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2003-07-04
dnesday’s and Thursday’s numbers, this situation this weekend is much clearer. And all three of the new movies have had their estimates reduced.
Coming in first this weekend will be Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, but not with the numbers the studio was hoping for. $12.4 on Wednesday was significantly below initial predictions. It was also below current July 4th record holder, Men in Black II. However, Terminator 3’s Wednesday to Thursday drop-off was much better, (just 4.43% compared to 11.32%) and Terminator 3’s reviews are also much better, (71% to 38%.) Terminator could come from behind to earn the $52.2 million needed take the record, but it will be very close.
In comparison, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde beat estimates, albeit by just $147 thousand, but then dropped farther on Thursday than expected. With the two factors almost balancing each other out, it should fall just shy of the original prediction with $27 million.
The first of the holdovers, coming in third will be Charlie’s Angels 2. Given the sequel effect, recent history and poor word of mouth, this movie is almost guaranteed to lose more than 50% this weekend. And with direct competition in both the action genre and the female demographic, this movie will lose much more. We’re not talking a Hulk like collapse, but $15 million is still a big drop.
In a summer dominated by huge drop-offs, Finding Nemo has been one of the few exceptions. It continues to do strongly and is set for $10 million in its sixth weekend of release. That will not only give it top spot for computer animated movies, it should also give it the overall lead for 2003, passing The Matrix Reloaded.
Rounding out the top five is The Hulk, which is continuing its downward spiral. Granted, this week it will only drop a little more than 50% to $8 million, not the 70% drop that happened last weekend. Even with this decline, there still is talk of a sequel. (Although a sequel would probably do much better. After all, the first Hulk comic book series was cancelled after 6 issues.)
Doing much worse than analysts predictions was Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, which managed only $1.5 million on Wednesday. It did improve on Thursday, but not enough to get much more than half the original prediction of $14 million. Traditional cell animation was in trouble before this, and since Sinbad will only get a little more than $10 million after Sunday, studios could drastically cut back on future productions.
Submitted by:
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2003-07-02
onight to take advantage of the July 4th long weekend. And despite each of them having a distinct audience, they are entering a crowded market and at least one of them will be squeezed out.
The seemingly never-ending parade of high profile, high expectation blockbusters continue with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Since May almost every week another blockbuster hits the screen, and for the most part they’ve lived up to box office expectations, for at least at week. Judging how well this one will do it a bit tricky. While this has the sequel hype to help the first weekend, it also has to deal with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recent slump. But after factoring in all the variables, including impressive reviews, I’m confident it will make $20 million today, and $61 million this weekend. A record for both July 4th and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Its long-term success is still up in the air, but it could beat its predecessor.
Another sequel opening today is Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde. The original was a surprise hit for MGM studios in 2001, and they are hopefully it the sequel will build on that success. And for the sake of the studio, it better. So far in 2003, MGM/UA as only had one hit (Agent Cody Banks) in seven tries. By the end of the long weekend, Legally Blonde 2 could match Agent Cody Banks’ Box Office Total, but I think that’s a little optimistic. Reviews are very weak when compared to the original, but on par with Reese Witherspoon’s biggest hit, Sweet Home Alabama. $9 million today, and another $29 million on the weekend, with $100 million overall the target.
Traditional animation has been in quite a slump since Pixar hit the scene. Last year, only one cell-animated movie made more than $100 million at the box office, and the year before that, none did. And Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas doesn’t look like it will buck the trend. Not that the reviews are bad, but at just above 50% they certainly are not good. Combined with the over-crowded market and $6 million today and $14 million on the weekend could be too optimistic.
Predictions for holdovers will be posted on Friday.
Submitted by:
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2003-07-02
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
Bad Boys II
Current Content: Issue 3, which used to deal with the original Bad Boys, was added, again. But this time it has Bad Boys II info. Specifically, an interview with the costume designer Carol Rasmey (to be added later), the Finesse TV Spot, Jay-Z music video, six more images and two more wallpapers and Buddy Icons. Issue #4 was also added, and along with the standard 6 images and 2 wallpapers and Buddy Icons, this issue had production notes and two more TV Spots, (Time Out and We’re Going In.) Overall this site is coming together nicely.
Envy
Current Content: The site launched this week, but it’s set up to look like an ad for VaPOOrize. You can watch the Infomercial, or the Flash animated add, and there’s even a free giveaway marked coming soon. Of the usual suspects, only the movie trailer is there.
