ROTTEN TOMATOES: Box Office Guru Wrapup: "Epic Movie" Conquers Box Office

Box Office Guru Wrapup: "Epic Movie" Conquers Box Office

by Gitesh Pandya | January 29, 2007

Summary

Proving that there's always money in spoof comedies, Fox's "Epic Movie" shot straight to number one over the weekend in its debut frame beating out three other new releases plus a handful of expanding Academy Award contenders. In fact, the immature laugher outgrossed all five Oscar nominees for best picture combined. Back to Article

(1-32 of 32 posts) | Reply

Derbeste writes:
on Jan 29 2007 10:05 AM

[b]....[/b]
Weeks like this make me wonder why terrorists even bother with us.

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h-town24 writes:
on Jan 29 2007 10:19 AM

Go kil yourself Derbeste!

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Bane Of Anubis writes:
on Jan 29 2007 10:21 AM

In reply to this comment (#854160)
Yes, I see the corollary

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Racer Z writes:
on Jan 29 2007 10:53 AM

In reply to this comment (#854160)
Amen. It's a mystery to me why sh!t like Epic Movie scores while a movie like Pan's Labyrinth struggles to find an audience. And yet, folks complain that there just aren't any good movies anymore. Well, why should Hollywood work to make good movies when there are enough morons in America willing to spend money on cheap, low brow comedy crap??!!!

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FILMCZY writes:
on Jan 29 2007 11:34 AM

Come on! Do you want the kids INSIDE the house or OUTSIDE the house? They have to go see something on their dates, right? EM is PG-13 (unrated of course when the dvd arrives when...next week?) All the highbrow movies are rated R. I hardly see the audience for EM running to buy tickets for Pan's Labyrinth, Babel, or even Smokin' Aces. Catch and Release? Too nerdy for pre-teens. And who wants to see Night at the Museum again?

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nogard64 writes:
on Jan 29 2007 11:52 AM

In reply to this comment (#854163)
[b]THE KEY WORD IS ENTERTAINMENT![/b]
people are tired of politically motivated Commie Bull Crap like Pan's Labrynth! Hey Gueillermo you think youre so smart! You think adding extra violence into a fantasy movie makes you an artist? You think it makes you special? NO! Sorry it actually only means you get slapped an R rating and most of your audience can't see and it and don't want to see it! Real genius! Yeah 96% rating open wide in all theatres got your AZZ handed to you by a 00% movie! talk about BOXOFFICE PWNAGE!!!!!

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nogard64 writes:
on Jan 29 2007 11:52 AM

[b]PS[/b]
I want to have Jayma Mays baby!

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Racer Z writes:
on Jan 29 2007 12:00 PM

In reply to this comment (#854164)
Hmm, I don't see the Pan's Labyrinth audience running to waste their money on EM either, yet that's the garbage that's getting the wide release. I know it's possible to actually make a decent PG-13 movie without insulting our intelligence. It doesn't even need to be "highbrow," it just needs to have a reasonable amount of effort. After all, we've gotten quite a few decent family movies in the last several years, so why is it so hard to release good pre-teen/teen type films? The reason we keep getting crap is because you keep paying for it!!

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ArmyofJuan writes:
on Jan 29 2007 12:11 PM

In reply to this comment (#854165)
Well considering Pans Labyrinth is only in like...800 some theaters, it really cant make that huge of an opening can it?

And i don't see how Pans Labyrinth was "politically motivated commie bull crap". And he didn't add extra violence to the move, all the violence in the movie seemed pretty necessary.

But as for the main article, wasnt the movie filmed in Spain? Or are we just calling Pans Mabyrinth a mexican film because Del Toro is mexican.

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Racer Z writes:
on Jan 29 2007 12:16 PM

In reply to this comment (#854165)
[b]I AGREE, THE KEY WORD IS ENTERTAINMENT![/b]
Do the ALL CAPS help? Anyway, yes you're right, which is why I'm not seeing Epic Movie. I don't find piss poor parody particularly entertaining. Of course, I don't find watching the toilet flush entertaining either, but I'm sure there's someone who does. Now the question is, would you pay money to see that?

