mall Cop. A big thank you for that, Jody Hill.
And yes, the sex/date rape scene discussed here was in the film, and it sounds inexcusable when taken out of context. But in the framework of the film, and seeing the kind of characters being portrayed here, it just comes off a shocking bit of behavior from a clearly unstable individual.
I guess on reason why I liked the film as much as I did was because it really walked a fine line between being laugh out loud funny at times and in the next moment being just twisted and really messed up. It’s sort of a gamble for Rogen to play this kind of character, and for Warner Brothers too for releasing it as is. It makes you laugh at one minute and then makes you ask yourself it was okay to laugh in the next. In other words, it messes with your head and makes you think a little bit.
I doubt if there were any such moments in Hannah Montana or Fast & Furious.
And yes, the trailer for Observe And Report was very weak. And very misleading as to the type of film it really is.
Observe and Report is, without a doubt, the funniest film I’ve seen in years. Anyone who’s giving this film a hard time, and has yet to see it, can’t say a damn thing. This movie has an audience, it’s just not for everyone. And I don’t want to say it’ll have a cult following, because I believe this film can tap into the mainstream. It’s just a different type of humor, one that is shocking in how far it goes. And shocking is funny! Really, see this movie. It’s not paul blart, it’s not apatow, it’s not sandler-esque, it’s something different. FINALLY Hollywood, something different (and freakin’ hilarious).
“She must be doing something right to have a number one movie.”
No, Disney is doing something right. Be it Lindsay Lohan, Hillary Duff, High School Musical or now Miley Cyrus – Disney knows how to handle the tween market and really hit that sweet spot. Kudos to them.
As for Miley, I have seen the show – and of the bunch of Disney starlets, she is by far the worst ACTRESS of the bunch. She’s bad even by kid’s TV shows standards.
She seems to be itching to break out of the Mouse House….and I imagine she’ll has as much success as Lindsay and Hillary (ie, almost none).
God I’m just sick to death of her. After hearing her open her mouth on the red carpet, all I can say is that she’s worse than Ryan Seacrest in the foot-in-mouth disease department… and that’s B-A-D.
I’ve loved Jody Hill and Seth Rogen’s work, but “Observe and Report” was one of the meanest, unfunny movies I have ever seen. And the date rape scene is worse than advertised.
Saw O&R tonight and was extremely disappointed. Trailer better than film. Writing wasn’t very tight and the execution of what WAS there was off. May have seemed funny on the page to the writer/director, but really needed a fresh set of eyes on the page and behind the camera.
Faris saying “why are you stopping, mother_____er?” was actually one of the best jokes in the film. Original and genuinely funny. Although I didn’t really love the film, I applaud it and the studio for not being afraid of doing something a bit different. Come on, Nikki, don’t knock originality!
At least Dragonball Evolutions is getting the cold shoulder as it should. Proof that, somehow, Americans still have taste.
When I went to go see the Fast and the Furious this afternoon,I brought up the Hannah Montana movie with the ticket teller. I explained that the local Hannah Montana fanbase is flocking to Jackson to see it. The employees sounded real disappointed when they didn’t get this movie for the Easter Weekend. For this market not getting hannah montana for the easter weekend is going to veiw as a disappointment. By the way serve and protect opened here but I didn’t waste my bucks on it.
Aside from the fact that SETH ROGEN is yesterday’s news and many don’t care if he tries to reinvent himself or moves to an island with 5 hookers….
OBSERVE AND REPORT – (weakest trailer ever)
… all anybody talks about is that DATE-RAPE SCENE. That’s it. Apparently not the kind of scene you would want to have in any movie (except a torture-porn horror flick)
Wait, the other thing many who’ve watched OBSERVE AND REPORT are actively bitching about is how the trailer completely MISREPRESENTED the movie. (I would count that as a plus as the trailer is horrible. But I will not watch OAR due to the rape scene thankyouverymuch.)
The concept of PAUL BLART meets TAXI DRIVER does sound very interesting to me. However, from the many comments I’ve read about the film, Jody Hill had no clue how to actually realize it in an interesting way.