Freddy vs. Jason
Current Content: They’ve completely redone the format and the new format is a little too bright. Besides the new format there was some new content added, namely a timeline for both franchises and a tale of the tape.
Hidalgo
Current Content: This site just opened and so far there’s just a flash intro and the synopsis and trailer.
The Incredibles
Current Content: Just the logo and the teaser trailer. I’ve must have watched the trailer a hundred times and I still can’t figure out who’s doing the voices.
Johnny English
Current Content: Already a hit overseas, the North American version of the site just launched. And it’s an excellent site. There’s a section on the movie that has a lot information, trailer, cast and crew bios, synopsis, image gallery, production notes, etc. But most of the content is elsewhere. A section on MI-5 contains an interaction dossier, (including a very well done picture of John Malkovich as a naughty nurse), demonstration on some of the latest gadgets, surveillance footage of Johnny English, more than a dozen audio clips from the movie, 2 animated E-cards, a screensaver and 2 wallpapers. Then there are three games the plays as well. Combined with the good segues and sound FX, this site definitely earned the extravagant Weekly Website Awards.
The Last Samurai
Current Content: The third section is up, this time about warriors … sort of. Doesn’t seem to fit well with the rest of the site, and certainly isn’t as compelling as the last addition on the Samurai code.
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde
Current Content: First of all, “sponsored by a genuine natural beauty, Barbie©.” That is so wrong on so many levels. This is an unusual site with only a little of what is normally found. There is a trailer and a very short synopsis, but no cast and crew bios, for instance. In fact, the only other content that’s strictly movie related is the photo gallery and the character bios. What it does have is a lot of information to help you live like Elle. Elle-strology, Sty-Elle, Elle-ssentials, Elle cetera. There’s also a brief history of Blondes and a web board. There are, however, no animated segues and no sounds after the intro. This definitely hurts the overall effect.
Masked and Anonymous
Current Content: This movie has a huge cast of very famous people, and the site wisely focuses a lot of attention on them. There’s page after page of information: Cast and crew bios, production notes, two essays, etc. The amount of multimedia is limited to the trailer and a couple of songs. But the text is so well written that no more is needed.
Mona Lisa Smile
Current Content: Typical Sony placeholder site. Right now, it has just the trailer but that should change.
Sharkaslayer
Current Content: The movie is still more than a year away, so there’s very little on the site. Just the cast and the character they play. Although, the way they are introduced is well done.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
Current Content: With just as few days before the movie opens, the site added a couple of new games and eight clips from the movie.
S.W.A.T.
Current Content: The flash site opened this week and there’s a lot to it. Trailer, synopsis, cast and crew bios (coming soon), games, music, Animated E-cards called Veepers (doesn’t work with Mozilla), screensavers, wallpaper, etc. There is also a lot of information on the real world S.W.A.T. forces; this included history, training and equipment. The music is quite good for this site, the clip is very long so it doesn’t get repetitive. However, the looping is not as well done as it could be. Transitions are also done well, and the sound effects add to the experience without overwhelming it.
Terminator 3
Current Content: This site has more multimedia content than any other I’ve reviewed. It was overwhelming at times. The information about the movie was well done; trailer, synopsis, cast and crew bios, production notes, it’s all there. But when in came to images and such, they could have trimmed it down. For instance, there are more than 200 wallpapers to choose from, more than 90% of them user created. It seemed to dilute the effectiveness of the official content. Which is too bad, cause this is an otherwise good site.
Submitted by: Movie Websites Launches for June 12 - June 18
2003-06-18
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
Alex and Emma
Current Content: No changes from the last time the site was reviewed. But it was an effective site, so no real changes were needed.
American Wedding
Current Content: A new trailer was added to the site.
Bad Boys II
Current Content: Issue 3 was added to the site, but it deals more with the first movie than with the new one. Also, both interviews from issues 2 and 3 have yet to be added.
Elf
Current Content: This site as again switched back to the new site, but it’s missing the trailer. There’s still not much content, just some images (poster, gallery, and wallpaper.) The music is well done, the clip is long enough but it doesn’t quite loop effectively.
From Justin to Kelly
Current Content: Some more behind the scene footage was added. So was information of the music, but they’re just link to Kelly and Justin’s homepages.
