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Who watches the Watchmen? Well, quite a few people this weekend, as expected, but not quite as many as I’m sure Warner Bros., DC Comics, and Legendary Pictures were hoping would.
Here’s the breakdown of the box office numbers from ‘Watchmen’ this past weekend, as compiled by David Pierson of the Los Angeles Times:
Superhero blockbuster “Watchmen” dominated the weekend box office by grossing an estimated $55.7 million, scoring the biggest opening of any film this year.
The much-anticipated adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel of the same name cements the draw of director Zack Snyder, who also directed the hit “300.”
Although there was some industry expectation that it would do so, “Watchmen” fell short of matching the $70.9 million that “300″ took in during its opening weekend in March 2007. (for Pierson’s full article on ‘Watchmen’ dominating the weekend box office, click HERE)
I had a feeling this might happen after seeing the sparse crowd outside the theater where I saw the film at 8:50PM on Opening Night. Yes, the room itself was full, but it should have been packed SOLID and sold out long before 8:50. Now it might have been a different story out at more popular theaters here in Orlando like AMC’s Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney or Cinemark’s Universal Cineplex at Universal Studios Citywalk. But at this AMC at Altamonte Springs, well, I remember seeing bigger crowds to see Taken with Liam Neeson earlier this year.
Pierson’s article gives a quote which is quite telling about Warner’s hopes for this film: “I actually hope so,” said Dan Fellman, president of theatrical distribution at Warner Bros. [when asked about the film's potential to win over broader audiences beyond the 'fanboys'] “I’m sure word of mouth will help.”
Seriously, listening to the crowd file out of the theater after the film was over, and hearing laughter, bewilderment, and frustration dominating people’s chatter, I can’t say I share Fellman’s optimism.
Stumble It!
