Weekend Box Office: Audiences still 'Enchanted' but not 'Awake'

[The Clown Prince]

The top three movies this weekend all held their places from last weekend. Enchanted held the number one spot for the second weekend in a row dropping 50.6% from last weekend and earning $17 million and a $70.6 million total.

Dropping 53.2% from last weekend and holding second place was This Christmas with $8.4 million and a $36.8 million total. The budget for this by the way was only $13 million.

And holding third place was Beowulf with $7.8 million and a $68.6 million total.

Debuting in fourth place was Awake with $6 million.

And rounding out the top 5 was Hitman with $5.8 million and a $30.2 million total.

The Mist, with a budget of $18 million drops two spots to eleventh place with $4.2 million and a $19.2 million total. This seems like the type of movie that won't find it's audience until it hits video.

Out of the top 12 this weekend is only Dan in Real Life (13th).

Opening next weekend is only one new movie and it's one that New Line really hopes succeeds as it has a $150 million budget not including marketing. The Golden Compass (rated PG-13) stars Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliot, Eva Green, Dakota Blue Richards, Ian McKellen, Ian McShane, Freddy Highmore, Kathy Bates, Tom Courtenay, Ben Walker, Adam Godley, Simon McBurney, Nonso Anozie, Jim Carter, Clare Higgigs, Jack Shepherd, Magda Szubanski, and Christopher Lee.

Fantasy films as of late haven't done very well with critics or audiences (Eragon and The Seeker: The Dark is Rising.) The Spiderwick Chronicles wisely spaced itself between 'Compass' and opens in February.

Here are your numbers....


1) Enchanted- $17,023,000 ($70,620,000)
2) This Christmas- $8,400,000 ($36,891,000)
3) Beowulf- $7,882,000 ($68,613,000)
4) Awake- $6,011,000 ($6,011,000) NEW!
5) Hitman- $5,800,000 ($30,204,000)
6) Fred Clause- $5,500,000 ($59,783,000)
7) August Rush- $5,150,000 ($20,354,000)
8) No Country for Old Men- $4,501,000 ($23,030,000)
9) Bee Movie- $4,471,000 ($117,643,000)
10) American Gangster- $4,278,000 ($121,732,000)
11) The Mist- $4,245,000 ($19,255,000)
12) Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium- $3,250,000 ($26,322,000)

The Clown Prince

[HG Revolution]

Pretty dull box-office overall this week.

I'm hoping The Golden Compass does well. Even if the movie itself is a let-down, it needs to make money so we can get a decent director's cut and the rest of the series filmed (as the movie's main problems seem to be studio-based and if this makes money, the director will be given more freedom to be faithful to the books). Hopefully the controversy will help it rather than hurt it. Guessing the opening will be in the $50 million range, but it'll have legs and end up evening the production costs.

[The Clown Prince]

Pretty dull box-office overall this week.

I'm hoping The Golden Compass does well. Even if the movie itself is a let-down, it needs to make money so we can get a decent director's cut and the rest of the series filmed (as the movie's main problems seem to be studio-based and if this makes money, the director will be given more freedom to be faithful to the books). Hopefully the controversy will help it rather than hurt it. Guessing the opening will be in the $50 million range, but it'll have legs and end up evening the production costs.

Yeah, I've been hearing about some of the problems this movie has had during production. Ian McKellen for example I guess was a last minute change. The original voice actor that was hired, (sorry, don't remember who) the director liked, but the studio didn't, so they suggested McKellen.

Also, a lot of studio involved scene changes and cuts. This really seems like this was muddled with and will be interesting to see how it does. A director's cut DVD sounds like would be different than the theatrical release. And I guess too that some of the bigger stuff from the original book is being held off for the possible second movie ala The Two Towers/Return of the King.

While there are no reviews up at RottenTomatoes yet, some of the early test and press screenings that have been done that I've read about could be summed up as "eh" despite what the TV spots are saying. As the week goes, I'll be eagerly watching RottenTomatoes to see what everyone is saying.