The Hulk
Current Content: This site is absolutely packed. Not only are all the usual suspects present, (synopsis, cast and crew bios, trailer) but there are more extras on this site than on all the other sites reviewed this week, combined. There are half a dozen clips from the movie, interviews with 9 different members of the cast and crew, a 14-part interview with Stan Lee, 8 clips from the press conference. And that’s just the multimedia section. There are games, trivia, background information galore, scientific information, etc. You could easily spend hours here. And that’s why this site wins the inconceivable Weekly Website Award.
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
Current Content: Quite a basic site that doesn’t even have a trailer, but it does have the rest of the usual information, plus some images and production notes. Worth noting is the background music, which was long enough to not become repetitive too fast, but it did seem out of place. Perhaps it was used in the trailer.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
Current Content: There were a lot of changes made in the past week, but it was mostly style without much new content. New animated segues are used, new animations in some of the menus, etc. There is a new game in the Fun Stuff section and cast and crew bios, with more marked coming soon.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-05-28
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
Alex and Emma
Current Content: The new flash site launched this week, with the exact same content as the regular site. Just with animated introduction / segues and audio clips. It’s a nice to compare the effectiveness of the regular site with the flash version. The one complaint with the flash site, the production notes are far too long to be one section, it should have been broken up like it is on the non-flash site.
Bad Boys II
Current Content: The first of six issues was released this week. This issue contains the synopsis and cast and crew, (no bios), both the teaser trailer and the full trailer, half a dozen images, two wallpapers and two buddy icons. In two weeks, and every two weeks after that, a new issue will be released. It’s not a bad site, but the lack of sound is a disappointment.
Cabin Fever
Current Content: There a new section for downloads with the teaser trailer, wallpaper and a link to the Cabin Fever discussion board.
Capturing the Friedmans
Current Content: This site consists almost entirely of old photos. When you move the mouse over the photo an audio clip from the movie plays. It is an intriguing idea, one that was executed well. However, a little more background information than what was provided could have helped draw in surfers.
Elf
Current Content: None, you are just redirected to a Naughty or Nice contest.
Finding Nemo
Current Content: An excellent site with a lot of information, but mostly is filled with extras. Several different previews can be seen, there are wallpapers to download and games like Cruising with Crush to play. There is also Mr. Ray’s Classroom where surfers can learn more about the world’s coral reefs. Combines with the background sounds, and little animations that fill the site and you have this week’s winner of the authoritative Weekly Website Awards.
Garfield
Current Content: Nothing, in fact the link just redirects you to Fox’s movie index. But the movie is more than a year away, so this is not a surprise.
Hotel
Current Content: Warning, this site contains foul language, nudity, violence and the most incomprehensible content I’ve seen in a long time. Compared to this Identity’s flash site was linear to the Nth degree. At least the Identity site has a sense of cohesion to it. This just felt like random images and quotes. Might shock some, but I didn’t find it engaging enough to shock me.
The Italian Job
Current Content: A clip or two was added, as were several interviews with the cast members. There are still a few more clips still marked coming soon.
Rugrats Go Wild
Current Content: Another game, Jungle Stumble, was added to the site. There are no sign ups needed to play this one.
Sinbad - Legend of the Seven Seas
Current Content: A lot of multimedia was added to the site. Two featurettes and four interviews were added. Overall, it’s a lot a video to watch. There is also a coloring book with the four main characters.
The Three Marias
Current Content: Very small site with only a short synopsis, a few images, one quote from one review and some viewing dates. There is more information in the press kit, which can be downloaded from the stills and more section.
Together
Current Content: While this film has the usual information (synopsis, cast and crew bios, trailer, image gallery) it focuses on the behind the scenes more. Finding the right actor, composing the music, the culture of modern day China, etc. Speaking of music, while there is some, the clips are too short and do not loop. So you hear the piece only once when you change sections. This is too bad, since the subject matter would lend itself perfectly to more background music. Another downside is the animation, what little there is doesn’t fit well with the site as a whole.
Uptown Girls
Current Content: The song was removed from the site. No other changes were made.
Wrong Turn
Current Content: Very little was added to this site just before its release, just a couple of TV spots. But the site has previously won the weekly website award, so very little was needed.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-05-14
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
L’Auberge Espagnole
Current Content: No change from when I first reviewed it. A website is still marked coming soon, but since the movie opens this Friday, they don’t have a whole lot of time.
Battle of Shaker Heights
Current Content: Like all Miramax movie sites, this one has just the synopsis and cast and crew (no bios) and a trailer marked coming soon.
Casa de los Babys
Current Content: This site uses the same format as other films from IFC. The content is also similar with a synopsis, trailers, cast bios, and some behind the scene information.
