comment #1

houmas says ...

People just need to give this "last great movie star" stuff a rest in regards to Clooney. The guy simply doesn't open movies. He makes smart choices, schmoozes all the right people....and the press loves him. But it doesn't translate into openining weekends (unless he's got a giant CGI effect, a bat costume or Brad and Julia on hand to help him out). As a commercially viable movie star, he's a media sustained phenomenon (like Angelina Jolie). The media loves the idea of a George Clooney...but for whatever reason, it doesn't translate into genuine enthusiasm for Joe Moviegoer.

He's not an updated Newman, Mcqueen, Gable or a Cary Grant, who easily opened pictures based on public enthusiasm for their screen personas...with or without breathless puff piece articles telling us he's our only movie star.

comment #2

The Winchester says ...

"Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights, playing on sex screens, will take in about $81,000 total, or $13,000 a print."

That's a pretty good take for the porno theater circuit. Harvey should be proud.

comment #3

actionman says ...

So Shine a Light sold out it's IMAX shows and not much else....typical

The ignoring of Stop-Loss is a joke

21....um.....I don't really know what to say....

No surprise with Letherheads doing roughly $14 million; exactly what I figured. It was never gonna do $20 million opening weekend.

comment #4

Joe Leydon says ...

Jeff: Do you think my snide-free Variety review of 21 has helped sustain its impressive b.o. grosses?

comment #5

Aguirre says ...

SHINE A LIGHT - for all the hordes of Stones lovers out there - isn't going to exactly pillage the box office because of people like me. I like the stones, i respect the stones, but i have zero interest in watching them go through the motions of a very calculated performance, even with scorsese at the helm and a fleet of AAA DPs at his disposal. to many young people these days, the music of the rolling stones is background music - SOUNDTRACK music (which is profoundly ironic given scorsese's involvement here)... the idea of watching the performance of that music as the main attraction simply isn't all that appealing. the fact is, icons though they are, the stones simply aren't as exciting or talented as a band like... say... RADIOHEAD. methinks SHINE A LIGHT is going to be a fascinating document of a phenomenon and an enduring relic in and of itself, but as far as 2 hours of my time goes... i'd much rather watch UWE BOLL directing a Radiohead show than HERZOG directing a stones show... actually, i take that back, THAT would be a fascinating combo. how about abbas kiarostami? how about ozu... reincarnated. the more i think about it, the more i wish a filmmaker with more on his mind than merely presenting the stones in all of their wrinkled glory would have been behind this project... okay, ramble over.

comment #6

Webster says ...

Agreed w/houmas. "The Last Movie Star" makes for a great headline and PR angle, but I'd go w/Will Smith over Clooney in a heartbeat if one had to choose. (Or Tom Hanks, even if he's on the downside of the mountaintop.) Clooney dresses the part, but the numbers don't bear it out.

comment #7

mutinyco says ...

George Clooney's problem in terms of being a movie star is that he's too sophisticated. Audiences know this. It's not a problem for me, I rather like what he does (or tries to do).

But he's never put much effort into giving audiences what they want. The top stars are the top stars because they manage their careers to be top stars -- Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Tom Hanks all make movies that play to what audiences want to see. Clooney doesn't -- he only seems to make movies like Ocean's or Storm so that he can go pursue the projects he really likes.

Honestly, from a career stand point, in terms of being a star, assuming he really wants some box office, I think he'd be perfect for the Jack Ryan reboot.

comment #8

JBF says ...

I remember when the Oceans movie come out and people start talk about Clooney as if he was carrying thatt film, please Pitt has blockbuster films like Troy and Mr and Mrs Smith that made almost half billion each, Damon has the Bourne franchise, but if you take the Perfect Storm from George, than you leave him without a big hit.
He is not a big draw

comment #9

George Prager says ...

The third time you see the commercial, when the fat guy punches two players and then the referee...that's when the movie jumps the shark, and when most thinking people decide to pass.

comment #10

Monument says ...

"the stones simply aren't as exciting or talented as a band like... say... RADIOHEAD."

The guy with the "Stuff White People Like" should really do a graph on Radiohead. They are one of those bands that people, white people especially, seem to like just because they are supposed to. I have this theory (unsubstantiated but just feels true) that Radiohead fans don't actually like music, they just like the idea of it, and to talk about it, but they don't actually love it.

Radiohead is a talented band, I won't deny it but none of their records have affected me the way Exile on Main Street did, and still does. People that write off the Stones as a nostalgia act, or a bunch of old men going through the motions, don't really understand music, or musicians for that matter.

comment #11

Dzayson says ...

