Jersey Girl does poor box office

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

On his website he said they earned 8 million for a 5th place finish this week at the box office. He was blabbering how thrilled he was and he is going to celebrate. But why? How can he honestly be happy with a 5th place finish on opening week? Like really, its all going to go downhill from here. Even with Dogma and J&SSB - he had a fairly strong opening because of his hardcore fans. But with these numbers, it sounds as though some of them decided to stay home or see something else. He went commercial to get new fans, but it seems as though he only lost some.

 

I don't know if this directs badly upon Smith or Affleck. I''m thinking more Affleck. He isn't nearly as funny as K Smith wants us to believe, and he is far too wooden to be considered anything more than mediocre in the drama department.

 

Maybe I just think Smith is a tool for selling out Lee for Fletch and despising Affleck for refusing to admit he's bald.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I think it reflects Affleck backlash but also there's a lot of Kevin Smith backlash for that horrible clown movie he did a few years ago.

 

Plus hyping this up as the next Chasing Amy promised that no one would want to see it. Everyone knew it couldn't live up to Chasing Amy so stayed home.

[Cartman 0]

I have heard nothing about this movie yet, but if it's anything close to being as good as the other Smith movies(I own all), it will sell lots of DVD's/Video's.

 

I think alot of people can't justify blowing 10 bucks on a movie like that when they can wait til it's out on video and pay 15 to own it or 4 bucks to rent it. It's not like LOTR or Star Wars or some shit that everyone HAS to see in the theater.

 

How much money did his other movie's make in the theaters?

[Downhome 0]

It reflects very bad on Affleck. If he doesn't get a few better roles pretty soon, he's going to be in real trouble.

 

As for Smith, I like how the critics have put it. This is the kind of movie that he would have made fun of ten years ago.

[2GOLD 0]

The movie did what it was expected for the number of theaters it was in. 8.3 million with a average of $5,463 is a solid opening, not outstanding but solid for the number of theaters.

 

The test will be how it does next week with the 200 theater expansion and the week after that when it hits 2000.

 

The movie will still get somewhere between $30-35 million which is what all of Kevin's top movies got.

 

It's a cute movie, that's about it. It's not a romantic comedy and it's not Jay and Silent Bob, but it's a cute film nonetheless.

 

It's about where I expected it to be and if anyone expected more than 10 million then they were kidding themselves.

[2GOLD 0]

How much money did his other movie's make in the theaters?

 

In order:

 

Clerks made 3 million with an opening of 236,000 but was only in like 90 theaters when it was at it's widests

 

Mallrats made 2.2 million with an opening of 1.1 but never got above 900 theaters.

 

Chasing Amy finished with 12 million with an opening weekend of 1.6 million but it never got above 600 theaters.

 

Dogma made 30.6 million with an 8.7 million opening off about 1300 theaters.

 

Jay and Silent Bob got 30 million with an 11 million opening and an open of above 2,500 theaters.

 

So this film is even with the Dogma opening of 8 million.

[Some Guy 0]

It reflects very bad on Affleck. If he doesn't get a few better roles pretty soon, he's going to be in real trouble.

 

As for Smith, I like how the critics have put it. This is the kind of movie that he would have made fun of ten years ago.

I think the poor box office is to be expected. Affleck is a polarizing fifure, some people just hate the guy for no reason, others love him (young girls mostly), J-Lo is another polarizing figure (Kevin Smith fans would be among those who hate her and Affleck too, if not for him being in 5 of the 6 View Askew movies), Liv Tyler is nothing special, Carlin is passe, and Smith went in a totally different direction with this flick. He tried to make his version of a chick flick, this no doubt pissed off the Jay and Silent Bob fans adn since all those who may actually like this movie have already written Smith off as a sophmoric dick and fart joke artist they won't go see it either.

 

If he could re-order his releases Chasing Amy (a blend of drama and dick and fart jokes or fisting and oral sex jokes to be more acurate) should have followed Jay and Bob Strike Back to set up the audience for Jersey Girl, as it stands an unsuspecting Smith fan would leave Jersey Girl saying "What the fuck is this shit?"