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle
Current Content: The first of the animated adventures is up. More episodes will be shown as the release date comes closer.
Down with Love
Current Content: Three clips from the movie are available. They’re fun clips that fit well into the cheesy 60s feel of the rest of the site.
Dumb and Dumberer
Current Content: There’s a slashdot parody called slashdumb.
Freddy vs. Jason
Current Content: A trailer and a quiz have been added to the site.
The Last Samurai
Current Content: None, just the flash intro.
The Matrix Reloaded
Current Content: This is the only site I know that comes with schematics to help you navigate, and you need them. There are literally dozens of buttons, and none of them are marked. However, when you move your mouse over them, the Navigation Display does tell you what it does. Normally this focus on style at the detriment of ease of use would irritate me to no end. However in this case, once I got used to the interface it added to the overall atmosphere. As for the actual content, there’s a lot. 10 different trailers / TV spots, dozens of images, cast and crew bios, posters, wallpapers, etc. Then there are the more unusual aspects, like the 360 degree Quicktime VRs. When you add in all the content from the first movie and other Matrix sources (comic books, anime, video games, etc.) you could surf this site for days. And it’s the combination of style and content that lets this site win the immutable Weekly Website Award.
Pokemon Heroes
Current Content: Like most Miramax films, this site lacks any real content. It does at least look different, but there’s only a trailer and synopsis to keep the surfer interested.
The Punisher
Current Content: None, just a placeholder site. But it does say when the site will launch, June 20th.
Rugrats for Wild
Current Content: Three more Rugrat adults are added to the Spike search game, as are some e-collectibles. However, you have to log into Nick.com to get them.
The Sea
Current Content: This site just has the bare bones, trailer, synopsis and cast and crew (no bios.)
Sinbad - Legend of the Seven Seas
Current Content: A new flash intro was added to the falsh site.
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
Current Content: Just the trailer and a section on the 3-D aspect / synopsis of the movie.
Sweet Sixteen
Current Content: No changes since I last reviewed the site.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-04-30
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
The Dancer Upstairs
Current Content: A very understated website and I’m not sure if that is good or bad. Too flashy would be a distraction, but as it is it’s not very memorable. Besides the usual synopsis, trailer and cast and crew bios, there are 10 images that can be sent as e-cards and 2 clips from the movie.
Down With Love
Current Content: The movie is set in the 60s, and the website flaunts it. The style, the sound effects, the music all scream 60s, in a cheesy by charming way. Speaking of the music, it loops flawlessly, but some clips are a little short. There’s the usual synopsis, trailer, photo Gallery, cast and crew bios, as well as downloads like wallpapers, screensavers and Buddy Icons. There are two interactive sections, but they are still marked coming soon.
The In-Laws
Current Content: Two new TV Spots were added to the video section. Also, in the non-flash section, there are extensive production notes I failed to mention last time.
The Italian Job
Current Content: A flash site was launched with a section for each character, including the Mini. Each section has an actor bio, image gallery and several facts about heists, traffic jams, Venice sinking and other (marginally) related info. Each fact appears in a pop-up menu but if you move the mouse cursor off of it, it immediately closes. This was quite annoying, especially for the longer bios.
The Lizzie McGuire Movie
Current Content: Added this week was the Lizzie Party Planner, complete with invitations, simple pizza recipe, outfit suggestions and some simple Italian phrases. I found this section the most valuable as previously the only Italian phrase I previously knew was, “Dio mio! C'e' un' ascia nella mia testa!” Two more features, The Music Diva Makeover and Lizzie’s Vespa Tour, are marked coming soon.
New Suit
Current Content: This site has all the usual players, synopsis, trailer, cast filmographies, photo gallery. And it has simple, yet effective intros to each section. However, after the intro, there is no sound. And this is a shame, cause the site would have benefited from a little more sound.
Owning Mahowney
Current Content: Just the usual bits (synopsis, photo gallery, cast and crew bios) with the trailer still marked coming soon. The transition to and from each section is well done and the music, while a little short, is effective.
Rugrats Go Wild
Current Content: This week the four Thornberrys kids are added to the Spike Game. Other features are still marked coming soon.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
Current Content: The trailer is now available.
Spellbound
Current Content: The movie is a documentary about the National Spelling Bee Championships, and the web site plays well to the subject matter. The chalkboard theme is not only fun, but doesn’t interfere with the information. Most of which focuses on the eight contestants from the movie. There’s also the synopsis, trailer, crew bios, release dates and a game of Hangman that I found strangely addicting.
