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Daily Archives: December 13, 2010

Flashback: Andy Burns On A Christmas Soundtrack And A Hidden Holiday Gem

Dec 13

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Christmas time makes me think of the Electric Light Orchestra. Strange, I know. But I’m fairly certain it was Christmas 2000 when I received their 3 CD box set Flashback as a gift from my Dad. In fact, I just checked the copyright on one of the discs and it was ten years ago that this was indeed under the tree. Now, this wasn’t a random choice from my Pop; it was on the ole Christmas wish list for that very year. But it was a good choice. Flashback was released at a time when the industry was still putting out box sets and charging an arm and a leg for them. If my memory serves me well, Dad spent nearly $100 on this ELO set, purchasing it from an independent record store in Hamilton, Ontario. So clearly the thought was there. But can you imagine in this day and age, a decade later, 3 cd’s of music and a booklet retailing for that price? There’s just no way anybody would spend the coin on something like that. Music has become that disposable to so many people. This year, I think there’s maybe a handful of large collections that are being marketed for the holidays, most notably Bruce Springsteen’s The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story. But think about this – that is a 3 CD/3DVD collection that’s retailing for roughly $90 depending on where you pick it up. That’s a lot more bang for your buck than a 3 CD set was back in the day.
That being said, music isn’t about money, it’s about how it makes you feel, and I sure did enjoy the music on Flashback. Compiled by ELO mastermind, Beatle fanatic and future Traveling Wilbury Jeff Lynne, it was (and still is) a solid way of gathering all of Electric Light Orchestra’s most essential tunes – songs like Eldorado and Evil Woman, Living Thing, Do Ya and, of course, Don’t Let Me Down. You won’t find many of ELO’s deep cuts played on the radio, but all the hits are just as popular now as they were when they topped the charts, some nearly 40 years ago. The song that resonates with me the most is Livin Thing, thanks to it’s appearance in one of my favorite films, P.T. Anderson’s Boogie Nights. And while it may not make anyone’s list of the top of Christmas films of all time, I can’t help but think of that film around this time of the year, just like I think of ELO.

You may not think that the tale of a group of porn stars at the end of 70′s is holiday fare, but in a lot of ways that’s how I regard it. Granted, Boogie Nights is not a blatant Christmas celebration and you won’t find it in the holiday section at Blockbuster Video (if you can even find one of those anymore). But just think about it for as moment. So many of the pivotal scenes take place around Christmas and New Years (I’m thinking of William H. Macy’s Little Bill ringing in 1980, most specifically). Then there’s the notion that all these dysfunctional characters (Heather Graham’s Roller Girl, Mark Wahlberg’s Dirk Diggler, even Don Cheadle’s cowboy stereo salesman Buck Swope) come together and support each other, creating amongst themselves a surrogate family that understand each other like their real families would never be able to do.
Isn’t that really what so many great holiday films are about? Family and friends coming together. Sure, Boogie Nights isn’t It’s A Wonderful Life or A Christmas Carol, but there’s something beautiful and affirming about it just the same. If you haven’t seen the film, I highly recommend checking it for star-making performances from Wahlberg and the brilliant Phillip Seymour Hoffman, not to mention Burt Reynold Oscar nominated role as producer Jack Horner. It’s great at any time of year. And for those of you that already know of the brilliance of which I speak, while you may not have it running while the kids are up and you’re sitting down to eat your turkey and stuffing on Christmas Eve, throw it on at an appropriate time this holiday season and you just might find yourself with a new appreciation for Dirk’s Diggler. 


I mean, Dirk Diggler. 

