Monday Morning Mixer: '80s redux
Posted Monday, February 17, 2014 at 11:34 AM Central
Last updated Monday, February 17, 2014 at 11:36 AM Central
by John Couture
If you were a 1980s movie looking for a remake, then this was your lucky weekend. Not one, not two, but three 1980s films debuted remakes this weekend at the box office.
Ironically (or perhaps not), not a single one of them topped the box office.
Excuse me while we take a break from our non-stop Olympics coverage, but I felt that it was a time for a break. I mean, we can't simply report on the Olympics 24/7, can we? I mean, we're not an NBC network.
What? Oh, we are? Sort of? OK then, well after this brief respite, we will get back to our Olympics coverage. But until then, enjoy a little news about everything else happening in the entertainment world.
Box Office 411
While the United States and Russia got into the spirit of the weekend and partied like it was 1980 with a hockey game for the ages, it was an original movie that maintained its hold on the box office crown. The Lego Movie finished on top for the second consecutive weekend bringing in almost $49 million. You add that to last weekend's $69 million haul and some nice weekday numbers and The Lego Movie has already stashed away $129 million and looks to be a lock to finish above $200.
I would like to take this moment to publicly apologize to Tim. He was the only one to lobby for this film when we did our annual top box office films and he was right. He only had it making $165 million, but he did have it listed in 7th place. I think he might get there with the standing, but the total is going to be much higher.
I'm not really sure how we completely whiffed on this one, but it seems that it was another case of a perfect storm ala Frozen. Here's a tip for next year, don't discount the power of animated family films.
Among the '80s reboots, the top honors went to About Last Night which took home $27 million. To put that into perspective, the original Rob Lowe starrer only made a total of $38.7 million. The remake should conquer that total by hump day. Now, that's at least a bit ironic.
The much ballyhooed remake of Robocop only managed to fill its coffers with $21.5 million, good enough for third place. This film did get an early jump on the competition and has banked $26.4 million, but it is still a far cry short of the original's $54 million. While the new film should eventually overtake its namesake, I have a hard time believing that they'll be quick to green light any sequels any time soon.
The last '80s remake was Endless Love. What did have an end though was the audience's tolerance of flippant remakes. This film only scared up $13.4 million at the box office and it seems as though it will struggle to make $30 million.
Quick Hitters
In news that probably shocked no one, Ellen Page announced over the weekend that she is gay. Naturally, we have nothing but the upmost respect for Ellen and her decision to come out like she did. However, I guess it's a reflection on just how far that we've come in respect to understanding and tolerance on this issue, I generally thought she was already open and out in her sexuality.
Either way, congrats to Ellen! Much like Michael Sam and his announcement earlier in the week, she is still a wonderful actress (and he a great football player) and this changes nothing in that regard. Bravo!
In case you happened to miss this little gem that Tim tweeted over the weekend, here's a great video that goes into the process that Criterion uses to restore and prepare a film for DVD/Blu-ray release. If there's one thing that digital download can't duplicate, it's the beauty and artistic value of owning a Criterion DVD or Blu-ray.
GIZMODO - Film Restoration at Criterion Collection from Gizmodo on Vimeo.
Well, I should probably leave you on that note. It's a long week ahead for Tim and I, but we promise to check in from time to time. We have our annual summit with the studios this week, so you may want to keep an eye on our Twitter feed this week for a scoop or two.
Until next week, mix well!