"The Golden Compass" did not produce box-office gold during its first weekend.
While ranked #1 for the weekend, the movie which opened in 3,528 theaters, was lavishly produced and promoted, only took in in $26.1 million, according to Boxofficemojo.com. Studio New Line Cinema was hoping for returns in the $30 to $40 million range.
"Compass" drew the ire of many Christians because the movie is based on the first book in a trilogy called "His Dark Materials" by avowed atheist Philip Pullman, who has said publicly that his books are about killing God. In "USA Today," Rolf Mittweg of New Line Cinema conceded that the "religion controversy might have had an effect."
By contrast, during the same opening weekend in December 2005, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," the first of Christian writer C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" stories to make it to film, grossed more than $65.5 million. Another interesting comparison is to "Bella," the low-budget, independent pro-life movie with significant Christian grassroots support. "Bella" opened in late October in 165 theaters, and on a per screen basis it made $8,024. "Compass" averaged only $7,400 per screen.
Concern over Pullman's ultimate message had been growing among Christian groups as "The Golden Compass" debut approached. And many reviewers were not especially happy with the film. "Entertainment Weekly," for instance, headlined its feature story "Golden Raspberry."
The Catholic League, which had announced a boycott of the film, released this reaction today from League President Bill Donohue:
"Our goal was to stop "The Golden Compass" from meeting box office expectations, and we succeeded. ... consider that "Golden Compass" cost $180 million to produce, and another $30-$40 million in advertising, the inescapable conclusion is that our boycott worked. No wonder the New York Times said today that instead of the movie giving Hollywood a much needed shot in the arm, ‘It got more like a punch in the face.'"
The "New York Times" reported that "disappointing ticket sales complicate New Line's hopes for churning out two sequels." "USA Today" reported that New Line's Mittweg said a franchise "isn't out of the question" but that the studio has to "figure out how to do them."
Considering that the trilogy ends with children killing God, that might be a tough one to figure out if they want wider support of Christian filmgoers.
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Who sez BOYCOTT's don't work ?
December 10, 2007 - 14:12 ET by upcountrywaterLMAO
iranian uranium; iranian uranium, iranian uranium..
So when ARE the Russians going to finish the iranian atoms for peace power plant?
owned The Rocky Mountain
December 10, 2007 - 14:31 ET by wiwfowned
The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy
I have no doubt the
December 10, 2007 - 18:03 ET by motherbeltI have no doubt the boycott, even if unofficial, is having an impact. But I prefer to call it an "informed public" making a choice.
However, one other fact that might be affecting the BO is that, in spite of it's being pushed as a holiday movie for kids, it has a PG-13 rating.
Back in the day
December 10, 2007 - 14:37 ET by islero47I read the trilogy quite some time ago, and I didn't get an anti-God vibe. Of course, that was before I started taking a harder look at liberalism vs. conservatism. For some reason, I thought at the end they were killing the angel that rebelled against God: a Lucifer character. I guess I simply read them too fast; my religious ideology likely also played a part in assuming that no one would write a young adult fiction about killing God.
I think I'll read them again. After a few years of getting older and wiser to liberals twisted point of view, I'll see WAY more liberal themes.
I did like the polar bear fight, though. I do want to see the movie sometime just for the character Iorek.
My wife is currently
December 10, 2007 - 15:09 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveMy wife is currently re-reading them so she can have an informed opinion on the subject matter. She had read them a few years ago and couldn't remember much about them (she only read the first two and lost interest), but didn't remember anything blatantly anti-god. She says she now sees the anti-god themes. Most casual readers wouldn't easily make the connection, especially younger readers. When I first read the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings as a kid I had no clue as to their allegorical nature...maybe I was just ultra-ignorant, but I think I was typical of most kids in my day.
I think there are far worse things happening to worry about than a book or a movie.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men." -H.W. Longfellow
Well...
December 10, 2007 - 16:28 ET by islero47I wasn't a kid when I read them, I might have been in college, but at least late high school, so my oversight is rather pathetic. For my age, I should have noticed. It wasn't until my senior year of college that my political bias radar started to develop significantly. Now I can spot pro-homosexual themes in movies like X-men. Some might think I'm nuts, others probably think, "Who can't?"