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bigbrother writes:
on Jan 29 2007 12:44 PM

The problem with movie's like Pan's Labyrinth is A. It's not marketed for shit...I wouldn't have even heard of it if it weren't for sites like this, plus to the person who doesn't have time to search out what it's about it looks like a mix between low rent cirque du soleil and the Dark Crystal and B. without any lead in or effort made to make people aware this type of movie on the surface only appeals to a small nitch group of the population and lastly C. Sometimes people don't want to go to see great art they just want to laugh at the guy getting kicked in the crotch. Step off you high horse and take a trip outside your ivory tower every once in a while. The world needs all kinds. Just think if their weren't the mindless drooling masses or the throngs of hippie arthouse junkie's we wouldn't have anyone to look down on or ridicule and that Sir is a world I'm just not ready for...but then again that's just one man's opinion.

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Racer Z writes:
on Jan 29 2007 01:09 PM

I live in an ivory tower? Cool. Who knew? If trashing a film like Epic Movie means I'm riding a high horse, then I'd best not step off, because that's a long drop.

Look, I've got nothing against mindless entertainment. Movies like Spiderman and Slither find a way to be fun, funny, and action oriented without being insulting. That's all I'm looking for. It's just a sad state to me when such ridiculous wit like EM opens #1 at the box office while there are great films overlooked that truly deserve better. While at the same time, people cry that there are no good movies to see. They just aren�t looking hard enough.

This isn't likely to change in the future, but hey, that's "just one man's opinion" right?

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the-russian writes:
on Jan 29 2007 01:22 PM

In reply to this comment (#854160)
well said.

"...Commie Bull Crap like Pan's Labrynth..." My head hurts from how dumb this guy is.

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Racer Z writes:
on Jan 29 2007 01:51 PM

In reply to this comment (#854172)
I chose not to address his "commie bull crap" crack, since I have my doubts that he even knows what that means. His opinion of Guillermo del Toro was invalidated the moment he spewed it.

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bigbrother writes:
on Jan 29 2007 02:12 PM

In reply to this comment (#854171)
All I'm sayin is people have different taste's, there are probably people out there who said movie's like Blazing Saddles, Airplane and Life of Brian were just stupid mindless junk too. Now I have serious doubts whether the current crop of spoof movies will supply a movie to match those comic classics, but you never know. All Genre's add their own flavor to the mix. Just watch the movie's you like, let other people watch there's and if you really feel that strongly about it talk to your local theater owner about getting more of your type of movies. That's what I do and now this week they're playing "To Have and Have Not" Sure it's on so late only a handful of people come, but sometimes that's the price you have to pay.

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Racer Z writes:
on Jan 29 2007 02:56 PM

In reply to this comment (#854174)
Far be from me to disagree, because I'm not. You're entitled to your opinion, so long as you remember that I'm entitled to mine. After all, it was you who accused me of sitting atop a high horse and living in an ivory tower.

I know I'm not going to change any minds. That's not what I'm trying to do anyway, so don't tell me how I should express my opinion. I wasn't asking. I'm simply venting my frustration for the talented filmmakers who truly care about their films and may never be seen by a broader audience.

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barnaby Jones writes:
on Jan 29 2007 04:17 PM

Epic Movie will be gone in a couple of weeks MAX ! Whereas Pan's will still be proping up the the rest of the crap, quietly going about it's business until the blockbuster season kicks off.

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synergyred writes:
on Jan 29 2007 04:41 PM

Right now, I deeply want to see Children of Men and Pan Labyrinth. Unfortuantly, my local theater doesn't have either. It DOES manage to get every horror movie ever made though. Can someone tell me the logic behind that?

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ImaRobot writes:
on Jan 29 2007 04:46 PM

Commie bull crap. ahahaha..I haven't even seen it yet (it's not playing anywhere near me), but if I am correct it is set during the Spanish Civil War? Well that was between republican centrists and fascists. there weren't even communists involved. so it's clear that...you have no idea what you're talking about. And I agree that it is very, very disapointing that Epic Movie was number one...the trailers alone made me crawl out of my skin. I just don't understand.

