ROTTEN TOMATOES: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Chan and Li Rule Box Office Kingdom Comments

Box Office Guru Wrapup: Chan and Li Rule Box Office Kingdom

by Gitesh Pandya | April 20, 2008

Summary

Audiences were fired up for the first-ever showdown between martial arts legends Jackie Chan and Jet Li as their new fantasy actioner The Forbidden Kingdom opened at number one at theaters across North America. Back to Article

(1-29 of 29 posts) | Reply

tabascoman77 writes:
on Apr 20 2008 04:56 PM

First.

Oh...and Prom Night got crushed in it's second weekend, falling nearly 60 percent.

So much for the reasoning of the "movie is popular when everyone goes to see it" argument.

60 percent fall means they saw it, saw it sucked, and they ain't goin' back.

Anyway...yay for Jackie and Jet! :)

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Bloody Mathias writes:
on Apr 20 2008 05:00 PM

Ouch 68% fall for Street Kings.

Can't say it didn't deserve it.

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TheCaptain of TeamLoyalty writes:
on Apr 20 2008 05:34 PM

Uh sorry but that is not the case tabascoman. 60% fall means that the people who wanted to see it already saw it the first weekend. Come on use your brain. NOT EVERYONE SEES MOVIES THEY LIKE MORE THAN ONCE. I saw Forgetting Sarah Marshal and i liked it, will i see it next week? No, so does that mean that NO ONE LIKED IT? No, common sense, it is not hard. Number one opening weekend does make it a popular movie, that is a FACT

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digitalrelic writes:
on Apr 20 2008 05:49 PM

In reply to this comment (#1696691)
your argument is very flawed TeamLoyalty. If a movie has good word of mouth from people who saw it opening weekend, it tends to have very strong legs and fall at a much slower and steadier pace.

Prom Night obviously didn't have good word of mouth.

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Mr. Cartmenez writes:
on Apr 20 2008 07:34 PM

Prom Night was like that scariest movie i ever saw. For serious.

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TheCaptain of TeamLoyalty writes:
on Apr 20 2008 07:54 PM

Good word of mouth is not everything. I can say that the movie was awesome but if a person does not want to see it then they will not see it. Look at There Will be Blood, GREAT word of mouth, bad box office return. So i am correct, people liked the movie that is a fact, people saw the movie that is a fact, what i said is a fact.

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Utopian Evolution writes:
on Apr 20 2008 07:58 PM

I applaud the fact that Forbidden Kingdom topped the box office, here's to the movie having strong legs because it was a great film.

I also applaud the fact that Prom Night tumbled -- Thank goodness I didn't waste any money or braincells or my time even for something so worthless and pathetic as an idea that seems to fall into the category of One Missed Call and the likes.

Hoping the good word I've heard about Sarah Marshall isn't false, been dying to see a good comedy.

Oh, and I agree with digitalrelic, come on. I see movies that I really enjoy more than once and I try my damndest to avoid ones I never want to witness. I guess if Prom Night is his cup of tea though, let the man defend it all he wants, I mean some like quality horror ie. The Mist and or 28 Weeks Later (in my opinion) and some like crapfests ie. Prom Night, etc.

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selke99 writes:
on Apr 20 2008 08:13 PM

Just saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall, freakin great movie!! I had low expectations since I thought it was one of those movies where they attach a name (Apatow) to it though they had nothing creatively to do with the movie. But I was surprised to see all the good reviews. I thought it was much better than SuperBad and funnier than Knocked Up (not with the serious themes).

I've only seen a few episodes of That 70's Show, but my God, Mila Kunis is so freakin hot!!!!! And she seems like she has a cool personality. You NEVER see her in the tabloids, and any young girl that lends her voice to Robot Chicken must be cool!!

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Apr 20 2008 08:33 PM

This is way off topic, but since RT has the trailer shown on the h0me page.- Is WAR.INC really going to be a straight to DVD release? It says on AMAZON it comes out JULY 1st, and you can already pre-order it.