RE: Hannah Montana – MOONLIGHT THE MOVIE
That the filmindustry is slow on the uptake is nothing new. Especially when it comes to the current relationship of TV and movies. How else to explain that MOONLIGHT THE MOVIE was not made? Even after MOONLIGHT won fans overseas who then – months after everything was said and done – joined their American fans in their mourning of the series? Baffling. With a modest budget that movie would present zero risk.
Why wouldn’t Hannah open big? Disney’s modesty is silly. I don’t buy it.
I attended an advanced sneak preview of “Observe and Report” on Monday. Even though it was a free promotional screening, i wish i didnt see it. And the audience didn’t really care for it either. Scattered, awkward laughs. The last ten minutes were a riot and the conclusion was a cop out (pun intended) and in very poor taste.
The low gross is expected. However, Im stunned by all the positive reviews from critics for ‘O & E’ especially the Onion/AV Club who compared it to a Wes Anderson movie.
On a random note, “Sin Nombre” is the first best of contender for 2009. Stunning and engaging. Seek this movie out.
Stop the OBSERVE AND REPORT hating. The funniest movie this year by a mile. And- SPOILER ALERT- Anna’s character freely takes the drugs! Seth’s character doesn’t slip it in her drink. NOT date rape! Give it a break, Nikki. To blast it like you do with Eli Roth movies is simply unfair. As bfagoa said, this is a strikingly different comedy, and kudos to Warners for making it.
Easter is not a family weekend for movies — even the studios concur that easter weekend has its highest grosses on Friday — so again, why release this movie on this weekend. On top of that, why release the zac efron comedy next weekend — kids are not out of school– although 17 again is getting great reviews — 91 percent fresh last time i checked. They could have easily opened up against star trek in may.
Zac was hilarious on SNL.
I don’t think Duplicity is Julia or Clive’s fault — it’s actually a pretty good movie, but with a bit of a downer of an ending. If you take a look at Oscar nominee Michael Clayton — which Tony Gilroy also directed — it is gonna get similar box office numbers and that starred George Clooney.
Observe & Report is, without a doubt, one of the greatest studio comedies of the last 20 years.
Make no mistake, its writer/director Jody Hill will eventually win a screenwriting Oscar in the coming years.
This movie was above and beyond anything out of Rogen’s previous work. It shocking how well-acted this film was. It seriously plays like something Tarantino would’ve made in the 90s.
It’s a shame that a brilliant film like this one has to live in the shadow of Paul Blart’s box office.
marc, Miley didn’t develop anything, Disney did.She has zero talent and it will show when she tries to grow up and do more challenging roles, like that other Disney factory starlet(Hally Duff, anyone).Without the exploiting machine called Disney behind her, she will have to get roles on her acting ability alone, and so far she has shown none.With that said, I don’t think it right to make personal attacks against a sixteen year old.It’s okay to judge a child’s talent, or lack thereof, but adults ripping her looks and personal choices is beyond mean spirited. Anti-Cyrus,the people you should be blaming for her attire is her parents.As for her dating a twenty year old, what world are you living in? Teenager girls have been dating adult men for centuries, and it is still prevalent throughout the world today(I’m looking at you red states).I’m not saying it’s right, because it isn’t, but if you want play the “role model” card base on her dating choices, you might want to look at a few powerful men this country seem to be in love with.If my memory serve me correctly, Rudy Giuliani married his thirteen year old cousin, Elvis stated courting Priscilla when she was still wearing a training bra, and Michael Jackson, though there is no proof, is a suspected pedophile.One is “America’s Mayor”, the others is adored by millions, and the other just sold out ten shows in London, and is still very more revered in America.
Its comletely different from the Apatow and Sandler mode of comedies. Its more bolder and has an identity. The date rape scene is a misnomer. It was consensual within the context of the moment. Yes she was thrashed which would definitely impair her judgement. But the line reading she says confirms she was in control of the moment. Look this movie is not for everyone, it is uncomfortable to watch at times, but I have to give props to Jody Hill and the rest of the filmmaking team for doing this. And a big shout out to WB. Unlike a lot of people on this comment forum I dug the hell out of that trailer. It told you the story and established the tone. And when you sat down to watch the movie that’s what you got.
