41 replies to this topic

[solitaire]

'Alexander' Fails to Conquer U.S. Box Office


Conquering much of the world was a piece of cake for Alexander the Great. Conquering the North American box office is another thing.

"Alexander," director Oliver Stone's three-hour epic starring Irishman Colin Farrell as the youthful Macedonian warrior, opened at No. 6 with ticket sales of just $13.5 million for the three days beginning on Friday.

Since opening on Wednesday to get a jump-start on the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, the film has earned $21.6 million. The independently financed film, a dream project of Stone's for 15 years, reportedly cost more than $150 million to make.

Warner Bros. Pictures., a unit of Time Warner Inc., paid $35 million for North American rights from the film's producer, Intermedia Films, a unit of Munich-based IM Internationalmedia AG .

Nicolas Cage's action-adventure "National Treasure" was No. 1 for a second weekend with $33.1 million, followed by the animated superhero saga "The Incredibles" with $24.1 million. Both were distributed by Walt Disney Co., with the latter produced by Pixar Animation Studios Inc.

"Christmas with the Kranks," a holiday comedy starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis, opened at No. 3 with $22.7 million for the three days and a better-than-expected $32.0 million since its Wednesday bow. The film was distributed by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp.

"The Polar Express" held steady at No. 4 with $20.1 million in its third weekend, taking its total to $82.2 million. The Christmas cartoon was distributed by Warner Bros., which evenly split the $170 million production budget and marketing costs with real-estate heir Steve Bing.

Kids cartoon "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" fell three places to No. 5 with $17.8 million, for a 10-day total of $58.6 million. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.

[hrabb04]

Well, duh! This movie never had a chance!

[hrabb04]

Warner's has to be sweating this season. The Polar Express is not performing up to specs, either. They had better pray Ocean's 12 is a huge hit. I don't think it will do that well, personally. Clooney's star is definitely falling. Anyone up for Solaris 2?

[zencat]

An overlong movie in an unpopular genre about a vain, sleazy character in history by a vain, sleazy, unpopular director with a collection of vain, sleazy, unpopular stars.

All for the bargin price of $160 million.

What a shock.

[Tarl_Cabot]

brilliant point Zencat. I think "On any given sunday" is about the worst movie of the 21st cenry(DAD isn't far behind ). I think Stone is a leftist crackpot(don't mind BRILLIANT leftist crackpots, btw). I've alwats wanted to see an Great Alexander movie...the Dicaprio/scorcesse project sounds better...too bad it didn't happen.

[solitaire]

I love Oliver Stone. He's made some truly great films in the past,but this entire project was wrong the minute they casted Colin Farrell. I think he's a good actor,but was totally miscast as Alexander. He had no gravitas in the role,and he looked ridiculous with blond hair.

Oceans 12 better make a [censored]load of cash when it opens,or a lot of WB executives will be jumping out of windows really soon.

[Harmsway]

Warner's has to be sweating this season.  The Polar Express is not performing up to specs, either.  They had better pray Ocean's 12 is a huge hit.  I don't think it will do that well, personally.  Clooney's star is definitely falling.  Anyone up for Solaris 2?

Well they do have The Phantom of the Opera, which has been getting some great Oscar buzz, so that should be a modest hit. Ocean's 12, however, has been getting real negative buzz and reviews. I personally think it looks poor, and predict a strong opening weekend followed by a fast drop.

[Qwerty]

Warner's has to be sweating this season.  The Polar Express is not performing up to specs, either.  They had better pray Ocean's 12 is a huge hit.  I don't think it will do that well, personally.  Clooney's star is definitely falling.  Anyone up for Solaris 2?

Agreed. I never really loved Ocean's 11 either. Clooney just really isn't that enjoyable to watch act. I think it will be a minor hit that does fair, but it doesn't seem like it will be a huge money maker.

[Tarl_Cabot]

I love Oliver Stone. He's made some truly great films in the past

Besides 'Platoon' and 'Wall street', how many great films has he made?

I count zero.

[hrabb04]

I like JFK, but that is about it.

[Blofeld's Cat]

The only interest I've ever had in Alexander is that Vangelis did the score.

I read a newspaper article about this movie on the weekend, and scholars in Greece want to sue Stone for depicting Alexander as bi-sexual. Truth hurts, I guess.

[Blofeld's Cat]

Actually, now that I've read about it I'm also interested in seeing Rosario Dawson in the movie.

