October
12
Weekend Boxoffice: Michael Clayton vs. Elizabeth
It's George Clooney as a fixer lawyer in Michael Clayton vs. Cate Blanchett as the mighty monarch Elizabeth this weekend. Clayton racked up wondrous review rankings (Metacritic: 82) and early numbers and should continue to build word-of-mouth with smart adults, while Elizabeth is a rip-roaring swashbuckler which has plenty of spectacle and a great central performance. The tracking is strong for Elizabeth, but its reviews are lackluster, rating 45 on Metacritic. (Here's my column on Elizabeth producers Working Title.)
But it's a very crowded field, points out the NYT's David Carr, who is playing catch-up as he revs his engines before his November Carpetbagger relaunch.
Here's Variety's weekend preview. Fantasy Moguls and Colin Boyd, who thinks We Own the Night will be number one. On the other hand, that film doesn't register on Fandango:
Fandango Five – Ticket Sales (as of 10/12/07 9:00 a.m. PT)Movie Fandango User Rating %Fandango Sales
Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married “Must Go” 43%
Michael Clayton “Go” 8%
Elizabeth: The Golden Age “Go” 6%
The Game Plan “Must Go” 5%
Across the Universe “Go” 4%
Fandango Weekly Poll (as of 10/12/07 9:00 a.m. PT):
We Own the Night, starring Mark Wahlberg, opens this week. Of the following, which is your favorite Mark Wahlberg movie? The Departed 33%The Italian Job 31%
Boogie Nights 15%
Invincible 11%
Three Kings 5%
I Heart Huckabees 5%
Here's George Clooney's interview on Shootout:
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the dynamics here are interesting. i can't see clayton carrying a general audience. given a choice it seems a given that the public would rather see dress-up, ships, and ramped up elizabethan drama rather than the dress up, courtrooms, and long talky scenes in clayton
Posted by: Alan | October 12, 2007 at 12:19 PM