The Clown Prince

[HG Revolution]

While there are no reviews up at RottenTomatoes yet, some of the early test and press screenings that have been done that I've read about could be summed up as "eh" despite what the TV spots are saying. As the week goes, I'll be eagerly watching RottenTomatoes to see what everyone is saying.

4 reviews are up, actually, under the articles section. Hollywood Reporter loved it, Emanuel Levy and Variety were mixed, and Slant hated it for the most part. All, however, seemed to agree that Nicole Kidman is brilliant in it and there's some solid visuals. I'm guessing it'll be on par with the first few Harry Potter movies; sometimes stunning and well-produced but lacking in other areas. No LotR, but no Eragon either. And hey, the 3rd and 5th HP films were great, so if TGC becomes a franchise, it'll get the chance to improve.

[Draft]

Golden Compass will make only 30 Million next week, and never gross 150 million

my Prediction

[Rasputin]

I guess I'd be expecting somewhere in $50 million or so territory for Golden Compass next week, but I've cottoned onto a mechanism for comparison, somewhat. Since it's the 'anti-Narnia', I've been secretly hoping that it does better than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It doesn't need to trounce it or anything, just so long as it makes a single dollar more, or a single percentage point more on Rotten Tomatoes.

So, I'll be hoping that it makes $65,556,313 on its opening weekend, $291,710,958 US box office take, $453,073,001 non-US box office take, and a 77% Rotten Tomatoes score.

What's frustrating is the lack of consensus in the reviews we have so far. There's no three-star ratings for this thing, it's either two-star or four-star. The Times hated it, The Sunday Times loved it, The Guardian was very supportive while Time Out Magazine wasn't. Still, from the newspapers I've seen the reviews have tended to be fairly positive with some reservations. I guess we're just going to have to take Pullman's advice to heart and make up our minds about it. I'll be seeing it on opening day.

I'm disappointed over the cuts, but in the long run it might be the smarter move. Right now New Line and Pullman are moving cautiously because His Dark Materials isn't a proven money-spinner. If its potential is established to the extent that sequels are green-lit, then they can take more risks. They might do a special edition re-inserting the last three chapters and re-shooting a small mention of Dust and its relation to 'original sin', releasing it in theatres next Christmas while they work on the next two parts of the trilogy, just to get everyone up to speed. It produces extra revenue and makes the fans happy, a marvellous combination. But for now, they need to move carefully in order to ensure that the sequels have a chance.

[Peter Paltridge]

Has Ann Coulter said anything yet about the villain of a major motion picture being named after her? I think I'd take that as a sign people don't like me.

[Baltofan]

I'm hoping for The Golden Compass too.

[HG Revolution]

I'm disappointed over the cuts, but in the long run it might be the smarter move. Right now New Line and Pullman are moving cautiously because His Dark Materials isn't a proven money-spinner. If its potential is established to the extent that sequels are green-lit, then they can take more risks. They might do a special edition re-inserting the last three chapters and re-shooting a small mention of Dust and its relation to 'original sin', releasing it in theatres next Christmas while they work on the next two parts of the trilogy, just to get everyone up to speed. It produces extra revenue and makes the fans happy, a marvellous combination. But for now, they need to move carefully in order to ensure that the sequels have a chance.

The last 3 chapters won't be put back into TGC, but rather put into The Subtle Knife. There actually is supposed to be an original sin reference in the theatrical cut anyway.

That said, the movie's editting supposedly sucks anyway so I still demand a director's cut DVD.

(I'll be seeing an advance screening tonight, so I'll have my own thoughts posted later)

[Lord Dalek]

Golden Compass has slipped to an even 50% with a review by Todd McCarthy.

[Rasputin]

Golden Compass has slipped to an even 50% with a review by Todd McCarthy.

I'd already seen the Variety review, around the same time as the Hollywood Reporter review, which is kind of entertaining in itself since the latter believes it will storm the box office while the former believes it won't. Still, I'd call McCarthy's review a little too ambiguous to label it as a 'rotten' (though it's not really 'fresh' territory either...I do wish the RT system had room for nuance). He does see good things in The Golden Compass, and believes Weitz did a competent job conveying the book's complexities, it's just that he believes the general tone is 'uninviting'. He takes issue with the grim treatment of the main characters, but for others that might not be so much of a minus. The very first comment on the review is from another who saw the film and he loved it to bits.