Man, seeing a movie at Citiwalk must have been an awful experience, IMAX or no. That place epitomizes everything I hate about LA. I'd prefer screening a film at Auschwitz.

comment #12

storymark says ...

Gee, once again tracking numbers prove wrong. Anyone surprised?

comment #13

Pelham123 says ...

I know it was delayed, but why did they release a football movie the first week of April? This is the opening week for Major League Baseball, the NCAA FInal Four is this weekend and that's the weekend these brainiacs decide to drop "Leatherheads"?

comment #14

Mark G. says ...

I remember when MICHAEL CLAYTON opened to $10.4m everyone seemed to say the exact things as today and then it went on to gross $49m...
It seems to me that people are in no hurry to see a Clooney movie, almost all of his pictures have better than average multipliers...
Hell, even OCEAN'S 13 managed a 3.25 multiplier when most summer movies fall into the 2.20-2.75 range...

comment #15

christian says ...

What monument said about Radiohead. I respect 'em, but their songs don't have that eternal ooomph. After Greenwood's score for TWBB I think more soundtracks are in order.

comment #16

Arizona Joe says ...

The trailers for Leatherheads just looked like wacky, nondescript stuff. The real old men of football were colorful, yet really tough, nasty SOBs. There was no Philadelphia Story refinement about them. If the humor would have come out of that, there was a chance for a good movie. A more Dan Jenkins-esque approach was needed.

George Clooney, whom I admire greatly, made some unfortunate choices on this one. He should have known better given he is from the N. Kentucky/ Cincinnati area, which was a hotbed of no facemask football.

comment #17

Mjs says ...

Both Clooney and Pitt could be bigger movie stars if they simply made lame action films one after another like Will Smith or Bruce Willis. If Clooney were making the films he makes now, in the 70's, he'd be as popular as Paul Newman. Same thing with Brad Pitt. But unfortunately, audiences would rather flock to I Am Legend than Jesse James or Michael Clayton. It's too bad.

comment #18

qwiggles says ...

"The guy with the "Stuff White People Like" should really do a graph on Radiohead. They are one of those bands that people, white people especially, seem to like just because they are supposed to. I have this theory (unsubstantiated but just feels true) that Radiohead fans don't actually like music, they just like the idea of it, and to talk about it, but they don't actually love it."

You're right. I didn't enjoy music at all. Or anything. Thank you for making me realize this about myself in such a logical, respectful manner, steeped in reason and evidence.

comment #19

Jay T. says ...

I have to agree with Monument... I like and respect Radiohead, but the way some people fawn over them as the greatest thing ever makes me want to puke. Frankly, I'll take the Stones over Radiohead any day of the week.

comment #20

Aguirre says ...

MONUMENT - NOTE: this is gonna be REALLY long.

what you said of radiohead fans may apply to some, but it's arguable that no contemporary band has as dedicated and loyal a fan base as the boys from oxford. as someone who has seem them in concert 9 times (arriving at 8 AM the day of each concert to join the throngs of people waiting for prime pit position, throngs that run the gamut from teenagers to septuagenarians, and are usually spear-headed by the likes of orchestra conductors and professors), and who frequently peruses the 60,000 people strong radiohead message boards and experiences their following first hand - the way people stay home at nights to watch the band's webcasts, horde days worth of live material, and tear into the lyrics with an intellect and fervor usually reserved for canonical poetry... bands don't garner the type of mythology that radiohead has by merely appealing to the pretentious, that's for sure. what's more is that it has - in certain, esteemed circles - become almost regarded as fact that OK COMPUTER is THE defining and best album of the 90s, and that KID A is the current favorite to claim that throne for the present decade (well, at least according to pitchfork and their dubious ilk).

the phenomenon you describe is likely a symptom of the fact that such widely acclaimed music is hardly ever as inaccessible and avant-garde as that of Radiohead, and as a result many people hinge their touted passion for the band purely based on their earlier, more traditional material and not the genre and generation-defining albums that followed. and as far as the longevity of their music... well, prescience is certainly a factor, and that OK COMPUTER hasn't aged a day since it's release in 1997 and that the inimitable KID A still plays as if it's 50 years ahead of it's time certainly bodes well for their legacy.

your opinion of the band is certainly valid - to each his own and what not - but be aware that radiohead is what they are not because of the hordes of people who like them because they are supposed to, but because those who LOVE them do so with an absurdly unbridled passion, and that the people who comprise that coalition are of a largely respected variety. and while i recognize that people go to see SHINE A LIGHT for MUCH more than a jolt of nostalgia, for the most part they simply run through the songs in the film, and marty allows them to do that, which results in a staid and completely unnecessary film, for anyone who doesn't need yet another document of the ever-declining greats. the reason i brought up radiohead in the first place is because so few live acts so thoroughly deconstruct and revitalize their own material for the live forum, with each performance working entirely new sections into the mix and infusing their songs with unique elements like - with "the national anthem," for instance - live local radio frequencies into the melody of the track, which both adds a neat twist to the music AND another dimension to the song's narrative of chaos by bombarding the cacophony with new layers of distraction.

