Posted by BoxOffice5 -Lee Tistaert --Previous Message--
on 3/6/2001, 8:12 pm
Well, Mexican was sort of a wild card in a way. It had the big Julia Roberts enrolled in the cast and also Brad Pitt (what a combo!). But from the first trailer out I knew this was going to be no Erin Brockovich; audience reaction was not that great and the film overall was not looking very interesting. It's a movie I'm bound to see one day but nothing I personally would rush out to. The Mexican didn't have what Brockovich offered, which I saw from a mile away. I don't think Roberts' name on the marquee was the big reason why Erin did so well at the box office, as I think it was a combination of several good aspects; a pretty good trailer, reviews, sneak previews, pre-word of mouth etc - One of the reasons why Runaway Bride achieved so much was partly due to its release date (summer), and also the re-uniting of Roberts and Richard Gere, along with a well-known director. The acting duo is one for an older crowd as well.
Mexican looks like it's actually targeting more of a younger crowd, while Runaway Bride and Erin Brockovich had a tendancy to fill in the seats with a more older audience. Roberts has the ability to pull in a teenager to a 50 year old, and Brad Pitt has really mastered the 15 - 25 crowd and scores well with the female crowd. The different actors involved paid a part in their performances, as Roberts and Gere attract a different audience than Roberts and Pitt.
Erin Brockovich also leans more to adults and so does Runaway Bride. Mexican's more of a romantic comedy for a younger audience. Perhaps its $20 million debut has convinced observers out there that she can bring in money no matter what product she's in, though she may not sell the young crowd as well as older moviegoers.
: Look at the cinemascores, mostly C's and
: mediocre reviews around the board from
: critics. There is a bottom level this
: movie could have done at the box office
: though, even with bad previews, the star
: power squeeked by the 20 million mark.
: For HSX players, I shorted this a week out
: when it was at 82 (28.2 million open) and
: expect this movie to have poor legs.
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