Of course, there have been far more unambiguous reviews up until now, in both directions. Like I said before, the only way to really find out how good this film is would be to see it ourselves and make up our own minds.

[HG Revolution]

I'd already seen the Variety review, around the same time as the Hollywood Reporter review, which is kind of entertaining in itself since the latter believes it will storm the box office while the former believes it won't. Still, I'd call McCarthy's review a little too ambiguous to label it as a 'rotten' (though it's not really 'fresh' territory either...I do wish the RT system had room for nuance). He does see good things in The Golden Compass, and believes Weitz did a competent job conveying the book's complexities, it's just that he believes the general tone is 'uninviting'. He takes issue with the grim treatment of the main characters, but for others that might not be so much of a minus. The very first comment on the review is from another who saw the film and he loved it to bits.

Of course, there have been far more unambiguous reviews up until now, in both directions. Like I said before, the only way to really find out how good this film is would be to see it ourselves and make up our own minds.

Most of Variety's critiques could be applied to the source material as well. It reads like something by someone who wanted Lord of the Rings and got something quite unexpected.

7 tonight... Can't wait...

[HG Revolution]

I gotta say two words about The Golden Compass: Star Wars.

Yes, it's on par with the original Star Wars as far as epic fantasies go. All the worry was over nothing. Only real issue with the movie at all was a few bits where the scene just skipped and you can tell something was cut out. The direction isn't LotR-level artistic, but this film is way more entertaining and thought-provoking than all the Narnia, Pirates, and Columbus-directed Potter movies combined. I fear for it's box office a bit given all the fear (though it's really over nothing, and concerning the ending it's even less if people actually see this movie), but it deserves to be a hit. Either way, have no fear whether it'll make a presence in the awards season. Art direction, make-up, SFX, and Nicole Kidman are all pitch-perfect.

[Lord Dalek]

I gotta say two words about The Golden Compass: Star Wars.

You could say the same thing about Eragon... for the wrong reasons.

[Hanshotfirst113]

The direction isn't LotR-level artistic, but this film is way more entertaining and thought-provoking than all the Narnia, Pirates, and Columbus-directed Potter movies combined.

Watch what thou sayest about Narnia ;)...


You could say the same thing about Eragon... for the wrong reasons.

I agree with LD. Northern Lights is basically a gamble of same order. Maybe that'll pay off, maybe not; the next month or so will tell.

[Tay the Cat]

I gotta say two words about The Golden Compass: Star Wars.

Thanks, I'll now be avoiding it :D

[Lord Dalek]

There are a lot of factors running against the success of Golden Compass. Stuff like censorship, anger from the Christian Right, the fact that Northern Lights hasn't quite achieved the levels of pop-culture mitosis its contemporary Harry Potter has, and the simple fact that its just another fantasy movie. We have not one but three of these being released within a month of each other and its really starting to take its toll.

[HG Revolution]

I agree with LD. Northern Lights is basically a gamble of same order. Maybe that'll pay off, maybe not; the next month or so will tell.

It's better than Eragon by far. When I say "Star Wars", I meant in terms of a fun universe, a classic villain, thrilling moments, a powerful score, eye candy, etc.

[HG Revolution]

Sadly the movie's not doing well at all with American critics currently. And most of the reviews are saying stuff like "it was too confusing" or "thinking about stuff is boring". Honestly, what is a movie this good doing with 36% on the Tomatometer?

Meanwhile, British people seem to like it a lot more.

[Rasputin]

Sadly the movie's not doing well at all with American critics currently. And most of the reviews are saying stuff like "it was too confusing" or "thinking about stuff is boring". Honestly, what is a movie this good doing with 36% on the Tomatometer?

Meanwhile, British people seem to like it a lot more.

That seems to be the pattern. I want it do well, but the Tomatometer is just going dowwwn and dowwwn...it might do well internationally but from early ticket sales it's looking like it's going to flop in America. It's not getting good word of mouth over there compared to here in the UK.

