t's not like it would've been a great box-office weekend, anyway.
People are exhausted after weeks of Christmas shopping. College students have finals. The younger set have their own finals to take care of, then it's off for a few weeks of break of their own. And, of course, it's not like going to the movies has gotten any cheaper at all.
But still, this weekend's two top-grossing movies - "New Year's Eve" and "The Sitter" - had pretty pathetic respective returns of $13.7 million and $10 million.
It's not that bad, considering that the top 20 highest grossing movies this weekend only hauled a combined $73.2 million. But it could be theorized that these two movies prove a couple things conclusively about making successful comedies.
First off, the mini-trend of wacky star-studded ensemble comedies centered on some holiday or another probably went bust afterone massive success. Let's not make this trend the new spoof-movies rash, shall we?
Second, and equally importantly, Jonah Hill just isn't that funny. You tried, Hollywood. You really did. But this just won't happen.
Comedies are tricky. It's so different from making a good drama. Every year produces many bad comedies like "The Zookeeper" or "Bad Teacher" and precious few great ones like "The Hangover" or "Horrible Bosses." Comedy can be a gamble.
People are exhausted after weeks of Christmas shopping. College students have finals. The younger set have their own finals to take care of, then it's off for a few weeks of break of their own. And, of course, it's not like going to the movies has gotten any cheaper at all.
But still, this weekend's two top-grossing movies - "New Year's Eve" and "The Sitter" - had pretty pathetic respective returns of $13.7 million and $10 million.
It's not that bad, considering that the top 20 highest grossing movies this weekend only hauled a combined $73.2 million. But it could be theorized that these two movies prove a couple things conclusively about making successful comedies.
First off, the mini-trend of wacky star-studded ensemble comedies centered on some holiday or another probably went bust afterone massive success. Let's not make this trend the new spoof-movies rash, shall we?
Second, and equally importantly, Jonah Hill just isn't that funny. You tried, Hollywood. You really did. But this just won't happen.
Comedies are tricky. It's so different from making a good drama. Every year produces many bad comedies like "The Zookeeper" or "Bad Teacher" and precious few great ones like "The Hangover" or "Horrible Bosses." Comedy can be a gamble.
On the other hand, take a comedy and top-load it with big-name stars and cameos, and it becomes one extremely expensive gamble.
"New Year's Eve" is a spiritual successor to 2010's "Valentine's Day," whose theatrical run started Valentine's Day weekend with a $56.3-million opening three days.
By comparison, "New Year's Eve" had a $56-million budget. The thing is, "Valentine's Day" came after the big Christmas-season releases and last-minute released Oscar hopefuls and mopped the floor during what's normally somewhat of a between-rushes Purgatory for movies.
"New Year's Eve," on the other hand? It's already dueling with big releases that are still riding high like "The Muppets" and the juggernaut that is "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1" before having to deal with more big releases in the coming weeks like "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" next weekend and the Christmas Day releases of "Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close" and "War Horse," which both look like Oscar contenders.
All in all, it's already terrible timing.
And though "Valentine's Day" boasted a cast of Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Julia Roberts, when it released that timely weekend without much serious competition, it was like killing ants with a sledgehammer. Though "New Year's Eve" still boasts Kutcher, Biel and Lea Michele, it's stepping up in weight-class. And the hammering is only going to get worse with each passing round.
Ah, then there's "The Sitter." Honestly, it's just a forgettable comedy. It was barely marketed. Sure, director David Gordon Green can always say "But I directed 'Pineapple Express!'" Movie-goers in turn can always answer "Sure, you also directed 'Your Highness'." What's more, it stars Jonah Hill, whose string of really funny roles begins and ends with "Superbad." He's just not funny. At all.
Give his "Superbad" co--star Michael Cera credit for this much: sure, Cera's just as guilty of only having one character in his entire repertoire that he does well - geeky, awkward, but endearingly quirky - but Cera at least has had his "Arrested Development" popularity to trade off of, plus some well-written roles that keep him likeable.
