So what’s the final verdict on the Watchmen shortfall this weekend? Do we all say “hey, $57 million for an R-rated misanthropic geek-noir epic that most women want nothing to do with…that’s not bad!” plus it’s the sixth-highest opening for an R-rated film? Or do we say, “Well, it should have done $65 or $70 million, so the word-of-mouth must have caught up with it late Friday night…there’s no way this isn’t a disappointment. Plus it’s probably a harbinger of a much-weaker second weekend.” I have no dog in this race. I really do think $57 million isn’t half bad. But did it under-perform or not? This needs to be settled before Monday morning.
