DVDizzy Forum

Keep in mind it's only been playing widely for just two days of the three-day weekend:

From BoxOfficeMojo:

1 1 Scary Movie 3 Dim. $21,100,000 -56.1% 3,505 - $6,019 $78,623,000 $45 / $35 2
2 22 Brother Bear Dis. $18,540,000 6250.6% 3,030 +3,028 $6,118 $18,938,000 - / - 2
3 2 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre NL $10,900,000 -24.7% 2,970 -48 $3,670 $66,129,000 $9.5 / $20 3
4 3 Radio Sony $10,200,000 -23.3% 3,074 - $3,318 $26,806,000 - / - 2
5 4 Runaway Jury Fox $6,860,000 -18.8% 2,736 -79 $2,507 $33,650,000 $60 / - 3
6 5 Mystic River WB $6,270,000 -19.5% 1,551 +58 $4,042 $33,590,000 $25 / $15 4
7 7 Kill Bill Volume 1 Mira. $4,711,000 -25.9% 2,429 -204 $1,939 $60,983,000 $55 / - 4
8 6 School of Rock Par. $4,400,000 -32.5% 2,786 -165 $1,579 $69,122,000 $35 / $22 5
9 9 Intolerable Cruelty Uni. $2,658,000 -26.8% 1,661 -629 $1,600 $32,055,000 - / - 4
10 8 Good Boy! MGM $2,500,000 -50.6% 2,415 -347 $1,035 $35,246,000 $18 / - 4

It is a shame it didn't get the #1 spot. Disney hasn't had an animated classic open there since Tarzan in June 1999. However, these are very impressive numbers for a two-day release window and I think the film will be able to hold its own against the flood of family stuff this holiday season. (Brother Bear must compete with Elf, Loony Tunes: Back in Action, The Cat in the Hat, and Disney's own The Haunted Mansion, as well as the already-released Good Boy! and Radio, for family box office business in the coming weeks.)

The theater I saw it at today wasn't near-standing-room-only like Finding Nemo and Pirates of the Carribbean were when I saw them in the second and first day of release, respetively, this summer, but I did see a pretty sizable crowd. I didn't spend much time trying to read their reactions to it, but the kids in the theater weren't too badly behaved, which is a good sign, and I loved it. My brothers liked it, too. The posotive response bodes well for it in the weeks to come. It's a much-needed and well-deserved hit for Disney's traditional animators. For the third time, hats off to WDFA Flordia for an absolutely brilliant motion picture.

Good start.

The key to this is word-of-mouth. Those of us that have seen it today or on Opening Day it is our duty to talk it up as much as possible over the next few days. Especially to those who have kids or are just plain kids at heart (like most if not all of us )

Quite a good start, it should hopefully get a few more people interested in it.

Matty-Mouse wrote:Quite a good start, it should hopefully get a few more people interested in it.

I would bet that a lot of folks are on the fence about seeing this. I even had a fellow teacher ask me about it today...she was hesitant to take her nephews because she thought it might be too scary.

Rave reviews and a solid box office showing on opening weekend will hopefully propel this one a long way.

Once it reaches three day weekend,expect a huge second weekend.

kick butt!! awesome news luke!!

in its second week brother bear only fell 4.1%!!!!!!!!!

it earned

$18,606,000 to earn it the number 3 spot right eaftrer elf*(which looks really funny) but i couldnt be more happier.



these are estimates from BOM

Sweet! Good find, Choco Bear. Here's the Top 10, from BOM:

1 N The Matrix Revolutions WB $50,155,000 - 3,502 - $14,321 $85,470,000 $150 / - 1
2 N Elf NL $32,100,000 - 3,337 - $9,619 $32,100,000 - / - 1
3 2 Brother Bear Dis. $18,606,000 -4.1% 3,030 - $6,140 $44,102,000 - / - 3
4 1 Scary Movie 3 Dim. $11,105,000 -44.5% 3,288 -217 $3,377 $93,351,000 $45 / $35 3
5 4 Radio Sony $7,400,000 -23.2% 2,811 -263 $2,632 $36,300,000 $35 / $23 3
6 N Love Actually Uni. $6,612,000 - 576 +11 $11,479 $6,612,000 - / - 1
7 6 Mystic River WB $4,825,000 -22.6% 1,581 +30 $3,051 $40,474,000 $25 / $15 5
8 5 Runaway Jury Fox $4,800,000 -26.4% 2,133 -603 $2,250 $40,125,000 $60 / - 4
9 3 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre NL $4,800,000 -55.6% 2,378 -592 $2,018 $73,222,000 $9.5 / $20 4
10 8 School of Rock Par. $3,150,000 -30.4% 1,982 -804 $1,589 $73,595,000 $35 / $22 6

Good for Brother Bear! Nice job.

