Why can't George Clooney open a movie? Retro football movie fumbles at B.O.

[Taylor]

Only the 'Oceans' franchise, which has a star-studded cast, is the
exception.

----------

Clooney's latest fumbles at box office

Wed, April 9, 2008

The period football offering Leatherheads didn't draw the fans.

By MICHAEL RECHSTAFFEN


HOLLYWOOD -- After this past weekend's box office receipts were
tallied, George Clooney remains a movie star minus the accompanying
marquee value.

Back in October, we examined the conundrum that is Clooney -- a smart,
affable guy with ridiculously good looks and equal amounts of talent
on both sides of the camera, which somehow never have translated into
any kind of clout at the box office.

At one point, Michael Clayton looked to be the movie that would change
those fortunes, but even with an Oscar win (for Tilda Swinton) and a
nomination for Clooney, the legal thriller failed to pass the $50-
million mark over the course of its initial run and subsequent re-
release.

Observers were then looking at Leatherheads, a period football movie
teaming Clooney, Renee Zellweger and The Office's John Krasinski to do
the trick, but the throwback screwball comedy, also directed by
Clooney, fumbled in its first weekend.

Not only did it fail to unseat reigning champ 21, but when the figures
were announced Monday, the $58-million production's $12.7-million
opening-weekend take was even less than that of Nim's Island, a family
fantasy starring Jodie Foster and Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail
Breslin.

Next up for George is a pair of Coen brothers pictures.

In the can is Burn After Reading, also starring Swinton, Brad Pitt and
John Malkovich, while Clooney is still planning to mark his fourth
time calling the shots with the Joel and Ethan Coen-penned Suburbicon,
about which little is known other than it's another dark comedy.

Maybe Clooney should be open to an Ocean's Fourteen.

[p***@gmail.com]

Post by Taylor
Only the 'Oceans' franchise, which has a star-studded cast, is the
exception.
----------

And even then, Clooney was the fourth biggest name in that cast. It
had Brad Pitt (another curious non-star without any real hits to his
name at that point), Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts. Audiences continue
to avoid Clooney in anything which didn't feature other, more
established stars, or big budget FX (The Perfect Storm).

I just looked at his movies on boxofficemojo - "The Good German"
earned less than $6 million WORLDWIDE. LOL.

[Taylor]

Post by p***@gmail.com

Post by Taylor
Only the 'Oceans' franchise, which has a star-studded cast, is the
exception.
----------

And even then, Clooney was the fourth biggest name in that cast. It
had Brad Pitt (another curious non-star without any real hits to his
name at that point), Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts. Audiences continue
to avoid Clooney in anything which didn't feature other, more
established stars, or big budget FX (The Perfect Storm).
I just looked at his movies on boxofficemojo - "The Good German"
earned less than $6 million WORLDWIDE. LOL.

How did 'One Fine Day' do in total box office revenues? Wasn't that a
modest hit?

[Anim8rFSK]

In article

Post by Taylor

Post by p***@gmail.com

Post by Taylor
Only the 'Oceans' franchise, which has a star-studded cast, is the
exception.
----------

And even then, Clooney was the fourth biggest name in that cast. It
had Brad Pitt (another curious non-star without any real hits to his
name at that point), Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts. Audiences continue
to avoid Clooney in anything which didn't feature other, more
established stars, or big budget FX (The Perfect Storm).
I just looked at his movies on boxofficemojo - "The Good German"
earned less than $6 million WORLDWIDE. LOL.

How did 'One Fine Day' do in total box office revenues? Wasn't that a
modest hit?

$46m domestic, $51m foreign.

[Gabrielle]

On Wed, 9 Apr 2008 14:32:03 -0700 (PDT), Taylor

Post by Taylor

Post by p***@gmail.com

Post by Taylor
Only the 'Oceans' franchise, which has a star-studded cast, is the
exception.
----------

And even then, Clooney was the fourth biggest name in that cast. It
had Brad Pitt (another curious non-star without any real hits to his
name at that point), Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts. Audiences continue
to avoid Clooney in anything which didn't feature other, more
established stars, or big budget FX (The Perfect Storm).
I just looked at his movies on boxofficemojo - "The Good German"
earned less than $6 million WORLDWIDE. LOL.

