Kingdom can't stop US box office slide

[RayChuang]

Reuters via Stuff! (New Zealand) webpage
May 10, 2005

Read the full article here (http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3274635a1860,00.html)

LOS ANGELES: The lucrative summer movie season suffered its worst start in years on Sunday, as the costly Crusades epic Kingdom of Heaven crawled into the No. 1 slot at the North American weekend box office with meagre ticket sales of just $20 million.

The film, which cost nearly $150 million to produce, stars Orlando Bloom – "Hollywood's No. 1 pretty boy," according to Rolling Stone magazine – as a humble French blacksmith who takes on the Arabs during the 12th century.
It was directed by British filmmaker Sir Ridley Scott, who had better luck with such films as Gladiator and Hannibal, and released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.

Industry hopes that Kingdom would pull the business out of a lengthy slump were dashed: the box office has now endured 11 "down" weekends when compared with the year-ago periods. According to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, this ties the longest losing streak, which ran from July to October in 2000.

I think the fallout from last year's Presidential election has really begun to hurt the entertainment industry, especially the fact many entertainment celebrities were a bit too blatant in their support for Senator Kerry's failed campaign. And Hollywood still has totally no clue why their business is so poor this year.... http://webpages.charter.net/connectingzone/think/33.gif

Is it small wonder why so much is riding on the success of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith?

By the way, this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly also addresses this question, but alas, they forgot the political angle of why business is so poor. Interestingly, the rest of that EW article is on the mark in regards to poor box office receipts, though.

[Rink]

I wont go see that 'Kingdom of Heaven movie' as I know its nothing more than a muzzie love-fest and makes the Christians out to be evil greedy money-hungry power-lusting nuts and the Muslims as noble pure types.

Then make the Only halfway decent character in the movie, a Christian Knight who just got knighted and had troubles with his faith have an extramarital affair with a married woman (adultery)

But hey its HOLLYWOOD's version of the Crusades though!!!

Hollywood denigrates Mel Gibson so badly they shunned him at the oscars but laud and extol this 'Kingdom of Heaven" movie as being 'good'

Yah you wait they'll give ALL the oscars to that Kingdom of Heaven Movie

[brainshrub]

I doubt any collective fallout going on. Bush only won with 51% of the popular vote (http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2004/president.htm) and most Americans don't consider the Iraqi War worth the cost (http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=971). Opposition to the Iraqi War was not limited to Hollywood celebrities; Many business leaders, doctors, workers and former generals were also opposed to pre-emptive war.

In a country where "Desprite Housewives" is a top-rated show, Britney Spears is considered talented and the adult-video industry is bigger than "legitimate" cinema, it's doubtful Americans are boycotting Hollywood out of nationalist-inspired moral indignation.

Other, more probable, reasons for the slump:

1) The higher price of oil has bitten into Americans entertainment budget.

2) The 18 - 30 demographic that watches most movies on opening night has other entertainment options.

3) The current crop of movies isn't generating enough buzz.

[Wolfcounsel]

" Many business leaders, doctors, workers and former generals were also opposed to pre-emptive war." --brainshrub

Yes, and it's very important that us peons pay attention to what those clowns think.

[PrezLeefun]

rink the movie was great, and portrayed Christians in a good light...you know the good guys from the bad guys. muslims get no praise in the film as a people.

[RayChuang]

Hollywood denigrates Mel Gibson so badly they shunned him at the oscars but laud and extol this 'Kingdom of Heaven" movie as being 'good'


I think that's more out of envy than anything else. After all, Gibson spent a grand total of US$50 million in producing and marketing The Passion of the Christ and the movie made an amazing US$370 million last year at the box office. Only Spider-Man 2 and Shrek 2 made more money last year at the box office.

[brainshrub]

" Many business leaders, doctors, workers and former generals were also opposed to pre-emptive war." --brainshrub

Yes, and it's very important that us peons pay attention to what those clowns think.

You really can't grasp the irony, can you? :rolleyes:

[The_RANDy_Corporation]

I doubt any collective fallout going on. Bush only won with 51% of the popular vote (http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2004/president.htm) and most Americans don't consider the Iraqi War worth the cost (http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=971). Opposition to the Iraqi War was not limited to Hollywood celebrities; Many business leaders, doctors, workers and former generals were also opposed to pre-emptive war.

In a country where "Desprite Housewives" is a top-rated show, Britney Spears is considered talented and the adult-video industry is bigger than "legitimate" cinema, it's doubtful Americans are boycotting Hollywood out of nationalist-inspired moral indignation.

Other, more probable, reasons for the slump:

1) The higher price of oil has bitten into Americans entertainment budget.

2) The 18 - 30 demographic that watches most movies on opening night has other entertainment options.

3) The current crop of movies isn't generating enough buzz.



Did this guy like miss the last 1 1/2 years? Just wake up from a coma or what? I love it when the blind refuse to see!

[Teenager]

LOS ANGELES: The lucrative summer movie season suffered its worst start in years on Sunday, as the costly Crusades epic Kingdom of Heaven crawled into the No. 1 slot at the North American weekend box office with meagre ticket sales of just $20 million.

The film, which cost nearly $150 million to produce,

I have a question, who pays for all that money that is lost? The movie cost $150 million dollars and only generated $20 Million dollars. That leaves $130 million dollars that was <i>lost</i>. So who lost that $130 million dollars?

[Rink]

I'll skop the muzzie love-fest thank you, it may be 'spectacular' it STILL isnt correct historically in my eyes and they still portray Muslims ala Saladin as benevolent, kind, types.

Sorry but the reason for the crusades in the beginning was Muslim Encroachment and depredations on Christians in Christian lands.

Oyea mind you the Catholicleague.org website got hacked BY Muslims because of an article written by a writer on the Catholicleague.org site telling the truth as it is about The Crusades just as I have stated it here on this thread.

Heres a link to that piece of news:

CatholicLeague.or gets Hacked by Muslims (http://www.catholicleague.org/05press_releases/quarter%202/050509_hacked.htm)

Enjoy.

the movie is revisionism with a pro-muslim kick in it.

[RayChuang]

1) The higher price of oil has bitten into Americans entertainment budget.

2) The 18 - 30 demographic that watches most movies on opening night has other entertainment options.

3) The current crop of movies isn't generating enough buzz.

To comment on the points one by one:

1. More so especially nowadays with the exorbitant prices for evening tickets and concession prices. Here in Sacramento, CA, the price of a evening ticket a the Century Theatres complexes has gone over US$11! And I won't mention the price of snacks and soft drinks there, either. :eek:

2. Yes, especially now with the explosive growth of videogames (especially of the online variety--Microsoft hit a grand-slam home run with their Xbox Live service) and the fact you can see the movie currently in theaters on DVD 4-6 months after initial theatrical release.

3. Understatement of the year! This Spring's crop of movies don't have any wide audience appeal, to say the least.

[Conserv_Atticus]

I finally went and saw this movie... and when it was done, i stood up and boo-ed it through the credits as loud as i could. I was called dirty names by people... hmmmm i guess they were liberals.