Posted on 03/14/2010 2:35:29 PM PDT by La Lydia
LOS ANGELES — Hollywood suffered its first major flop of the year over the weekend with the debut of the expensive Iraq thriller “Green Zone,” which sold an anemic $14.5 million in tickets at North American theaters. Despite playing in more than 3,000 theaters, “Green Zone,” starring Matt Damon and directed by Paul Greengrass (“The Bourne Ultimatum”), was a distant second to Walt Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland.” That fantasy film was No. 1 for the second weekend in a row, with about $62 million in ticket sales for a new total of $208.6 million...
Universal’s new leaders have pushed hard to sell the messy slate of movies they inherited — for instance, marketing “Green Zone” as an action movie in the vein of the “Bourne” movies. The release date for “Green Zone” was also changed repeatedly to move it as far away as possible from other Iraq-themed films.
But to a large degree the studio must simply grin and bear lackluster results while it burns off the pictures left behind by the ousted executives. “Hopefully, at the end of the day, ‘Green Zone’ will have a solid worldwide number,” said Nikki Rocco, Universal’s president of domestic distribution.
Overseas, “Green Zone” — which Universal approved in part to try to coax Mr. Greengrass into agreeing to direct a fourth “Bourne” movie, an effort that has so far been futile — sold an additional $10 million in tickets over the weekend. Relativity Media helped shoulder the budget...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!
Any excuse will due for the America haters. QWhen will they learn that the PUBLIC is directly responsible for their paychecks.
I hope the studio goes bankrupt.
Will probably be available on Netflix in 30 days or less.
I look at Matt Damon’s face and I know he hates everything I love.
Even if he did make a movie I could admire, I could never look at his face. Too bad, too sad.
Green Zone cost $150 million due to budget overruns. And that didn’t include marketing costs. Biggest flop so far for the year. There will be layoffs at GE’s NBC Universal as a result of this flop. More hope and change for GE!
From the same people who brought you MSNBC...
Maybe Americans don’t hate their Country as much as the media does?
Pray for America
“The Bourne Ultimatum”), was a distant second to Walt Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland.” ........................ Yup, Alice in Wonderland vs. Bourne in La La Land.
Great...our movie industry is helping fan the "hate America" flames around the world. Many of the lesser informed Muslim countries won't realize it's just more liberal idiocy, but believe it to be a documentary.
And it's our military that has to deal with the repercussions.
Thanksalot guys...
I still think “Mystic Pizza” was the high point of Damon’s acting career.
When are these mukes going to learn that the majority of the movie going public loves this country and will not pay to watch gratuitous attacks by the likes of Hollywood leftists.
The word is out, don’t go see this movie and no one is going.
I won’t be seeing Green Zone, neither will my kids. Nor will we ever rent it on DVD. You want to continue to make political statements Hollywood? Fine, I’m making an economic one - you won’t get any support from me for your drivel.
I reject the media, the NYT and the Liberal’s in Holly-weird
Wow, who would have thunk that a movie about the Obama administration would do so well at the box office.
According to Boxofficemojo, GZ’s budget is $100m. That number usually doesn’t include marketing budget. Since studios usually get only about 50% of the gross (the other go to cinemas), it needs at least #200m to be break even. So far, the movie has made $24m only (world wide).
I forgot. The $100m budget is on par with “Percy Jackson: The Olympian Theft”. That movie has made close to $200m worldwide. It’s an interesting fantasy movie that is based on a children book series. Its premise is that over time Mt. Olympus moves around, depending on where the center of Western civilization is at that time. Today, it’s above the Empire State Building, because the US is the center of the civilization.
Watch Alice in 3D, pretty cool FX.
I’m sure 0bama will enjoy “Green Zone.”
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