Overheard @ Box Office: "for my brother, I think...Three Stooges"
Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 6:21PM 
Exiting the laughter-filled theater after Whit Stilman's comic whatsit Damsels in Distress last night, I noticed a surprising amount of grumbling about the movie. Say, weren't you all laughing heartily just minutes ago? I know I heard you laughing. It's impossible to please those Upper West Siders!
Two men in front of me weren't impressed and one was clearly planning another movie outing soon with his brother.
Guy Who Picks The Movie: For my brother, I think... Three Stooges.
Other Guy: And it might be better movie."
The WTF comment haunted me the whole way home. What kind of a crossover audience might Damsels in Distress and The Three Stooges have. Which is to say who would be torn between them if they only had money for one ticket? LOL. It has to be a previously undiscovered demographic. To quote Suzanne in Postcards from the Edge when momma Doris suggests she could have had Joan Crawford for a mother... "These are my choices?"
Here is my best, my only, guess at the overlap...
That's all I got!
TOP TEN (Estimates)
01 THINK LIKE A MAN $33 new
02 THE LUCKY ONE $22.8 new
03 THE HUNGER GAMES $14.5 (cum $356.9) Reviewed
04 CHIMPANZEE $10.2 new
05 THE THREE STOOGES $9.2 (cum. $29.3)
06 CABIN IN THE WOODS $7.7 (cum. $26.9)
07 AMERICAN REUNION $5.2 (cum. $48.3)
08 TITANIC (3D) $5 (cum. $52.8) Centennial
09 21 JUMP STREET $4.6 (cum. $127) Reviewed
10 MIRROR MIRROR $4.1 (cum. $55.2) Reviewed
Below the Top Ten...
Damsels in Distress doubled its screen count but is still a long way from indie hit status. Darling Companion, opened on only 4 screens despite a name cast. (Yes, they're all senior citizens but couldn't they market this more widely to older viewers? I mean it's only been 9 years since Diane Keaton carried a $100 million multi-quadrant hit.) Further down the list the Weinstein Co's Oscar horses of 2011 are all about to return to the stable ending their theatrical runs as they hit DVD. The Iron Lady is dragging herself to a $30 million finish, The Artist is ending with $44, and Coriolanus and W.E. are... well, better luck on DVD.
What did you see this weekend? Do you love stunt casting? Which reality TV star would you gladly follow into the movie theater for some legit camera acting?
Reader Comments (12)
I hope Jennifer Hudson finds a writer-director (auteur) to give her something interesting to do. Would be nice to see her nominated for a second time. Octavia Spencer's win this year proves to me that the bar for Supporting Actress traction is extremely low.
i saw LOCK OUT (sorry but April is a low month for movies in France)
I saw "Hell and Back Again" today at home. It was up for best documentary this year. I still haven't seen "Undefeated".
"Which is to say who would be torn between them if they only had money for one ticket?"
The kind of person like my dad who goes to the movie theater, looks at the posters and titles, and thinks, 'Hum, that sounds cool. Let's watch that'. Honestly, I think some people actually go into a movie without knowing very well what they'll be watching.
thais -- i have overheard these people and it feels like space alien gibberish to me when they know nothing about anything they might be seeing. How can this be????
french girl -- i've been feeling it's a low month for movies here, too. so ready for somethign exciting to hit.
I'd pay to see Sharon Needles in a docu-dragma.
Bookended my weekend at the extremes of the cinema universe - Friday finally gave in and went to The Hunger Games, which I enjoyed. Just got back from The Day He Arrives, the latest Hong Sang Soo, which was excellent. Not bad, all in all.
Meanwhile, what's to apologize for w/r/t Lockout? Guy Pearce hamming it up in a Luc Besson-approved action movie is pretty close to movie heaven, as far as I'm concerned!
Continued to play catch-up with the missus and saw "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" - pretty good movie and good pretty Emily Blunt.
Well, this weekend i didn't see a film i saw Cate Blanchett in Big and Small in London and she was, naturally, fantastic!
Craig -- or a docu-comedy
Not the weekend, exactly, but I did finally see Cabin in the Woods. I didn't fall in love with it. I'm jaded on horror that claims to deconstruct horror and even the genius basement scene wasn't enough to satisfy my need for shiny new criticism.
I also saw a preview screening of a low budget horror sequel that would out perform the original if the nihilistic approach of the original didn't turn off any non-gore horror fans years ago. Everyone I overheard at the screening said "Wait, this is a sequel?" What a wise investment by the production company.
Nathaniel -- Dragma is intrinsically comedic.