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Posted in Andy Burns/Andy B, Boogie Nights, Christmas, ELO, music

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Scotty G’s Box Office Wrap-Up Report

Dec 13

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The two new films took the top two spots this weekend, but there was very little to cheer about as grosses across the board were very disappointing. My predictions were terrible, as I completely overestimated the gross for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Films in limited release faired much better, but it truly was a horrendous weekend at the box office. Here’s how the box office broke down:

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader debuted in 1st place with a gross of $24.5 million (I predicted a 1st place finish and a gross of $60 million). The film had a per theatre average of $6,892. What else can be said about this debut other than it was a disaster. Disney looks incredibly smart in getting rid of this franchise, and Fox looks to have a bomb on their hands. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was not even close to the opening weekend grosses of the previous two installments in the franchise. See below:

2005 – The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – $65.5 million opening weekend
2008 – Prince Caspian – $55 million opening weekend
2010 – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – $24.5 million opening weekend

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader opened on the same weekend as the original did five years ago, and it didn’t have much in the way of competition as Tangled and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One had been out for awhile, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was shown in 3-D (a first for the franchise), which boosted ticket prices. This is an absolute disastrous debut, and I would think that chances of a fourth installment are dead after this weekend. The budget for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a reported $155 million, and I don’t think the film will make back even half of that domestically.

Debuting in 2nd place is the Angelina Jolie/Johnny Depp thriller The Tourist with a gross of $17 million (I predicted a 2nd place finish and a gross of $27 million). The Tourist had a per theatre average of $6,168. The gross has to be considered a disappointment considering the last two films these actors have done that were geared towards adults did quite a bit better on their opening weekends. See below:

2009 – Public Enemies – $25.2 million opening weekend
2010 – Salt – $36 million opening weekend
2010 – The Tourist – $17 million opening weekend

Reviews were not strong, but I thought the power of Jolie and Depp would get audiences into theatres. I was wrong. The budget is listed at $100 million, and I don’t see how The Tourist will hit that total in its domestic run.

Tangled drops from 1st to 3rd place with a gross of $14.5 million (I predicted a 3rd place finish and a gross of $10.1 million). Tangled had a per theatre average of $4,084, and was down 32.6% from last weekend. Audiences are responding to the film, and although it will not be a mega-blockbuster and it will not make back its budget from its domestic total (the budget is rumoured to be around $240 million), it is a confidence boost for Disney animation, as they can still make animated films that are hits at the box office, and are not part of the Pixar brand. After three weekends, Tangled has grossed $115.6 million.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part One dropped down from 2nd place to 4th place with a gross of $8.5 million (I predicted a 4th place finish and a gross of $6.9 million). The per theatre average for the film was $2,376, and the film was down 50.1% from last weekend, which for the second weekend in a row was the largest percentage drop of any film in the top ten. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part One continues to set franchise worst’s with every passing weekend. This weekend the fourth weekend percentage drop was tied for second worst in franchise history and the $8.5 million gross on its fourth weekend was the worst in franchise history. See below for how the films in the franchise stack up on their fourth weekends:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – $14.7 million / Down 37.7%
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – $10 million / Down 68.6%
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – $11.2 million / Down 37.6%
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – $10.2 million / Down 48.4%
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – $9.5 million / Down 46.3%
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – $8.9 million / Down 50.1%
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part One – $8.5 million / Down 50.1%

On a positive note, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part One became the 6th highest grossing title in franchise history. See below:

1) Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – $317.5 million
2) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – $301.9 million
3) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – $292 million
4) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – $290 million
5) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – $261.9 million

6) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part One – $257.6 million
7) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – $249.5 million

Unfortunately for the film, I don’t know if Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part One will cross $300 million anymore, and I think it may only finish as the 5th highest grossing film in franchise history when all is said and done. We’ll have to wait and see.

Unstoppable continues its steady run at the box office as it drops from 4th place to 5th place with a gross of $3.7 million (I predicted a 7th place finish and a gross of $2.6 million). Unstoppable had a per theatre average of $1,264 and was down only 37.2% from last weekend. Unstoppable held up well even with the competition of The Tourist this weekend, and has been the model of consistency since its release. After five weeks, Unstoppable has grossed $74.2 million, which gets it closer to its budget of $100 million, although I would be surprised if it made back its budget.