 

I saw the movie with my chick flick loving girlfriend last night and she cried three times (J Lo's death, Affleck's monologue to his infant daughter, and the corney ending). I thought Affleck and Carling were pretty good in the flick, the little girl was just another little girl in a movie and Liv Tyler was her typical self. I'll buy the dvd knowing that Smith, Affleck, and Mosier at least will give a good commentary.

 

Smith should have gone a little further with the humor, going for a soft-R as opposed to a PG-13. Smith's draw is his profantity laced dialogue, not shit filled diapers and uncleaned new borns (both of which were overkill, if I wanted to see baby covered with afterbirth, I'd have gone to the Science Mueseum.

[Guest Vitamin X]

The movie just looked absolutely awful, and it seems like this sort of thing has been done before. Big Daddy, anyone? And that was one of Sandler's worst comedies IMO as well...

[NoCalMike 0]

I wish Smith would end his love affair with Affleck.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Gigli

 

BOX OFFICE SUMMARY

Box Office Total: $5,660,084

Box Office Opening: $3,753,518

No. of Weeks in Top 10: 1

Highest Ranking: 8

[JasonX 0]

On his website he said they earned 8 million for a 5th place finish this week at the box office.  He was blabbering how thrilled he was and he is going to celebrate.  But why? How can he honestly be happy with a 5th place finish on opening week? Like really, its all going to go downhill from here.  Even with Dogma and J&SSB - he had a fairly strong opening because of his hardcore fans.  But with these numbers, it sounds as though some of them decided to stay home or see something else.  He went commercial to get new fans, but it seems as though he only lost some. 

 

I don't know if this directs badly upon Smith or Affleck.  I''m thinking more Affleck.  He isn't nearly as funny as K Smith wants us to believe, and he is far too wooden to be considered anything more than mediocre in the drama department.

 

Maybe I just think Smith is a tool for selling out Lee for Fletch and despising Affleck for refusing to admit he's bald.

One thing everyone here is forgetting in regards to Jersey Girl being a flop. Just about ALL of Kevin Smith's films make the bulk of their money back through video/DVD sales. Bad box office results aren't important so long as the studio gets their money back when the film goes to video/DVD. So Smith's rep is safe for the time being.

 

Affleck on the other hand is more than likely fucked if the film flops at the box office. He's been on a downward spiral and so far he hasn't totally burned his bridges in Hollywood but the more financial flops/barely break evens that he makes will only serve to hurt him more and more and more as time goes by...

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

BUT

 

This was supposed to be Smith's big coming out party. It was his gift to the world. To show the masses that he could break through. If Smith had made Fletch and it made 8 million, I'd totally understand. But this was such a Hollywood, sappy, emotional, soul searching movie that the masses are supposed to love. Heck, he even brought Jlo in for it when she was huge. This had huge expectations at one time - no one can honestly tell me that Smith should be happy or satisfied with this. And now he is creating the highest budget movie in Miramax history. On what grounds? He is a total nerd? He doesn't have the credentials to be considered in Hollywood's top elite - especially when he totally went all out to make a movie that would be accessible to people from the ages of 5 to 89.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

The huge expectatons died down when Gigli came out. He is banking on long-term growth and word of mouth for Jersey Girls success.

[haVoc 0]

Those bracing for yet another Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez bomb can rest assured: Jersey Girl does not rhyme with Gigli.

 

Critics who buried Bennifer's unpronounceable hit-man comedy are, by comparison, only kicking dirt on their new easy-to-say romantic comedy. And box-office pundits who wrote off Gigli as a financial disaster are expecting greater, if not quite fabulous, things of Jersey Girl.

 

"It should definitely be a nice, solid debut," BoxOfficeMojo.com's Brandon Gray says of Jersey Girl, opening on about 1,600 screens Friday.