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smartmoviekid writes:
on Apr 20 2008 08:34 PM

Bad Box office for There Will Be Blood huh? besides the fact that it was in LIMITED RELEASE, yet still made about 7-9 million in the box office, more than its budget? an absolute failure by all means. By the Way, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is absolute Apatow hilarity at its finest. i couldn't stop laughing!! 2'nd most quoteable apatow flick besides "Superbad" " i was gonna listen to it, but i was living my life" lmao!!

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smartmoviekid writes:
on Apr 20 2008 08:35 PM

In reply to this comment (#1697039)
yeah Mila Kunis is unbelievably attractive! goodness i was shocked that that was the same girl that voiced meg in "Family Guy"! i would even scream or run away from that beautiful face.

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smartmoviekid writes:
on Apr 20 2008 08:36 PM

wouldn't**

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davechung writes:
on Apr 20 2008 11:53 PM

Agree with you guys on the love for Kunis.

Not only is she hot, but her character is really attractive! I didn't think of "Jackie" from That 70's Show at all after the movie really got rolling, which I think is a good accomplishment for Mila Kunis.

Add Kristen Bell into the mix and the movie had a lot of eye candy...a lot... Imma lookin' and Imma likin'.

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TheCaptain of TeamLoyalty writes:
on Apr 21 2008 12:39 AM

"I wonder if the carpet matches her pubes." "When life gives you lemons, screw the lemons get the **** out of there." So many one liners. And yes There Will Be Blood was not a box office success.

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dudemovies writes:
on Apr 21 2008 04:33 AM

Mila was always hot. Jackie was the hot girl on That 70's Show. I need to see FSM as soon as I get the chance it has people from three of my favorite shows HIMYM, Veronica Mars, and 70s Show. Kristen Bell was great she should have at least got an emmy nomination for that scene when she found out she was raped on Veronica Mars. We could just forget that she was in Pulse.

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Bigbrother writes:
on Apr 21 2008 05:33 AM

In reply to this comment (#1697508)
Plus her last name sounds like it should be a dirty word hehehe....Kunis.

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Gimy writes:
on Apr 21 2008 06:11 AM

gotta question this one, dogsh3t like Meet the Spartans and other GARBAGE comedies make about the same amount opening weekend as an ACTUALLY funny comedy like Forgetting Sarah Marshall?? call me a conspiracy idiot or whatever but...i can't help but think they paid for Forbidden Kingdom(pg13) and went to see Sarah Marshall since it was rated R. finally, a movie that lived up to the hype.

again, forgetting sarah marshall is the best "must see" in weeks. the only thing it was missing was nudity from Jackie and Veronica mars. and no, that wasn't really Mila kunis' rack they showed. sorry...it was photoshopped. and if you're talking about the best lines from that movie, when kristen bell said "do you want my mouth"...i went from "six o'clock to 12". good lord...her hotness and jaaaaaackie on screen at the same time were reeeegoooooooddaaaamndickulous

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Apr 21 2008 06:27 AM

In reply to this comment (#1697441)
THERE WILL BE BLOOD was box office success, it made more then its budget so that makes it technically a box office success.

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minderbinder writes:
on Apr 21 2008 07:38 AM

A movie that drops 60% or more is a bad sign, that means people didn't like it. There will always be potential audience who didn't make it to the first weekend and will decide on word of mouth.

That doesn't mean that nobody liked it, but it generally does mean that MOST people who saw it didn't like it much.

And how stupid is comparing Prom Night to an art film with a limited release and oscar nominations and wins? TWBB made 40 million and 70 million worldwide (and cost 25 million), great for a niche film like that. I'm sure the studio was VERY happy.

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selke99 writes:
on Apr 21 2008 07:40 AM

What was the Hawaiian name Paul Rudd gave the main character? That was freakin hilarious! I think Paul Rudd is the funniest out of all the Apatow movie guys (minus the master Steve Carell).

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tabascoman77 writes:
on Apr 21 2008 09:12 AM

Yeah, Captain, I enjoyed Sarah Marshall, too...surprised that Jet and Jackie beat it, but...that's the BO for you.

Re: Prom Night...