I'm so happy! I hope, by the end of its run, it can make 100 million (domestically)...

If it does, all of Disney Orlando's films will have crossed that barrier (Mulan reached about 120 million, as I recall, and Lilo hit 145). And it would be a very solid showing for traditional animation, especially since it got all those (undeserving; harsh, I thought) weak reviews...

Only a 4 percent drop, even with an extra day this weekend (the Friday), is still a great showing.

I can't believe that Elf made more than Brother Bear. Eeek! That flicked looked like a rip off of Santa Claus the Movie with gross out gags. Oh well, at least BB is still doing well.

I hope it keeps doing well, even with competition.

I feel confident it can withstand the addition of Looney Tunes next weekend, and it's holding up well against Elf (even though Elf grossed more, Bear held most of its ground from last week). I think it'll keep doing well, be a solid and steady (though not flashy) box office performer...

But it's doing well. I'm really glad for it.

evben though elf made more than brother bear it had a full 3 day weeken to gain it, im also verry impressed at both brother bear and elf which held up amazingly against the matrix and their combined total makes up the same as the matrixs weekend total. i wonder what brother bear would have grossed this weekend if disney kept the original november 7th release date

I theorize that...

Had they opened on the 7th...you're getting it closer to Thanksgiving, the Cat in the Hat, the holiday splurge, and then getting it sandwiched with Elf and Looney Tunes. As it was, it was the only wide release for its weekend (of the 31st); In the Cut was on 800 screens, but that was it (and ITC is totally not the same audience, or appeal). Not only that, but it opened before Elf, and before Looney Tunes and all the rest. So it gets a jump.

I tend to think that...had they still opened on a Friday (just a different date), on Halloween, they would've won last weekend, for sure. And gotten #1, which would have been nice. But, on the flip side: had they opened on the Friday, I feel certain the numbers for this current weekend (right now) would have been lower. The hold wouldn't have been as even.

And the Saturday opening allowed it to win the days (last Saturday and Sunday). The Saturday numbers were probably higher because it wasn't available on Friday (to see). In the end, I just think it was an interesting decision/marketing choice by Disney, and I'm very glad it seems to be paying off...

I think it'll all balance out in the end. Here's hoping it touches 100 million!

Maerj wrote:I can't believe that Elf made more than Brother Bear. Eeek! That flicked looked like a rip off of Santa Claus the Movie with gross out gags. Oh well, at least BB is still doing well.

Well, Elf is new at the theatres, and that's always an attraction. Plus, it really is funny, Terry. I saw it on Friday, and there's a reason it's 81% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes. It's actually a smart, well-made film. It's not sickly sweet, nor full of gross-out jokes. It's one of those movies that you enjoy in spite of yourself. Read Roger Ebert's review, and you'll understand what I'm trying to get at.

What none here have mentioned yet is the fact that Love Actually only played on 576 screens, thereby forcing its weekend take to be minimal. Had it played in 2,000+ screens, it surely would have been #2 this weekend. It has the look of a chick-flick romantic comedy, and the uniqueness of being a smart romantic comedy (saw it Saturday - very good! And that's coming from an adamant opponent of chick-flicks! ~_^). Plus, those positive reviews from critics don't hurt, either. I'd say if/when it goes wide, it'll gross a lot more.

Also, Back in Action has a few things going for it. It actually looks smart (and from several of the jokes and quotes I've heard from it, it really does), and it also has teasers for Scooby Doo 2, The Polar Express, and Prisoner of Azkaban attached to it. I know a lot of rabid Harry Potter fans who'll pay the ticket price just to see that teaser...

Personally, I can't wait to see Matrix Revolutions plummet as fast, or even faster, as Reloaded did. It's getting horrible reviews, and apparently there isn't a big payoff to the story - just more shoot-em-up explosions and look-what-we-can-do-with-a-computer special effects. I may not even bother to see this one. Reloaded was painful enough.

Well, I did think the same thing when I saw that Ace Ventura was number one at the box office. I wondered why so many people went to see such a stupid looking film. I did eventually see it and it was funny. Now there are other cases, such as Meet the Parents, which was number one three weeks in a row. I didn't see it in the theater, but so many people raved about it, I bought the DVD. I ended up selling it to a pawn shop for $3 because I hated it so much!