 

Gray predicts $8 million's worth of Friday-Sunday business for the film, which would push it past the $6.1 million gross of Gigli's entire theatrical run in just three days.

 

The Hollywood Reporter also sees "above-average numbers" for the $35 million Miramax release, which was shot in 2002 at the dawn of Bennifer, and delayed several times on its way to theaters in the wake of the couple's tabloid traumas and ultimate demise.

 

But while experts expect Jersey Girl to help audiences forget Gigli this weekend, no one, including its weary-sounding writer-director, expects it to make audiences forget, say, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.

 

"These are the movies that are DEFINITELY going to make more money than us at the box office this weekend," Kevin Smith wrote on his NewsAskew.com Website Tuesday, rattling off five titles, from Scooby-Doo 2 to Dawn of the Dead, that he thinks will outgross his film.

 

Lowering expectations even further, Smith, whose biggest box-office strike has been the $30 million-grossing Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, counted off four more movies, including a fading race horse like Hidalgo, that will "probably" outdo Jersey Girl.

 

"I think he's underestimating the appeal of this picture," Gray says. "...I think [smith] could potentially tap into people who aren't necessarily his fans."

 

Jersey Girl is the first PG-13 tale from Smith, best known for implanting numerous penile jokes in the R-rated Clerks. It's also the first of his films not to feature stoner superheroes Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith). Instead, it's the grownup story of a hotshot P.R. man (Affleck) whose first act is thrown into turmoil when his wife (Lopez) dies during childbirth, leaving him to raise their little moppet.

 

As students of Bennifer lore well know, the death of Lopez's character was to be kept secret until the powers-that-be decided it would be best if audiences knew she was never meant to be in that much. (In all, Lopez has less than 15 minutes of screen time. Smith has said the only mindful Bennifer edit he made was to delete a brief shot of an Affleck-Lopez wedding ceremony.)

 

In his Web post, Smith warned fans that critics weren't going to like Jersey Girl. "The NY Times is gonna shred the flick. LA Times, too, I'll bet. [Entertainment Weekly] ain't gonna be onboard," he wrote.

 

Smith was three-for-three.

 

On Friday, the New York Times said the film amounted to nothing but "drool and a mountain of baby powder." The Los Angeles Times found its plot "so moribund that nothing can bring it back to a rich full life." EW deigned it "goopy" and, save for the finale, as "square as a turnpike-diner place mat."

 

At one point Friday morning, the movie-reviews site RottenTomatoes.com had tracked 77 Jersey Girl reviews--27 of them good; 50 of them bad. (In his post, Smith implored fans not to bring up his RottenTomatoes score until Monday at the earliest.)

 

Still, if Gigli is Jersey Girl's measuring stick, the new movie comes out ahead. Last year, RottenTomatoes compiled 147 reviews for Gigli--10 of them good; 137 of them beyond bad.

 

"A few things, other than the sinking of the Titanic, are as disastrous as Gigli," reminds Razzie Awards founder John Wilson, whose group bestowed six bad-movie honors on the film last month. (Affleck's unclaimed Razzie for Worst Actor is currently up for auction on eBay, where bidding went past $900 on Friday.)

 

Wilson, who knows these things, says Jersey Girl just "doesn't sound as world-class AWFUL as Gigli."

 

Maybe we really all can breathe easier now...

 

Credit: E! Online

[Guest Choken One]

What was the last movie Affleck had a success in? Daredevil? Not like he was really the driving point of the movie...

 

Look at Affleck's Roster...Mostly Bombs(Jersey, Paycheck,Gigli,Changing Lanes,Bounce, Raindeer Games,Phantoms) and only 3-4 good performences and those were those where he wasn't a main concern or wasn't a big movie release (Dogma, Good Will Hunting, Changing Lanes, Boiler Room Shakespere in Love)...

 

He really only had TWO major hits...Armageddon and Sum of All Fears...Both movies that likely would have been hits with or without him...

 

So why does he keep getting big roles? He's proven his best stuff comes in small movies and sucks the big one with anything "large".

