Rock of Ages might be one of Tom Cruise's best films ever. He sings, he dances and he proves, once again, that he can act. However, it seems none of that is relative. So far, people are staying away from the film in droves. The movie's opening weekend numbers were nowhere near expectations. Producers and film backers were looking for at least $20 million, to match the numbers pulled in a few years back by Hairspray. Instead, they got a disappointing $15.1 million.
Billed as "the best musical in years", people thought the Tom Cruise vehicle would easily out distance its competition. It didn't. In fact, it didn't even come close. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted continued to dominate at the box office. It brought in another $35.5 million to add to an already impressive total.
Rock of Ages couldn't even beat out Prometheus, the interesting Alien prequel, which dropped significantly in numbers in week two. The latter film pulled the numbers the former wanted to pull—$20.2 million.
In truth, however, the summer movie fare so far hasn't been as anticipated. There have been hits, like The Avengers, and massively solid films like Men in Black 3, Snow White and the Huntsman and Madagascar 3. But overall, the box office hasn't totally exploded.
Of course, some of the biggest summer films haven't hit the big screens as of yet. The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man should do very well. A few are even betting Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter will hold a few surprises. But are they right or is it more wishful thinking?
G.I. Joe: Retaliation decided not to find out. The film got shelved until next summer after Battleship failed to draw numbers anywhere near those of The Avengers. Whether or not that was a smart move is, as of yet, unknown. Anticipation for the sequel was high. It may die out before the film actually hits theaters.
While Washington D.C. can spin the truth all it wants, the continuing sluggish economy is making Americans very picky about how they spend their money. Sadly, it doesn't seem that expensive films are making the average family budget. To break in there, movies need to appeal to everyone in the family. Good films geared to a single age group, just aren't going to cut it for many.
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Comments: 6
Prometheus is one I'm also interested in seeing. Spider Man may not do as well as anticipated - I understand the movie isn't following the standard in the comics. This may turn some off before it hits the screen.
I wanted to see Rock of Age. What held me back? Tom Cruise. I'm sorry, even though I heard he was wonderful in the movie I am not a TC fan. If anyone else had been in his role I would have gone to see it...Perhaps Tom's "star" has faded...?
Ditto on all counts!