Posted on 12/17/2007 10:55:37 AM PST by icwhatudo
“I Am Legend” (distributed by Warner Brothers), starring Will Smith, right, in a postapocalyptic vision of a zombie-infested Manhattan, hauled in an estimated $76.5 million in its debut to capture first place in the weekend box-office rankings compiled by the tracking company Media by Numbers. Second place went to another newcomer, “Alvin and the Chipmunks” (Fox), a resurrection of the musical-cartoon franchise, which took in $45 million. Dropping to third place from second last week, the fantasy “The Golden Compass” (New Line) had $9 million in sales. “Enchanted,” Disney’s revisionist fairy tale, took in $6 million, bringing its total gross to $92.2 million in its fourth week in release, and the Coen brothers’ latter-day western, “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax), finished fifth, with $3 million in its sixth weekend.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I know its such a small meaningless thing, but I have a feeling the fall of a movie from #1 to #3 would get reported correctly if it went againt the liberal leanings of the times.
And in only its second weekend in release, the bottom fell out of costly domestic flop The Golden Compass from New Line, which forked over $200+ million to make it. I know, I know, the pic is doing OK overseas after earning $50.9 mil from 27 territories December 7th-9th. But the fantasy epic is so lost domestically it earned only an anemic $2.6 million Friday and $3.7 million Saturday from 3,528 nearly empty runs for 3rd place and a new cume of just $40.5 mil. I hear studio topper Bob Shaye once again is blaming everyone but himself -- including the movie's director Chris Weitz, and also New Line's own prez of production Toby Emmerich.
Times would be usefull, if you had a parakeet.
Or fish...
When people start raising themselves above God; there will be trouble to follow.
I need the Times like a fish needs a bicycle.
Puppy training . . .
or young puppy...
You got me by 3 stinking seconds!!!!
GMTA
I loved the earlier version of this movie, “The Omega Man” with Charleton Heston.
*Post* apocalyptic? I was in Manhattan a few months ago and saw plenty of zombies...most of them on the Upper West Side.
Nah, those are just Democrats.....
I actually like Will Smith, but I hope “Legend” isn’t another “I Robot”, in which Smith was just annoying. They should have called “I Robot” the “Will Smith Show”.
Rent ‘The Omega Man’, of which ‘Legend’ is a poor pastiche of a remake. Much better film.
I saw this at an IMAX theater. It was excellent. Even though it was not flawless it was still outstanding.
It was an excellent thriller.
I loved Heston’s version as well. This new version is familiar, but with enough differences to make it well worth watching.
Good catch.
I usually parse things pretty closely, but I probably would have missed that bit of revisionist history if you hadn’t highlighted it.
The original version, “The Last Man on Earth” with Vincent Price was better.
I was told that this was a remake of “The Omega Man”.
Well, not for the fish, but they wouldn’t know.
I read the book, well short story really, by R. Matheson years before seeing the “Omega Man”. I was disappointed by limited scope of special effects, and cheesy makeup. There is something to be said for modern special effects. Of course you can remain a purist. Since Nosferatu was made in 1922, Dracula (1931) is just another remake and not worth seeing. No point in ever having enjoyed the movie Destination Moon (1950) since French made silent movie A Trip To The Moon (1902) is available.
All kidding aside, some remakes do really suck. Some are much better than the originals. One thing you can count on more often than not is that the book they were taken from was better. I just hope and pray no one EVER tries to make a movie version Battlefield Earth again.
Sadly, this might not be the end of compass. If it can get enough on DVD and cable, they might press ahead for the other two movies anyway. They might take the loss just for the opportunity to “kill God”.
Will Smith is this generation’s Jimmy Stewart-—a sure bet, a likeable guy who can play drama, comedy, romance, and action.
” . . . in a postapocalyptic vision of a zombie-infested Manhattan,”
You think they would go with something that was different from the pre-apocalyptic New York.
Yours was more elegantly worded, LOL.
“The original version, “The Last Man on Earth” with Vincent Price was better.
I agree, it was awesome. Depressing but incredible.
It is better than Omemga Man.
I enjoyed it except for the part where his dog had to be put down. Heart Wrenching.
Did you come to the conclusion the head Zombie had it in for Will’s character because he captured his woman?
As an actor yes. As a citizen of the US, Jimmy’s shoes are way too big for any hollywood type to fill today.
1. Am I the only Freeper who has seen this movie?
2. Am I the only Freeper who enjoyed this movie?
Worth it for Javier Bardem as Anton Shugar alone:
"What business is it of yours where I'm from, friendo? "
You haven’t read the book have you? No one who has read the book could possibly prefer Omega Men.
It follows thusly: I am Legend the novel, The Last Man on Earth, the loosely adapted Omega Man, and finally, I am Legend the movie. This one took some liberties but captured the declining mental state of Neville better than any of the other film versions.
Who are these people?
Javier Bardem is a very talented actor from Spain who plays a hit man in “No Country for Old Men” who kills with a cattle air gun.
That’s pretty good.
Pullman’s “theology” is the heart of the Golden Compass novels. In attempting to render the adapted screenplay less objectionable to religious audiences, the plot was stripped of its purpose. I agree that New Line would be wise to abandon the remainder of the trilogy. When a film’s goal is to pacify it is unlikely to truly gratify.
I loved that one too....but this redition is supposedly closer to the original book by Richard Matheson. All of the basic elements were in Omega Man but it was quite different from the book.
That was very sad indeed.
Did you come to the conclusion the head Zombie had it in for Will’s character because he captured his woman?
Sure seemed like it! But those zombies - clever enough to set a trap to catch him but they couldn't use weapons, like guns, against him?
Have you never heard of Spoiler Warnings?
Thanks so much for giving this piece of information before I could see it. Might as well just save my money for 27 Dresses
Wow! It was Richard Matheson!
My favorite Twilight Zone writer!!!
... an exercise in nihilism....
and
Mistitled: should have been THE TEXAS HIGHBROW CHAINSAW MASSCRE
I chose LEGEND
The Coen brothers are an acquired taste. I loved THE BIG LEBOWSKI and THE HUDSUCKER PROXY. FARGO, OH BROTHER WHERE ART THOU leave me .... empty.
Good Flick but, I wouldn’t take children or wives who are easily upset. (like mine)
Them zombies didn’t need no guns......they were super strong and relentless.
Sorry, it’s a different era, and you really can’t expect any of the modern Hollywood crowd to do what Stewart (and virtually EVERY other major actor) did. One of the incentives for them was that, in fact, everyone else WAS doing it, so it was expected.
I have not read the book.
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