1. Shrek Forever After Will Win, But Will the 3-D Dollars Roll in?
There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Shrek Forever After is capable of a $100m + opening. Heck, the third one opened at a massive $121m, and that was without the 3-D price gouging gimmick. Thus, the numbers suggest that this version should open above $135m, as the 3-D prices are at least $2 more per ticket. But take a look at May 27, 2007 — the day the Shrek franchise died. Shrek the Third dropped 56 percent, getting drilled by the final Pirates of the Caribbean. Children and families haven’t had anything to watch since How to Train Your Dragon. If Shrek Forever After makes $80m it means the general public is through with the big green ogre. Anything above $110m means we’re all suckers for marketing. A result in-between? Let the battle for public perception begin!
4. Sex and the City 2 is the Only Game in Town.
We all know that major studios love, in order:
1. Comic book films
2. Action films
3. Sequels
4. CGI
5. 3-D
Sex and the City 2 only nails one of these requirements, and the first one didn’t have any, so it’s a miracle it was greenlit at all. It’s also the only film of the summer that every single woman I know has asked me for a ticket for. Women, for some odd reason, don’t get many titles produced just for them. Because of that, Sex and the City 2 will bring in every female on the block, no matter the quality of the product. I can’t see it being a date night, but it won’t matter. It’s every superhero movie wrapped into one for the ladies. I don’t know whether to disparage the lack of balance at the cinema… or applaud Warner Bros. for exploiting a market inefficiency.
3. Naomi Watts Drinks Your Milkshake. She Drinks it Up.
As I sat there in Woody Allen’s latest film, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger I thought to myself, “Naomi Watts is the best thing about this movie.” And then it occurred to me. I’ve had that thought before. Naomi Watts has been nominated for one Oscar (21 Grams), but she may have the best resume of any actor under 45. She’s now worked with Woody Allen, Peter Jackson, David Cronenberg, David O. Russell, David Lynch, and Doug Liman. If she adds The Coen Bros. and Paul Thomas Anderson to the resume I’m pretty sure she wins a set of steak knives. But seriously, could it be that Naomi Watts is the best actor of her generation? She picks both big budget and indie fare. She’s always different characters. And she’s always good! Naomi Watts is a forced to be reckoned with. Can you think of a better person to take over for Meryl Streep? I realize it’s an upset, and we couldn’t have seen it coming, but we’ve got to accept it. She’s taking over. Long live Naomi.
You have to feel for Megan Fox. When Michael Bay drops you, apparently for your attitude, something has gone terribly wrong. After all, this was the guy that bragged about “having a direct line to the pentagon” on a DVD commentary, so he’s not exactly basking in cool points. The craziest part of this story is that they are looking at Gemma Arterton for Transformers 3, another gal who hasn’t proven she can act yet.
But back to our topic, where will Megan Fox go next? She needs a role where she’s not a sex object, but her persona is built around being a sex object. My advice? Read the list of directors Naomi Watts has worked with, and pick one of them. Make it about the work, and stop giving “candid” interviews. You can still make it through this, Megan. It’s not too late to stop being a celebrity, and start being an actor.
2. Alice in Wonderland is the Great Untold Story of 2010.
Only five films in the history of cinema have made more money than Alice in Wonderland (not adjusted for inflation). Isn’t that amazing? Released in the sleepy month of March, utilizing post-production 3-D, and cashing in on a vanilla script, Alice in Wonderland made double in the international markets. $650m overseas means that we can expect a ton more films that don’t require difficult subtitling. Clash of the Titans is another solid example of a film geared toward the international market. It’s 3-D from here on out. Unless Shrek Forever After fails. Then we’ve got a chance!
On that note, I hope you all have a great weekend, full of of no ogres at all.
Check out last week’s Movie Musings here
Laremy is the lead critic and senior producer for a website named Film.com. He’s also available on Twitter.
