Bruce Willis at Surrogates Premiere (AP Photo / Shea Walsh)
Bruce Willis returns to the big screen two years after his last starring role in Live Free or Die Hard. Unfortunately, his new movie Surrogates opened to a very disappointing $15 million. Given its pricey $80 million budget, this is yet the latest flop in what seems to be becoming a weekly trend.
Holding the #1 spot for the second straight week, Sony’s Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs pulled in another $24.6 million, bringing its two-week total to a very healthy $60 million. The $100 million animated feature seems on its way to obtaining a successful profit.
Surrogates marks the latest flop for films that have had chances to become hits. Last week, Jennifer’s Body (you know, that Megan Fox movie you saw a bunch of ads for but was unsure if she was going to get naked so you decided not to risk your money) bombed on its opening weekend with a mere $6.8 million. The Jennifer Aniston & Aaron Eckhart romance Love Happens also underperformed with $8 million.
There have been many other flops this month (Whiteout, Sorority Row, Gamer), and while many will point their fingers to the month of September as the reason why attendance is down, perhaps there is another explanation. Maybe it’s just because these films just aren’t any good. Or is it the way these films are being advertised? Take Jennifer’s Body for example. The whole campaign behind the film seemed to be showing the it-actress of the moment making sexy poses in a horror film. Who are they trying to attract? The teenagers who can’t get into an R-rated film? Or the men who are looking at Megan Fox on the Internet for free?
I have an idea. Why not show the film organically, you know, for what it actually is? This should have been promoted as Diablo Cody’s follow-up to her Oscar-winning screenplay for Juno. I’m a 21-year old male who never got into the whole Megan Fox obsession thing, but don’t think for a second I wouldn’t love to see a horror comedy where she plays a chick that is actually evil, not just high school evil. It’s too bad, because I think the studio behind this film may have realized this a bit too late.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Comments
Excellent article! Two statements you wrote really resonate: "Maybe it’s just because these films just aren’t any good." and "Why not show the film organically...for what it actually is?"
It never ceases to amaze me how many movies are so blatantly awful (made as a star vehicle, etc.) and how potentially decent movies are usually overlooked because of misrepresentation during what passes for commercials and/or trailers these days. I can't even begin to recall how many previews I've seen for a movie in which at the end I'm thinking to myself "Now what was that movie supposed to be about exactly?"
The quality of a most movies these days is substandard. Way too much hype over the stars and cute little catchphrases and barely any focus on the story.
It's no surprise to us, the public, that people are more selective with what they choose to see at the box office. To Hollywood however, as usual, they just don't get it. We want to get our money's worth, not just eye candy and explosions.
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