The numbers falling off 60 percent CAN be construed as "people who wanted to see it, saw it"...but a movie with good box office legs does not have a huge 60 percent drop. A 60-percent drop means the movie was seen but that it wasn't liked. Analysts are already predicting that will fall under $50 mil for the overall take, which isn't really a disappointment for a movie such as Prom Night but the word-of-mouth is a definite failure.

Had it been liked, you would have seen the movie make more cash in it's second run, reflecting less of a drop.

I do predict that Sarah Marshall will have good word-of-mouth. Comedies like that usually do.

Check out Horton Hears a Who for an example of good movie legs. That movie started strong and just keeps going strong due to strong word-of-mouth.

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unbreakable_samurai writes:
on Apr 21 2008 12:49 PM

21 also has great word of mouth, as it has been hanging out in the top ten for a while now. War.Inc is being released in theaters next month, so no it is not going straight to video. Sarah Marshall was really enjoyable, not awesome but it is the best comedy this year so far. And while I always thought Mila was hot, she reached a whole new level with this film.

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TheCaptain of TeamLoyalty writes:
on Apr 21 2008 12:51 PM

But again you are assuming that the people who saw it did not like it. With prices the way they are not many people will see a movie again. I loved Sarah Marshall but i cannot afford to go see it again.

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brandondash writes:
on Apr 21 2008 02:19 PM

lol teamloyalty. How is life all alone on prom night island? That 9% rating is stroooooooooooong

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TheCaptain of TeamLoyalty writes:
on Apr 21 2008 02:47 PM

brandondash how is life as a virgin nerd masturbating to There Will be Blood?

What makes you think that i actually care about what critics say about a movie? Sorry but unlike you i am not a slave to the critics i can see a movie using my own FREE WILL. Have fun in the basement tonight.

P.S. See that tobasco, you have a nerd attack me so i am in my right to attack him back.

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Underglow writes:
on Apr 21 2008 03:01 PM

In reply to this comment (#1697703)
Well the Forbidden Kingdom was PG-13 while Sarah Marshall was R, so when half of your High school population goes to see a movie ( and the theatre actually enforces Restrictions) then they are going to go with the PG-13 movie.
Plus- it kicked major a**.

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Ashron writes:
on Apr 21 2008 03:19 PM

In reply to this comment (#1698198)
Captain, you are right, you have the RIGHT to attack him, but that doesn't mean you have the obligation. Better if you had just taken the high road and ignored Brandon. You enjoyed Prom Night, and that's great, but why would you even bother to care what someone else thinks of your opinion? Ignore him, let it go, and know that you enjoyed the movie even if he didn't. His comment added nothing to the discussion, so don't compound the problem by giving him ammo to start another fury of name calling.

Besides, what's wrong with masturbating to There Will Be Blood :-)

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arcadefire325 writes:
on Apr 21 2008 04:35 PM

i want to see forgetting sarah marshall. i want to see a good movie in the theater and laugh. finally, after months of crappy movies.

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tabascoman77 writes:
on Apr 21 2008 05:06 PM

LOL...hey, I masturbated to that movie, too...that's some good stuff. Not as good as something with Jenna Jameson, but, still...

I kid, of course.

Hey, Akn...

I'm not "assuming" that nobody liked it, I am simply going by what I thought, what the public (in many a publication) thought and, of course, its performance at the box office.

Adding all of that up, one can see that the movie (and I'm not saying that critics are right here) didn't perform well, critically. It made what it did financially, for one week, and then took a nosedive.

This tells me that people went and saw it, didn't like it much, and don't care to see it again.

But you cannot say that the reason nobody is seeing Prom Night is because they "can't afford it". I agree prices are high, but if a movie is good enough (such as "Sarah Marshall" or "horton" -- though I didn't particularly LIKE Horton much, but a lot did), people will find a way to pay for it and see it over and over.

While Prom Night was a financial success, it didn't do well with a lot of critics or to a lot of the people who saw it...no big deal. That's just the way it is.

You liked it and that's all that matters to you. It's all good.

PS: Yeah, I saw the attack. Nice job...I think. :-/

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