How did 'One Fine Day' do in total box office revenues? Wasn't that a
modest hit?

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=onefineday.htm

[Garondo Marondo]

Post by p***@gmail.com

Post by Taylor
Only the 'Oceans' franchise, which has a star-studded cast, is the
exception.
----------

And even then, Clooney was the fourth biggest name in that cast. It
had Brad Pitt (another curious non-star without any real hits to his
name at that point), Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts. Audiences continue
to avoid Clooney in anything which didn't feature other, more
established stars, or big budget FX (The Perfect Storm).
I just looked at his movies on boxofficemojo - "The Good German"
earned less than $6 million WORLDWIDE. LOL.

The Good German was basically an experimental film in limited release,
also, Mojo doesn't count video/tv sales which is where the bulk of the
money comes from these days.

[Alric Knebel]

Post by p***@gmail.com

Post by Taylor
Only the 'Oceans' franchise, which has a star-studded cast, is the
exception.
----------

And even then, Clooney was the fourth biggest name in that cast. It
had Brad Pitt (another curious non-star without any real hits to his
name at that point), Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts. Audiences continue
to avoid Clooney in anything which didn't feature other, more
established stars, or big budget FX (The Perfect Storm).

What gibberish. Clooney, Pill, and Damon are the real stars of those
films. They're the central figures of the plot. You can switch the
other guys out and it won't make much difference, but you lose one of
those guys, and the franchise would have suffered.

And Brad Pitt has a few hits. Most notably, FIGHT CLUB. You might have
also heard of SE7EN. That one's pretty famous. And there's TWELVE
MONKEYS, for which he received an Academy Award nomination (he might
have actually won it; I don't remember).

Post by p***@gmail.com
I just looked at his movies on boxofficemojo - "The Good German"
earned less than $6 million WORLDWIDE. LOL.

But, state-side, it was released to only 66 theaters.

[r***@yahoo.com]

And Brad Pitt has a few hits.  Most notably, FIGHT CLUB.  You might have
also heard of SE7EN.  That one's pretty famous.  And there's TWELVE
MONKEYS, for which he received an Academy Award nomination (he might
have actually won it; I don't remember).

Don't forget Thelma and Louise and Interview With a Vampire.

[r***@emailprivate.com]

On Wed, 9 Apr 2008 13:31:46 -0700 (PDT), Taylor

Post by Taylor
Maybe Clooney should be open to an Ocean's Fourteen.

Leatherheads had a number of problems:
1. Hollywood should have asked itself at the start is this
a movie people want to see?
2. Once Leatherheads was made it fell into the trap so
many Hollywood movies fall into.....NOW THAT THE MOVIE IS
MADE HOW DO WE SELL IT? Sadly too many studios graduated
from the Serenity school of advertising a movie. Fox had
Firefly, then Universal made Serenity. In neither case
did those involved have a clue how to sell it once
it was made. Also a number of people I know hated
Firefly the first time around. Then they saw it
a second time and loved it. The difference? The first
time Fox ran the pilot in December when the show started
in October. The second time around they saw the show
starting with the pilot.
3. Maybe Leatherheads is a movie that screams out
DVD. Many a movie bombs at the theater only to
be a huge hit on the DVD market. After all if you've
got a few kids why spend $200 to take the family to
the movie when you can go to Wal-mart and buy the DVD
for $20? And you can see the DVD as many times
as you want.

[Alric Knebel]

Post by Taylor
Only the 'Oceans' franchise, which has a star-studded cast, is the
exception.
----------
Clooney's latest fumbles at box office
Wed, April 9, 2008
The period football offering Leatherheads didn't draw the fans.
By MICHAEL RECHSTAFFEN
HOLLYWOOD -- After this past weekend's box office receipts were
tallied, George Clooney remains a movie star minus the accompanying
marquee value.
Back in October, we examined the conundrum that is Clooney -- a smart,
affable guy with ridiculously good looks and equal amounts of talent
on both sides of the camera, which somehow never have translated into
any kind of clout at the box office.
At one point, Michael Clayton looked to be the movie that would change
those fortunes, but even with an Oscar win (for Tilda Swinton) and a
nomination for Clooney, the legal thriller failed to pass the $50-
million mark over the course of its initial run and subsequent re-
release.
Observers were then looking at Leatherheads, a period football movie
teaming Clooney, Renee Zellweger and The Office's John Krasinski to do
the trick, but the throwback screwball comedy, also directed by
Clooney, fumbled in its first weekend.
Not only did it fail to unseat reigning champ 21, but when the figures
were announced Monday, the $58-million production's $12.7-million
opening-weekend take was even less than that of Nim's Island, a family
fantasy starring Jodie Foster and Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail
Breslin.
Next up for George is a pair of Coen brothers pictures.
In the can is Burn After Reading, also starring Swinton, Brad Pitt and
John Malkovich, while Clooney is still planning to mark his fourth
time calling the shots with the Joel and Ethan Coen-penned Suburbicon,
about which little is known other than it's another dark comedy.
Maybe Clooney should be open to an Ocean's Fourteen.