I was actually surprised by the box office numbers. I thought that all the negative publicity would have given it a boost. After all, "No publicity is bad publicity." I guess it's mostly concerned Christians who take their kids to family films. Thirty to forty million is what an anticipated horror movie gets opening weekend.
Well I thought the big
December 10, 2007 - 16:50 ET by RainsfordWell I thought the big problem was that the God-killing themes where just hidden enough so that it became tough to spot the book as overtly athiestic, but it would succeed in planting doubts about God in the mind of young readers. I know my mom had bought the books for my little brother (14) thinking they would be another generic fantasy series, but he actually heard from his Sunday school teacher about the themes in the book. I'm pretty sure he didn't like them too much, either.
I know what you mean about
December 10, 2007 - 18:17 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveI know what you mean about pro-homosexual themes in X-Men and other movies. I can pick up on the Liberal agenda in movies and TV as well, so much so that I can't stand watching much more than the Food Network or an occassional movie just for the sake of entertainment...but that is still difficult to just ignore the attempted indoctrination in just about every movie these days. The movies are either unwatchable because of the agenda or because they are so fake it drives me nuts (ie. Live Free or Die Hard).
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men." -H.W. Longfellow
Anyone who is out there
December 10, 2007 - 14:58 ET by liberal_bug_zapperAnyone who is out there campaigning against this movie as evil or satanic or otherwise is just grasping at straws. Who cares who this supposedly attacks?!? First, if your faith is strong enough, you should be able to handle any criticism. If you can't handle the criticism, then maybe your religion is bunk.
____________________________________________________
"We can only reason from what is; we can reason on actualities, but not on possibilities." ~ Thomas Paine
It's not about...
December 10, 2007 - 15:19 ET by MikeknaJIt's not about not being able to handle the criticism. As far as I'm concerned, Christianity is able to hold up to any critique or investigation aimed its way. Examine all you like - maybe, like CS Lewis or Lee Strobel or countless others, you'll find more than you bargained for.
No, for me all it's about is just not desiring to pad the pocketbook of a writer who makes no secret of his anti-Christianity motivation. He can write all he likes, and they can make his books into all the movies they want.
But I don't have to give him any of my money in support.
http://www.xanga.com/mikeknaj
Exactly what I think. I'll
December 10, 2007 - 15:35 ET by ReformedLib Re-FormedConExactly what I think. I'll probably watch it late at night when nothing else is on when it finally makes its way to DirecTV. I won't spend money on it or promote it to anyone. In fact, I have told everyone I know who said anything about the movie 'looking cool' what it's really about. I have a friend who is Lutheran, and she said that there were only three times in her 36 years that the church asked them to stay away from something: Last Temptation (never saw it), DaVinci Code (read the book, VERY disappointed in the movie, never touched my faith at all), and Golden Compass (won't read it unless someone gives me the books, see above re: the movie). Now I'm going to go eat my LC pita bread pizza and forget about kids who want to kill God.
then you won't mind
December 10, 2007 - 20:22 ET by UndercoverConservativewhen *your* faiths and beliefs and sacred cows are burned? Some nice strong anti-gay films perhaps? Or some really good burn-blasphemers-at-the-stake maybe?
But like most trolls, you miss the point. Only weenies and liberals try to sell the whole "if it doesn't kill you then why bother to take a stand" philosophy. Conviction and faith mean there are absolute truths and that there are actually things like Good and Evil. One is to be promoted, the other stopped at all costs.
Moral relativists don't get it. But I think that "moral relativity" is a code word for "cowardice", "lilly-livered", "ball-less"...because it sure is easier to let bad things happen and harmful things prosper because we try to convince ourselves that any offense we take is merely subjective.
Funny how after decades of liberal causes being "offended" that created real, legal thought control and actual censorship are the first to complain when anyone else they don't agree with dares to try the same tactics.