Matrix Revolutions wasn't bad, I enjoyed it. I don't usually care about what critics have to say at all. Everyone needs to form their own opinons, and the critics opinions are no better than anyone elses. Like all art, its relative to what your tastes are. I know you like the critics a lot and that's fine and I'm glad you liked your movie

Maerj wrote:Matrix Revolutions wasn't bad, I enjoyed it. I don't usually care about what critics have to say at all. Everyone needs to form their own opinons, and the critics opinions are no better than anyone elses. Like all art, its relative to what your tastes are. I know you like the critics a lot and that's fine and I'm glad you liked your movie

Well, I wouldn't say I'm heavily influenced by critical reviews - 'cause hell, who would admit that?

I have found, however, that critics' general consensus usually parallel my own opinion. Like a lot of professional critics, I'm extremely harsh, cynical, and jaded about the subject matter of films. And picky. Very picky. I don't see that many films (the 3 I saw this weekend were a rare exception), and the ones I do see I want to be good. It's like a physician's philosophy - hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. No mature person goes into a film wanting to hate it - optimism is the key. But when the film reveals itself to be a stinker, then hey. You know for sure.

I have certain penchants, too. I'll see anything animated, of course. And most fantasies. I like going to indies and documentaries, as well. But even though those are my four favorite genres, I never give 'em props. I've come out of several animated flicks and fantasies disappointed. And several indies, too - and those are supposed to be the good ones!

So just because a film like Brother Bear has a good pedigree - a Disney cel-animated feature - doesn't mean it's a good dog, er... film. Hehe... Its abstract concepts - story, plot and character development, mood, dialogue, etc. - have to be well-done for me to like it. I've seen the film twice now, and it just doesn't hold up for me. I won't set it on a pedestal just because it's a Disney film. Neither, even, because it's cel-animated. Yes, it's too bad that it's the second-to-last traditional feature from Disney before the indefinite hiatus, but I won't blindly support it if it's a bad film. I'm looking for quality from Disney - be it CG or cel. I want them to get their old storytelling spark back.

Because yes - everything, every theme, every plot, has been done to death. It's how you spin it that counts. Pixar has been very successful in this sense because they know how to twist the same themes around for a great flick every time. It's not that they can get away with that forever, but as of now it's still working for them. In fact, the reason I think Finding Nemo did so damn well was because (family) audiences this summer were starved for anything mildly decent. Anything that had a good level of entertainment for adults and kids alike. No, it's not the greatest film ever, but it was a diamond in the rough this year. Quality in major Hollywood releases is very endangered, so when something slightly delectable comes along, audiences will swarm all over it - to actually catch something good, for once.

But anyways, I'm getting a bit long-winded here. I think I'll stop now.

Paka wrote:I have found, however, that critics' general consensus usually parallel my own opinion. Like a lot of professional critics, I'm extremely harsh, cynical, and jaded about the subject matter of films. And picky. Very picky.

Lol, yes, I've noticed that! I don't know, I just can't look at every single film that way. For example you mention Brother Bear. I read your review and just about every negative criticism from every critic was echoed in your review. Film criticism is fine but there comes a point to where you overanalyze so much that you lose something. Many of your statements were very similar to a review that 2099net posted. The killing of the fish for example. To me, that's just silly! No, the fish aren't going to talk... you want to gross the kids out? But at the same time, bears aren't vegetarians either. I know you mentioned the "Plausible Impossible" but there is also creative license!

The point of Brother Bear wasn't that humans are bad. It wasn't that you shouldn't kill animals. It was that you shouldn't kill out of hatred. That is what Kenai did wrong. Obviously the humans killed for food as did the other animals. They did it because they had to and respected the animals they killed, almost to the point of worship as all of their totems were based upon animals.

So, I am only addressing one point there. I guess what I am saying overall here is that its fine if you like to be critical and stuff, as there is always more than one way to look at everything. But if it makes you that cynical and jaded, you are really going to be ruining the movie going experience for yourself. When seeing a movie like this, I try to forget that I am 32 years old, that I am unemployed and that the world sucks outside of that theater. For me, I am 8 years old again and am seeing a new Disney animated film for the first time. That might make me less critical but it assures that I'll have a much better time. I am glad we've had our conversation here, I think that we would get along in real life!

I went to see Brother Bear with my wife and small son and we absolutely loved that movie. In my opinion, it was better than Nemo. We laughed, we cried, we will definitely go see that one again.

Bravo, Disney. 2D is dead, my foot.