Snakes on a Plane” arrived in theaters as that very rare commodity in Hollywood – a sure thing.
Except it wasn’t.
“Plane” rode a wave of Internet and press buzz for months before its opening, but when the film finally hit theaters few people actually went out and saw it.
Let’s face it. Half the public probably felt like they had already seen it – they read every story and heard Samuel L. Jackson’s allegedly famous line a dozen times already.
No one drops an “MF-bomb” like Mr. Jackson.
Plus, the film’s subject matter didn’t exactly draw in females or older movie goers, all signs the film’s studio should have seen a mile away.
Will the same fate befall “Watchmen?”
Again, the buzz couldn’t be more electric about the screen adaptation of Alan Moore’s legendary comic book series, but we’re dealing with superheroes who only resonate with a fraction of the comic book crowd.
Everyone knows Batman, Spidey and The Hulk. But the same can’t be said about Dr. Manhattan or Silk Spectre.
The film also boasts a hard-R rating, which means the teens will have to get creative in order to see it.
The WWTW prediction – $40 million the first weekend then the film’s profits will drop off the cliff.
UPDATE: I may have spoken too soon. The film opens this weekend with NO competition, which gives it an excellent chance at big $$$. And Kyle Smith raves about it over at The New York Post today.
(Photo: The “Watchmen” cometh … but will movie goers care?)
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
i don’t entirely agree with you because i have been surprised before. R rated in films in recent years have done well especially a little film called ‘300′ that just so happens was directed by the the same person as this film. the funny thing about 300 is that most critics hated it and it was expected to do nothing at the box office and it was a huge hit. it is obvious that ‘watchmen is not going to do the same business as the more mainstream comic movies but i think we will be surprised but then again i could be totally wrong because i thought ‘Grindhouse’ was going to be big boy was i wrong
Your missing some very substantial differences.
Snakes On A Plane became an internet meme because of its self-evident absurdity. The title alone was rediculous and led to much mocking. Sam Jackson’s punchline took it to another level. But that’s all it ever was. A joke. A joke about a lame idea trying to be bad ass. Why anyone thought this would translate to people actually going to SEE the movie escapes me.
Watchmen is something else. The buzz on the internet is generated by people (like me) that care about the property. Watchmen truly is the most celebrated comic of all time. The runners up (and there are many) aren’t even close. For comic geeks, it is Godfather, Kane and Gone with the Wind rolled into one. The internet buzz has,, from the start, been about conflicting emotions concerning the obvious pitfalls involved in making such a beloved story. The film may well fail – this is not the easiest movie to make or market- but it will be for reasons entirely different from Snakes On a Plane.
Ummmm..Snakes on a Plane was NOT a cult-classic comic book. Never understimate the power of fanboys. The fact is that many critics are going to this film without an inch of interests in graphic novels, so they’re thrown for a loop with the visual aspect and storyline. BUT Grindhouse’s box office was a HUGE surprise considering it was the best thing out at the time but the A.D.D generation couldn’t sit still for a few hours. Anything could happen but I wouldn’t dimiss Watchmen just yet.
I’m still rooting for “Watchmen” — and I’ll be happy if it does well since it’s clearly an ambitious project. I compared “Snakes” and “Watchmen” because each arrived in theaters with more than just the usual marketing machinery. Each had a life of its own … one via the snarky setup, the other based on its comic book bona fides.
Both seemed like sure fire smashes. One wasn’t … we’ll see what happens this weekend.
I don’t think buzz is a bad thing. Frankly, soaking in the movie buzz, to me, is part of what makes movies special — that anticipating as you settle into your seat.
And yeah, even though it was flawed I can’t believe “Grindhouse” stiffed so badly. I could have never predicted that.
And MisterD — thanks for your post … and your passion. I hope the movie lives up to your expectations … and dodges your fears about what it might be.
I’m not sure if I have some sort of deep psychological phallophobic problem, but I really liked Snakes on a Plane. On the other hand, the thought of a giant computer-generated penis flopping at me on the giant screen doesn’t do it for me.
Give me a few hours at SF Comicon, and I could probably come up with a stack of comic books higher than myself that were better than Watchmen.
Watchmen is a parody. Is Galaxy Quest greater than Star Trek?
A few of the many superior tales:Walt Simonson’s Amazing Thor with his Ragnarok tale.Chris Claremont’s X-men frequentlyMuch of the Amazing and Spectacular Spiderman collectionsElfquestDays of Future Past
And thats just largely from Marvel Comics which leaves out DC and the whole raftload of independents.
Lets put it another way…Batman or Rorschack?Wolverine or Rorschach?Phoenix (either version) or Dr. Manhattan?Molecule Man (heh) or Dr. Manhattan?The Joker or The Comedian?The Spectre or Dr. Manhattan?Punisher or Rorschach?Dr. Doom or Ozymandias?Magneto or Ozymandias?
Remember comic fans, if you support drek, the movies will be glad to serve it to you because drek is easier to make.
Hm.
Some valid points here. I do disagree that the Moore series is a parody, however, save in a Modernist sense: it does comment on tradition costumed superhero story structure in an ironic fashion.
In this regard, as well as it being a closed-ended story, it probably should not be compared to the excellent, but open-ended, runs by Mssrs. Simonson, Claremont, (Miller, Bendis), et al.
~ Dagnabbitt
If Watchmen flops, the most apt comparison won’t be S.O.A.P (which, as several people have pointed out, didn’t have any pre-existing following prior to the internet hype), it would be Serenity. Like Watchmen, serenity was based on an established property with a great many slathering fanboys behind it. Despite this, it pretty much flopped at the box office.
My prediction for Watchmen? I don’t think it has the mainstream crossover appeal needed to be a big hit. Big opening weekend, followed by an extremely steep drop-off. It won’t be anywhere near a Dark Knight-level hit, and might not even manage to turn a profit.