Kong performs below expectations on Opening day.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:07am

9 Million on it's first day. They seem to say it should do better, but I would have expected it to be much higher than 9 million on opening day...

Updated On: 12/16/05 at 11:07 AM

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:11am

This was discussed before inside some other KONG thread. The movie opened early, during a week that was not a holiday. Therefore the Wednesday Night and Thursday Afternoon grosses were lower than most other films that open on a Thursady of a holiday when people are out of work or school. The weekend should be a better indicator of the total interest in the movie.

Or, the movie is not going to be that big of a hit, because it is long and about KING KONG.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:16am

Well now several "critics" are calling the film racist...Ugh.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:19am

Yeah, why does the black ape have to die, huh?!

Calling it racist is like me calling all Cubans racist because they eat black beans.

I anticipate this film won't open well, but will hold steady...it has a great word of mouth, so I'm sure it will sell eventually -- even if it takes it longer than a harry potter film.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:20am

I think that's all the Drudge Report. Real film critics know that the original was waaaay worse in its racial implications.

If anything, Jackson has tempered the inherent racism of the story by, a) making the most noble member of the ship crew black, and b) being the first director to give Kong a reason to love Anne Darrow other than her just being a blond white girl.

If people are complaining about the natives (admittedly a problematic aspect of the story), Jackson made the natives insane and desperate in his version. Wouldn't you go insane too, if you lived on that hellish island?!

Updated On: 12/16/05 at 11:20 AM

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:21am

Well, a large snow-white ape just isn't as menacing.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:22am

I think the film can be a metaphor for racism, but calling the film itself racist is way off base.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:24am

I think the film is all about technology - at least the original. After all, Kong was happing feeding off the natives. Then they shut hm down with those flying technological advancements.

AKA Planes = the Devil.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:24am

I did find myself wondering how exactly so many of the natives had lived to such an old age, given the plethora of flesh eating beasties they shared the island with.

And 9 million in one day for a 187 minute movie is really not that bad.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:27am

I did find myself wondering how exactly so many of the natives had lived to such an old age, given the plethora of flesh eating beasties they shared the island with.

Hmmm, maybe they weren't old, they just aged prematurely from all that stress?

You know, the one thing that bothered me most about the movie was, where did Carl Denham find that map?! And why did he put so much trust in it? I don't think they ever explained that in the original, either.

I'm hoping the movie will pull off a SHREK 2: make a modest amount on the opening Wednesday, then hit it big with families and word-of-mouth on the weekend.

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:31am

Just wait, this weekend it will explode. And calling it racist is just ignorant and grasping for straws. Come on, how realistic would it be for them to travel to an island off the coast of africa and find white natives? Give me a friggin break. I am seeing it tonight and I can't WAIT!

[RobbO]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:34am

"Come on, how realistic would it be for them to travel to an island off the coast of africa and find white natives?"

that would be so cool if they found the cast of gilligan's island.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:37am

Umm, I certainly wasn't planning on seeing this based on the marketing. I feel that they could've done a much better job with that. Maybe they were expecting Peter Jackson's and the King Kong franchise names to sell it?

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 12:00pm

how can you refuse a movie based on marketing? What was so bad about it? I love marketing that doesn't give away any of the big points!

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 12:09pm

Interesting. It wouldn't surprise me if it performed below expectations because people are so burned out on huger-than-huge remakes.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 12:21pm

I don't think this means anything.

This was exam week for pretty much every high school in the country, a key demographic.

Wait for the weekend.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 12:53pm

And college.

I don't know, it's hard to explain, actually. I saw only one trailer and it just looked like a movie that would be nothing but special effects, and that's not my thing at all. Based on the reviews it's a lot more complex than that, but I didn't really get that from the marketing.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 1:08pm

Yeah, Universal definitely dropped the ball on this one. Jackson held up his end of the bargain: he produced a fine film. Universal's marketing team needs to emphasize that there's more here than meets the eye.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 1:08pm

I know I am seeing it with my family next week.

And THE PRODUCERS (I saw the OBC of THE PRODCUCERS - so it seems righ).

I can't wait!

The question is - will I even see RENT in the theatre?

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 1:10pm

Ditto what penguin and priest said -- and I would imagine Universal will have two or three different ad campaigns emerge for KING KONG over the coming weeks -- I'm sure at least one will focus on the "love" story - the film is one of the most emotional of the year.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 1:13pm

Let's not forget the original:

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 1:16pm

I went last night to the AMC on 42nd (my favorite theatre,) and all of the showings were sold out last night past like 7:00. It was completely packed and nearly miserable - people don't know how to behave in public anymore.

I know that's irrelevant to this thread, but people were talking on their phones (in spanish), text messaging the entire movie, talking, making noises, etc. Why do these people think it's okay for that to go on?

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 1:17pm

You've been too used to theatre audiences (Spamalot's excluded)...

I went to see HP...it made me miss theatre audiences.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 1:18pm

During my screening, the guy sitting next to me was mentally unstable: he kept talking loudly to himself about napkins. I thought he was on his cellphone, but apparently not. Others told him to shut up, but he wouldn't.

I'm going again this weekend for an unspoiled experience, hopefully.