It's a stupid article. The types of movies Clooney stars in aren't the
types of movies that have huge openings. They're story-driven movies,
not action-fests with explosions. They perform as expected, and will
make money later on, the months and years to come. These articles that
suggest by their very existence that the writer understands what studio
heads think are misleading. Movies are like real estate. They're
assets to this huge corporation, and they'll sell the film later o DVD
(a considerable market now, and has to be considered in counting
profits) and then to premium channels and then to cable. He makes good
movies that will endure the test of time. I saw LEATHERHEADS, and it
was a very good movie. Clooney has excellent comic timing, and he seems
like a genuinely nice guy, to boot. He's popular, and he'll be popular
for a few more years.

[Keith Lee]

Alric:
I agree with you about "Leatherheads". It reminded me of "His Girl Friday"
with Grant and Russell.

Keith Lee

[Mason Barge]

Post by Taylor
Only the 'Oceans' franchise, which has a star-studded cast, is the
exception.
----------
Clooney's latest fumbles at box office
Wed, April 9, 2008
The period football offering Leatherheads didn't draw the fans.

I don't think it's Clooney as an actor. The guy is basically an idiot who
is a good and very popular actor. The overpromoted movie "Leatherheads" may
have been his fault, but it was the lack of talent behind the camera, not in
front of it, that made it such a bomb.

He needs to stop trying to think and get an agent who puts him into good
movies. I read "The Good German" after I saw the movie, and I was
flabbergasted at what a fantastic spy/mystery novel it was. Really, close
to John Le Carre quality. The movie was an absolute disaster. It reminded
me of "Bonfire of the Vanities".

He can act and can open a good movie, I think. Nobody can open the crap
he's been taking (or in this case, making).

[Taylor]

Post by Taylor
Only the 'Oceans' franchise, which has a star-studded cast, is the
exception.
----------
Clooney's latest fumbles at box office
Wed, April 9, 2008
The period football offering Leatherheads didn't draw the fans.

I don't think it's Clooney as an actor.  The guy is basically an idiot who
is a good and very popular actor.  The overpromoted movie "Leatherheads" may
have been his fault, but it was the lack of talent behind the camera, not in
front of it, that made it such a bomb.

Psh. Then is Keanu Reeves with his robotic acting ability considered
an actor then? It's all very highly subjective.

He needs to stop trying to think and get an agent who puts him into good
movies.  I read "The Good German" after I saw the movie, and I was
flabbergasted at what a fantastic spy/mystery novel it was.  Really, close
to John Le Carre quality.  The movie was an absolute disaster.  It reminded
me of "Bonfire of the Vanities".
He can act and can open a good movie, I think.  Nobody can open the crap
he's been taking (or in this case, making).

[Alric Knebel]

Post by Mason Barge

Post by Taylor
Only the 'Oceans' franchise, which has a star-studded cast, is the
exception.
----------
Clooney's latest fumbles at box office
Wed, April 9, 2008
The period football offering Leatherheads didn't draw the fans.

I don't think it's Clooney as an actor. The guy is basically an idiot
who is a good and very popular actor. The overpromoted movie
"Leatherheads" may have been his fault, but it was the lack of talent
behind the camera, not in front of it, that made it such a bomb.

Actually, almost all movies that don't involve science fiction or
fantasy or CGI or some other eye-popping element open poorly.
LEATHERHEADS was a good movie, in the way an old-fashioned movie is
good. As for over-promotion, I never noticed it promoted any more than
any other movie. And it was good. I mean, I can see why people
didn't flock to theaters to see it, because it's the kind of movie you
can wait to see on DVD. It's not a BIG film so it doesn't require that
kind of screening. It'll do better on DVD, and that's where they'll
make their money.