Silly me, feeding the trolls. But this time, well, there's extra cascara bark in the troll food...it's all natural:)
On Agenda Films
December 10, 2007 - 15:09 ET by sixlbs9ozSo-called Agenda Films-- that is, polemics from a Hollywood point of view-- are usually miserable failures (cf. "Redacted", "Lions for Lambs", etc. for recent examples). "An Inconvenient Truth" is a notable exception, being 29th all-time in per-theater average, though it never had a wide release and grossed only $24.1M domestically.
But "The Passion of the Christ," the LOTR trilogy and "Narnia" all did extremely well at the box office, and all are explicitly Christian or have Christian themes (C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were famously friends who exchanged a lot of ideas about theology and fantasy storylines).
If Hollywood really wanted to make huge bucks, they'd pour most of their money into great stories which teach great values, and leave most of the drugs, sex, and violence out. PG and PG-13 movies do extremely well at the theaters because parents who bring children also plunk down more $$ for the ankle biters.
And based on box offices numbers, Americans love such films. Hollywood, however, must think that the 'flyover states' and the 'Christian Right' are a bunch of rubes that don't matter and that are a minority, which is why they make so many movies that flop. Of course, it's human nature to think that everyone is like oneself...
You'd think that pure greed would win out with the studios, but ideology is a strong drug.
I still need to wrest the book from my mom & read it, but...
December 10, 2007 - 15:19 ET by sarcasmoI'll again go out on a limb and predict box office success for the movie, "Charlie Wilson's War." This success will stem not from politics (if my guess is right, both parties will look as venal as usual) but from the fact that it's an interesting, and true -- especially the cocaine-snorting-part -- story.
JMR
Rally online with fans of Dr. Ron Paul. (All purpose anti-slander-link, sadly-needed these days...)
It's an "America's Fault"
December 10, 2007 - 16:00 ET by NewsbusterbrownIt's an "America's Fault" movie, so I would bet that it doesn't do well.
We'll see...
December 10, 2007 - 16:04 ET by sarcasmoThe box office will tell which of us is right, I'm glad to have someone else keeping track now. Have you read the book? I need to do that soon so the movie doesn't ruin it.
JMR
Rally online with fans of Dr. Ron Paul. (All purpose anti-slander-link, sadly-needed these days...)
after I read more into it,
December 10, 2007 - 20:25 ET by UndercoverConservativeafter I read more into it, and some of the comments Wilson has made in interviews, it sounds better than it looked. The preview at the theater made it look like yet another anti-war, anti-republican, pro-"poor islamic terrorists" movie.
But then, knowing how previews show an action movie to look good (by having all the good stuff in the preview!) means this might be okay. If they advertise it as political porn for Democrats, the reality may be something much more balanced, and therefore more entertaining.
Aim higher
December 10, 2007 - 15:31 ET by American TaxpayerHey Hollyweird, Terrific job of shooting yourself in the foot with your own stupidity. I suggest you make a film "Hollyweird Implodes" killing itself starring George Looney, Tom thumb Cruise and other select liberal idiots. In addition next time aim higher and maybe you can shoot yourself in the collective ass.....
Have the stuckup people in
December 10, 2007 - 15:48 ET by Carl KolchakHave the stuckup people in Hollywood come up with anything good since "Gymkata"? If "Gymkata" isn't the greatest movie of all time, then I don't know what is. In fact since Hollywood seems to be doing only sequels and remakes, they need to do a sequel or remake of "Gymkata". You will never see a greater scene in a movie than when Kurt Thomas takes on the people of the crazy town on the pommel horse. The stuck up directors in Hollywood wish they could repeat a scene that brilliant, but they can't.
"The skill of gymnastics, the kill of karate"
What?! No sequal?! No TV
December 10, 2007 - 15:54 ET by Free StinkerWhat?! No sequal?! No TV series "based on the hit movie" . . . ?
LOL ! I was thinking
December 10, 2007 - 15:56 ET by BlazerLOL !
I was thinking 'Road House' myself.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
Ha!
December 10, 2007 - 16:32 ET by islero47My friend loves "Road House!" He made me watch it, too. I had a good laugh, but I don't know if my respect for his opinion ever recovered...
Nobody "Loves" Road House
December 10, 2007 - 18:50 ET by InsufficientContext...but it is an awesome terrible movie.
