Comments on: Weekend Box Office- Obscure ‘GI Jones’ Picture Ignores Critics, Hits Hard In Heartland

By: rodrigoperez

rodrigoperez — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:27:57 +0000

no you're not.

By: gabetoro

gabetoro — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:29:52 +0000

Thanks, SK.

By: SK

SK — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:04:18 +0000

And as for the issue of marketing to Heartland or Fly-over states as they're called, it's pretty demeaning and also poor strategy by the studios to assume they'll like something because they're in Missouri for example. It probably failed in the case of GI Joe because I'll bet a good portion of its $56.2 million was from Blue States. This must be a myth that everyone keeps believing in for some reason.

GI Joe marketing didn't ignore the Blue states. It was pretty much everywhere. I read your post on about the LA times article and I never understood why Paramount would do this and make it seem like some strategy. It didn't work, and it doesn't work. They found out $150 million dollars later. Someone in California will be as likely to see it as someone in Louisiana.

Keep up the good work with these reports and the humour that the box office numbers often deserve.

By: SK

SK — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:52:40 +0000

I wouldn't say Funny People is a failure. Getting to $40 million in two weeks is solid, but because it had a budget of $75 million everyone will be disappointed by its performance. When you have comedies like The Hangover (an anomally, but still), The Proposal, The Ugly Truth and even Julie and Julia, that are each made for less than $40 million with star power in the cast it is hard to give a shit about Funny People's lackluster performance.

Some of the movies that come out have no reason costing as much as they do to make, even with the stars in the cast. The expectations just get pushed way too high. I mean, what's Seth Rogen's asking price?

Will Apatow get a leash for his next picture? I agree that he will, but it'll be in the form of a lower budget and not necessarily the subject matter of the film.