There are times when I just don’t want to feel safe when watching a movie. I want to feel a little uneasy at times. The culture needs movies like this to counterbalance against the fast food McMOVIES that dominate our multiplexes on an annual basis.
Like many others, for a long time I thought Rogen was a one trick pony, playing the same “aww shucks I smoke weed and I’m a slacker loser that just wants to be loved” type. But Observe and Report made me rethink that. The dude has acting chops. I think he has a career as a character actor if he wants it.
The trailer for the new Apatow movie doesn’t look appealing at all by the way.
I pity those who defend “Observe and Report” as “edgy”. They need therapy, stat. I sat there in the audience and did not laugh once; we are talking crickets here. There was some VERY loud commentary over the date-rape scene, and I saw several people leave. Me, I’m too much of a tightwad not to sit through even the crappiest of films in the faint hope I’d get something for my money. But it was a damn near thing with this one. I did take an extended break after the date-rape scene for some snackage and a bathroom visit, after which I managed to talk myself back into going into the theater. My summation: Seth Rogen is so over. Hope he’s run out of Hollywood and that he takes Jason Segal with him (”I Love You Man” wasn’t as stupid and offensive as “Observe”, but it was just about as funny, which is hardly a compliment).
I went to see the Fast and Furious in a Michigan theatre.
This afternoon show at $4.75 was empty. But the moms, the daughters and their friends were streaming in to see Hannah Montana.
This film will make 150 million to 200 million easily.
I think the Miley bashing is somewhat premature. Wait a couple of years when she’s supplanted Lindsey Lohan for the job of number one train wreck of a former teen star and then bash away.
At this point, the person to bash is the father, Billy Rae. He’s practically pimping out his daughter.
She is what he has made her, and as she’s still underage, I prefer to put the blame where it is due, the guradian and father who makes entertainment parents on bad reality shows look like rank amateurs.
Hey, Jesus, your comparison to The Accused would be spot on, if that movie’s point was: “hey, what those guys did to Jodie Foster on the pool table was a-okay!”
Thanks for pointing out the idiocy of others… while providing more idiocy for the rest of us to comment on.
Please, oh please, let this be the end of the 15 minutes for Seth Rogen. He has grossly (and I mean grossly) overstayed his welcome.
Saw ‘Observe’. Wow. What a weird, unfunny movie. Why market a film as a comedy when it is clearly a strange version of Jody Hill and Seth Rogen’s feelings for women? They must be strange dudes. And yes, the scene is VERY uncomfortable and bottom line: NOT FUNNY. Probably never going to see a Seth Rogen film again. What a dork. Learn how to deal with women in a different manner you dorks…
Last time I checked, just because a woman takes some pills, or heaven forbid, has a few too many drinks on her own, it doesn’t make date rape acceptable. Ad a throwaway line to cover poor taste in a movie, is still a throwaway line.
I don’t know how any of you can sit at the holiday table with the women you love (Mothers, Sisters, Lovers) and actually think this kind of putrid rationale is acceptable.
I’m an established screenwriter. You’d know my name. I’ve written movies that have made lots of money.
And to the bitter dead-enders who insist on knocking Miley Cyrus, or spend time deconstructing her success I can only ask this:
Are you people actually in the movie business?
If so, you’d have the wisdom to know that any movie that brings in a new audience – kids – is good for all of us.
And more to the point, you’d have the character – the inner sense of ethics and morality – to realize how unseemly it is to be disparaging a 15 year old girl for her acting ability.
Further, in so far as wishing this child badly, or predicting that she’ll end up like another Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears train wreck, if you had but a shred of conscience, you’d have the good sense to hope that this doesn’t happen to this child.