 

Why can't he learn from his Buddy Matt? Matt has YET to have a Bomb...because for one he can act and two he carfully selects his parts, while Benny does anything he's offered but after so many bombs...I cant see him getting any more major roles...he's slated to be doing Surviving Christmas, a movie with James Gandolfini and Christina Applegate which doesn't scream HIT and also...Glory Road...which is about the famous 1966 all Black Texas Western National Championship game...he plays the head coach...that doesn't shout Box Office Draw either...although movies similar to this (Remember the Titans, Miracle etc) have done decent.

[2GOLD 0]

BUT

 

This was supposed to be Smith's big coming out party. It was his gift to the world. To show the masses that he could break through. If Smith had made Fletch and it made 8 million, I'd totally understand. But this was such a Hollywood, sappy, emotional, soul searching movie that the masses are supposed to love. Heck, he even brought Jlo in for it when she was huge. This had huge expectations at one time - no one can honestly tell me that Smith should be happy or satisfied with this. And now he is creating the highest budget movie in Miramax history. On what grounds? He is a total nerd? He doesn't have the credentials to be considered in Hollywood's top elite - especially when he totally went all out to make a movie that would be accessible to people from the ages of 5 to 89.

 

Yes, he is happy. He opened in 1500 theaters going against Bennifer backlash and still pulled in his 8-11 million opening that he expected to get. And believe it or not, he NEVER expected the film to top J&SBSB numbers for an opening.

 

Why would you think Smith, who has never seen an opening over 11 million, would be upset when John Woo barely pulled 15 million with Ben in almost twice the theaters?

 

It'll make back it's budget, probably end up somewhere between 35-40 million total to make it his highest grossing film and the DVD sales will be excellent because rabid Smith fans will want to keep their collection up to date.

 

If the film opened in 2500 and only got 8 million, then yeah he'd be disappointed. But he has nothing to be disappointed about.

 

Hell, a movie with super draw Tom Hanks only got 15 million off the same number of theaters so even getting within 50% of a Tom Hanks opening is a positive.

 

The only way this movie would have been considered a bomb is if it loses more than 60% next weekend with the theater increase or had opened with 4 million this weekend.

 

Otherwise, the film is a slow build hold on while it increases the theaters. And the Green Hornet is a stupid project no matter who writes it.

[starvenger 0]

Why can't he learn from his Buddy Matt? Matt has YET to have a Bomb...because for one he can act and two he carfully selects his parts, while Benny does anything he's offered but after so many bombs.

I'm pretty sure that "The Legend of Bagger Vance" was a bomb. And I don't think that "Rounders" set the world on fire at the box office either (great movie though - just watched it again last night).

[Placebo Effect 0]

I think it reflects Affleck backlash but also there's a lot of Kevin Smith backlash for that horrible clown movie he did a few years ago.

What the fuck are you talking about? Vulgar? If so, Smith only produced with his View Askew buddies, and barely anyone saw it. If I remember correctly, Smith's name isn't even plastered on the video box as you might expect.

[Mole 0]

What was the last movie Affleck had a success in? Daredevil? Not like he was really the driving point of the movie...

 

Look at Affleck's Roster...Mostly Bombs(Jersey, Paycheck,Gigli,Changing Lanes,Bounce, Raindeer Games,Phantoms) and only 3-4 good performences and those were those where he wasn't a main concern or wasn't a big movie release (Dogma, Good Will Hunting, Changing Lanes, Boiler Room Shakespere in Love)...

 

He really only had TWO major hits...Armageddon and Sum of All Fears...Both movies that likely would have been hits with or without him...

 

So why does he keep getting big roles? He's proven his best stuff comes in small movies and sucks the big one with anything "large".

