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Clooney's Leftist Movie Flops At Box Office
Monday, 10 Oct 2011 10:05 AM
By James Hirsen
George Clooneyâs latest movie, âThe Ides of March,â debuted over the weekend and left Sony studio execs scratching their heads over the less-than-expected box-office take of $10.4 million.
Audiences weren't exactly raving about the film either, but they still liked it enough to grant it a "B" at CinemaScore. By comparison, âReal Steal,â the weekend's No. 1 box-office movie, hauled in $27.3 million and scored an "A."
After decent reviews from critics and a warm reception at the Venice and Toronto film fests, Sony executives were expecting a lot more from âIdes.â But now future hopes of profitability rest with the awards that the film may potentially garner.
The movie, which is based on Beau Willimon's 2008 play titled âFarragut North,â is a left-of-center dream sequence. The truth is that Clooneyâs character would only be able to obtain a nomination from a major political party or be elected to high office in a make-believe world.
The character's No. 1 issue is greener energy, which he claims is the pat solution to end warfare in the world. He also wants to outlaw the internal combustion engine and is proud of not being religious minded, even going as far as to belittle opponents who talk about their faith.
A.O. Scott of The New York Times called the movie "an image of the liberal heart's desire," and the Los Angeles Times described Clooney's character as "a hardcore liberal's dream candidate."
âIdesâ portrays members of the GOP and centrist Democrats as dastardly villains, which should strike the fancy of many of the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who may just toss some nominations at the film.
Even with the disappointing debut weekend, Sony can take some comfort in the money that was laid out for the flick. Deadline reports that the movieâs production budget after rebates came in at about $12.5 million.
Still, squeezing a movieâs budget can have some negative consequences. If people perceive that corners are being cut, it can harm the word of mouth that oftentimes is the component that propels both the box-office and would-be awards.
The critic for The Wall Street Journal, Joe Morgenstern, wrote that, as a result of the limited budget, the film feels âunderpopulated.â
âMs. [Marisa] Tomei's reporter appears to be the only news person working the campaign in a Cincinnati whose streets are so empty that every day looks like Sunday,â Morgenstern opined.
It hasn't gone unnoticed that Clooney's promotion of a left-leaning political movie may not be the greatest fit for the times. Nikke Fink pointed out on Deadline.com that âmarketing a political film from the liberal Clooney â especially when heâs director, producer, and writer â is a tough task in this deeply divided 2012 election climate.â
Sony has tried to downplay and perhaps even conceal the liberal political fairy tale aspect that is part and parcel of the filmâs plotline.
As Fink noted, despite Clooney having made the cover of Time magazine, co-star Ryan Gosling was featured on the studioâs promo materials.
Clooney's Leftist Movie Flops At Box Office
Monday, 10 Oct 2011 10:05 AM
By James Hirsen
George Clooneyâs latest movie, âThe Ides of March,â debuted over the weekend and left Sony studio execs scratching their heads over the less-than-expected box-office take of $10.4 million.
Audiences weren't exactly raving about the film either, but they still liked it enough to grant it a "B" at CinemaScore. By comparison, âReal Steal,â the weekend's No. 1 box-office movie, hauled in $27.3 million and scored an "A."
After decent reviews from critics and a warm reception at the Venice and Toronto film fests, Sony executives were expecting a lot more from âIdes.â But now future hopes of profitability rest with the awards that the film may potentially garner.
The movie, which is based on Beau Willimon's 2008 play titled âFarragut North,â is a left-of-center dream sequence. The truth is that Clooneyâs character would only be able to obtain a nomination from a major political party or be elected to high office in a make-believe world.
The character's No. 1 issue is greener energy, which he claims is the pat solution to end warfare in the world. He also wants to outlaw the internal combustion engine and is proud of not being religious minded, even going as far as to belittle opponents who talk about their faith.
A.O. Scott of The New York Times called the movie "an image of the liberal heart's desire," and the Los Angeles Times described Clooney's character as "a hardcore liberal's dream candidate."
âIdesâ portrays members of the GOP and centrist Democrats as dastardly villains, which should strike the fancy of many of the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who may just toss some nominations at the film.
Even with the disappointing debut weekend, Sony can take some comfort in the money that was laid out for the flick. Deadline reports that the movieâs production budget after rebates came in at about $12.5 million.
Still, squeezing a movieâs budget can have some negative consequences. If people perceive that corners are being cut, it can harm the word of mouth that oftentimes is the component that propels both the box-office and would-be awards.
The critic for The Wall Street Journal, Joe Morgenstern, wrote that, as a result of the limited budget, the film feels âunderpopulated.â
âMs. [Marisa] Tomei's reporter appears to be the only news person working the campaign in a Cincinnati whose streets are so empty that every day looks like Sunday,â Morgenstern opined.
It hasn't gone unnoticed that Clooney's promotion of a left-leaning political movie may not be the greatest fit for the times. Nikke Fink pointed out on Deadline.com that âmarketing a political film from the liberal Clooney â especially when heâs director, producer, and writer â is a tough task in this deeply divided 2012 election climate.â
Sony has tried to downplay and perhaps even conceal the liberal political fairy tale aspect that is part and parcel of the filmâs plotline.
As Fink noted, despite Clooney having made the cover of Time magazine, co-star Ryan Gosling was featured on the studioâs promo materials.
