First of all, let me just say, the fact that 300 earned $70 million this weekend blew my mind! I was expecting it to do well. Heck - even better than the $40 million that most box office analysts were predicting. But $70 million? That's insane. That means people were probably seeing it more than once this weekend. Considering the fact that Wild Hogs held on to the number two spot (inexplicably) with $28 million means that a lot of people went to the movies this weekend.
Sadly, I was no one of them. I didn't make it to the theater this weekend. Cami and I are keeping a close eye on Henry for the time being. I don't mind. I look forward to it all week while I'm at work.
Incidentally, we were able to get out of the house together for a couple of hours on Sunday while my parents baby sat. Cami was going a little stir-crazy in the house not having left it for nearly a month. Psychologically, it's good that she gets out into the world again, even if it's only for a short period of time. She did really well, all things considered. It had to have been hard being away from Henry when she's been at his side nearly 24 hours since the day he was born. Cami and I spend a lot of time together, but the time she spends with Henry is a new level of intense!
Back to box office talk for a second, I don't think 300 has much to fear from Sandra Bulluck's Premonition when it opens this weekend. That doesn't mean we can't have a little fun with the concept of the movie for this week's comics.
Does anyone find it odd that Premonition doesn't really have any competition this weekend? The producers of the Saw movies have put together another scare fest with Dead Silence that will bring out the horror-faithful. But beyond that, the potential benefit of additional box office for having the most high profile new release is Bullock's to lose.
Do people really like Bullock in these psychological thrillers? I can understand why she might be shying away from the prospect of Miss Congeniality 3, but the last movie I recall where she slipped on these shoes was Murder By Numbers and no one really remembers her performance from that. They all remember Ryan Gosling's introduction to mainstream audiences. Seems to me audiences appreciate her in the more cute and cuddly romantic comedy roles that Drew Barrymore will be stealing from her in another 5 years.
I don't have anything much more insightful than that when it comes to Bullock's career or Premonition in particular. But I have a whole week of madcap fun planned for the strips. So if you're into over-the-top cartoon violence, be sure to check us out!
Another thing you'll want to check out tonight is The Triple Feature talkcast featuring myself, Joe Dunn from Joe Loves Crappy Movies and Gordon McAlpin from Multiplex. I forget what we're talking about this week because I can barely keep track of time these days, but it will probably be about the success of 300. So if you saw the movie this weekend and want to call into the show to discuss it, you have a great opportunity! Just go to TalkShoe, download their client, download a call-in program like Skype or SJPhone (it's free) and say "Hello!" We had a really good turn out last week. It would be great if we could boost those numbers. We want you to participate!
When you're done reading this, scroll down a little bit. I want you to leave me some feedback on another issue and I don't want it getting lost in the comments of this post. If you guys want to reply here and let me know what you thought about 300, fire away! What was your favorite moment? What were the crowds like? What did they respond to?
Let me know!
