Monday, October 29, 2012

Cloud Atlas Is A Huge Bomb - Tom Hanks Losing Streak Continues

Cloud Atlas had the weekend box office practically to itself, had a great directing team, a stellar cast, lots of buzz and publicity and absolutely and totally bombed. It was one of the worst opening weekends for Tom Hanks in his career. The movie cost a reported $102M to make and did not even manage to earn $10M in its opening weekend and finished third. Larry Crowne was a Tom Hanks disaster in 2011, but it still made $2M more in its opening weekend. Even Charlie Wilson's War eked out a few hundred thousand dollars more. What was Tom's worst weekend? Well, the last one that did worse was Bonfire Of The Vanities back in the 90's. With the exception of the mediocre Extremely Loud Incredibly Close or  which had about a $45M total box office, and the Toy Story franchise, Tom has not really had an acting hit in a long time. I think he may be going away from what he does best. He is such a funny guy and fearless when it comes to interviews and what he does to promote a movie, but it does not seem to translate to the parts he is picking lately. Time for a Joe vs The Volcano sequel or something else with Meg Ryan.

65 comments:

a non a miss said...

I was going to see this BUT its 3 hours long and unless a movie involves Middle Earth, I'm not giving up 3 hours to watch it.

SusanB said...

I'll watch a 3 hour movie at home, not at the theater. And I've seen a lot of bad reviews for this.

libby said...

I guess the reincarnation theme is important in the book (so I've heard), but using really well-known actors for part after part---all the obvious wigs, beards, & false noses---That stuff makes it so hard to be transported by a film, when the actors are TOO well-known and/or too many cheesy effects & costumes.

Cathy said...

I wonder about the commercials for this movie. Through watching them, I want able to tell who the target of this movie is - kids? Adults? I think it needed to give a little more background for those who aren't familiar with the books.

Silly Girl said...

And don't forget the weather and the World Series this weekend! There was a lot going on, a mediocre movie probably wasn't at the top of the list!

Anonymous said...

Lost all respect for Tom Hanks when he said that we were in WW 2 because we were racist. Then he continued to make money off of his multiple projects about WW2. Sorry Tom by definition you are a war profiteer.

MISCH said...

No one goes to see Halle Berry she owns the curse also...

Sarah said...

Almost saw this, too, but it was the 3-hour time commitment. My husband and I decided we'd rather wait til it's on blu-ray or HBO and enjoy it in our living room. We saw Argo instead. (Loved it!) Seems a lot of people maybe did the same. Too bad, because to me, it seemed like a film to get lost in and forget the rest of the world. I always feel bad when so much work goes into a film and it doesn't do well. I've worked in entertainment, so I know the amount of energy and excitement that builds up when working on a project and it's sad to see it labeled a failure already.

Ashlea said...

I wanted to see this but I was too busy with a teething 3 month old and preparing my house for a hurricane. :-/

Audrey said...

The reviews on IMBD are excellent. I just think it was a bad weekend for movie openings. World Series, Sandy, NFL and Halloween parties distracted lots of potential movie-goers.

Also, perhaps these kinds of "substantial" both in content and time are just not popular with the kinds of people who must see a movie on its release weekend.

I never see a movie when it first opens - I hate the crowds.

Hammer_Girl said...

I want to see it. But my husband said it looks too complicated for him. Basically, not manly enough for him. I just got to watch inception recently only cause I streamed it. Guess I'll have to do the same for this one eventually.

Frufra said...

I agree with Cathy - the commercials are confusing. Mr. Frufra and I always look at each other like "Whaaaa?", when one comes on. We haven't read the book(s?), and have no freakin idea what this movie is about based on the ads. Our guess was time travel.

Wen said...

It's not Tom, it's Halley. She is box office poison at her own doing. No one wants to pay to see a Bitch who wants to take her daughter away from her Father.

msgirl said...

Fufra - it's not time travel, but more of the same souls living in different eras, from 17th C thru the future.

I wasn't going to see this but reviews are good and a friend said it was great. I did read the book, and I don't like how they treated it for the movie. In the book we stay with one character thru his segment, and in the movie they splice all the different times together. The structure of the book was crucial, however I recognize it's a different media. I'll get around to seeing it.

msgirl said...

Also the book moves forward and then suddenly goes backwards, so if you don't know beforehand, it's very much a shock when suddenly we start backwards again, and only then do we start to realize the reincarnation aspect.

Unknown said...

It's not an acting fail, dude. It's a culture fail.

Brooke said...

I was going to see this, since it was advertised as showing in IMAX, and we actually have an IMAX theater in my city. But the theater was showing paranormal 4, not this. So we saw Argo instead.

Rosemary Young said...

