March
12
ShoWest: The $100 Million-Plus Honor Reel
ShoWest started off Tuesday with the annual Honor Reel of films that made over $100 million, 28 last year, starring Peter Parker, Harry Potter and Jack Sparrow, among others, with two from the Judd Apatow comedy factory, several big FX and comics flicks, musicals (Enchanted, Hairspray, and Alvin and the Chipmunks), and big animation titles like Ratatouille (which stuck out amid all the other stuff as a Quality Film) and The Simpsons. (Every one of the $100-million-plus club had some digital playdates as well.) There were seven $200-million-plus pics, and four that grossed over $300 million.
While these films may have grossed a lot, they didn't all return pots of money, because some, like Evan Almighty and Blades of Glory, were very expensive. Rush Hour 3 ended up making up for its lackluster b.o. on DVD. I was also struck by how many movies appealed to adults as well as kids. (One Sony exec explained that the current Vantage Point did as well as it did by playing to the boomer crowd.)
And there are a few stars left in the Hollywood firmament, it seems: Depp, Cage (with two biggies), Willis and Smith among them, and in the comedy world, Carrell and Sandler.
300 reminded me that we should expect a rash of imitators to turn up soon.
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"...some, like Evan Almighty and Blades of Glory, were very expensive..."
Anne, I see your point, but citing the extraordinarily costly EVAN in the same phrase with the somewhat extravagant BLADES is misleading.
Posted by: Griff | March 13, 2008 at 06:48 AM