DELLAMORTE’S BO WRAP – 9/14/07

Fall doldrums have hit and hit hard. Everything did limp business, though it’s not as if there was anything to see here. Move along. These aren’t the films you’re looking for. Tuesday Weld in Pretty Poison? That’s worth savoring. This weekend… not so much.

The Brave One got the top slot, and should close out around $40 million, which isn’t a bad thing for the film. Depending on how much Jodie Foster got paid, it will likely be a profitable venture for everyone. This is how September can work to people’s advantage. Mr. Woodcock will likely fare less well, though when a film sits around for a couple months, there’s a fire sale quality to it and so a near $30 million is like C for Cookie – in that it’s good enough for New Line (even if that doesn’t make it profitable), whose Shoot ‘Em Up has already fallen out of the top ten. David Poland likes talking about the Geek 8 as if films marketed to nerds can only get to eight million, or maybe it’s the Internet 8. So how does that describe nerd-friendly properties like Spider-Man or 300 or even last year’s Crank doing the business that they did? Oh yeah, it’s because those failure films were hyped only on the internet due to failings of marketing (films like Serenity, Running Scared, etc.), so it must be nothing but a nerd thing, baby. Internet sites going crazy. Well, I’m hollering 187 with my facts in your mouth, Poland; I call bullshit on this theory, because the variable associated with it are Cousin Balki-level ridiculous. Genre films that are poorly marketed tend to make eight. It don’t say nothing about the geeks.

Hey, that Korean movie that sat around for a year kinda almost opened. People like Dragons.

Superbad keeps rolling along, and should get to 40-Year-Old Virgin numbers. That’s kinda insane, all things, so again, get with the ring kissing. Halloween even fell behind it, but at least it should get to over $60 Million, which is not so bad for the film, and I celebrate whatever licenses that Zombie has (outside of his wife working more in film). With so little to see worth anything, I can imagine that films like Bourne, and to a certain extent 3:10 to Yuma and Bean are holding fairly well because they at least deliver what the audience wants – though Bourne and Bean will at least make some money. 3:10? Not so much.

Rush Hour 3 probably won’t get to $150, and, as our own Jeremy Smith predicted, likely won’t top the initial entry in the franchise. Whaa-wha-wha.

Out of the top ten both Eastern Promises and Across the Universe were such curiosities that they did over a half a million on a handful of screens, while The Valley of Elah also opened limited, but didn’t do as much business. I’d think Roger Ebert would be the bellweather with his four star review, but Ebert has been altogether too generous lately to use his love as a diving rod. As such, I predict that Elah will not have the cultural saturation of Crash, and will not be much of a contender unless the field is so weak it sneaks in, and then could have an impact. Then again, the Academy will surely be inundated with the film. Time will tell.