"Cloud Atlas" is an art film, like "Tree of Life." It was foolish to open wide (2,000+ screens) with a movie like this. Doesn't mean it's not a movie worth making or watching; it's just not the mainstream crowd's cup of tea. Some people are willing to take chances with a difficult film, but most like to know what they're going to see before they see it. That's show biz!

dia papaya said...

I really want to see this but didn't have time. Will probably still go. This concept fascinates me.

Sugar said...

I blame Halle Berry.

GIANTS WIN THE WORLD SERIES!

Stay safe my Sandy friends.

lostathome said...

The trailer was all over the place. Kind of annoyed me into not seeing it. At least not until it goes to video.

Isn't Bonfire of the Vanities kind of a cult classic now?

Jessi said...

I saw it and loved it! I didn't read the book(s?) so I have to admit I was a little confused in the beginning, But overall loved it.

hunter said...

Tom Hanks hasn't had a hit in a long time, true, but he will always be amazing in my mind for Philadelphia, Forrest Gump and Cast Away.

You can't take that away from him, he's just picking weird projects.

hollywood dime said...

the trailer looks AWFUL! And as soon as I saw Halle I knew it stank to high hell!

Eeekalicious said...

It looks like an interesting film. Tom Hanks is so funny though - there seems to be a pattern where comic actors at some point want to prove themselves as serious actors... Being able to make people laugh is such a special gift....

warmislandsun said...

I don't like Tom Hanks. I do not find him charming. I have never really liked him with the exception of that bachelor party movie he did decades ago. He strikes me as entirely full of himself and fake - much like Tom Cruise, only he hides it much better.

I would not pay to see him in anything.

I like the premise of this novel, but from the reviews, the movie was done poorly and missed the nuances of the book. If someone else was in it, I might see it at the budget theater.

JoElla said...

Did any of you see "The Fountain"? I loved that movie, kinda deals with the same thing, but it is also a love story.

I think I will wait for this to come on cable. like Rejectedcarebear said 3 hours and no middle earth, no dice.

whocaresnow12 said...

To be fair NOBODY went to the movies this weekend. The total BO was at close to an all time low.

katsm0711 said...

I can barely watch an entire movie at home on my dvr without having to take a bathroom break. No way I could sit 3 hours in a movie!

BlindItemMe said...

@msgirl wow im sold! It sounds like my kind of film. I haven't read the book yet but i definitely will now. I haven't seen any ads for it here yet and I don't even know when it opens but ill keep an eye out for it

Cheers for the info :)

BlindItemMe said...

@joElla yes and I loved it :)

IIRC brad pitt was originally meant to be the lead but I'm glad they went with Hugh jackman

yodelay said...

I blame Halle Berry.

I want to see it, but the fact that she's in it is a huge hump for me to get over.

Cryscee said...

We are going to go see it, but didn't go out with the storm. Sad to hear that. It looks interesting.

Sylvia said...

I boycott movies with Halle in them. Can't stand her and she is not that good of an actress either.

lazyday603 said...

3 hours. If you need three hours, make two movies & release them 6 months apart. Or do an HBO miniseries & take all the time you need.

Henriette said...

What happened to all the posters who were going to "race out" and see this movie? When Enty first posted about the Waskloski (sp) siblings back in July, there were quite a few posters who thought the clip was "amazing." I knew this movie was going to blow balls because the book is great, but too hard to translate to film. The Matrix siblings are cursed.

CanadianMiss said...

Way too ling for me to sit in a theater. I get antsy after an hour and a half. This I would watch, but at home where I can move about.

Bleu said...

Halle Berry is one of those actresses I have an irrational aversion to and refuse to pay to see (at least while the film is at the box office) and encourage filmmakers to use again. (Julia Roberts was another one -- I'd even refuse to buy certain magazines when she was on the cover.)

WBotW said...

He's honestly not that great of an actor. Perfectly decent, but not the genius some think he is, and certainly not deserving of all the awards he has received. When I watch a movie with him in it, I never, ever forget that he is Tom Hanks. Now, if I watch something with Gary Oldman, Edward Norton, Jenette Goldstein, Heath Ledger, Ron Perlman, Michael Sheen, Cate Blanchett, Daniel Day-Lewis, etc, I get lost in the absolute wonder of what they can pull off, because they truly become the character. With Hanks, his physical mannerisms never change, his vocal inflections are the same, he is just so incredibly average. His son Colin is far more talented.

auntliddy said...

it had bomb written all over it.

K said...

I'm no Tom Hanks stan but I've always liked the guy. I mean, he did give us "Splash"*.

