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David Poland

By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com

Posted Saturday, October 29th, 2005 - 31 Comments »

Early Friday Estimates – 10/29/05

Horror Porn is a hot category and Lions Gate is the king of the genre.
Saw, Cabin Fever, House of 1000 Corpses, box office disappointments Undead and Haute Tension, The Devil

31 Comments »

31 Responses to “Early Friday Estimates – 10/29/05”

  1. PandaBear says:
    October 29, 2005 at 7:49 pm

    Saw 2. Going to make a fortune.

  2. Crow T Robot says:
    October 29, 2005 at 7:53 pm

    Saw III: Oct 2006. Thanks America.
    If I run out of vomit can I borrow some of yours?

  3. Wrecktum says:
    October 29, 2005 at 9:21 pm

    The only sure thing niches that open:
    1) Horror with scary trailers
    2) Lowbrow comedies with funny trailers
    3) Family animation (CGI need only apply)
    Anything else is a risk.

  4. PandaBear says:
    October 29, 2005 at 9:28 pm

    Astute analysis, Wrecktum, but flawed. Nothing is assured of opening well. That’s the business. If it was like you said you would see those 3 every single week.

  5. HenryHill says:
    October 29, 2005 at 9:46 pm

    If Prime was meant for adults, why is it rated PG-13? Are studios so desperate to squeeze money out of teenagers that they would make sure they could get into a movie that holds no real appeal for them? Prime should’ve been a sexy R-rated comedy. This is the same problem I had with 2004′s Something’s Gotta Give. The movie was so busy trying to appeal to everyone–wink-wink nudity, Keanu Reeves–that I just felt the movie was made by test marketing. Wouldn’t a smart movie about older people enjoying sex been far superior than seeing Jack’s ass?

  6. Wrecktum says:
    October 29, 2005 at 10:03 pm

    “Astute analysis, Wrecktum, but flawed. Nothing is assured of opening well. That’s the business. If it was like you said you would see those 3 every single week.”
    Of course you’re right. I was being provocative.
    But, I do think that trying to market to elusive niches (tweens, 35+ women, “urban”, NASCAR dads, etc) doesn’t work. The studios shouldn’t even bother.

  7. Terence D says:
    October 29, 2005 at 10:11 pm

    We are now going to be seeing Saw 3 thru Saw 10:The Resurrection. Horror movies churn out sequel upon sequel.

  8. Wrecktum says:
    October 29, 2005 at 10:17 pm

    ^ Yup. “Saw” is now a bankable franchise name. Expect “Circular Saw” on Halloween weekend, 2013.

  9. BluStealer says:
    October 29, 2005 at 10:19 pm

    I don’t mind a little horror film. They’re cheap to make. Give a good ride for 90 minutes and are enjoyable. What more do you want from them? They’re also highly profitable which means more and more. Haley Joel Osment as Jigsaw. Saw 8.

  10. Crow T Robot says:
    October 29, 2005 at 10:33 pm

    “Expect “Circular Saw” on Halloween weekend, 2013″
    Oh yes… there will be hacks.

  11. MattM says:
    October 29, 2005 at 10:47 pm

    Yep, you can already count on “Saw 3″ next October, because in one day at the box office, the movie’s ALREADY hugely into the black. (IMDB has an estimated budget of 4M, and while there was solid P&A, it wasn’t a saturation level.)

  12. Stella's Boy says:
    October 29, 2005 at 11:17 pm

    I love a good horror flick, but I don’t think Saw and Saw II qualify.

  13. BluStealer says:
    October 30, 2005 at 12:02 am

    Can Uwe Boll direct Saw 3?

  14. The Premadator says:
    October 30, 2005 at 12:29 am

    I keep seeing this name ‘Ewe Boll.’ I look him up on the imdb and I still don’t know who he is. What sacred thing did this guy ruin that makes him so hated?

  15. joefitz84 says:
    October 30, 2005 at 12:51 am

    He’s doing the Godfather remake next.

  16. Bodhizefa says:
    October 30, 2005 at 1:03 am

    I guessed $28-31 million for Saw II and $16 million for Zorro. Go me, woohoo!

  17. Sanchez says:
    October 30, 2005 at 1:22 am

    Saw II was a good sequel. Scary and gory. I like this Jigsaw guy.

  18. The Premadator says:
    October 30, 2005 at 1:34 am

    Godfather? Never heard of it. Old European film?

  19. SpamDooley says:
    October 30, 2005 at 1:36 am

    I do not understand- people were cheering last night at the Grove for SAW.
    People hate Zorro now.
    Nic Cage’s career is in the shitter (2 bombs in a row).
    When you live in horrifying Bush times you want horror. It is that simple.
    My name is SPAM DOOLEY and I FEED my people.

