So, once again this week I am using the excuse of presenting box office numbers to talk about my movie going experience. I guess most of the time when I go see a movie at ArcLight, I am too drunk to notice how much money I am paying for a ticket. However, the last two times I have gone to a movie I have gone to the Grove so haven't been drunk and I have noticed how much it costs. If you want to see a 3D movie it is almost $20. That is crazy. What is even more crazy is that prices are going to continue to go up for the next year. By this time next year expect to pay about $25 for 90 minutes of 3D fun at the movie. I think at some point there is going to be a huge backlash from moviegoers. The studios are all for the raising of ticket prices right now because they get 50%.
Best preview and what I think is going to be the best movie of the year. Death At A funeral. Can't wait.
Anyway, this week I went and saw Hot Tub Time Machine. I know Mooshki did a big review a few weeks ago, so I will just say a few things. In my opinion it is better than The Hangover. I was expecting a movie filled with 80's gags and there really weren't any. They established they were in the 80's and that's it. The music was 80's, but the 80's gags were all in the very beginning. Crispin Glover is hilarious. It was good to see John Cusack do something lighter although he tried to make it serious. Craig Robinson was great. It was nice to see him actually get to do something where he could play an expanded role.
Here is your top 10.
1. "How to Train Your Dragon," $43.3 million. - Didn't see it. Probably won't see it. I notice they are not discounting children for 3D movies though. Some woman was arguing with a manager about her 5 year old.
2. "Alice in Wonderland," $17.3 million. - Already saw it. Loved it.
3. "Hot Tub Time Machine," $13.7 million. - See above.
4. "The Bounty Hunter," $12.4 million. - If I am stuck on an airplane and I have grown tired of watching the very best of Eva Longoria.
5. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," $10 million. - I like their ads.
6. "She's Out of My League," $3.5 million. - Faded really quickly didn't it?
7. "Green Zone," $3.3 million. - Ditto to Damon.
8. "Shutter Island," $3.2 million. - You already know my thoughts on this movie. I am thinking about buying the book just so I can see if the book at least makes sense.
9. "Repo Men," $3 million.
10. "Our Family Wedding," $2.2 million.
Haven't seen any of 'em. But I've read all the Wimpy kid books and they're pretty damn funny. And I saw the Shutter Island book at the bookstore too and thought the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it so much, Enty. I wanted to love it, I really did, it just didn't knock my socks off.
ReplyDeleteI've heard the studios get a lot more than 50% now. Up to 90% for the opening week of some movies. The theaters are getting screwed. Everyone should sneak into a second movie, but buy the popcorn & soda. Damn The Man! :)
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ReplyDeleteConsidering the fact that most movies are available from your local Bootleg Bob the same night as the film premieres I can see why the price for tickets has gone up. But if you also take into consideration that movies are released to DVD three months after it comes out, you are better off holding onto your money and buying the DVD, especially since most movies now aren't even worth the $12-15.
ReplyDeleteGoing to the movies used to be a nice family treat and one that most could still enjoy even in this economy. It's fun to go to the local mall for a little shopping, lunch, and then a movie. The price gouge really pisses me off.
ReplyDeleteI loved it. :-) My favorite part, surprisingly, was when Craig Robinson started playing the song from the future in the concert and everyone went crazy for it.
ReplyDeleteAnd John Cusack retweeted one of my tweets about the movie! Woooo!
I've heard that "How to Train Your Dragon" it's so good, I'm going to see it this weekend
ReplyDeleteThe day I pay $25 to listen to people talking on their cell phones and crinkling their candy wrappers, I'll have to take my ice skates with me because hell will have frozen over.
ReplyDeleteI can wait until they show up at the Redbox for $1 a night.
Totally agree Hot Tub Time Machine was better than The Hangover, Enty! I was laughing so hard at some parts I missed subsequent dialogue.
ReplyDeleteThe book "Shutter Island" is quite good and scary. I couldn't imagine---and didn't want to see---what would happen to it in film form.
ReplyDeleteI saw "She's Out of My League" on Saturday and my friends and I laughed pretty hard! It wasn't my choice, but hey... free movie tickets are free movie tickets!
ReplyDeleteI did pay $12.75 for a large soda and a medium popcorn though. I almost fell over when the concession clerk told me how much it came out to.
I agree, I can wait 3 months till movies come out on DVD.
I also saw Alice in Wonderland a few weeks ago and thought parts of it were good and parts (all of Johnny Depps) were pretty tacky and not funny at all. The Red Queen nailed it! Her & the cheshire cat were the best characters! The White Queen was also verrrry annoying.
RE: Shutter Island
ReplyDeleteEnty, you should definitely read the book. I thought it was GREAT!
Death at a Funeral is a remake of a British film, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteThe original is hilarious.
As someone who works at MGM, I thank each and everyone who put their hard earned money into going to see Hot Tub this weekend, even if they didn't end up loving it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving it a chance.
My husband (38) saw How to Train Your Dragon this weekend and said it will probably be the best movie of the year. Absolutely loved it (as did our 4 year old) and said the 3D was amazing. Here in CT they do discount for 3D for kids -- $2 cheaper.
ReplyDeleteNot to be a snob or anything .. but what is it with Hollywood that they have to bastardize perfectly good British films?? Do they think we can't understand the funny accent and need the film translated into 'Americun' or something??
ReplyDeleteUgh .. : ( Disappointing.
IIRC, you can see first run movies at my neighborhood theater (the Somerville Theatre in Somerville, MA) for $8 or thereabouts--it's definitely not more than $10, and I do think it's less than that. Usually the first show of the day is cheaper than that; I saw the first showing of Sherlock Holmes for $7. Not to mention that they have real butter on their popcorn AND you can have Richardson's ice cream (an amazing local brand) to boot--get the Green Monster if they've got it, it rocks!
ReplyDeleteKerasotes theaters have a five buck club. After a couple of weeks, a movie is $5 and another $3 is it is 3D. I can certainly wait 2 weeks for anything.
ReplyDeleteDeath at a Funeral was very funny. I don't think I will like the new one as much. Kevin McKidd on acid. I loved it.
Hot Tub Time Machine and She's Out of my League have a writer in common. I want to see them both, they both look funny.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the movie of "Shutter Island" followed the book fairly closely, so don't get your hopes up.
ReplyDelete