All of which is why I can only ask: What is wrong with you people? Are you that bitter that you can’t need to piss on everyone’s success – even that of a 15 year old girl? Do you not realize that movies aren’t a zero sum game? That her success – and this movie opening well – doesn’t preclude your own chances for success? Do you not possess the simple generosity of spirit to say “Good for her, good for Disney, good for all of us?”
All I know is that this was a three day weekend for my children. I took my 10 year old daughter to see the movie on Saturday and she loved it. She wants to see it again, today, Sunday. I thought the film was perfectly benign. It was harmless fun. And the experience of seeing it together – and watching her eyes light up with delight at age-old movie tropes – was a total delight. And as a father, and a screenwriter, that was more than enough for me.
You don’t get anywhere in this business if you’re continually bitter, and can’t accept anyone else’s success, and feel the need to attack everything, even a 15 year old girl (regardless of whether she comes from a show business family, or not.)
My advice? Turn off the computer. Get a life. And maybe – just maybe – you’ll come to learn that understanding what’s important, and what’s not, will help you find your own inner character that will enable you to succeed in show business.
One hit does not mean Kevin James can open a movie. With thinking like that it’s no wonder studios are in trouble.
Comment by A. M. — April 11, 2009 @ 11:47 pm: “Wait, the other thing many who’ve watched OBSERVE AND REPORT are actively bitching about is how the trailer completely MISREPRESENTED the movie.”
OMG! The trailer misrepresented the movie!?! Are you serious!?!
[sarcasm]That NEVER happens![/sarcasm]
My favorite misrepresenting trailer is the one for “Annapolis.” That trailer was awesome in its misrepresentation. So awesome, in fact, that it included scenes in the trailer that were not in the movie – e.g., exploding jet fighters, attacks on Navy ships, etc. “Armageddon” didn’t have many more explosions than the “Annapolis” trailer did. I wouldn’t have seen “Annapolis” if I didn’t have to and don’t recommend anyone else do so either, but watching the trailer is entertaining if you know that all of the explosions and jet fighters streaking by are not present in the movie.
I didn’t see that level of misrepresentation in the “Observe & Report” trailer. I didn’t even see “Bridge to Terabithia” level misrepresentation that attempted to make “Bridge” look like “The Chronicles of Narnia.”
To the guys mocking Hannah Montana:
You’ve heard the term “flash in the pan”, right? Two to three years from now Miley Cyrus won’t be able to open an unlocked safe. There’ll be E! specials on “how the dream became a nightmare” and predictable punchlines to Letterman jokes.
So why mock her current success? There’s been no indication that she’ll blossom into the next Meryl Streep, so the likelihood of Miley rocking multiplexes for years to come is slim to none.
Let the kid make a little money before she snorts it up her nose.
Seth Rogan has the best agent in Hollywood. Miley doesn’t need an agent, just a dad.
Stop hating on Miley. God, she is fifteen. I’m almost fifty and I know talent when I see it.
What were you doing at fifteen. Me, I was wathching reruns of the Monsters, the Brady Bunch etc.
She can sing. Can you?
At fifteen she can handle crowds, that would frighten even the most dedcicaed actor who might throw a camera, or punch someone out.
Acting can always be learned. I hope she thrives and makes 100 billion and becomes the next Raven producing her own movie. KIDS STARS ROCK.
1. Jodie Foster
2. Shirley Temple
3. Raven Symone
4. Daktoa Fanning Rocks in Push
5. Miley Cyrus
Let her enjoy her success caz as the song by ACDC goes its long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.
BABY. WRIF ROCKS.
The Hannah brand drives all the revnue. Miley is a star in her ownright. She carried a lot of talk shows and each time she had a different look and a different spin but still very organic and real. Any executive or talent rep would drop dead to be in that business. Disney has one season left on the series…Her dad is smart and is making some very smart decisions. Disney is doing what it knows how to do, and doing it well. Hats off. Next up Selina Gomez!
Dragonball is a worldwide phenomenon, boasting a reader/viewership of over 1 billion worldwide over a ten year span. Only FOX could f#@* up a franchise like this.
What a pack of losers!
