edited by Jonathan Doyle

Cloverfield [BLU-RAY] (Paramount Home Entertainment, 6.3.2008) Disguised under deliberately goofy, yet deliciously edible-sounding, aliases such as Cheese and Slusho, Matt Reeves' Cloverfield was produced and rushed into theaters under an equally appetizing shroud of secrecy. From last year's incredibly elusive Super Bowl ad to the film's viral marketing campaign, Cloverfield had everybody scratching their heads and drooling in anticipation. Aside from the as-yet untitled title and the Blair Witch-ian visual style, the film's biggest appeal was the enigmatic creature who was last (un)seen hurling the decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty onto the crowded streets of New York City. All we knew about the mysterious beast was that it was big and angry. Now that the highy-anticipated project has come and gone, one question has fortunately been answered: Cloverfield was a major success. (continued)

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November 12

Slumdog Millionaire

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A Christmas Tale

B.O.H.I.C.A.

Dostana

The Dukes

Eden

House of the Sleeping Beauties

How About You

Quantum of Solace

We are Wizards

November 21

The Betrayal

November 30

Thursday tracking

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Halloween is tracking at 83, 40 and 17, which makes it a candidate for $20 million this weekend, maybe a bit more. Balls of Fury is running 73, 35 and 10....a likely $7 or $8 million, certainly not more than $10 million. Kevin Bacon's Death Sentence is looking low -- 40, 31 and 2.

3:10 to Yuma has improved -- 43, 32 and 5. And this is an urban sample, which is significant in that westerns always play better in shit-kicker territories. Shoot Em Up -- the other big actioner opening on 9.7. -- is now lagging behind Yuma with 38, 32 and 2. Why is it eating Yuma's dust at this stage? Because Shoot 'Em Up star Clive Owen "is a very good actor but he's very cold and he's not a star," a marketing guy said this morning. "No following, doesn't sell tickets."

The Brothers Solomon is at 27, 20 and 1...sluggish.

The Brave One, the Jodie Foster vigilante movie, has improved since the last report, and this is from a combined male-female sample. It's now at 48, 31 and 3. Urban women seem to be the core market. The general tendency with role reversal movies is that they attract the same sex as the lead player.

Dragon War is at 27, 21 and 1. Mr. Woodcock is running 40,.25 and 1 Across the Universe isn't tracking at all.....10, 32 and 2.

David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises (Focus Features) is at 15, 23 and 0. But the ad campaign only began today.

Good Luck Chuck is at 54, 32 and 3....not bad for a film three weeks from opening. That's probably due to Dane Cook ebing in the lead.

Resident Evil is at 62, 36 and 5. And Universal's Sydney White is at 25, 29 and 2.

"Balls" Wednesday numbers<< previous | next >>Telluride '07 Slate Announced

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on August 30, 2007 at 10:31 AM

comment #1

jeffmcm says ...

I've never even heard of a couple of these movies. "Sydney White"?

Posted by jeffmcm at August 30, 2007 11:55 AM

comment #2

nycfilmguy28 says ...

So is Yuma opening wide on 9/7 or isn't it? Boxofficemojo no longer lists is as a wide release on that day.... Curious.

Posted by nycfilmguy28 at August 30, 2007 12:01 PM

comment #3

giantman says ...

Shame that Clive Owen doesn't track better, he is one of the better male leads these days, especially in these Children of Men/Shoot 'em Up kinda roles.

Posted by giantman at August 30, 2007 1:04 PM

comment #4

Peterson says ...

'Sydney White' stars Amanda Bynes as a modern-day Snow White with seven frat boys replacing the seven dwarfs.

Posted by Peterson at August 30, 2007 1:43 PM

comment #5

lazarus says ...

"Sydney White stars Amanda Bynes as a modern-day Snow White with seven frat boys replacing the seven dwarfs."

This is why they hate us, right?

Posted by lazarus at August 30, 2007 2:24 PM

comment #6

Cindy says ...

nycfilmguy, BOM still has Yuma listed as Wide, and I read somewhere (can't remember where) that it was opening in ~2500 theaters.

I saw this movie a couple of weeks ago and loved it, a nice balance between exciting action and a crackling good psychological tussle between two great actors. Can't wait to see it again.

Posted by Cindy at August 30, 2007 2:55 PM

comment #7