A la Polonaise! (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} labellereine) wrote in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} ohnotheydidnt,@ 2008-07-23 12:26:00 |
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The big winners and losers of the summer movie season
The summer movie season is 11 weeks old, so naturally it's time to assess the winners and losers of the season.
If the 11th week isn't a benchmark, what is?
And make no mistake; there are definite winners and losers this summer. You don't need 12 weeks to know a winner from a loser.
So, let's get on with the festivities. Here are the big winners, the big losers and those who simply maintained during the first 11 weeks of the 2008 summer movie season.
WINNERS:
Robert Downey Jr. - Only two people in the world wanted this guy for the title role in "Iron Man." One was Robert Downey Jr. The other was director Jon Favreau. Frankly, nobody at the studio really cared what Downey wanted. Who listens to actors? But Favreau had hand (you have to be a "Seinfeld" aficionado to understand what that means), and he used his hand to smack a few studio executives up the side of the head. They said Downey was too old to start what they hoped would be a long franchise. They said Downey had too much baggage from his years of substance abuse. They said Downey was too old. I know I already said that, but the studio really emphasized the age thing. Well, Favreau won the battle, and he was proved right.
Jack Black - People like Jack a lot but don't necessarily buy tickets to all his movies. Somebody thought it was a good idea to base an animated character on the actor, and the resulting "Kung Fu Panda" has passed the $200 million mark in this country alone. Black returns to the big screen next month in the anxiously awaited comedy "Tropic Thunder." The potent one-two punch has put Black back in the black after his hat trick of dread - "The Holiday," "Nacho Libre" and "Be Kind Rewind."
Sarah Jessica Parker - The actress and the rest of the brain trust behind the "Sex and the City" phenomenon tried their best to mount a big-screen version years ago to take advantage of the good vibes lingering from the HBO series. Once the show enjoyed a second act through cable and syndication, a movie version became a moral imperative. Parker put her reputation on the line for this film, and it wasn't a wasted effort. The film is a monster, and may have changed the way the Hollywood boys club thinks about chick flicks.
LOSERS:
Andy and Larry Wachowski - The notorious Wachowski brothers thought it might be fun to make a family film after a string of mostly interesting, and some even groundbreaking, films that included "Bound," the "Matrix" trilogy and "V for Vendetta." Well, "Speed Racer" didn't quite work out. The Wachowskis had the distinction of making the biggest bomb of the summer; that is, until the next two fellows came along.
Mike Myers - Wayne, Austin, Shrek, whatever you want to call him, has been mired in animation land so long that he either forgot how to make a funny live-action film, or the movie audience forgot about him. Either way, "The Love Guru" swallowed the Kool-Aid. But you can't say that Myers didn't promote the movie. That guy was everywhere, and it's a little embarrassing to find out after your movie opens that all that promotional work you did earlier was in front of people who didn't care.
Eddie Murphy - How many bombs can one guy make in a lifetime? Each time, he has managed to crawl back into the public favor. He may do it again after "Meet Dave." He does have at least two movies ready to shoot, although nobody knows for sure whether they'll turn out to be another "Trading Places" or "Pluto Nash."
STATUS QUO:
Harrison Ford - You're probably asking yourself how the star of an $800 million movie cannot be thought of as a winner? The answer: When the movie was supposed to make $900 million. Seriously, I wrote about this in last week's column but there is a perception, particularly inside the movie industry, that "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was somewhat of a disappointment - at least by Indiana Jones standards. So, Ford certainly didn't hurt his reputation with the blockbuster, but he didn't help it, either.
Will Smith - Once again, he delivered on the Fourth of July weekend. But it was no "Independence Day." But it also wasn't "Wild Wild West," and that's the good news. "Hancock" is doing the kind of business most movie stars would kill for, but realistically speaking, the numbers and the reviews were not up to Smith's usual holiday fare. Still, he will live to rule another Fourth of July.
Steve Carell - "Get Smart" has done well, but it is eliciting more yawns than any $100 million comedy in history. However, that kind of money ensures his rep. But he didn't move up the Hollywood food chain.