If anything, I think he reached the point in his career/life where he realized he wanted to branch out and try something different (think Bill Murray doing "Lost in Translation" or every Wes Anderson film ever). Kuddos to him for not simply phoning it in and making "You've Got Mail 584242". At this point, his Hollywood legacy is solid and even if everything he makes from here on out bombs, he will always be Tom Freaking Hanks.

In between that Full House slam poetry and those photobomb pics he did with the guy pretending to be passed out, I'm kind of liking the new Tom Hanks.

* However,he also gave us "Forrest Gump", which I think might be one of the most overrated movies ever.

Connie151 said...

Saw it this weekend and loved it--but then, I loved the book, too. The friend I saw it with had not read the book and was blown away by it. Don't let the three-hour running time put you off--the movie is fast-moving and never boring.

Connie151 said...

Having said that ^^, I think both Hanks and Berry are overrated.

JSierra said...

I think Cloud Atlas only appeals to certain people, rather than finding an audience in everyone.
I have been waiting and waiting for this movie to come out, watching the trailer every couple of days (there is a five min trailer on IMDB that is definitely worth your time. Moving, inspiring, intriguing; it's great).

However I will not be seeing it in the theatre. I'm sorry but I am in my fifth year of college, paying for everything on my own. I don't have the $10-$15 to shell out to sit in a dark, air conditioned room for 3 hours. I wish I could support the film industry and this film but I eat ketchup out of the packet for two meals a day. I am hoping to upgrade to condensed soup soon.

hothotheat said...

3 hours is way too long. Halle Berry is one a only a couple of actresses I refuse to watch.

I will always have love for The Hanx.

Jennifer H. said...

If the theaters would still do an intermission like they did back in the day, I might consider going to see long movies. As it is though, if a movie is more than 2 hours and 15 minutes or so, then I'll just wait and watch it at home. "Heat" was the last long movie I went to. What invariably happens is that I have to go to the restroom, hold on as long as I can because I don't want to miss what I'm paying to see, then I finally go to the Ladies' room only to find another movie just let out and so there's a line.

Cathy said...

I just wanted to add that while his wife might be a real bitch, I've heard nothing but wonderful stories about what a nice person Tom Hanks is. My sister's friend from college was cast as an extra in one of his movies. While they were filming, a family of Asian tourists somehow managed to wander onto the set. While Tom would have been justified in getting angry and could have easily embarrassed them for their mistake, he instead insisted on stopping what he was doing to go over and meet them, genuinely take the time to talk to them about their vacation and pose for pictures with them.

Lori said...

I didnt get to see this, but my friends who did see it said that it was really good.

I volunteer during the weekend days and had to watch the Giants dominate the world series at night, so I havent had a chance to see it yet.

Unknown said...

I loved the movie. My parents, who are not into that kind of movie, loved it, even though my dad had to think about it for awhile. Tom Hanks was really good in the film, but my favorites were Jim Sturgess and Doona Bae (absolutely fantastic together), and Jim Broadbent, who was a delight as Cavendish. Such a refreshing movie and so unlike the generic formulaic crap that gets churned out and recycled all the time.

Flora Goforth said...

It looks like they are not doing a lot of marketing for this.

I saw it this weekend. I did not even know Tom Hanks was going to be in it. When I saw Hanks on screen I thought "so that is why he turned up on SNL last week".

childeroland said...

I liked this, but when I saw it there were five other people in the theater, one walk-out, and no one said ANYTHING when the credits rolled.

TalksTooMuch said...

Ack! Someone trashed "Lost in Translation"! SUCH a good movie. Of course, I would watch Bill Murray do absolutely anything other than talk out of the side of his mouth and chase rodents, but that's just me.

Wait, what were we talking about?

iheartjacksparrow said...

The Wrap says don't call CA a flop yet:

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/dont-call-cloud-atlas-box-office-flop-just-yet-62536

feraltart said...

Not released in Australis yet, want to see it. Saw Argo on the weekend and hubby & I loved it.

MnGddess said...

First of all, Tom Hanks and Halle Berry have absolutely NO chemistry whatsoever. I think if you are going to make a movie that relies on chemistry, get two people who you can believe would be together!

Also, I love, love Tom Hanks, but I will never see Larry Crowne or Charlie Wilson's War. I can't stand Julia Roberts in anything but Pretty Woman. He had no chemistry with her, either.

I'll wait for Netflix.

MrWolf said...

1) I saw Cloud Atlas and it was awesome. Visually stunning and well acted.

2) Tree of Life was hideous junk. I saw them both and Cloud Atlas murders Tree of Life. In no way is Cloud Atlas comparable to Tree of Life as an art film - Cloud Atlas is very much a block buster.

3) Cloud Atlas does compare pretty well to Fountain, but in my opinion is more accessible.