I'll see it in my local Odeon tomorrow. In the meantime please, everyone, give it a chance. It's got armoured polar bears! What more encouragement do you need?

[HG Revolution]

According to ComingSoon (who liked the movie, actually), the preview screenings on Saturday were almost completely unattended.

I'm going to be quite sad if nobody sees this movie.:(

[Discloner]

anger from the Christian RightWhen has this ever stopped people from seeing a movie? If anything - it persuades people to see films. Anyone remember The Da Vinci Code?

[HG Revolution]

When has this ever stopped people from seeing a movie? If anything - it persuades people to see films. Anyone remember The Da Vinci Code?

Da Vinci Code, however, was a truly mainstream phenomenon. Other smaller films (Life of Brian, The Last Temptation of Christ, Dogma) haven't been particularly helped by the religious right.

Plus in Golden Compass's case, the other side is fighting the movie too, as the atheists seem to crying "CENSORSHIP!" over the fact they don't use the word "church" in the movie (ignoring the fact the entire anti-religious authority message of the book is still intact). Add in the fact that this is being marketed at least partially towards children, which is different from other controversial films (and don't bring up Harry Potter, because not only was that already mainstream, but I think parents are less worried by emails saying "this movie promotes witchcraft" and more worried by emails saying " this movie is about two kids killing God"), and I'm honestly worried that this could be the biggest, most studio-killing box-office bomb since Grindhouse.

A shame, because it deserves more success than all the Wild Hogs, Transformers, and Shreks in the world.

[Discloner]

A shame, because it deserves more success than all the Wild Hogs, Transformers, and Shreks in the world.
With all the percieved buzz for the film that I'm picking up on my end of the spectrum, it just doesn't feel like a flop to me. I know my theater is gearing up for it - customers have been asking for a month or so when it comes out; which follows in line with a trend set by American Gangster and Into the Wild before it; and those two films STILL do very well after having been out for a number of weeks now; at least for us.

I'm not saying it will be a hit - in the movie biz you never know. I'm just saying I don't get everyone's concern over it being a disaster of box office draw...

[HG Revolution]

With all the percieved buzz for the film that I'm picking up on my end of the spectrum, it just doesn't feel like a flop to me. I know my theater is gearing up for it - customers have been asking for a month or so when it comes out; which follows in line with a trend set by American Gangster and Into the Wild before it; and those two films STILL do very well after having been out for a number of weeks now; at least for us.

I'm not saying it will be a hit - in the movie biz you never know. I'm just saying I don't get everyone's concern over it being a disaster of box office draw...

Into the Wild hasn't been a big hit. After 11 weeks, it's only made a bit over $15 million. Not bad for an indie, but if The Golden Compass is that level of "success" New Line might as well go out of business.

What upsets me a lot is Rotten Tomatoes attempt to try and bury the movie. I've counted at least 6 positive press reviews which haven't been calculated into the Tomatometer. I've heard some positive reviews were actually taken down. Given that the family market is already lost for this movie, a fake sense of this being "rotten" doesn't help in the slightest.

[Hanshotfirst113]

Well, there go the sequels...

[Rasputin]

Well I just got back from seeing The Golden Compass. It has all the elements of a good movie, and if you're looking for good things to take away with you then you'd be pretty well replete in them, but man almighty can someone please take Chris Weitz to one side and tell him to slow down a bit? There are many blockbusters in Hollywood with such wafer thin plots that spending 3 hours on them feels like a waste of celluloid. This was really not one of those plots. It's really badly in need of a director's cut, and while some of it isn't Weitz's fault per se (I'm sure studio interference contributed a fair deal), it's goes by so fast that nothing's really allowed to linger. Lingering time is important for epics since there's so much stuff to absorb, and The Golden Compass doesn't really allow that.

I also have to take issue with the dialogue in this picture. There's a lot that's communicated via clunky exposition that really could have been better brought across by more subtle cues. Sure, a lot of it is stuff that was only communicated by Lyra's inner thoughts in the book, but then that's another issue...we're meant to be travelling alongside Lyra and seeing things through her eyes, but there are too many instances where we're separated from her for the sake of exposition that would be much better suggested than flatly said. After all, it kind of goes against the story's message to be told what we should be thinking at a given moment rather than decide for ourselves.