SHINE A LIGHT is a "gas" (as my grandmother would say) - it's weightless and that's FINE. i understand that it's a film of modest ambitions and other than a bit of "former rebels are feted by the establishment commentary" wants to say as little as possible. i knew of its modest ambitions going in, but i was still SO UNMOVED. each toe-tap was in no way a more fulfilling experience than listening to the same tracks on itunes. a rock concert is rife with interesting commentary, from the band's hijinks to the interplay between band and audience, etc... i just wish another band with a bit more going on (coupled with a director who aimed to do more than simply document) would be afforded the IMAX opportunity. that's all. how about THE BOREDOMS? BJORK? MORRISSEY? hell, even SPRINGSTEEN!

comment #21

qwiggles says ...

Here, here, Aguirre. A fellow AtEase loyalist, I presume?

comment #22

Aguirre says ...

you know it, qwiggles. citizenkane is my (rather uninspired) name over there and i sort of haunt the music boards.

comment #23

George Prager says ...

shorter Aguirre:

Yeah, Radiohead sucks, but they sound good.

comment #24

cleopatrajones says ...

When I saw "the last movie star" title I expected to see a picture of Will Smith but instead got George Clooney. The guy is good as schmoozing and pretending to be greater than he is but at least to me is nobody special. I still can't figure out how he won an oscar for Syriana. He can't touch Will Smith or even Brad Pitt or Matt Damon.

At the Oceansa 13 premiere the crowd was there to see Brad, Angelina and Matt. George often jokes he knows when Brad arrives by the piercing screams from the crowd. Now the same can be said when Matt Damon arrives.

comment #25

Rothchild says ...

The Ruins is disturbing and brilliant.

comment #26

K. Bowen says ...

A big shout-out to me - yes, me - about 21. While others were bellyaching about "MTV editing" and "butchering the real story," I was busy noticing that it was a fun Vegas ride, and that the people around me at the screening had a blast. Ha! I love congratulating myself. :)

As far as Clooney, his star power allows smaller films to open with more box office than they would otherwise. But I knew that "Last Movie Star" cover had the potential for a boomerang. Even though box office is only one part of that description.

comment #27

ZayTonday says ...

I'm a huge Wong Kar Wai fan, but MY GOD My Blueberry Nights sucked. He took all his cute little excesses that made up his style and pushed them all to the extreme to the point where they hurt the film.

comment #28

JaySmire says ...

I saw Shine a Light last night at an IMAX in Phoenix. 7:30 show and only about 40 people in the audience. Not a good first night tally.

comment #29

MathewM says ...

Clooney or no Clooney; opening a football flick at the start of baseball season was sheer idiocy. Was this pushed back or something? Might as well pushed it to next fall.

comment #30

corey3rd says ...

Who opens a football movie on the weekend of the NCAA basketball Final 4? Football is dead to us at this time. Sure next week we'll be in full football draft mode with Mel and his hair on ESPN. But this weekend football is a forgotten sport.

While I like OK Computer. I felt completely ripped off by their following two albums. Seeing a movie about them? Rather see a live concert of Mrs. Miller directed by Brett Ratner.

With all the Shine A Light hype, I found myself hunting down boots of the Stones during the Mick Taylor era. Now that was an amazing live band - when Keith Richards had to make an effort instead of spending most of his time on a smoke break.

comment #31

JackeyAces says ...

Will Smith takes very few risks w/ his career. I like most of his movies but he tends to do big popcorn movies.

Clooney's problem is that he keeps takiing the throwback star too literal. In O Brother aping Gable worked With the exception of Syriana everything he has done since has been merely vomiting various throwback material back up without addding to or updating it.

Leatherheads is a throw back to 1930''s screwball comedy. Humor does not age well. Michael Clayton is a very good imimation of Sydney Pollack movies of the 1970's but again it adds nothing. The music equivalent Clooney is a decent cover band for some type music nobody cares about anymore.
George Clooney is a Foghat tribute band

comment #32

lipranzer says ...

