Entertainment Weekly's Joshua Rich reported on the weekend's box office returns for the latest releases on October 19 to let us all in on Hollywood's successes and failures, because, you know, Hollywood is important and all. We find that the Chihuahua movie is still going like gangbusters ($70 million in three weeks) and the horrid movie "Max Payne" led the weekend's receipts with $18 million. Oliver Stone's slamfest "W," though, earned a disappointing fourth place on its debut weekend.
So, what was EW's excuse for this disappointing finish? According to Rich, "W" is failing at the box office because of "tough economic times.” It’s curious, though, that people have spent $70 million on the Chihuahua movie in these same "tough economic times" -- and let us not forget that the latest Batman movie has made over $300 million. Still, the excuse for the fourth place finish for Stone's pseudo-biopic is "tough economic times," just the same.
But, Rich’s excuse is a claim that even Entertainment Weekly itself has recently disputed, at least as far as the box office goes. Only a few weeks ago, the weekend that right-wing comedy "An American Carol" debuted, the same Box Office Report column said that the "economy may be tanking, but the box office remains healthy, with probably the only year-on-year metric that's seen an uptick."
Amazingly, but a few weeks later, EW's Joshua Rich suddenly finds that these "tough economic times" are responsible for the failure of the movie that maligns nearly everyone in the Bush family?
Here is what Rich said of "W."
W. also did well given all that it had going against it. Oliver Stone's presidential biopic was voted into fourth place with $10.6 mil in 2,030 locations — not bad for a movie opening during tough economic times about a man whom many Americans blame for said financial strains. But will the film be able to overcome its low approval rating from audiences (in the form of an impeachable CinemaScore grade of C) in the long run? Not likely.
So, on October 5th, Entertainment Weekly says that there is no economic impact at the box office then only two weeks later, the same box office report column states that "W" can't make it because of these oh, so "tough economic times."
That's quite an industry wide downturn in only a few weeks, isn't it? So, astonishing is the claim in fact, that it easily appears as an excuse to explain away why Stone's movie is not so successful than it is any true reading of the status of the economy.
By the way, it is interesting to note that in the report of the box office take for the weekend that "An American Carol" opened, EW didn't actually report what the box office take for the comedy was (it was $3,656,000). However, it did see fit to print how much the anti-religion movie made by Bill Maher rang up in sales.
That is pretty interesting in and of itself.
By the way, I have been told that "An American Carol" will make enough sales to repay its investment. As far as Hollywood is concerned that is a success story... just in case you are interested.
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It is a tough economy.
October 20, 2008 - 07:07 ET by RightWingerPeople are losing their homes, jobs, cars, everything! We are in the worst economy since the depression! It's true because the MSM tells us so. So it is understandable to see why "W" has tanked at the Box Office. People just don't have the money to spend these days on luxuries. After all, the winter is fast approaching and people are going to have a hard time coming up deciding will it be medicine or heating oil they will have to sacrifice this year.
Now with that said, the Obamabots should be able to give us a logical explanation on how ordinary Americans were able to pony up $150 million in contributions to the Nobama campaign in September. That of course excludes the $40+ million the DNC got and the countless millions that have been contributed to Dems running for Congressional seats. Yet, after listening to a days worth of so-called "pundits" at the MSM, most Americans are a paycheck from being in the streets. So where is this money coming from?
A report came out the other day that retailers were going to suffer over Halloween sales and you just know that the reports will be coming out shortly about how retailers are dreading the upcoming Holiday shopping season that they rely on to make or break their year.
Maybe that's why "W" box office is bad. Everybody spent their entertainment budget on contributing to the Nobama campaign! Yeah that is the answer!
Now that all the Bush
October 20, 2008 - 07:19 ET by JerryNow that all the Bush haters, brain-washed school kids, and liberal elitists have seen the move, the attendence is going to drop like a rock, barring repeat business and ticket office shananigans.
Sadly, we have zero room to gloat. We had a major chance to make a statement by taking a couple of hours out of our busy days to go and see An American Carol, and we blew it. A group of isolated conservative entertainers went out on a limb; something we have been begging for, and we were too damn lazy to contribute to the cause. BTW, I went to see it.
When asked if he went to war with Iraq to derail the impeachment vote: “I don’t think any serious person would believe that any President would do such a thing." - President Clinton (Dec 1998).
hippies and liberals don't have money.
October 20, 2008 - 08:05 ET by JWFIt does not matter how bad the economy is! Welfare is the same whether the economy is up or down. Being on the government dole is a fixed income.
These are hard times because that hippie hater Bush is in the white house and won't increase the government handouts. Otherwise they would go see it in droves!
Conservatives and Republicans have jobs on the other hand. They can afford things like TV's and cable and satellite dishes. That is why they can watch the Letterman show and Saturday Night Live in record numbers when McCain or Palin are on.
Sincerely,
a Veteran of a 1000 psychic wars.
Yes, only conservatives
October 20, 2008 - 09:03 ET by arkansaszippersYes, only conservatives have jobs; everybody knows that.
I think you've been coming to this site a little too long...
And..... Arkansas Zipper misses the point........
October 20, 2008 - 09:43 ET by connman.......
again!
No way! No how! Nobama! Keep the change! ...Sen. Clinton
Entertainment Weekly needs
October 20, 2008 - 08:02 ET by AuH20girlEntertainment Weekly needs to explain, then, why people flocked to see Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Clark Gable, Kay Francis, etc etc, and their movies made millions during the Depression when things were much worse than they are now.
http://goldwatergirl...
Two things.....
October 20, 2008 - 08:13 ET by connman...first I'm suprised ACORN hasn't included a a couple of tix and popcorn to see "W" when illegally registering Obamabots to vote, and why have I not read or seen anything anywhere in the mainstream about that totally tasteless internet add of a "sitting" president on a commode? Stop this madness I'm begging you! (I know , I know, all will be well again with the anticipated coronation.)
No way! No how! Nobama! Keep the change! ...Sen. Clinton
Either it's the bad economy,
October 20, 2008 - 11:24 ET by mattmEither it's the bad economy, or it's because Bush is so unpopular (almost as unpopular as congress) that they won't go to a movie about him.
Tough economy my ass. You
October 20, 2008 - 11:48 ET by lotrTough economy my ass. You couldn't pay me to see such excrement.
And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all. -- Edgar Allan Poe
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
October 20, 2008 - 13:00 ET by chiefpayne"tough economic times” ???
SURELY they can figure out that NO ONE wants to watch their movie? Oh but since they are the great intellectuals, they know better than that, don't they.
re: Either it's the bad economy,
October 20, 2008 - 13:04 ET by chiefpayneMattm,
"Either it's the bad economy, or it's because Bush is so unpopular (almost as unpopular as congress) that they won't go to a movie about him."
OR the movie stinks or is inaccuate.
The peanut clip in the
October 20, 2008 - 16:29 ET by chambodiaThe peanut clip in the trailer told me all I need to know about this movie. I went to see Fireproof this weekend. It's been out for four (?) weeks now, and the theater was still full at the 1pm matinee. I truly enjoyed that movie. It had a lot of humor in it, and it promoted family values, something I still believe in.
conservative icons
Stone[d]...
October 20, 2008 - 16:35 ET by LionKingHow come Oliver Stone did not make a movie about Bill and Monica...I mean Bill and Hillary. Imagine the fireworks, intrigue, Vince Foster conspiracy, cigars, Al and Tipper...