“The Tourist” Box Office Take Just About Covers Johnny Depp’s Salary
“The Tourist” fulfilled its destiny as a bomb this weekend. The movie took in $17 million, just about covering Johnny Depp‘s salary.
Now it has to cover Angelina Jolie‘s payday, plus the other $100 million it took to make the film in exotic locations, plus promotion and prints.
These things happen, of course. But with two huge movie stars, “The Tourist” is a particularly sensitive flop. It means that really neither Johnny nor Angie can “open” a film. And together they’ve done even worse.
Now the goal for Sony/Columbia is to open the film in Europe and beyond and make all their money.
The studio also has to open James L. Brooks‘s “How Do You Know?” with Reese Witherspoon, Jack Nicholson and Paul Rudd this coming Friday. They’ve followed the same disastrous pattern as with “The Tourist”: hide it, keep it away from the press, and spring it on the world. I’m not sure if this will work. How do I know? Just a gut feeling that they haven’t marketed it as a “smart” comedy.
Meantime while several Oscar buzzed movies are doing well out of the gate in limited release– “King’s Speech,” “Black Swan,” “The Fighter”–I am concerned about Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours.” It’s having trouble getting a foothold. See this movie, dear readers. It’s great. You’re missing something special!
[…] far, The Tourist seems to be right on course for a lengthy vacation in Puerto Box Office Hell, and no one could describe the picture as a […]
I don’t find either of these two sexy, and the thought of them together in a bed or shower wouldn’t make me see the film. The film would need to be either very exciting in itself, or very funny, with great dialog. Is it, and has it? I am very, very tired of the generic stuff from Hollywood that all seems rewritten to death with all the same ingredients. Please destroy all manuals on how screenplays should be written!
Sometimes it’s the movie itself, or the concept that is the star, resulting in big box office success: American Pie, Porky’s, Blair Witch Project, The Hangover, etc…
Depp was going to drop out of this crappy movie at first but it looks like the money always wins.
The ” box-office drawing power” and the ability for a movie superstar to open any film – do not exist anymore. Those days are are over ! These days, a Hollywood executive or a film producer doesn’t need an A-list movie star to open sci-fi films, enormous franchise movies, over-the-top comic book films, or very commercial action movies .
No, Lily, I’m sure that SALT grossed nearly $300 million worldwide because Liev Schreiber was in it. Of course it was Jolie. And yes, it’s a global business and the movie was a hit. Sony is already developing a sequel, something they only do when you make money.
Jolie = over rated and unattractive.
Depp = over rated and stinky
Rule of thumb for me…if the critics love a movie … chances are I will hate it. Does anyone remember LOST IN TRANSLATION? That movie was praised and awarded and it stank! The Tourist was an enjoyable, entertaining movie. The movie has an old fashioned feel to it and quite funny in many places…intentionally funny! Is it the best movie ever made…of course not…but I along with the audience really seemed to enjoy it!
I think Jolie had pretty good chemistry with Brad Pitt in “Mr & Mrs Smith”
It’s hard for any movie star to maintain golden box office appeal indefinitely.
When a star can turn films with bad or mediocre reviews into a box office smash they are considered to be at their peak of star power in opening a movie. Examples: Julia Roberts in “Sleeping With the Enemy”, Eddie Murphy in “Coming to America”, Brad Pitt in “Legends of the Fall”.
But no movie star maintains such box office drawing power infinitely, and when it does happen, the movie has to have something special to draw the audience. From what I read, “The Tourist” is boring, even with two big movie stars.
I remember Eddie Murphy in particular, strained the patience of the movie going audience in the 1990s with some of the terrible movies he starred in.
On the other hand I remember “Porky’s” was a huge box office hit even though all the critics loathed it. It was a funny movie, with no big moview stars in it.
Is it news to people that Depp can’t open a movie. Thank heavens for the Pirate franchise and Tim Burton but on his own, people don’t flock to see him even though majority profess to love him.
Jolie is a mild opener, it is not because of her that people went to see Wanted and Salt was made for $110, it made $118 at the BO. Just because her $100m budget film crossed $100m, it does not mean that it was a hit.
Also, put two people deemed “beautiful and sexy” despite the fact that one has a lollipop head and the other one looks like he needs a bath, it is pretty much certain that they will be too busy living in separate worlds to be able to ignite any chemistry. Also, who on earth has Jolie ever had chemistry with on the screen despite her sexy moniker? Antonio Banderas, Nicholas Cage, David Duchovny, Clive Owen……? none