So the market said yes to Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) new movie starring Jim Carrey, Yes Man. I know, that's an awful pun, and I'd be willing to bet that other articles about this past weekend's box office results said something similar. Sometimes you just can't resist. But, yes, Yes Man ruled at domestic multiplexes and grossed about $18 million according to early estimates from Boxofficemojo.

Here's the thing, though -- is an $18 million opening that great for Jim Carrey? Furthermore, as of the early estimates, Sony's (NYSE: SNE) Seven Pounds, the number-two film, actually grossed only $2 million less than Yes Man, and to add further insult, its per-theater average was higher. Shouldn't Carrey's star power have guaranteed a wider margin of victory? For that matter, what's Will Smith, the star of Pounds, doing in second place?

It just goes to show institutional shareholders of media companies that big star salaries simply do not guarantee runaway hits on the silver screen (I keep hoping that they'll complain about celebrity compensation, but so far, there have been no takers whatsoever).

Continue reading Jim Carrey scores a hit right before the holidays -- but how strong was it?

Jim Carrey scores a hit right before the holidays -- but how strong was it? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I had high hopes for News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) remake of one of my favorite sci-fi films from the 50s, The Day the Earth Stood Still. I'm not sure what everyone else was thinking, but I figured the film would take in at least $50 million at the opening weekend.

Unfortunately, according to early estimates at Boxofficemojo, Earth could only scare up around $31 million in its first three days at domestic theaters. In fact, compared to last year's I Am Legend from Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), which came out at about the same time, and was another remake of a famous cult sci-fi flick as well, it performed poorly as Legend, starring Will Smith, grossed $77 million in its debut weekend.

Keanu Reeves starred as the alien Klaatu in Earth. One has to wonder how the box-office dynamic would have changed if Will Smith was in the role. Of course, maybe the movie would have been more expensive to make (although I'm sure Reeves doesn't come cheap, either). I heard great word on the remake from a friend of mine who saw it over the weekend on an IMAX (NASDAQ: IMAX) screen and really enjoyed it. He was a bit surprised when I suggested that the film only pulled in around $30 million.

Continue reading 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' did not obliterate my expectations

'The Day the Earth Stood Still' did not obliterate my expectations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 08:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.