Girl With the Dragon Tattoo low BO makes sequels uncertain

[Blowfeld]

‘Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’s’ low box-office take leaves future of sequels a mystery

Read more:http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainmen ... -1.997870/
BY ETHAN SACKS
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Wednesday, December 28 2011, 1:37 PM

How exactly to judge "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo's" disappointing box-office start — and what it means for the prospects of filming the next two installments in the "Millenium" trilogy — is a mystery worthy of one of Stieg Larsson's thrillers.

On the surface, it appears to be a case of a high-profile murder at the multiplex, where David Fincher's film finished with $19.4 million over the four-day holiday weekend — a distant fourth behind "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol," "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked."

PHOTOS: BIGGEST MOVIE BOMBS

Considering all the traditional and social media buzz over Rooney Mara's Oscar-worthy performance as the heavily pierced and emotionally damaged heroine Lisbeth Salander leading up to the film's release last Tuesday, those numbers are a disappointment.

“You think it would be a presold property, but there is just so much competition for the intelligent moviegoing audience out there,” says Anne Thompson, lead blogger and editor of the “Thompson on Hollywood” blog. “What it does suggest is that there was no need to bring this out during Christmas because it's neither an Oscar contender nor a family-friendly movie.

“Honestly, this film would have been better off if they waited until February.”

Despite the circumstantial evidence, though, it may be premature to bury "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

"This is the week that adults come out and that's not necessarily the movie the people would have seen over Christmas," says Nikki Finke, founder and editor in chief of Deadline.com. "But from today all the way through next Monday is the adult time at movies and there isn't that much out for adults, with the exception of smaller movies like 'The Descendants.’ "



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainmen ... e-1.997870
"I think we have to wait a little bit longer to see how it does."

Sifting through the clues, there were a number of factors that hurt "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." R-rated movies don't do as well as PG-13 movies because the rating keeps out younger teens, one of the biggest segments of the ticket-buying audience over the weekend. The movie's long running time, two hours and 38 minutes, meant fewer screenings per theater. Seeing a movie with a graphic rape sequence may not have been how many moviegoers wanted to spend their Christmas or Chanukah. And it was a crowded field of movies at the multiplex for the holiday season.

“All these movies are going to be out there cannibalizing each other,” Matt Damon told the Daily News while promoting his own entry into the free-for-all, "We Bought a Zoo." "I don't think Christmas Day you're going to want to take your 13-year-old to see ‘Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.’ Now Christmas night, I'll go to ‘Dragon Tattoo’ after I put the kids down. I literally can’t wait for the movie."

Most damning, however, is that the huge audience (Damon aside) who bought Larsson's books didn't turn out in droves — possibly because there was a perfectly good Swedish film adaptation of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," starring Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist.

"The adult audience that liked the book saw the Swedish movie and I don't think there was pent-up demand for this version," says Finke.

The fact is "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" could still rebound, says Finke. Word of mouth on social media sites is mostly positive. The movie won't open in the majority of world markets until January, and this is an era where a tentpole movie can make 80% of its money overseas.

“The sequel will be determined by a., how well it does this week and b., how well it does overseas,” says Thompson.

For its part, Sony says the studio hasn't broken stride developing the script for the planned sequel, "The Girl Who Played With Fire," the second installment in Larsson's best-selling series.

"[The film] is off to a good start and it's just going to get better with every day through the rest of the holiday season and well into the new year," Sony distribution chief Rory Bruer told TheWrap.

esacks@nydailynews.com



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainmen ... e-1.997870

[FormerBondFan]

I hope Skyfall ends up in the same fate as Dragon Tattoo at the box office.

[katied]

I remember that there were hopes that all 3 of the Golden Compass books would be made into movies, but the less than stellar box office, the "controversy" about it being anti-religion, and the fact that they changed a lot of things

Spoiler

The movie had a lot happier ending than the book

for one thing meant that it was a failure. Looks like that's what's happening with TGWTDT.

[bjmdds]

Cr-egg is what happened to the film. Nobody wants to spend money looking at him.

[Dr. No]

I remember that there were hopes that all 3 of the Golden Compass books would be made into movies, but the less than stellar box office, the "controversy" about it being anti-religion, and the fact that they changed a lot of things

Spoiler

The movie had a lot happier ending than the book

for one thing meant that it was a failure. Looks like that's what's happening with TGWTDT.

I think this is the thing about Tattoo, Golden Compass was supposed to be another trilogy they had to make. I mean "had to" I remember the critics saying not to worry there will be sequels and it never happened. I guess anything can kill a series if they do not think it will make money. I am surprised Percy Jackson (BTW I liked Pierce in ..B) and Narnia are coming back.
I guess if it does not do much better they may cancel it I think it would be a shame but.....

I looked up the first / Original movie and it did very well considering it cost $13 million. Maybe this is because they are essentially remakes of modern films.