[SPECTRE ASSASSIN]

Uhh, what a dissapointing film. It could have been good, but it isn't. Colin Farrell is horribly miscast as Alexander. Stone should have went with an unknown. Now when historians think of Alexander the Great, they'll probably think Farrell (very bad). This was such a dull movie. Uninteresting characters, slow pacing was the nadir of this film. One of the biggest flops I've seen all year.

Grade: D+

[solitaire]

I love Oliver Stone. He's made some truly great films in the past

Besides 'Platoon' and 'Wall street', how many great films has he made?

I count zero.

If those are his best films,they alone make him a great director. However he's made a few great ones as well.

My list:

JFK
Platoon
Wall street
Nixon
Natural born killers


Alexander was mistake from the get go,but I have no doubt Oliver Stone will go on to make great films in the future.

[License To Kill]

Was Alexander really bisexual? Honestly?

[Simon]

I love Oliver Stone. He's made some truly great films in the past

Besides 'Platoon' and 'Wall street', how many great films has he made?

I count zero.

JFK, and have you seen U Turn. A cracking litle movie.

[Loomis]

Surprised no one's mentioned SALVADOR - great stuff. I also like NIXON and TALK RADIO (and WALL STREET, and a couple of others), but I think NATURAL BORN KILLERS is abysmal, and PLATOON never did anything for me.

As for ALEXANDER, I expect I'll check it out on DVD. BTW, Harry Knowles likes it: http://www.aint-it-c...ay.cgi?id=18886.

[Loomis]

I think "On any given sunday" is about the worst movie of the 21st cenry

Hmmm.... I like that one. Oh, and how could I have forgotten to mention HEAVEN & EARTH? A great movie.

[Blofeld's Cat]

Was Alexander really bisexual? Honestly?

Apparently so. Back in those days there were no social hang-ups at all about being bi- or homosexual either. This from the "historical advisors" used by Ollie to keep the biopic as accurate as possible.

Perhaps that's why the movie is so dull.

[Bondian]

I suppose anything can happen at a mass orgy!.

As you may well know, Greece were up-in-arms about the films portrayal of A. Great as homosexual.

Looks like they've bent over backwards to make it so!.

[Loomis]

Of course, one of cinema's great unanswered questions is: what would Stone's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II have been like? (I gather he was in talks to direct before John Woo was signed.)

[Simon]

Hmmm.... I like that one. Oh, and how could I have forgotten to mention HEAVEN & EARTH? A great movie.

Of course, Heaven and Earth, and Wall Street - splendid movies.

[Janus Assassin]

If Oceans Twelve fails... WB should call up the Wachowski Bros to make another Matrix

[solitaire]

An interesting article I found:

Alexander the (not so) Great fails to conquer America's homophobes
By John Hiscock in Los Angeles and James Burleigh
29 November 2004


It has been ridiculed by critics and shunned by cinema-goers but the latest film from the controversial director Oliver Stone has still managed to raise hackles across the US.

Alexander has proved to be the Thanksgiving weekend's biggest flop, and while it is a portrait of a legendary leader who ruled far-away lands more than 300 years before the birth of Christ, it has brutally exposed the cultural and moral divide which slices America in two.

The three-hour, big budget epic, starring Colin Farrell, Colin Farrell's shockingly bad blond hair-do and Angelina Jolie has dared to suggest what most historians have long taken for granted - that Alexander was bisexual. And that gets rather different responses in different parts of the US.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation says the $150m (

[Prav_007]

If Oceans Twelve fails... WB should call up the Wachowski Bros to make another Matrix

Oh God NO!!

[hrabb04]

Alexander is failing at the BO, not because people in America are homophobe, but because the movie sucks. It's not rocket science to figure that out

[Tarl_Cabot]

I love Oliver Stone. He's made some truly great films in the past

Besides 'Platoon' and 'Wall street', how many great films has he made?

I count zero.

JFK, and have you seen U Turn. A cracking litle movie.

I detested 'U-turn' and 'On Any Given Sunday'. I want those 4 hrs of my life back.

[TGO]

An overlong movie in an unpopular genre about a vain, sleazy character in history by a vain, sleazy, unpopular director with a collection of vain, sleazy, unpopular stars.

All for the bargin price of $160 million.

What a shock. 

Surely your not talking about Angelina Jolie and Rosario Dawson?

[Bondian]

Obviously this isn't (a great) movie then?.

[Qwerty]

Obviously this isn't (a great) movie then?. 

Just may be an understatement.