In quite a surprise, moving up from 13th place to 6th place is the Natalie Portman drama Black Swan with a gross of $3.3 million (I did not make a prediction on this film). Black Swan added 72 more theatres this weekend to up its theatre count to 90 and with the additional theatres the film improved 130.8% from last weekend and the film had a sizzling per theatre average of $37,022, which was easily the highest of any film in the top ten. The film has been receiving glowing reviews, especially for Natalie Portman who seems to be a lock for a Best Actress nomination for her performance. The film will definitely make back its budget, which is listed at $13 million, as after two weeks of being in limited release, Black Swan has grossed $5.6 million.

Burlesque dropped from 3rd place to 7th place with a gross of $3.2 million (I predicted a gross of $2.7 million and a 6th place finish). Burlesque had a per theatre average of $1,113, and was down 47.8% from last weekend. Burlesque might not be in the top ten next weekend, as three new releases come out, and the films that are Oscar contenders will slowly begin to expand their theatre counts, pushing films like Burlesque out of the spotlight. After three weeks, Burlesque has grossed $32.5 million and will not make back its budget of $55 million.

Love and Other Drugs dropped from 5th place to 8th place with a gross of $3 million (I predicted a 5th place finish and a gross of $3 million). Love and Other Drugs had a per theatre average of $1,339 and was down 46.9% from last weekend. The Jake Gyllenhaal/Anne Hathaway dramedy will be on DVD shelves soon, as like Burlesque, it will be losing a lot of its theatres next weekend to new releases and films that are expanding. After three weeks, Love and Other Drugs has grossed $27.6 million, and should be able to at least break even, it’s budget was an estimated $30 million.

Dropping from 7th place to 9th place is the comedy Due Date with a gross of $2.54 million (I predicted an 8th place finish and a gross of $2.2 million). Due Date had a per theatre average of $1,279 and was down 38.4% from last weekend. Due Date has now grossed $94.8 million in six weeks from a budget of $65 million, and should be able to cross $100 million when all is said and done.

Dropping from 6th place to 10th place is the animated film Megamind with a gross of $2.51 million (I predicted a 9th place finish and a gross of $2.1 million). Megamind had a per theatre average of $1,035 and the film was down 49.2% from last weekend. Megamind is definitely not the hit people thought it would be, but it did make back its budget of $130 million and after six weeks has grossed $140.2 million, but it will become the lowest grossing DreamWorks Animation film since 2006’s Over The Hedge, which grossed $155 million.

In limited release:

The Tempest – Julie Taymor directs an all-star cast in this adaptation of Shakespeare’s last play. The film grossed $45,000 from 5 theatres giving The Tempest a per theatre average of $9,000.

The Fighter – This film stars Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale and is a based on the true life story of Micky “Irish” Ward, a boxer most famous for his fights against Arturo Gotti. The film chronicles Ward’s rise in professional boxing in the 1980’s and grossed $320,000 from 4 theatres giving it a whopping per theatre average of $80,000, which was easily the highest of any film in release.

Hemingway’s Garden of Eden, And Everything Is Going Fine and Shoah did not report their grosses as of this writing.

So to recap, here were my predictions:

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – $60 million
The Tourist – $27 million
Tangled – $10.1 million
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One – $6.9 million
Love and Other Drugs – $3 million

And here are the actual numbers:

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – $24.5 million
The Tourist – $17 million
Tangled – $14.5 million
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One – $8.5 million
Unstoppable – $3.7 million

My predictions were off by $52.6 million.

Next weekend, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader looks to be the #1 film for a second weekend in a row against the Paul Rudd/Reese Witherspoon/Jack Nicholson dramedy How Do You Know, everyone’s favourite bear from Jellystone Park Yogi Bear, and the sci-fi epic Tron: Legacy. Check out Biff Bam Pop next Friday to read my predictions!

Posted in box office predictions, Scotty G

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