Weekend Actuals (Page 96): Dory 73M | IDR 41M | CI 18.2M | Shallows 16.8M | Conjuring 7.7M | Jones 7.6M

[Krissykins]

Joy was the worst film of 2015. I hated it.

[Ethan Hunt]

11 minutes ago, grey ghost said:

 

Typically JL-David O'Russel collaborations make 125+ m.

 

Joy didn't even make half that.

 

 

They're previous collaborations had good reviews and Oscar buzz. Joy did not

[Nova]

18 minutes ago, straggler said:

The problem with the whole who is a draw discussion is that people always move the goalposts. Jlaw helps carry the Hunger Games to good reviews and box office well beyond what was expected and it is "just a franchise." She absolutely helps carry SLP to box office success well beyond its 20 million dollar budget and has the Oscar to prove it and "any actress could have done it." She is key to the marketing and critical reception of AH and it is "just an ensemble." Plus I'm not sure who else is getting Joy to 56 million after the reviews and the DOR fatigue. But the flip side is always there.

 

Meanwhile Blake Lively is in a shark horror film that has a good opening weekend and she is a "draw" despite the fact that these type of films, such as Open Water, have a market. Open Water made 20 times it's budget. I'd say it was a smart choice given where Lively stands in the industry. 

 

I tend to see being a draw as combining the right actor with the right role I'm a film with a sellable concept. No actor can sell films people do not want to see. But it is possible to argue that anyone is or isn't a draw to some extent.

I am pretty sure you can say the same thing about The Hunger Games though. It already had its built in fan base. Having said that, I don't see there actually being a market for shark thrillers. The last few to come out didn't do much at the box office and then you've got Sharknado. Open Water came out over a decade ago so I wouldn't use that as an example of there being a market for shark films. However, with The Shallows and MEG coming out, I can see that changing. But yes I agree. It's all about the right role for the right actor. 

Edited June 27, 2016 by Nova

[robertman2]

1 hour ago, Star Lord said:

 

If McCarthy made The Shallows then her character will probably be eaten by the shark...for comedy relief. 

The shark would have probably died from a heart attack after eating her

[superweirdo87]

SLP had awards buzz, word of mouth and good reviews. It never made more than 13M in a weekend.

[MrFanaticGuy34]

If anyone hasn't mentioned it yet.......CA: CW's $403.9M DOM has surpassed SM1's $403.7M as the highest grossing superhero-movie that has Spiderman in it.

 

Interesting to see how "Spiderman: Homecoming" does next year.

[JohnnyGossamer]

No way JLaw hurt X-Men. That's outrageous. But, I think a claim can be made that her box office boosting was ALWAYS overblown. Hunger Games, if of the same quality, would've been huge regardless.

[JohnnyGossamer]

5 minutes ago, superweirdo87 said:

SLP had awards buzz, word of mouth and good reviews. It never made more than 13M in a weekend.

Her performance was stellar but she's not the reason the movie was huge. It was huge because people loved it. The story, the acting, the ensemble the direction.

[MrFanaticGuy34]

Hmm?

 

Will the actually go up?  Or down?

[superweirdo87]

5 minutes ago, JohnnyGossamer said:

No way JLaw hurt X-Men. That's outrageous. But, I think a claim can be made that her box office boosting was ALWAYS overblown. Hunger Games, if of the same quality, would've been huge regardless.

 

Absolutely. Lawrence had projects from 2012 that did well and the win streak in movies with critical and commercial success was incredible. A lot of people were thinking she powered those movies, when she was a part of projects that had a lot going for them.

[cookie]

No actor can make a film a huge hit if the concept of the movie itself is commercially limited or just not the right project for them.

 

People often mistake a "draw" being just about the actor him/herself when it's really about what they bring to a role that appeals to people. People wanted to see Will Smith being charismatic and badass (so much so that a lot of people showed up to this even if it looked like a disaster from a mile away. In today's climate it would have been lucky to make half of that) but nobody wanted to see him as a golf caddy. You only really lose your "draw" status when people get tired of the thing that drew them to you in the first place (see Johnny Depp in the last few years).

Edited June 27, 2016 by cookie

[RichWS]

Problem with Joy was it was a tough movie to sell. It also wasn't very good.

[Nova]

Ironically Jlaw was supposed to be in Savages instead of Lively but then Jlaw got offered the role in the Hunger Games. Savages wasn't going to be any better nor do any better with Jlaw in it. It's all about picking the right roles which has been said numerous times. 

[filmlover]

Passengers will be a test for both JLaw and Pratt. It'll be her first movie since 2011 that isn't a franchise flick or a Russell joint (unless we actually want to count House at the End of the Street and Serena lol).

[Ethan Hunt]

1 minute ago, Nova said:

. Savages wasn't going to be any better nor do any better with Jlaw in it. It's all about picking the right roles which has been said numerous times. 

No shit. No one knew who JLaw was until she did Hunger Games

[Nova]

2 minutes ago, Ethan Hunt said:

No shit. No one knew who JLaw was until she did Hunger Games

The point is that she wasn't going to make that movie any better even though she's a very talented actress. 

Edited June 27, 2016 by Nova

[superweirdo87]

Economists who crunch numbers and find little support for star power as a lot of people think of it, did show Sandy Bullock can boost grosses a bit, more than most. "Gravity" was different from "The Blind Side" and her romantic comedy roles. And she seemed to be a plus for Gravity.

Edited June 27, 2016 by superweirdo87

[pretty reckless]

5 hours ago, JohnnyGossamer said:

Lively's certainly improved her craft. But, no, I don't consider her a draw. I think there's a list of two dozen actors you could give the lead role to in The Shallows. It was marketed well. It's a decent movie that delivers exactly what's expected of it. Nothing more, nothing less. I'd say the same for Adaline. In saying this, I mean no disrespect to Lively.

Sorry but no. Blake is a knockout. Not many actresses can look nearly as good as her, she's a fashion icon and a good actress.

 

i cant name any other young actress than Jlaw making TS a success.

[pretty reckless]

I mean. Scarlett Johansson has always been a box office flop but I guess TA elevated her profile and Lucy smashed. Could any other actress have made Lucy that big? maybe only Jlaw?

[superweirdo87]

6 minutes ago, filmlover said:

Passengers will be a test for both JLaw and Pratt. It'll be her first movie since 2011 that isn't a franchise flick or a Russell joint (unless we actually want to count House at the End of the Street and Serena lol).

 

"Passengers" will do really well, I think. But a lot of that might be the story itself. They will deserve some credit. Recall, though that Cooper went from American Sniper to Burnt and Aloha.