How exactly is a movie that is dropping off 60% A DAY (!!!!) a triumph? So Disney bought an opening weekend with Miley Cyrus’ TV fanbase. BFD. Clearly, even the tweens hate the movie as the numbers give no indication of decent word-of-mouth or repeat viewing. When all is said and done, it will be lucky to limp to a $60 Mil cume.
I’m almost fifty and I know talent when I see it.
Not buying this, 28-year-old shill.
We’re not hating on Miley, just wondering how a very plain looking girl with odd teeth, albeit with stage talent, and a father who was a one-hit music wonder made the “big time” with so many other more talented and becoming folks denied the same opportunity.
Wait a minute…I just thought of Paris Hilton.
Nevermind.
Good for Miley. She’s cute and funny, and frankly, I’d rather watch her than Julia any day. (I’m not trying to bash Julia — I just never saw the appeal.)
I respectfully disagree. Hannah Montana opened this film, not Miley Cyrus. It remains to be seen if any significant percentage of her show’s fans will follow her as an actress beyond the Montana character.
Good for the movie and the people involved (sincerely) but all this “RECORD WEEKEND” nonsense for every movie that does business of any kind is beyond preposterous. Adjust for inflation and there are probably less than a dozen movies from the last 20 years that are even worthy of having the word ‘record’ associated with them in any way.
R rated movies, on average, cost much less to make than PG13 movies, and therefore dont have to make as much to be profitable. In fact, EVERY YEAR R rated movies end up dominating the top ten list in “cost to profit ratio”.
I doubt O&R will be one fo those movies. But it just may end up making a profit after all. Probably only cost about 20 million to make.
Haven’t seen either of these movies but I can tell you that putting a date rape scene in a movie does not mean anyone is condoning date rape in general. Context is critical, people. Feminists really hurt their cause when they don’t choose their battles carefully.
And whoever said Miley didn’t open that movie, Hannah did is right on the money. TV show came first and that’s what did it. But it’s funny to watch Hollywood circle the young people like buzzards, nitpicking and trashtalking to such a cruel degree, then doing it further when these kids destroy themselves with drugs as soon as they are old enough to get their hands on them. She’s just a child and a brand name, big deal.
Granted, opening a movie puts one up for all sorts of abuse in the blogosphere, but do we really want to be blasting on Miley Cyrus in the immensely personal manner as in the first 2 posts. She is no Meryl Streep — what 15-year old girls is? — but she is not trying to be, not just now anyway.
Holy cow – was there a WRIF, BABY! reference in a DHD thread? Should I get out my D.R.E.A.D. card from the 1970’s?
I’m curious why people think Observe and Report is so edgy and hilarious. I found it to be very boring and predictable. The violence wasn’t shocking, just sigh inducing. The dialogue was banal. And what little development there was of the characters wasn’t even the least bit interesting – and I’m a Seth Rogen fan.
I think the fault lies more in the writing than anything else. I enjoy profanity, and have no qualms with violence, but bad writing-that really bothers me. You can have dislikable characters (i.e. Emmet Ray from Sweet and Lowdown) and still have a watchable film because those characters are interesting. But making characters losers and expecting us to be able to somehow relate to them is implausible. At least make them compelling losers! Give us something! Operating in a world (mall culture) flush with strange behavior and characters, the movie let many opportunities slip by. The film zipped through the multiple threads so quickly that it never took the time to develop the characters beyond stereotypes. (The slutty blonde, the angry cop, the bumbling boss…)
The comparisons to Taxi Driver are especially offensive. Travis Bickle had a perverted sense of justice, sure, but he was operating from a place of misplaced and almost chaste protection, rather than a stereotypical fixation of guns and power. Bickle managed to be endearing, rather than an oversimplification. The argument that people are just not ready for this type of humor is off base. Dark, edgy humor is fantastic. It just has to be original. And funny.
The real story here is that Fox destroyed Dragonball. This is just sad… if done properly, this could have been a $500million movie. It’ll be lucky to make $15mm.