4) Critics reviewing the movie are giving it about 60%. AUDIENCES reviewing the movie are giving it around 80% according to metacritic. All the Critic reviews are nonsense like "I was taken out of the movie by seeing the A list actors" and "It was too complex for the average viewer". Well, the average viewer rated the movie 20% higher than you, so no, it was too complicated for you, dumbass. And who gets taken out of a movie because of the cast? That's like me saying "I can't appreciate Mad Men because I was taken out of the story by Christina Hendrick's banging titties." Ignorant shit.

5) 90% + of the movies I've seen are derivative copies of older movies. Cloud Atlas is which is actually original, which makes it worth seeing almost by definition.

See the movie, 3 hours isn't that great amount of time, and you'll probably actually find it time well spent.

Jennmcn said...

I never go to the movies but I'm thinking of going to see Argo alone. I can't watch any movie or TV shows like Homeland without my husband bitching the whole time. He was in Military Intelligence for 17 of his 20 years in the Marines and now works for one of the alphabet agencies.

Talk about veering off topic but our movie theater doesn't sell booze like Enty's and I can't sit through Halle Berry for a minute. Why can't Tom Hanks do some funny movies?

HalleGoLightly said...

Tom's grosses are down because stars don't open movies anymore. Period. It's not the 90's anymore, where Hanks or Julia could guarantee a $30 mil opening. Movies now sink or swim based on a built-in audience. Popular types:

-Teen/Young Adult Best-Selling Book Series
-Popular Comic Series
-Animated Children's Movies
-Tyler Perry Drag Movies (at least on opening weekend)

There'll be a sleeper hit that comes out of nowhere once and a while, but not often. Movies are made for kids (animated), teens ("Twilight"/"Hunger Games"), geeks ("Spiderman"), dumb young males ("Faster & Furiouser") ,etc... Adults don't go to movies as much anymore, probably because kids (and to be fair, other adults) are texting and talking the whole time.

Other factors:

-Fracturing of the movie audience due to so many more areas of entertainment. In the 90's there wasn't as much out there. Now we have TV with 800 channels, cell phones, computers/tablets, Netflix/Redbox, etc...
-Stardom being diluted by reality TV. When Kate Gosselin is a big a star as Jolie, Jolie isn't going to sell as well. She (or Hanks or anyone) isn't as big of a deal because your next door neighbor, who was on "Idol," is a star too. Hollywood just isn't as glamorous. Stars aren't only Hollywood actors. Stars are also now moms with 100 kids, snobby housewives, wannabe singers, etc...

It's a different world. It's not Hanks. It's every actor. There's not 1 actor you can plug into any movie and guarantee a big opening. It has to be a movie people want to see. Nobody's going to see just any movie for a star anymore.

Andy said...

That's what Hollywood gets for going political. No one is immune. Period.

childeroland said...

The Tree of Life is magnificent. Cloud Atlas is fine but does not hold a candle to it.

MAC said...

I was gonna say something similar. Plus if I have a 50" tv at home with surround sound, the ability to pause when needed, a blanket, couch and popcorn that doesn't cost $7 I can just wait for movies to come out on demand. Thanksgiving and Xmas we will go as a family and I'll maybe take my nephews to go see something like avengers but that's it. Me and my husband went to the movies at least once a week in the 90's, now it's too expensive and usually annoying with texting etc...

MAC said...

This is what started us cutting back our movie going from weekly to maybe once or twice a year. I got sick of all the actors ruining my ability to separate them from their roles

Empty Hearts said...

So that's why he's been desperately showing his face on everything from SNL to The Colbert Report, he smells a stinker! I do agree that celebrities vocalizing their political views to the public has changed my opinions on some actors I had previously enjoyed. Would this keep me from seeing one of their movies? Yes, there is that possibility, and I'm just a normal subarban woman, but if it's my money they want, keep your political leanings to yourself!

Scandalous Candice said...

Kind of hard to compete with an impending hurricane, the world series, and only running it 3 times a day. Here in Boston, all major theaters only ran it 3 times a day and none after 8:15 pm. No way would anyone in their right mind sit in a crowded theater full of noisy assholes on a Friday and Saturday night. Not me anyway. I was looking for late night show times and there were none. Not sure why they did that but it was in every theater here.

Lelaina Pierce said...

I won't be seeing it in the theater b/c a) I haven't read the book b) I LOVE movies but hate the theaters b/c I find many theater goers incredibly rude/annoying to be around c) It's like Tree of Life...?? ehhhh

Larry Crown was painful but I don't think that was Tom's fault. His character made me cry. He was just on Craig Ferguson and said he was playing Walt Disney in an upcoming movie, which seems like that might have potential. Did anyone see him on CraigFerg?? He rode Secretariat. He makes me laugh. :)

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