  20. Krazy Eyes says:
    October 30, 2005 at 1:56 am

    Wow . . . DOOM is off a huge 77%. I guess that backs up that all the gaming fans went the opening weekend and now there’s no one left who wants to see it.
    What the largest 2nd-weekend drop for a major release film this year?

  21. KamikazeCamelV2.0 says:
    October 30, 2005 at 6:31 am

    This year? I think it’ll be Doom by the end of the weekend. Other than that?… Stealth? I’m not sure.
    The result for Saw is indicitive of the Austin Powers effect. Except the original was successful as well. But whatever.
    I think the makers of Saw II though actually deserve some praise. They made this one with a budget of $4million! How many high-profile sequels (horror ones included) can claim that? And now they’ve trrebbled that on opening DAY. Everything after today is gravy.
    I can’t wait for Wolf Creek to open here. It’s apparently the scariest movie in quite a while. And legitimate scary. Not HERE’S AN OUT OF TUNE VIOLIN SCREECHING!!!!!
    And, it’s odd but I sort of like the idea of a remake of The Hills Have Eyes. The original isn’t very “horrifying” by todays standards. It could be interesting.

  22. jeffmcm says:
    October 30, 2005 at 6:44 am

    They could have bought a VHS camera, put some mimes in front of it for 90 minutes, and released it to theaters under the name Saw II and still made $20 million.
    Plus it’s easy to make a cheap horror movie. $4m represents a tripling of the budget of the original.
    I was very intrigued by the trailer for Hostel, which looks like an actual horror movie, which Cabin Fever was not.

  23. Jeffrey Boam's Doctor says:
    October 30, 2005 at 7:33 am

    thanks SAW2. i made a freaking fortune this weekend. owned.

  24. EDouglas says:
    October 30, 2005 at 12:20 pm

    “There was also a clear influence in the Asian horror craze, which just keeps topping itself, from the teen massacre of Battle Royale to the acupuncture needles of Audition to the mass suicide that opens Suicide Club. ”
    That said. Three…Extremes which is far sicker than Saw II’s goriest moments…is going to be an unmitigated bomb for Lions Gate. They shouldn’t have opened it against Saw II :)

  25. EDouglas says:
    October 30, 2005 at 12:32 pm

    Uwe Boll directed the movie House of the Dead, which came out after 28 Days Later and before Dawn of the Dead, based on the video game and then he just started doing one video game movie after another.
    This year’s classic bad Uwe Boll movie was Alone in the Dark with Christian Slater, Tara Reid and Steven Dorff (the cast alone should have sent up warning signals) and his next one is Bloodrayne with no less than Sir Ben Kingsley (I’m just waiting for the British tabs to reveal that he’s doing all these bad movies to support a cocaine habit…I’m sure Kate Moss would love that!)…and Boll already has two more video game movies lined up including one which we just learned is going to be released in two parts Kill Bill style next Nov/Dec (possible Oscar contender? snicker)…it’s called…sit down for this…
    In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (and then probably something like Episode One and TWo?)
    Uwe Boll is the genre director who genre fanboys like AICN and Chud and Joblo love to trash…and yet…he still gets new gigs like clockwork (usually signs a new deal just before his most recent project is shown to anyone)

  26. MattM says:
    October 30, 2005 at 2:08 pm

    BOM has a chart of biggest second-weekend drops of all time. Biggest drop of all time actually is from this year–”Undiscovered” plummeted nearly 87% its second weekend, on 754 screens. If “Doom” stays at 77% drop, that puts it in the Top 10, right between “Steel” and “From Justin to Kelly.”
    Biggest “superwide” drop of the year, interestingly? “Land of the Dead,” which was off 73% weekend to weekend.

  27. Chucky in Jersey says:
    October 30, 2005 at 6:37 pm

    Double your pleasure, double your fun! “Stay” is off 77.6% and “Doom” is off 73.8%.

  28. The Premadator says:
    October 30, 2005 at 7:24 pm

    Edouglas, a very enlightening post on Mr. Ewe Boll. Thanks. With all of his talentless enthusiasm I guess he would be the Gen-Y version of Ed Wood. Funny how talent is secondary in this town. My pal at Lion’s Gate told me yesterday that they pretty much bought up every Japanese horror movie and obscure video game they could make a buck off of. I love this town.

  29. David Poland says:
    October 30, 2005 at 7:34 pm

    Uwe Boll is the next generation Paul W.S. Anderson

  30. The Premadator says:
    October 31, 2005 at 12:35 am

    Tell that to Boll and he’ll probably start hugging you.

  31. KamikazeCamelV2.0 says:
    November 1, 2005 at 7:02 am

    I love how Uwe Boll is releasing a movie in two parts. Is it possibly for a film to gross nothing? Like, literally, to have nobody show up to any screening anywhere in the country?

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