Other Crap

Poseidon sinks, other new releases bomb in disastrous weekend.

• How bad was the weekend? (1) About tied for the worst of the year - a May weekend about equal to the first weekend in February. (2) Down 19% from last weekend, which was considered a disappointment. (3) Down 14% from last year, despite following seven consecutive weeks of double-digit increases!
• The carry-over films were all up from analysts' estimates, but that's not good news. Quite to the contrary. It was because moviegoing audiences summarily rejected the new releases that the holdovers got a bit of a lift. A certain number of people are regulars at the multiplexes on weekends, and they seemed to show up with no good new choices.
• Will Poseidon become the biggest loser in history? The budget was a reported $160 million, and the box office looks like it will probably max out in the forty range. Oliver Stone's Alexander had approximately the same numbers ($155m production costs, $40m promo/distro costs, $34m gross), but Alexander was a significant hit overseas ($133 million), and Poseidon may or may not be.
• It will be difficult for the industry to get back ahead of last year quickly, despite the fact that The DaVinci Code and Over the Hedge will open next week, because those films are staring directly into the face of Revenge of the Sith, which opened above $100 million! It all depends on how magical will be the combination of a phenomenal best-seller and the redoubtable and eternally bankable Tom Hanks