 

Why can't he learn from his Buddy Matt? Matt has YET to have a Bomb...because for one he can act and two he carfully selects his parts, while Benny does anything he's offered but after so many bombs...I cant see him getting any more major roles...he's slated to be doing Surviving Christmas, a movie with James Gandolfini and Christina Applegate which doesn't scream HIT and also...Glory Road...which is about the famous 1966 all Black Texas Western National Championship game...he plays the head coach...that doesn't shout Box Office Draw either...although movies similar to this (Remember the Titans, Miracle etc) have done decent.

Actually, Ben has had a few hit movies.

 

1. Armageddon - $201 million

2. Pearl Harbor - $198 million

3. Good Will Hunting - $138 million

4. The Sum of All Fears - $118 million

5. Daredevil - $102 million

6. Shakespeare in Love - $100 million

7. Changing Lanes - $66 million

8. Forces of Nature - $52 million

9. Bounce - $36 million

10. Dogma - $30 million

 

His movies actually do better than Brad Pitt, here are Pitt's top ten movies

 

1. Ocean's Eleven - $183

2. Interview with a Vampire - $105

3. Se7en - $100

4. The Mexican - $67

5. Legends of the Fall - $66

6. Spy Game - $62

7. Twelve Monkey's - $56

8. Sleepers - $53

9. Thelma and Louise - $45

10. Meet Joe Black - $44

 

Granted once Troy comes out, it will make big bucks. However, you never really hear how Pitt's movies don't do well in the box office.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

 

I didn't even know this was out yet; I thought it came out next month...

[cynicalprofit 0]

*AHEM*, Fuck affleck. there I said it.

 

The guy is a whore, pure and simple. He's done everything he can to get the big checks and now that he's been whoring for a while, his ass is old and crusty and he can't do it like he used to. I'm sure he'll keep trying, but its like, everytime you see him, you think of him as another role, and then your whole illusion of the movie is ruined. (hey its dardevil, no its the guy from peral harbor, etc) That's not true of every actor/actress, but in Ben's case it seems to be for me and alot of other people I've brought the idea upon.

 

Kevin Smith wrote some great movies, but come on, after Jay & Bob, were you expecting something good? The guy did a movie and said, "Look, im a famous movie person now, im gonna get a bunch of my famous friends together and just make a movie and people will go see it cause im a famous movie writer."

 

I loved Clerks, still do, same for chasing amy, which I lived, and Mallrats is still a great stoner movie, but Kevin Smith simply doesn't have a lot of range in terms of ideas. He can deal with fart jokes and being crushed by being in love, which is a real common trend for us fat kids. But after that, they aint got much. He's like the Gerwitch(sp) of the movie world. He had some great moments (E&C/Clerkcs), but as a whole, its crap.

[Max Danger 0]

I think for Smith to really prove his worth, he's going to have to either take someone else's material(ie not something he's written) and direct it, or have someone else(particularly not someone of the View Askew crew) direct something he's written.

[Guest Choken One]

What was the last movie Affleck had a success in? Daredevil? Not like he was really the driving point of the movie...

 

Look at Affleck's Roster...Mostly Bombs(Jersey, Paycheck,Gigli,Changing Lanes,Bounce, Raindeer Games,Phantoms)  and only 3-4 good performences and those were those where he wasn't a main concern or wasn't a big movie release (Dogma, Good Will Hunting, Changing Lanes, Boiler Room Shakespere in Love)...

 

He really only had TWO major hits...Armageddon and Sum of All Fears...Both movies that likely would have been hits with or without him...

 

So why does he keep getting big roles? He's proven his best stuff comes in small movies and sucks the big one with anything "large".

 

Why can't he learn from his Buddy Matt? Matt has YET to have a Bomb...because for one he can act and two he carfully selects his parts, while Benny does anything he's offered but after so many bombs...I cant see him getting any more major roles...he's slated to be doing Surviving Christmas, a movie with James Gandolfini and Christina Applegate which doesn't scream HIT and also...Glory Road...which is about the famous 1966 all Black Texas Western National Championship game...he plays the head coach...that doesn't shout Box Office Draw either...although movies similar to this (Remember the Titans, Miracle etc) have done decent.

