comment #1

BNick says ...

I would certainly include The Departed in any list of films likely helped by their box office takes. It's taken in well over $100 million, far more than LMS and The Queen combined.

comment #2

KunDunz says ...

Jeff, you cant be more biased.

It's "outrageous and stupid" that people look at Babel's poor BO and not as great as expected reviews as a weakness?

21 Grams was never in more then 400 theaters, while Babel was in 3 times the number of theaters and will only end up with 5m more total even with the buzz surrounding it.

It's over for Babel, who cares about the BO. The reviews just arent there, it doesnt have huge support and unlike Flags which while didnt great the best reviews did get tons of raves from top critics. Babel barely is fresh with COTC.

comment #3

cjKennedy says ...

Hey! You got your lame story about box office numbers in my Oscar buzz column!

No, you got your lame story about Oscar buzz in my box office column!

comment #4

JD says ...

It's also worth noting that, while The Queen and Little Miss Sunshine, are strong, disciplined films, Flags of Our Fathers and Babel are a complete mess. Something tells me that might also come into play.

comment #5

bipedalist says ...

Flags of Our Fathers is not a complete mess. It comes down to a matter of opinion. Here is a film where people greatly disagree - and you know, just because YOU thought it was a mess doesn't mean it will lay down in history as a mess.

comment #6

jeffmcm says ...

I think it's as incorrect to say that The Queen and LMS are strong and disciplined as it is to say that Flags and Babel are 'a mess'. All four of them have their ups and downs, their structural ramblings and dry spells. If anything I would argue that Babel is the most structurally rigorous, although it's conceptually flawed.

comment #7

Sid Yobbo says ...

But what relevance does Flags' so far modest take have to do with the Academy? Nowhere near as much as these guys seem to think. I remain unconvinced by the claims from the bloggers that Flags is out of the race. For one thing there's been an unpleasant whiff of 'let's trash Eastwood and his movie' emanating from a number of net reviewers that has more to do with that reviewer's personal prejudices than an objective assessment of the movies chances. Flags was extremely well reviewed by the major critics, Eastwood is a hugely popular figure with the Academy (more popular than Spielberg says Anne Thompson) & there's the strongly buzzed Letters from Iwo Jima still to come (isn't the GG press screening tonight?) Nobody yet knows how much these two films are going to complement each other once they can finally be seen back to back. It's just too early to say.

comment #8

bipedalist says ...

I agree, Sid. It is just too early to say for sure it's out. Right now, it looks definitely IN. If it appears on the guild nominations that will probably turn people's mind around. I've had to fight with with certain web personalities who dismissed Mystic River as a BP contender, if you can believe it. And Gangs of New York, etc. Sometimes, popularity and pedigree are enough - add great reviews and you have a BP candidate. The other thing is, how many voters are actually reading said bloggers? Flags' only problem is box office. But Oscar nominations could boost that. Master and Commander and The Insider both got in with lower than expected box office.

Look at this way: If Munich can get nominated on Spielberg's intentions and popularity alone -- Flags sure as hell can.

comment #9

bmcintire says ...

It took MUNICH 8 weeks to get to as small a take (under $1M) as FLAGS has gotten to in four. And MUNICH started out on less than 1/3 the amount of screens. And please keep in mind that, albatross around the neck though it may have been, Richard Corliss tagged MUNICH as Spielberg's masterpiece, and it ended up with a 77% rating on RottenTomatoes (FLAGS has a 74%). So, though Eastwood's film may be sitting precariously Oscar-wise, MUNICH was in significantly better shape this far out of the gate.

comment #10

Hallick says ...

I think "Flags of Our Fathers" lacks the passion in its corner to garner a best picture nomination that matters and isn't just filler. "Master and Commander" and "The Insider" both seemed to have a persistant love behind them that I don't feel coming from Eastwood's film so far.

But this whole issue is just so moot. Because whatever nominations it does or doesn't earn, it's never-ever-ever going to win a major Oscar. A nomination for best picture or director would simultaneously be the crest and the crash of the wave.

comment #11

EDouglas says ...

"Babel (although it's outrageous and stupid that the latter should be affected by "only' making the money so far that 21 Grams did...gimme a break)."

I'll have to see how Tom used my comments, but the point of that statement was that Babel, despite being released far wider and having far greater starpower (in Brad Pitt), has not caught on outside of New York and L.A. Since Academy Voters tend to reflect general audiences at least in terms of Best Picture, Babel's inability to maintain business in wide release points to general audiences not really being that interested in it. The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine show how movies are able to find the audiences through word-of-mouth, etc.

At least Paramount Vantage just sent out Babel screeners which will surely help.

comment #12

insidah says ...

Little Miss Sunshine, Half Nelson...best movies of the year. Good night.

comment #13

EDouglas says ...

bipedalist, Flags is dead. Admit it. I'm guessing that even Dreamworks has moved on, especially knowing they have Dreamgirls waiting in the wings with more buzz and anticipation.

RE: The Flags/Munich comparison... Flags was in almost twice as many theatres as Munich from the get-go... it should be up to $40/50 million by now and the fact that it's not and it's quickly losing theatres will make it hard for Paramount to get it back into them... even Eastwood has moved on.

comment #14

The Movie Man says ...

Maybe its just me, but I really don't give a shit about any of these movies. The new Oscar thing is to take what's just another Oscar bait movie at heart (Little Miss Sunshine, Babel) and dress it up with "edgier" visuals and maybe just a little less spoon feeding. This way they can congratulate themselves even more than usual, the Academy gets to reward the same stuff while looking a tad "hipper."

I really liked "The Departed" but the incessant "will Marty win, won't he" has taken the fun out of that film, which frankly isn't in league with Scorsese's great films to begin with. It's a really fun, juicy shoot 'em up, nothing more, nothing less and nothing wrong with that. I'm no insider (probably very obvious) but this is a little man's perception of this current horse race. And Clint hasn't made a very good movie since "The Bridges of Madison County" or a great movie since "Unforgiven."

comment #15

The Movie Man says ...

Once again, unintentionally, I'm slightly ripping off Devin over at CHUD. My apologies.

http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=news&id=8061