In what way are “more talented and becoming folks” denied the same opportunity?
DOEN, you took the words right out of my mouth.
To expand on that, i offer you flash in the pan.
Come back a year from now and you’ll find her wandering naked, bald and stoned along riverside drive.
I say good for Miley! Despite how it may seem these days with all the tweeny-boppers in the spotlight, it isn’t easy to draw such a strong and loyal fanbase. The Hannah Montana movie made more in 2 days than that Jonas Brothers concert film grossed in its entire run.
Nikki – I am happy that you finally took some well deserved time off but could you please update your website so that I don’t have to see Miley Cirus while waiting for you to come back? You being gone is punishment enough
Re: Date Rape Scene
Since when are you not allowed to put a morally questionable character into a morally questionable scene in an R-rated movie?
What were they thinking opening a filthy R-Rated comedy on Easter weekend?! Opens on Good Friday no less! Whatever your feelings on religion, you have to admit that a HUGE number of potential viewers will not go to movies at that time. Same thing for Zack and Miri opening on Halloween! Studios: Don’t open your R-Rated comedy on a major holiday. I just saved you $10 million dollars a marketing firm would have charged you, so return the fucking favor and stop tanking funny movies!
I long for the days when movies starred excellent actors and not personalities. I long for the days when STUDIO movies lensed in Hollywood. I long for the days sans “reality shows,” I long for the days when casting directors cast from all the agencies, I long for the days when a “package” was a box with stuff in it, not a stable of the A-list agencies, I long for the days when men didn’t pluck their eyebrows- but were man enough to be men, I long for the days when our CA gov’t and ex-movie star mayor revered our film industry enough to KNOW that keeping the studios working meant keeping unknown, but talented actors and actresses and all the business who support those big studio features working. I long for good story translated to the big screen, I long for the comraderie of the cast and crew in a production – family for a couple of days, remembered long after the shoot was wrapped. I long for quality. I long for smart leaders in Hollywood. It’s gone I fear.
“a very plain looking girl with odd teeth, albeit with stage talent”
You pretty much just described Susan Boyle, and it looks like she’s going to do all right for herself. Isn’t it about time we got over our fixation on looks?
OK. OK…….enough of the HANNA MONTANA!
May we please have something more interesting to read about?
I’m in my early forties and took my 9 year old daughter to see the Hannah Montana movie this weekend. Preparing for the worst, I found it to be a very engaging movie and really enjoyed myself. My only complaint? The ending was silly. But, it’s a kids movie and sappy/silly endings are part of the package.
OTOH, the previews for Observe and Report look stoopid. And I’m an Adam Sandler, Farrelly Bros fan so that’s saying something. Fast and Furious, ehhh, I lack the testosterone for that one. It is something my husband may rent in a year or two Monsters vs. Aliens – seen the previews 3x, don’t really see the appeal. So I think I saw the right movie!
And…goodness, I can admit to enjoying schadenfreude with some celebs (more so the politicians) but why would anyone be gleeful at the thought of Miley following in Britney’s or Hillary’s footsteps? Just sad!
When was the last time any of the adult stars mentioned did any publicity with other than bad grace and lack of enthusiasm? Good for Miley, and while I’m not her demographic, I’d say she’s got a decent enough career ahead of her.
Plain looking girls with talent often manage to hang on for quite a while in show biz, long after beauties fade away.
Second week. Hannah Montana,State of Play and 17 again didn’t open at the local cinema
good for her!
miley has talent
that´s why she´s famous people!!
duh, i swear some people on this
site have no brains what so ever.
i love hannah montana. she is beautful too.
STOP HATING ON MILEY
YOU’RE JEALOUS
i love your show hannah
Disney wasn’t being cautious about Hannah Montana: The Movie’s opening weekend prediction. They were simply reporting what tracking was telling them. The studios pay tracking firms to survey people about whether or not they will likely see a film. Tracking minors can be difficult because it’s actually illegal to poll them without their parents consent. But tracking was also off for The Fast and the Furious which, like Miley, about doubled up on tracking expectations.