[sidebar]-Dude..."made you" watch it? That's some "duct-taped-to-a-lazyboy-in-a-speedo" type thing going on.
"Roadhouse" kicks butt! The
December 10, 2007 - 19:53 ET by Roger the Shrubber"Roadhouse" kicks butt! The gratuitous lines they throw to Jeff Healey were great, as well as the incredible acting of that peroxide-blonde bimbo (who is hot now!).
The simple genius of Road
December 10, 2007 - 22:03 ET by balboaThe simple genius of Road House operates on so many levels!
Sam Elliott: Ya got a skinny lil runt around here goes by the name Dalton?
"Pain don't hurt." Well,
December 10, 2007 - 16:40 ET by dvdaughtry"Pain don't hurt."
Well, for once, the rich white man is in control. --Montgomery Burns
Carl, we had an extensive
December 10, 2007 - 19:47 ET by Roger the ShrubberCarl, we had an extensive conversation on Gymkata a few months ago. Must you dredge up those bad memories? You hatemonger!
All I can do is LAUGH.
December 10, 2007 - 16:15 ET by AJSHOPEAll I can do is LAUGH. Hahaha. This is the type of stuff that picks me up just as I was starting to get depressed.
Ah, Hollywood is so stupid and I honestly hope they continue being this stupid. Maybe they'll eventually go bankrupt. Keep it up Hollywood.
Congratulations overly
December 10, 2007 - 17:43 ET by balboaCongratulations overly concerned Christians!
Yeah
December 10, 2007 - 17:47 ET by MightyMouth...we must have ALL the moviegoing dollars. I'll bet we are also providing most of the GDP.
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
I'd say it's more like...
December 10, 2007 - 17:50 ET by sarcasmo"Hollywood expensively-bores everyone, religious & secular, again."
I mean, I've already expressed my admiration for Mr. Donohue, but I suspect we're seeing the symptoms of a boycott's effects masked by the symptoms of a truly-crappy movie.
JMR
Rally online with fans of Dr. Ron Paul. (All purpose anti-slander-link, sadly-needed these days...)
I think you're right. Just
December 10, 2007 - 17:52 ET by balboaI think you're right. Just had to get a shot in. :-)
Most reviewers have just said the movie doesn't quite work, _regardless_ of the politics involved.
Yep, thanks for the honesty.
December 10, 2007 - 17:59 ET by sarcasmoThat's box-office poison. I've already decided to go to "Charlie Wilson's War," which is being promoted as a Christmas-movie. I must somehow read the book first so the movie doesn't spoil it.
I really hope the movie's good, too, since I must go, but from my family's reviews of the book, it should be. I'm 2 for 2 with my last 2 paid-for movies being "Catch Me If You Can" & "The Simpsons Movie," both of which I enjoyed. But I maintain a healthy distrust and disrespect of Hollyweird, so it takes a good book or a good TV show to make me actually go to a movie...
JMR
Rally online with fans of Dr. Ron Paul. (All purpose anti-slander-link, sadly-needed these days...)
Sarky, try "No Country For Old Men"
December 10, 2007 - 18:19 ET by RJThe book is terrific, and the movie is, too...with or without reading the book first.
I'm 2 for 2 with my last 2
December 11, 2007 - 09:02 ET by dvdaughtryI'm 2 for 2 with my last 2 paid-for movies being "Catch Me If You Can" & "The Simpsons Movie," both of which I enjoyed.
Catch Me If You Can is a SOLID flick. It has been a while since I have seen it, but I think my wife got it at one of the doorbusters during Thanksgiving.
I am going to have to watch it this weekend.
Well, for once, the rich white man is in control. --Montgomery Burns
Ha! In your face, Margot!
December 10, 2007 - 21:49 ET by bretzysdudeHa! In your face, Margot!
...paaain...
December 11, 2007 - 16:04 ET by Tito the NormanPain don't hurt.
I forgot that hilarious line!
At the least the Catholic League can take some credit, especially if they can the sequels.
Why I pray they do.
"The Truth is absolute.", Pope Benedict XVI