Source
btw
The summer movie season is 11 weeks old, so naturally it's time to assess the winners and losers of the season.
If the 11th week isn't a benchmark, what is?
And make no mistake; there are definite winners and losers this summer. You don't need 12 weeks to know a winner from a loser.
So, let's get on with the festivities. Here are the big winners, the big losers and those who simply maintained during the first 11 weeks of the 2008 summer movie season.
WINNERS:
Robert Downey Jr. - Only two people in the world wanted this guy for the title role in "Iron Man." One was Robert Downey Jr. The other was director Jon Favreau. Frankly, nobody at the studio really cared what Downey wanted. Who listens to actors? But Favreau had hand (you have to be a "Seinfeld" aficionado to understand what that means), and he used his hand to smack a few studio executives up the side of the head. They said Downey was too old to start what they hoped would be a long franchise. They said Downey had too much baggage from his years of substance abuse. They said Downey was too old. I know I already said that, but the studio really emphasized the age thing. Well, Favreau won the battle, and he was proved right.
Jack Black - People like Jack a lot but don't necessarily buy tickets to all his movies. Somebody thought it was a good idea to base an animated character on the actor, and the resulting "Kung Fu Panda" has passed the $200 million mark in this country alone. Black returns to the big screen next month in the anxiously awaited comedy "Tropic Thunder." The potent one-two punch has put Black back in the black after his hat trick of dread - "The Holiday," "Nacho Libre" and "Be Kind Rewind."
Sarah Jessica Parker - The actress and the rest of the brain trust behind the "Sex and the City" phenomenon tried their best to mount a big-screen version years ago to take advantage of the good vibes lingering from the HBO series. Once the show enjoyed a second act through cable and syndication, a movie version became a moral imperative. Parker put her reputation on the line for this film, and it wasn't a wasted effort. The film is a monster, and may have changed the way the Hollywood boys club thinks about chick flicks.
LOSERS:
Andy and Larry Wachowski - The notorious Wachowski brothers thought it might be fun to make a family film after a string of mostly interesting, and some even groundbreaking, films that included "Bound," the "Matrix" trilogy and "V for Vendetta." Well, "Speed Racer" didn't quite work out. The Wachowskis had the distinction of making the biggest bomb of the summer; that is, until the next two fellows came along.
Mike Myers - Wayne, Austin, Shrek, whatever you want to call him, has been mired in animation land so long that he either forgot how to make a funny live-action film, or the movie audience forgot about him. Either way, "The Love Guru" swallowed the Kool-Aid. But you can't say that Myers didn't promote the movie. That guy was everywhere, and it's a little embarrassing to find out after your movie opens that all that promotional work you did earlier was in front of people who didn't care.
Eddie Murphy - How many bombs can one guy make in a lifetime? Each time, he has managed to crawl back into the public favor. He may do it again after "Meet Dave." He does have at least two movies ready to shoot, although nobody knows for sure whether they'll turn out to be another "Trading Places" or "Pluto Nash."
STATUS QUO:
Harrison Ford - You're probably asking yourself how the star of an $800 million movie cannot be thought of as a winner? The answer: When the movie was supposed to make $900 million. Seriously, I wrote about this in last week's column but there is a perception, particularly inside the movie industry, that "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was somewhat of a disappointment - at least by Indiana Jones standards. So, Ford certainly didn't hurt his reputation with the blockbuster, but he didn't help it, either.
Will Smith - Once again, he delivered on the Fourth of July weekend. But it was no "Independence Day." But it also wasn't "Wild Wild West," and that's the good news. "Hancock" is doing the kind of business most movie stars would kill for, but realistically speaking, the numbers and the reviews were not up to Smith's usual holiday fare. Still, he will live to rule another Fourth of July.
Steve Carell - "Get Smart" has done well, but it is eliciting more yawns than any $100 million comedy in history. However, that kind of money ensures his rep. But he didn't move up the Hollywood food chain.
Source
btw