I liked LEATHERHEADS. For that matter, I also liked MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS. Neither of them will show up on my top ten list at the end of the year (though the only film released this year I've seen that would possibly qualify is the doc on Roman Polanski), but they were both an enjoyable time at the theater, and that's enough these days.

comment #33

Titus Pullo says ...

People who make, or try to make smart movies are rarely rewarded in riches, at least in the US. Shoulda waited for the Coen bros if he wanted to do screwball though.

comment #34

Superhero38 says ...

As a commercially viable movie star, he's a media sustained phenomenon (like Angelina Jolie).
_______________________________

The media sustaning Angelina Jolie? You're joking? Most (all) of the media can stand her. They can't put her in a box and she doesn't play by their rules. She doesn't kiss ass and she isn't a part of the HW scene.

Angelina is not only commercially viable (she has proven it), but very talent and she's only 32 years. But don't worry, unfortunately i don't think that being a " movie star" comercial or not is her main goal.

comment #35

Terry McCarty says ...

Jackey Aces wrote:
Leatherheads is a throw back to 1930''s screwball comedy. Humor does not age well. Michael Clayton is a very good imimation of Sydney Pollack movies of the 1970's but again it adds nothing. The music equivalent Clooney is a decent cover band for some type music nobody cares about anymore.
George Clooney is a Foghat tribute band.

From the opening use of the old 30s/40s Universal logo to the Randy Newman score to the film's look and feel, George Roy Hill's THE STING and THE GREAT WALDO PEPPER seem to be partial stylistic influences on LEATHERHEADS.

comment #36

D.Z. says ...

I'm still wondering why Jeff hated My Blueberry Nights. I mean, it's not the best WKW flick [That would be "Happy Together".], but it's not as much of a travesty as he claimed it would be.

actionman: "So Shine a Light sold out it's IMAX shows and not much else....typical"

Who wants to see a concert of songs they've heard for free on the radio for a while now?

mutiny: I think Clooney's problem is that he branched out too fast from ER before he got to be known well enough to do film. The expectations that he'd take his classy persona to the big screen fell flat when he started out doing vapid paycheck films. He only did the serious stuff later in the game, when people moved on to Brad Pitt. So he did kind of give audiences what they wanted at first, just not what they wanted with him.

Monument: http://www.somethingawful.com/d/your-band-sucks/radiohead-sucks.php

Dzayson: "Man, seeing a movie at Citiwalk must have been an awful experience, IMAX or no. That place epitomizes everything I hate about LA."

That's how I feel about The Grove and post-2004 Melrose.

MJS: "Both Clooney and Pitt could be bigger movie stars if they simply made lame action films one after another like Will Smith or Bruce Willis."

Die Hard isn't lame[Although the verdict is out on the last one...], and I, Robot, Six Degrees of Separation, Sin City, and Moonlighting prove Smith and Willis can do more than action.

Zay: It was a tad excessive at times, but it still felt believable and engaging. You want suck, go back to Fallen Angels, which really doesn't hold up as well as I remember it.

comment #37

D.Z. says ...

Superhero: Commercially viable? Her only hit so far has been Tomb Raider.

comment #38

Superhero38 says ...

D.Z.

She prove it with LC movies.

And she has other films that did very well like Mr & Mr smith, Gone In 60 Seconds, Shark Tale, The Bone Collector.

On her lastest films, The Good Shepherd grossed close to 100 millions (with DVDs), Beowulf has grossed 197 million (without DVD) and althought they aren't her movies, the studios put her as head headliner .

And she has Wanted and Changeling coming out.

Compare her to my other favorite actress, Cate Blanchett 7 years older. Besides LOR and Aviator her Box Office results aren't better. And at 32 she her work wasn't better either.

Angelina did some bad script choices -- someone said that at some point she was doing films only to finance her humanitarian work -- but she already has ever major award (1 Oscar, 3 GG and 2 SAG) and she is only 32 years old. She's very talented and if she wants she has a big carreer in front of her.

comment #39

Jay T. says ...

Not to get all cliche, but if you liked 21, read Bringing Down the House and then you'll hate the movie. ;-)

comment #40

D.Z. says ...

Superhero: The second LC movie bombed; Mr. + Mrs. Smith had Brad Pitt; Gone in 60 Seconds had Nick Cage; Shark Tale was a CG talking animal flick which centered around Will Smith; and The Bone Collector had Denzel. The Good Shepherd had Matt Damon and Beowulf had bad CG. Cate Blanchett might not make the big bucks, but she has a better resume and reputation.