It will be interesting to see how this weekend shapes up. Three high profile movies are opening against each other, each playing to a different niche. Moms and daughters everywhere will bond with Julia Roberts in “Eat, Pray, Love”; geeks will get their fill with Edgar Wright’s “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” and guys young and old will be flocking to see shit blow up real good in Sylvester Stallone’s “The Expendables.” While the latter film is apparently tracking well, this writer is awaiting the inevitable ‘Scott Pilgrim’/’Eat Pray Love’-ticket-sales-were-inflated-because-of-teens-buying-tickets-to-sneak-into-“The Expendables” arguments that will flare up when the film doesn’t quite perform as expected over the weekend.
Anyway, writer/director Sylvester Stallone will be watching those numbers carefully and if they land where he wants them to, he already has a sequel idea in mind. He tells the LA Times, “If this does perform, I think it will open a little more liquidity in funding the sequel. I have an idea ready to go. People think doing a sequel is easy, but it’s not because you need the element of surprise. I’m going to try to do something that’s quite radical.” We hope by “radical” he means constructing a followup that actually has a plot with a semblance of coherence. But the film will have to go a long way to get financiers for a sequel; the budget of the film was about $80 million not counting P&A and with an R-rating, it will need to go a long way to break even.
But while Stallone has made his way back into the mainstream eye thanks for revisiting past glories, there is still his long gestating dream project, “Poe” that is, yes indeed, a biopic about the famed poet. Robert Downey Jr. was attached to the project back when no one in Hollywood would return his calls, and while his schedule is packed for the foreseeable future, as recently as last year he expressed interest in doing the film. While movement on the project seems to have stalled, Stallone is adamant that RDJ is the right guy for the job and if he can’t do it, someone “special” is required for the part telling MTV, “It has be like Downey, I designed it for Downey. Perhaps I could re-work the script. [Maybe] Johnny Depp. It needs a very special actor like that.”
But Stallone has no illusions about the box office prospects of a biopic about an old-timey writer and poet saying, “No matter what I do it’s going to bomb, totally. Totally! When you’ve been talking about something for 30 years, it’s impossible [to live up to those expectations].” Maybe he could find a way to get Jet Li in there?
“The Expendables” opens this Friday, and while we didn’t particularly care for it, we can promise stuff does get exploded.
You really think The Expendables and Eat Pray have a shot at the boxoffice against Scott Pilgrim? Sometimes this blog feels like it's stuck in 1989.
See you on Sunday when Scott Pilgrim comes in at #3.
You really think an obscure graphic novel adaptation with almost no big movie stars will beat Julia fucking Roberts and all the action stars of the past 2 decades? The box office this weekend is really going to be an interesting thing to watch.
Gotta love doofuses who have no idea what they're talking about. Meaning anon#1
Anon #1 here. We'll see, gang. We'll see…Julia Roberts a bankable star? Welcome to the present.
What planet are you from? Bubbleland? You are about to get schooled this weekend, kid.
there is no freaking way Scott Pilgrim will get higher than number 3 at opening week!
no. fucking. way!
Anon # 1 again. You guys are fools. The critical (and popular) consensus will drive this weekend. Via RT:
46% The Expendables
75% Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
22% Eat, Pray, Love
Star power is dead. Welcome to 2010. You can go back to your Merchant Ivory box sets now.
Anon#1: How about considering the more reasonable Metacritic?
Scott Pilgrim: 59
Eat, Pray, Love: 50
Expendables: 40
That seems like a pretty even race, if you're talking critics' opinion.
But since when do popular audiences really care about reviews?
As much as I would like it to, Pilgrim has no chance.
You think audiences and RT follow suit?
Can we put a public wager here?
I think bad movies with big stars tank these days. And I think (as much as this pains you) fanboy culture owns the box office.
What do you propose as a wager?
There's a difference between Iron Man and … do you remember Kick-Ass?
Since you are commenting as "The Playlist," I assume this is one of the editors coming back at me here. Don't quit your day job…I remember "Kick-Ass." I also remember "The Last Airbender," a movie that every site thought would tank (even though I wish it had).
Scott Pilgrim the comic has a much bigger fan base than Kick-Ass the comic, I assure you. The word of mouth is a lot stronger. And there is a culture of non-fanboy fun movie fans who will go in for Edgar Wright (like me).
"The Expendables" is a moderately beefy version of "The Losers" and won't perform significantly better. "Eat, Pray" will do about what "Julie and Julia" did, but due to bad word of mouth, I could see it falling into "Knight & Day" waters. The audience for these movies is dead. They'll wait for it to come out on DVD.
Watch and learn.
You guys are all gonna pwned when "Animal Kingdom" makes $55 million this weekend.
I love the use of meaningless numbers to prove a point. Last I saw it was tracking like this:
Expendables: 44
Scott Pilgrim: 3.7968
Eat Pray Love: Kittens
Inception: xrl7subaru
Scott Pilgrim is trending (Twitter)and don't get us wrong, we or at least I, would be happier than punch if it was #1, but I just don't think that's gonna happen.
Middle America. They know who Stallone and Julia is. Everyone in the entire cast of Scott Pilgrim(or even the rest of all the casts of Expendable and Eat Pray aside from Willis and Anohld)?
Doubtful.
a public wager?
You welshed on the Inception bet!!!
for shame i say, for shame!
Tommy
The trades say the Expendables and Eat Pray Love are looking to take over the box-office this weekend, hmmm. Go figure.
There's nothing more than i love than an asshole who thinks a site is living in the dark ages and yet is totally oblivious to the world around him.
Expendables was #1 yesterday. It will be #1 on Sunday. Can't wait to say we told you so in about 24 hours.
Poor Scott Pilgrims is looking like a 4th or 5th slot. Sorry, guy. Welcome to 2010.
Scott Pilgrim got owned by a movie starring Dolph Lundgren. Hell yeah. Take that pussies.
"You really think The Expendables and Eat Pray have a shot at the boxoffice against Scott Pilgrim? Sometimes this blog feels like it's stuck in 1989."
Scott Pilgrim, #5th place. Expendables #1, Eat Pray Love #2.
Anon #1, where are you buddy??
"Anon #1, where are you buddy??"
He is at The Expendables.