My wife likes the books but thought he should look more middle aged and more out of shape like college professor. Kind of Gil Grissom-y

Someone said they like Craig because his acting in this was cold and dark. like what deos he do that is not cold and dark

I guess if it is not the big hit of the winter they might reconsider the sequels. Too bad because there are too many trilogys not finished and some that are that should not be.

[katied]

Yeah,I remember all of the talk about all of the Golden Compass books being made. Because they were SO sure that it was going to be a hit. And it wasn't.

[Dr. No]

Yeah,I remember all of the talk about all of the Golden Compass books being made. Because they were SO sure that it was going to be a hit. And it wasn't.

What was the other one? Golden Compass was one that they said had to have the sequels, um Oh Avatar last Air Bender, the director was so sure he had a hit he was talking about things he left out of the first movie to include in the second.

[katied]

I'm not sure the world can take very many more M Night Shamalamadingdong movies.Especially if they're crappy ones.

[shaken not stirred]

I'm not sure the world can take very many more M Night Shamalamadingdong movies.Especially if they're crappy ones.

Waht a twist .

[FormerBondFan]

I'm not sure the world can take very many more M Night Shamalamadingdong movies.Especially if they're crappy ones.

Waht a twist .

What happens if Shamalamadingdong directs Bond 24?

[007]

I'm not sure the world can take very many more M Night Shamalamadingdong movies.Especially if they're crappy ones.

Waht a twist .

What happens if Shamalamadingdong directs Bond 24?

It would have aliens in it and he'd give himself a cameo.

[katied]

Oe the twist will be that

Spoiler

he was a ghost all along

[Omega]

A buddy of mine saw Girl with the Tattoo last weekend and he liked it a lot, but said it wasn't for anyone under 30. He also said he knows it wasn't a big hit because the theater had only a dozen people there at prime time. Bottom line is he thinks they made a really good movie and would be bummed if they didn't make the sequels. He has seen the Original movies and likes the Girl from that movie better, and thought it was a toss up for Craig and the original although he thinks Craig might be better. The remake was little more adult themed.

What I'm thinking is they over shot the audience they were looking for, is it is so graphic that it really isn't for younger set, which too many of us were put it to harms way by our government, then what the hell were they thinking? I dunno

How is it doing everywhere else?

[Omega]

I'm not sure the world can take very many more M Night Shamalamadingdong movies.Especially if they're crappy ones.

Waht a twist .

What happens if Shamalamadingdong directs Bond 24?

I am not so sure he is not directing Bond 23 with all the talks of twists

It would have aliens in it and he'd give himself a cameo.

http://www.collegehumor.com/video/62810 ... -shyamalan
I can never get this video link to work here...here goes nothing
[BBvideo 425,350]http://www.collegehumor.com/video/62810 ... shyamalan/[/BBvideo]

[BBvideo 425,350]http://www.collegehumor.com/video:6281085[/BBvideo]

[video]http://www.collegehumor.com/video/62810 ... -shyamalan[/video]

[Blowfeld]

Sony Going Ahead With ‘Dragon Tattoo’ Sequels Despite Underperforming Box Office
By NIKKI FINKE | Sunday January 8, 2012 @ 4:59pm PSTTags: Steig Larsson Millenium Trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest, The Girl Who Played With Fire
Comments (1)

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures is not known for risky moves. So all through the holidays rival studio execs were predicting that Amy Pascal et al would not go forward with the 2nd and 3rd film installments of Steig Larsson’s bestselling Millennium-trilogy The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest. That opinion was based on the mediocre opening for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Sure its domestic debut was significantly behind M:I4 and Sherlock 2, but it’s R-rated and both of those are PG-13. Then overseas grosses, expected to be huge, began trickling in underwhelming. GWDT opened only 3rd in the UK, and disappointing in Asia, and “not as good as hoped for” in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Now I’ve learned that Sony Pictures is indeed going forward with The Girl Who Played With Fire already written by Steve Zallian, and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets’ Nest which Zallian is penning. Studio chief Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin have not yet locked in David Fincher as director. But they’re looking to start shooting #2 by the end of this year/beginning of next. Overseas Sony now expects GWDT to do over $200M — so $300M all in globally. “And that’s a really good number,” the Sony exec told me hopefully. But one mogul counters, “The surprising part is that Sony is not waiting to see if the movie works overseas before going forward with the sequels. I would have.”

Right now Dragon Tattoo has amassed a $76.8M domestic cume and should get very close to $100M because it’s holding better than any other holiday movie. Sony and rival studios believe the movie’s box office was hurt by that long brutal rape scene not appropriate for a Christmas release. (“It’s a notch too dark for that window,” one studio chief tells me. Agrees a top Sony exec, “It was too cocky of us. We might think about that next time.”) Counting against GWDT was that the Hollywood version of the bestselling book had already been made into a Swedish film widely distributed beginning in 2009. Plus Zallian and Fincher changed the first book’s ending. As for book #2, its challenge is that title character Lisbeth Salander played by Rooney Mara) isn’t much in it. But Sony has changed that, too, and Zallian’s script places her front and center again.