Post by Mason Barge
He needs to stop trying to think and get an agent who puts him into good
movies. I read "The Good German" after I saw the movie, and I was
flabbergasted at what a fantastic spy/mystery novel it was. Really,
close to John Le Carre quality. The movie was an absolute disaster. It
reminded me of "Bonfire of the Vanities".

I never read the book, but I liked the movie.

Post by Mason Barge
He can act and can open a good movie, I think. Nobody can open the crap
he's been taking (or in this case, making).

It wasn't crap. It's just not in the fantasy-sci-fi-animated-CGI mold
that so popular these days. It's a movie that has a historical
appearance, in that the costumes are period clothing and the cars are
old, and the opening-weekend target audience just isn't interested in
that sort of thing. The only reason I went to see it is because a
friend of mine asked me to go at the last minute, and it seemed like a
fun movie. It was.


_________________
Alric Knebel

http://www.ironeyefortress.com/C-SPAN_loon.html
http://www.ironeyefortress.com

[Nancy2]

Post by Taylor
Only the 'Oceans' franchise, which has a star-studded cast, is the
exception.
----------
Clooney's latest fumbles at box office
Wed, April 9, 2008
The period football offering Leatherheads didn't draw the fans.
By MICHAEL RECHSTAFFEN
HOLLYWOOD -- After this past weekend's box office receipts were
tallied, George Clooney remains a movie star minus the accompanying
marquee value.
Back in October, we examined the conundrum that is Clooney -- a smart,
affable guy with ridiculously good looks and equal amounts of talent
on both sides of the camera, which somehow never have translated into
any kind of clout at the box office.
At one point, Michael Clayton looked to be the movie that would change
those fortunes, but even with an Oscar win (for Tilda Swinton) and a
nomination for Clooney, the legal thriller failed to pass the $50-
million mark over the course of its initial run and subsequent re-
release.
Observers were then looking at Leatherheads, a period football movie
teaming Clooney, Renee Zellweger and The Office's John Krasinski to do
the trick, but the throwback screwball comedy, also directed by
Clooney, fumbled in its first weekend.

21 got terrible reviews; Clooney's are so-so, kinda middle of the
road, according to what I read.

Post by Taylor
Maybe Clooney should be open to an Ocean's Fourteen.

I think Out of Sight did pretty well....

N.

[Sharon Too]

Post by Nancy2

Post by Taylor
Maybe Clooney should be open to an Ocean's Fourteen.

I think Out of Sight did pretty well....

The recipe for a successful GC movie isn't necessarily Damon and Pitt. Top
Grossing GC movies:

Michael Clayton $49M

Syriana $50M

Three Kings $61M

Bathman and Robin $107M

Oceans 13 $117M

Oceans 12 $126M

Oceans 11 $183M

Perfect Storm $183M

Not too Shabby, IMO.

[Sharon Too]

And Out of Sight was $37.5M

Forgot the site:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?id=georgeclooney.htm
--
*The first casualty of war is always truth*

Post by Sharon Too

Post by Nancy2

Post by Taylor
Maybe Clooney should be open to an Ocean's Fourteen.

I think Out of Sight did pretty well....

The recipe for a successful GC movie isn't necessarily Damon and Pitt. Top
Michael Clayton $49M
Syriana $50M
Three Kings $61M
Bathman and Robin $107M
Oceans 13 $117M
Oceans 12 $126M
Oceans 11 $183M
Perfect Storm $183M
Not too Shabby, IMO.

[Alric Knebel]

Post by Sharon Too

Post by Nancy2

Post by Taylor
Maybe Clooney should be open to an Ocean's Fourteen.

I think Out of Sight did pretty well....

The recipe for a successful GC movie isn't necessarily Damon and Pitt. Top
Michael Clayton $49M
Syriana $50M
Three Kings $61M
Bathman and Robin $107M
Oceans 13 $117M
Oceans 12 $126M
Oceans 11 $183M
Perfect Storm $183M
Not too Shabby, IMO.

Hey, good job. Hell, it's even better than I thought it was, and I
already liked him.