Actually, Ben has had a few hit movies.

 

1. Armageddon - $201 million

2. Pearl Harbor - $198 million

3. Good Will Hunting - $138 million

4. The Sum of All Fears - $118 million

5. Daredevil - $102 million

6. Shakespeare in Love - $100 million

7. Changing Lanes - $66 million

8. Forces of Nature - $52 million

9. Bounce - $36 million

10. Dogma - $30 million

 

His movies actually do better than Brad Pitt, here are Pitt's top ten movies

 

1. Ocean's Eleven - $183

2. Interview with a Vampire - $105

3. Se7en - $100

4. The Mexican - $67

5. Legends of the Fall - $66

6. Spy Game - $62

7. Twelve Monkey's - $56

8. Sleepers - $53

9. Thelma and Louise - $45

10. Meet Joe Black - $44

 

Granted once Troy comes out, it will make big bucks. However, you never really hear how Pitt's movies don't do well in the box office.

Armageddon, GHW, Pearl Harbor weren't Affleck movies...GWH was a Matt Damon/Williams vehicle driven by the hype of it being good, Armageddon was more of a Bruce Willis action flick and Pearl Harbor was your annual historical blockbuster...

 

I mentioned Sum of All fears...

 

 

Daredevil wasn't sold as a BEN AFFLECK movie...He wasn't really a marketed star in Shakespere.

 

Changing Lanes made 66 million? Good...It was a fantastic movie and easily Affleck's best.

 

I would call making 30 million a "HIT".

 

Why we bringing up Brad Pitt? He's Tyler FN Durden. He's excused.

[Guest NaturalBornThriller4:20]

Stop bitching... I've read the entire thread and the question remains...

 

HOW MANY OF YOU SAW THE MOVIE ? OKAY THEN... SHUT UP.

 

 

That is all.

[Guest Choken One]

what does having seen the movie make any difference? this thread is about Ben Affleck's Box Office failures.

[Mole 0]

Armageddon, GHW, Pearl Harbor weren't Affleck movies...GWH was a Matt Damon/Williams vehicle driven by the hype of it being good, Armageddon was more of a Bruce Willis action flick and Pearl Harbor was your annual historical blockbuster...

Armageddon wasn't an "Affleck" movie, but he got third billing, which means he was a star. Plus, he was on the cover of the movie poster/DVD/VHS cover, which seems to me that he is still one of the stars of the movie.

 

GWH didn't star him, but he did write it, so it was his film. That would be like saying that Finding Nemo wasn't Andrew Stanton's film, even though he did write it.

 

Pearl Harbor was the annual historical blockbuster film, so that means that since Affleck was the star, he didn't get any credit? Huh? That doesn't make any sense. Affleck got first bill, had his face all over the posters and such, so it was his movie.

 

And my point about Pitt was that Affleck's movies do better than Pitt's, but you never here backlash about Pitt.

 

Besides Fight Club is overrated...

[Guest NaturalBornThriller4:20]

what does having seen the movie make any difference? this thread is about Ben Affleck's Box Office failures.

Bitch and moan, bitch and moan, which is all ya'll are doing with this movie, not having see it to know if it was good or not.

 

I saw it, enjoyed it, walked away happy not wanting a refund... that's all that matters.

 

Note: The title says "Jersey Girl" in it... Which is why I commented on it.

[Ravenbomb 0]

Fight Club isn't in Pitt's top 10 drawing movies?

[Guest NaturalBornThriller4:20]

Fight Club

 

Total Gross: $37,030,102

Distributor: Fox Release Date: October 15, 1999

Running Time: 2 hrs. 19 min. Production Budget: $90 million

MPAA Rating: R Est. Marketing Costs: N/A

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

Stop bitching... I've read the entire thread and the question remains...

 

HOW MANY OF YOU SAW THE MOVIE ? OKAY THEN... SHUT UP.

 

 

That is all.

Whoa, this guy is giving us a lesson in basic thuganomics.