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llaltoo writes:
on Jan 29 2007 04:48 PM

just out of curiousity, has a movie with a 0% tomatometer scored first place at the box office before? i know a lot of astonishingly bad movies have, but 0%??

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Banana Kid writes:
on Jan 29 2007 05:26 PM

I kind of want to cry right now.

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mizzoucritic writes:
on Jan 29 2007 05:55 PM

I think some of you people are forgetting that Pan's Labyrinth IS finding an audience, a surprisingly big one considering it's in Spanish, rated R, and has no big stars. It's made back it's budget already (worldwide) and no doubt it will win a few more awards, which will give it more money. When I saw it on Saturday, I was surprised how many people were in the theater with me and no doubt positive word of mouth will propel it further (from those people who didn't walk out, which there were a few). I know I've been talking it up and intend to see it once more.

The saddest part of all is that movies like Pan's, which was one of the best of 2006, only has 823 theaters. I'm sure there are more people who want to see it but Picturehouse and the smaller theaters aren't getting it wide enough. But Epic Movie's "success" only comes from its being in 2,801 theaters and having enough stupid teens out there who are willing to pay for it.

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tsrvanner1 writes:
on Jan 29 2007 11:57 PM

[b]Whats all the fuss about?[/b]
Of course an oddball parody movie beat out the oscar nomenies. Average people don't go to movies to be enlightened or expand their imaginations, they go to be entertained. How else do Fast and the Furious sequels get made? Plus Pans Labyrinth wasn't even that good. The only real problem is that the parody movies now adays are crap. What happened to Space Balls and Robin Hood: Men In Tights. Are the Mel Brooks days gone.

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tysonwritesel writes:
on Jan 30 2007 01:05 AM

*Groans in agony*

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fizzypulp writes:
on Jan 30 2007 05:15 AM

[b]Change of subject[/b]
to change the subject but isnt Freedom Writers, the new Swank movie, just an updated dangerous minds....sorry i got bored with all the EM/Pans talk

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Miro Stak writes:
on Jan 30 2007 09:35 AM

In reply to this comment (#854178)
Off topic, but the communists were involved. The USSR was the republicans' main ally and many units fighting the fascists were communist.

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the_don_of_yreka writes:
on Jan 30 2007 09:48 AM

has anyone seen Meryl Streep's speech at the Golden Globes ? she was telling us if our local theaters dont show great moives like "Pan's Labyrinth", "Dreamgirls" or "Notes on a Scandal", why not get off our asses and talk to our local theaters about getting them played there. i know would like to see epic moive but i do want to see the moives that make me feel smart or be motivaed about an isuse hollywood rarely sheds a light on.

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unbreakable_samurai writes:
on Jan 30 2007 10:54 AM

Well Pan's Labyrinth and all the other nominated films that I want to see and haven't yet still didn't come to my city this last weekend. So I went and saw Smokin' Aces which was entertaining nonstop action(B), and Catch and Release which was allright(B-).

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arcadefire325 writes:
on Jan 30 2007 11:57 AM

[b]epic movie[/b]
i will not see this movie. this isn't a parody anyway. the movie is made up of different movie characters acting stupid. as a person said before, classics such as the mel brooks movies and monty python are gone. it is the same crap over and over again.

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fynejackie writes:
on Jan 31 2007 06:15 PM

Fuck Epic Movie, piece of crap- Smokin ACes did great this weekend, i hope it has the legs to be a smash hit.

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dopplergirl writes:
on Feb 01 2007 04:36 PM

[b]WTF???[/b]
I wasn't expecting Oscar calibur peformences when I went to see Epic Movie. I expected to laugh maybe a little. That didn't happen. This is probably the worst movie I've ever seen. EVER. I left the theater so pissed off. Pissed off because the creators of this piece of shit wasted my time; time which have been better spent cleaning my toilet and/or the litter box.

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Bane Of Anubis writes:
on Feb 02 2007 10:55 AM

In reply to this comment (#854190)
Usually anything below 10% means that most people won't enjoy the movie (unless it's camp material -- which parodies aren't).

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