Hill, on the other hand? His one character isn't endearing; it's the obnoxious jackass who never shuts up but somehow always tags along with you and your friends thinking he's welcome. It's honestly a little mystifying how he keeps getting work.
But at least give "New Year's Eve" and "Valentine's Day" credit: they have holiday-themed hooks. They're timely. And they can trade on proven draws. "The Sitter?" What should be the appeal of this? The fat guy from "Superbad?" All "The Sitter" proves is that Green's movies can't sell on script alone. They need that thing all great comedies must have: chemistry. James Franco and Seth Rogen? Chemistry. James Franco and Danny McBride? Not nearly so much. Unfortunatley, the whole movie can't be Natalie Portman's tight behind in a thong.
Sure, it was a bad weekend with few appetizing releases. But it also points to something about going out to a movie that sadly won't change anytime soon: a night out has gotten so expensive that for many people, there'd better be the incentive of one seriously great movie that's been so well put-together and marketed, that many people absolutely can't miss it. For many people to pay $10 a pop to sit through a movie anymore, it had better look like one damn good movie.
Maybe these two weren't really all that good, but to a certain extent, they're also victims of circumstance.
"New Year's Eve" is a spiritual successor to 2010's "Valentine's Day," whose theatrical run started Valentine's Day weekend with a $56.3-million opening three days.
By comparison, "New Year's Eve" had a $56-million budget. The thing is, "Valentine's Day" came after the big Christmas-season releases and last-minute released Oscar hopefuls and mopped the floor during what's normally somewhat of a between-rushes Purgatory for movies.
"New Year's Eve," on the other hand? It's already dueling with big releases that are still riding high like "The Muppets" and the juggernaut that is "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1" before having to deal with more big releases in the coming weeks like "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" next weekend and the Christmas Day releases of "Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close" and "War Horse," which both look like Oscar contenders.
All in all, it's already terrible timing.
And though "Valentine's Day" boasted a cast of Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Julia Roberts, when it released that timely weekend without much serious competition, it was like killing ants with a sledgehammer. Though "New Year's Eve" still boasts Kutcher, Biel and Lea Michele, it's stepping up in weight-class. And the hammering is only going to get worse with each passing round.
Ah, then there's "The Sitter." Honestly, it's just a forgettable comedy. It was barely marketed. Sure, director David Gordon Green can always say "But I directed 'Pineapple Express!'" Movie-goers in turn can always answer "Sure, you also directed 'Your Highness'." What's more, it stars Jonah Hill, whose string of really funny roles begins and ends with "Superbad." He's just not funny. At all.
Give his "Superbad" co--star Michael Cera credit for this much: sure, Cera's just as guilty of only having one character in his entire repertoire that he does well - geeky, awkward, but endearingly quirky - but Cera at least has had his "Arrested Development" popularity to trade off of, plus some well-written roles that keep him likeable.
Hill, on the other hand? His one character isn't endearing; it's the obnoxious jackass who never shuts up but somehow always tags along with you and your friends thinking he's welcome. It's honestly a little mystifying how he keeps getting work.
But at least give "New Year's Eve" and "Valentine's Day" credit: they have holiday-themed hooks. They're timely. And they can trade on proven draws. "The Sitter?" What should be the appeal of this? The fat guy from "Superbad?" All "The Sitter" proves is that Green's movies can't sell on script alone. They need that thing all great comedies must have: chemistry. James Franco and Seth Rogen? Chemistry. James Franco and Danny McBride? Not nearly so much. Unfortunatley, the whole movie can't be Natalie Portman's tight behind in a thong.
Sure, it was a bad weekend with few appetizing releases. But it also points to something about going out to a movie that sadly won't change anytime soon: a night out has gotten so expensive that for many people, there'd better be the incentive of one seriously great movie that's been so well put-together and marketed, that many people absolutely can't miss it. For many people to pay $10 a pop to sit through a movie anymore, it had better look like one damn good movie.
Maybe these two weren't really all that good, but to a certain extent, they're also victims of circumstance.
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