Veronica Guerin
Current Content: So far just the synopsis, trailer and cast and crew (no bios.) But the film won’t be released for nearly half a year, so there’s plenty of time to add more.
X-Men 2
Current Content: This site is as huge as they come. Tons of animations and sound, information on cast, crew and characters, trailers, video clips behind the scenes, press conferences, etc. This is what a movie site should be. Of course, the people at Fox probably spent more on this site than the production budget of some of the other films on this list. But never let it be said that the incontrovertible Weekly Website Award can’t be swayed by flashy graphics.
Submitted by:
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2003-04-23
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
City of Ghosts
Current Content: Nothing new since I last reviewed it. Movie clips are still marked coming soon.
Confidence
Current Content: For a movie that promises a lot of style, the website was a little tame. It hit all the right notes, (synopsis, trailer, cast and crew bios) but it didn’t have the pizzazz I was hoping for. Some of the extras include wallpapers, screensavers and a game.
A Decade Under the Influence
Current Content: The film is a documentary about the influences in American cinema during the 70s. This site focuses on biographical information of both the interviewers and the interviewees, but the usual synopsis and trailer are there. My favorite feature is the very extensive timeline of the 70s. The way they put together the image gallery is also very well done. It is an excellent mixture of style and substance.
Dumb and Dumberer
Current Content: A new button was added that’s marked do not press. When you do you hear a clip from the movie. It’s the same clip every time you press, so there’s no need to press it more than once. Hopefully, there will be more clips added as the release date nears.
Identity
Current Content: Easily the best atmosphere for a site this week, perhaps the best atmosphere for any site I’ve reviewed. It’s very had to describe, no description would really give it justice. You just have to check it out for yourself.
The In-Laws
Current Content: Just a little bit new this week. In the downloads section there’s a new screensaver, and the song list for the soundtrack is available. Unfortunately, only the one song is available to listen to.
It Runs in the Family
Current Content: A good site that focuses on the family members and the actors that play them. Not only is there text, but there are audio and video clips for each character. Excellent information that is probably destined for a feature packed DVD section. There is also synopsis, trailer, wallpapers, etc.
Jeepers Creepers 2
Current Content: This week the trailer and some background music were added. The background music is creepy, but a little short to be effective.
The League
Current Content: The name has been shortened from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to just The League to coincide with the launch of the new website. While the site does contain the usual synopsis and trailer, the heart of the site are the vast character bios. Each of the 7 characters in The League have their own section complete with an introduction, why there were chosen, wallpaper and AIM Icons to download, Image Gallery and an E-Card. And there is more marked coming soon. The background music is effective, but not particularly noteworthy. Overall an excellent site.
The Lizzie McGuire Movie
Current Content: The first 5 days of Lizzie’s Diary have been added to the site.
Manic
Current Content: The interactive character bios that make up the heart of this site are very well done, very intriguing. There is good use of sound and music throughout the site. There is plenty of multimedia including a trailer, movie clips and interviews with the director. Written information includes cast and crew bios, and production notes.
Mondays in the Sun
Current Content: This website has almost as much information on the director and the producer than it does on the film itself. The synopsis and character bios are joined by bios of and interviews with the director and the producer. There is also a few storyboard pictures and some information on the music that plays in the background of the site. There’s an extensive list of the cast and crew, but none have bios except the two mentioned above.
The Real Cancun
Current Content: This site spends most of its time on introducing the participants, cause there’s really nothing else to talk about. There’s your usual synopsis, trailer, and clips, lot of clips. But unless you’re already psyched to see this movie, the website does little to persuade you.
Respiro
Current Content: A very unusual style to this website. The content scrolls continuously past, first the synopsis, then a biography of the director and then a statement from him. Next is a biography of the lead actress, Valeria Golino, then an image gallery and the poster. The final section is for the trailer, which is not available at this time. The unique and engaging way this site was put together is definitely worth checking put.
Rugrats Go Wild
Current Content: Starts with you helping Spike find the lost kids, which should keep the kids entertained. The site also has a synopsis, the teaser trailer and the Rugrat kids’ character bios, but most of the rest is marked coming soon. There are some jungle sounds for the background, but the loop is far too short and repetitive.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
Current Content: Not a lot of content, but the movie doesn’t open for another 2 months. So far there is just the synopsis, character bios and a create your own wallpaper. But a trailer is marked coming soon.
Submitted by:
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Thursday, November 26, 2009
