Corona | Coming Attractions

 I think it's going to be bad. I think people are going to be freaking out and ALL BO numbers for this weekend and several to come are going to suffer. Some of it is fear, I've seen some people say they aren't going "out of respect" to those hurt and killed (not sure the logic there, personally).

It doesn't matter, though, how rational the fears are, well-founded, stupid, idealistic: If they stay home for WHATEVER reason, then the dollars still aren't there.

I don't know how that might figure into WBs decision to release or not release the numbers, but I guess I'll have to wait until Monday to see if I'm right.

Before this weekend, I figured TDKR's opening box office would fall somewhere between the openings for TDK and The Avengers. A big part of this figuring was TDKR's length. At nearly three hours, I guessed it simply couldn't match the number of showings-per-day The Avengers managed. I originally thought it would be something in the 180-190 million range, at best. I wasn't sure what effect Letterman spoiling the ending or the flap over the Rotten Tomatoes disabling comments would have, but I didn't figure it would hurt the movie all that much.

I have no clue how the shooting will change things. I imagine it has cut into profits significantly. On the other hand, it could make it so that TDKR will have a particularly strong second weekend. I wouldn't be surprised if there's less of a drop-off next weekend than is usually the case with blockbusters--if only because some people who really wanted to see it this weekend were turned off of going to see it by the shooting. There might also be some sort of if-we-don't-go-see-it-the-terrorists-win movement. We'll have to wait and see. 

I guess it could also happen that people will completely turn their backs on the movie. I seriously doubt that will be the case, but who knows?

The movie theater has always felt like a second home. My first memory is of being in a movie theater. It's a less-safe-seeming home now, but I've always felt a little paranoid in theaters. I often sit in the front row and scoot down so that my head is below the back of the seat. I've had an illogical fear of being shot in the back of the head in a theater since I was pretty young. Jubbers can attest to this. I'm pretty sure the Abraham Lincoln biography my grandfather gave me when I was eight or nine figures into it. At the same time, I've never felt important enough to be targeted specifically. I'd say the Aurora shooting reminds us all that violence doesn't haven't to target someone specific, but I think this is a realization a lot of us carry with us every day.