Still, there are worse criticisms for a film than 'it goes by too fast and tries to say too many things'. It just shows the potential that this film has. It's all right there if anyone could just pick up the cuttings and staple them together in a different order. The acting is magnificent, and pretty much everyone fits their roles like a glove. Since this film is inevitably going to be contrasted with Narnia, this is one aspect where Golden Compass wins hands down. Where in Narnia only the Ice Queen and the little girl of the family (forgot her name) had anything resembling personality, in Golden Compass there are so many who shine in their roles. Special mention really has to go out to Dakota, since this is her first major role and she plays with such electric (anbaric?) intensity, all the wildness and wilyness of Lyra really comes across. The polar bear duel held such an aura of majesty and raw power and had the whole audience gasping, and the Bolvanger segment was genuinely creepy...even heartbreaking at moments. There's so much here that needed the extra running time to flesh out, but I'm glad it at least exists on a cutting room floor.

I'd recommend seeing it at some point to make up your own minds, since chances are you'll find something in it to love. The ending will inevitably make you feel grouchy about the thing, since it doesn't so much end as stop, but some distance and a chance to analyse it coolly will probably heighten your appreciation of it. Like I said, it's better to leave a film wanting more than wanting a bit your life back. As disappointed as I was, I'm glad I saw it.

[Crash]

In the meantime please, everyone, give it a chance. It's got armoured polar bears! What more encouragement do you need?

Funny you mention that. The first I heard/saw of this movie was a poster which included said polar bear. While that did pique my curiosity a bit, it also looked incredibly gimmicky. And gimmicky fantasy movie usually suck....

Eh, I probably won't see any movie 'till National Treasure comes out. The original was better than it had any right to be, so I'm hoping (against hope) that the sequel doesn't dissapoint.

[HG Revolution]

Funny you mention that. The first I heard/saw of this movie was a poster which included said polar bear. While that did pique my curiosity a bit, it also looked incredibly gimmicky. And gimmicky fantasy movie usually suck....

This doesn't suck. Trust me. See the damn thing! I'm saddened and maddened by how negative much of the response has been. I don't think I've ever so violently disagreed with the general critical consensus on a film.

[The Clown Prince]

I was just reading that The Golden Compass had a budget of $180 million! Again, without marketing or advertising. New Line has every right to be extremely nervous right now.

One local newspaper article I read said that if this isn't a success and bombs, New Line as a studio is in very big, BIG trouble. The same kind of trouble that would have sunk them if The Lord of the Rings failed. New Line is looking at Narnia, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings with optimisim, but also with dread as the last two fantasy films didn't fare so well. The Seeker: The Dark is Rising absolutely tanked and finished with a domestic box office finish of $8.7 million and a worldwide box office finish of $29.7 million. OUCH!

However, while Eragon finished with $75 million domestically, it did finish with a worldwide total of $249.3 million. That may seem like a lot, but with production costs, marketing/advertising, and all that of the stuff, factor in DVD sales and I would be surprised if this thing broke even which is probably why there hasn't been an announcment from Fox wanting to continue with an adapation of the second book.

I hope this does well and I do want to see it, but I will wait for DVD and a hopefull director's cut as a lot of the stuff I've read indicates is badly needed. I would rather see this thing for the first time as the director would have wanted it. I understand the reasons for the cuts and studio interference as mentioned earlier in this thread (Studio wants it short and sweet because they have a lot invested and they want lots of showtimes) but it sounds like it might have hurt the film and I don't want to see that.

The Clown Prince

[HG Revolution]

Golden Compass bombs:
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/golden-compass-2007s-biggest-bombs/

This is flopping even worse than Eragon, if you can believe it.

I think I'm gonna cry.:crying:

[The Clown Prince]

Based on Golden Compass' Friday $8.8 million opening (Box Office Mojo's number), it will probably only make $27 million or so like the article above says. New Line's president was estimating $30 to $40 million. Not gonna happen. A budget of $180 million and a marketing/advertising of about $60 million. It's foreign box office is where it's gonna have to make it's money.

The Clown Prince