Tinseltown Tizzy: Why Won't America Watch Our Awful Movies?

Newsmax ^ | 2/2/04 | Carl Limbacher

[truthandlife]

Hollywood is in a huff that Americans are staying away from the movies in droves. It just can't seem to make the connection between the horrible quality of its recent releases and the disastrous box-office figures.

Critics as well as Joe and Jane Sixpack have been holding their noses at such duds as "The Butterfly Effect," "Paycheck," "The Perfect Score," "Torque" and "Win a Date With Tad Hamilton."

"The year got off to a frigid start as the national box office in January registered an anemic $628.8 million - the lowest gross in the past four years. And worse yet, admissions for the month could only muster a bleak seventh-best showing," Hollywood Reporter fretted today. (Make that "muster only.")

"Estimated admissions for January were 103.5 million - a decrease of 3% from last year's 106.8 million and down nearly 10% from the 114.5 million tallied for the month in 2002. Essentially, it was the lowest attendance registered in the past seven years. And compared with the record for the month, total ticket units were down a grim 18% from the 126.1 million counted in 1998, when 'Titanic' was on its unprecedented maiden voyage through theaters."

January is a notorious time for Tinseltown to dump some of its worst fodder, but this year's lineup is stinky even by those low standards.

"Pure disaster," Robert Butler of the Kansas City Star said of "The Big Bounce," which rated a miserable 15 percent at rottentomatoes.com and made only $3.3 million to tank at 12th place in its debut.

The only bright news at the box office: the decent leftovers from last year's batch. Although released in December, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" was January's most popular movie.

[Pharmboy]

Dear Hollywood:

Stop targeting 80% of your movies to 15 y/os and maybe I'll spend 10 bucks to see a movie.

Sincerely,
PB

[maeng]

I stay away because I can't stand any of the actors/actresses (other than Mel Gibson). They are all a bunch of loud-mouthed liberals.

[2banana]

When does "The Passion" start?

[CathyRyan]

The video store I go to has a deal on Wed. all non new release movies are 49 cents each. I have a hard time finding a movie worth the 49 cents. Mondays all new releases are rent one and get one free. I have a hard time finding two worth the $3.00.

[kevkrom]

1) Make better movies and just be willing to own up and take a loss on the bad ones

2) Don't assume that big-name "stars" are any replacement for good story

3) Stop making movies like Sequel III, Part 2

4) Idiot "celebrities" p***ing off 50% or more of the public with stupid political comments hurt the bottom line

5) No one wants to pay 10 bucks and still see 6-7 commercials before the movie

6) Special effects, explosions and vehicle chases are not substitutes for story, acting, and directing

[Eala]

I stay away because I can't stand any of the actors/actresses (other than Mel Gibson). They are all a bunch of loud-mouthed liberals.

Ditto. There was one movie I was waiting for... until the main actor (played Aragorn in LOTR) shot off his mouth. Now I'm not going to go see that movie.

[Puppage]

ps...

Please make something CREATIVE rather than rehashing 1970's television shows (SWAT, Starsky & Hutch, Charlies Angels,etc.) into movies. They SUCK

[whereasandsoforth]

I stay away for two reasons. Most movies insult me is one. The other is the cost. I'm not paying the going rate. Everything about movies is too expensive. Hollywood needs to get their costs in line and then try to sell me a movie ticket. Their is no reason a "star" should be able to retire after making one lousy movie.

Gasoline use to cost a quarter a gallon and at the same time so did movie tickets. Either gasoline should now be ten bucks a gallon or movie tickets should be about two bucks.

[Aquinasfan]

When does "The Passion" start?

February 23.

[tom paine 2]

Unintelligible stories paired with meaningless special effects and deafening nose are a formula for failure. Not to mention gratuitous sex and violence

[Conservative4Ever]

Mr. C4E and I haven't seen a movie in the last year or two. We refuse to pay good money to support a loud-mouthed, liberal, America bashing actor/actress. Kinda like boycotting French products. The quality of our life has not deteriorated at all.

For all of you in hollywood...wake up and smell the coffee.

Red

[martin_fierro]

One of my favorites.

[Lost Highway]

The Passion is going to be huge. A local theatre owner said that he had never sold as many tickes ahead of time for any movie ever as he has for The Passion.

[sphinx]

I don't understand. In the last year alone, I have seen Seabiscuit, ROTK, and Master and Commander. That's three more movies than I generally see in a decade. Hollywood should be booming ....

[Puppage]

Special effects, explosions and vehicle chases are not substitutes for story, acting, and directing

Man, I have been saying that for YEARS!!!

Unfortunately, that's what most of the 20 somethings, and teenagers care about.

[m1-lightning]

Why Won't America Watch Our Awful Movies?

Oh, I don't know, maybe because you're making 10 million a year while you bash American capitalism and charge Americans an arm and leg to see your regurgitated flicks that seem to slip in acceptance of liberal ideology.

I haven't paid for a theatre ticket since "Tears of the Sun" and my next one will be "Passion"

[eastsider]

When does "The Passion" start?

February 23.

February 25

[HELLRAISER II]

Why pay $7.00 a head for a family of 4 ($28.00) when I can wait for it to come out on dvd and buy it and own it for $20.00. Throw in the fact that most of their movies are by performers who are Left Leaning Commie Whacko's, well those we won't go to see or even buy the DVD's. For instance Mr. I love Iraq Shawn Penn.

[Lost Highway]

Unintelligible stories paired with meaningless special effects and deafening nose are a formula for failure. Not to mention gratuitous sex and violence

Don't forget the actors that can't act. e.g. Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, etc....