SPEARE'S TIPS - The Films (Well, FILM) of 1/6/12

[Shrykespeare]

Friday Estimates:

The Devil Inside, $16.8M
Mission: Impossible, $6.2M
Sherlock Holmes, $4.3M
Girl w/ Dragon Tattoo, $3.5M
War Horse, $2.6M
We Bought a Zoo, $2.4M
Alvin & Chipmunks, $2.3M
Adv. of Tintin, $1.7M
Tinker Tailor, $1.7M
New Year's Eve, $1.1M

I'm shocked. Didn't think TDI had a snowball's chance of winning the weekend. Guess moviegoers were really jonesing for a horror movie, even one with a horrendous 7% RT score.



Weekend Projections:

The Devil Inside, $33M
Mission: Impossible, $20M
Sherlock Holmes, $13.8M
Girl w/ Dragon Tattoo, $11.2M
Alvin & Chipmunks, $10.5M
War Horse, $8.7M
We Bought a Zoo, $8.5M
Adv. of Tintin, $7.2M
Tinker Tailor, $5.3M
New Year's Eve, $3.3M

[Geezer]

Maybe the interest just wasn't there for this year's holiday slate of films. They all underperformed (except MI:4) and now TDI is breaking out. Seems the people were jonesing for anything new.

[Shrykespeare]

So 2012 is off to a great start. I hope it can maintain this level of consistency. If it does, 2012 will end up kicking the shit out of 2011, stealing its lunch money and hanging it on top of a flagpole by its underwear band.

[BanksIsDaFuture]

The Devil Inside had a great trailer, and good-looking horror movies almost always do well.
It's after WOM gets around, that they usually start having problems.

And from what I've read about the ending of The Devil Inside, I wouldn't be surprised if a good chunk of that $33M wasn't handed back out in free passes for upset viewers.

[transformers2]

God damn, now I wish I put The Devil Inside on more slates than my January Ultimate ones!

[numbersix]

To be honest, I feel that the reason The Devil Inside is doing wll because it's the first new movie in 2 weeks (just like Hostel in 2006, which also opened well). Also, it was the first horror movie since.... The Thing? No wonder horror fans flocked to it. But yeah, it's a surprise to me how well it really did. Roll on the sequels!

[Shrykespeare]

Technically, it's the first horror film since The Darkest Hour. But if you consider that more sci-fi than horror (or if you discount it because no one knew about it), then it's actually the first horror film since Paranormal Activity 3 (which opened one week after The Thing).

LOL... i predicted $27 million for this film TOTAL. Looks like I'm starting the season striking out on three pitches out of the strike zone.

[Geezer]

The Devil Inside had a great trailer, and good-looking horror movies almost always do well.
It's after WOM gets around, that they usually start having problems.

And from what I've read about the ending of The Devil Inside, I wouldn't be surprised if a good chunk of that $33M wasn't handed back out in free passes for upset viewers.

You can actually get free movie passes just because you thought the movie sucked? How is this allowed? The theater provides the films, its you who chooses them. That would be like going to a restaurant, ordering food, not liking the taste of it (not because its burnt or they got your order wrong, you just didn't like it) and demanding a refund. That's fucking insane. People need to take responsibility for their actions and decisions. If I see a bad movie, I accept that I should have chosen a different movie. I don't go demanding my money back from the theater (who had absolutely NOTHING to do with the quality of the film, just the setting you watch it in.) What is America coming to. I hate people.

[BanksIsDaFuture]

I totally agree with you, Geez - you chose that movie, if it sucks - oh well. Pick better next time.

But, if the movie is over and people complain enough, managers will give them passes just to get them to leave. Usually, it's no problem if the movie is less than 75% over or so and you hate it, any theater will give you a refund for that.

The hassle starts if the movie is over and someone demands a refund.

[Buscemi]

The film has no ending. That alone should allow you to get a refund.

[numbersix]

Then a refund should be given for every Marvel film made in the last few years

[Buscemi]

Then a refund should be given for every Marvel film made in the last few years

That's a stinger and/or sequel hook. The Devil Inside really doesn't have an ending.

[numbersix]

It's not a stinger when the film holds everything back in hope that a sequel will have something of any significance happen. Thor is a prime example of this.

[Geezer]

If credits role, there is an ending. It may not be a satisfying ending, but an ending nonetheless.

[Buscemi]

If the movie has no payoff or asks you to go to a website to read the ending, then that's purely a fuck you to the audience.