First off, I'm not one of the reflexive Adam Sandler haters. I really like Happy Gilmore and 50 First Dates (I know I might hear it for that last one, but I don't care; I think it's a genuinely good movie), and I like his comedy albums. Big Daddy was funnier than it had any right to be, but I feel like that was pretty much the turning point in terms of my willingness to continue watching his movies. I never saw Sandler's Longest Yard remake, and I had absolutely no interest in Click.

But as a movie star, I have a lot of respect for the guy. First off, he's obviously very loyal to his friends, and has really gone out of his way to keep guys like Rob Schneider and David Spade working (for better or worse). I appreciate his attempts to stretch beyond the cash cows that are his PG-13 comedies, and I think Punch Drunk Love, Spanglish, and Reign Over Me demonstrate, to various degrees, that the guy can act in the right parts, and he's willing to pass up big paychecks for the opportunity to do so.

Of course, there's a flip side to that coin. I hate just the loglines to most of his more commercial fare. Adam Sandler tries to raise a precocious kid. Adam Sandler inherits a fortune. Adam Sandler gets a remote control that controls the world. But Chuck and Larry most of all: Adam Sandler pretends to be gay with Kevin James. And as if that weren't enough, Jeff Wells over at Hollywood Elsewhere posted this review of Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor's rewrite on the Chuck and Larry script, and damn if it doesn't sound infinitely better. But it seems like Sandler and the Universal execs got their hands on it and made as bland a summer summer comedy as they possibly could (I understand Anger Management was similarly dumbed down from a surprisingly edgy script). If I'm going to give Sandler credit for taking time away from his $20 million paychecks to work with P.T. Anderson, James L. Brooks, and Mike Binder, then I have to be critical when he doesn't bring anything from those experiences to his other work.

So these numbers are kind of a mixed bag for me. His next project is called You Don't Mess With Zohan, and has Judd Apatow in the writing credits. After Knocked Up, maybe Sandler and the Columbia execs won't be so quick take the soul out of the script in favor of broad commercial appeal. Maybe.

You know, I really didn't expect Harry Potter to fall as fast as the other summer blockbusters. I don't really know why, except it just seemed like a little classier of a production. Whatever the reason, I was wrong. Order of the Phoenix fell a steep 58% in it's second week to $32 million and a $207 million total. I'm getting tired of writing this, but it applies here too: $207 domestic and $400 worldwide is an amazing total after two weeks in release. Everybody's happy. But it just bugs the hell out of me that studio execs seem to have forgotten that movies don't have to crash 60% in their second week, and, generally speaking, if you make a good movie that generates good word of mouth (like Knocked Up, for instance), you'll make more money. As an audience member I always feel like I've been tricked by the marketing because the studio knew they had a sub-par movie on their hands, so their only hope is to make massive amounts of money on the first weekend before anybody figures out that it isn't any good. I'm not saying that's the case with Potter, but it certainly seems symptomatic of that business philosophy, and I don't like it (David Halbfinger did a nice, well balanced piece on this trend in the New York Times a few weeks ago).

Posted in Industry , Moviegasm , Newsgasm by Sutter Cane at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Last Comment: Donna Martin Graduates! on Jul 24, 2007 12:31 PM.

Comments (4)

LeeH :

You know, I really didn't expect Harry Potter to fall as fast as the other summer blockbusters.

Considering that the final book was released on Saturday, thereby diminishing the potential movie audience greatly, I'm not surprised the film saw such a marked decrease. I think next weekend will be true test for the movie and it's staying power at the box office.

1 of 4 | Posted by LeeH | Posted on July 23, 2007 8:32 PM

sutter kane :

You know Lee, I'm sure the thinking was that the book would drum up enthusiasm for the movie, but you're right that the inverse seems to be the case. I heard that Deathly Hallows sold 8.5 million copies this weekend, or roughly 5,000 a minute.

What a wake up call for Hollywood if people stayed home to read rather than going to the movies. Without any direct competition next weekend, we'll have to see what happens. But with the final installment clocking in at over 700 pages, my guess is people will still be reading.

2 of 4 | Posted by sutter kane | Posted on July 23, 2007 11:12 PM

bambinoitaliano :

I just saw Harry Potter. I can understand why it's not making a splash as much as the previous. It's good story telling minus the much anticipated action and special effects in comparison to the previous series. Unlike reading a book, movie goers need a lot of action to keep viewers attention, especially younger viewers. This movie does not elicit the desire of younger viewers to repeat their experience.

3 of 4 | Posted by bambinoitaliano | Posted on July 24, 2007 5:18 AM

Donna Martin Graduates! :

I seldom walk out of movies, but we did with Click because it was so mean-spirited, hateful and depressing.

I mean, I am not a fan of Hasselhoff, but I don't wanna see some angry person (Sandler) fart in his (or anyone's) face and slap him about. Buh-bye.

Not particularly interested in seeing a comedy laden with stale gay jokes (anti, pro or otherwise.)

4 of 4 | Posted by Donna Martin Graduates! | Posted on July 24, 2007 12:31 PM

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