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American Morning
Best Grossers Best Movies?
Aired July 08, 2002 - 09:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRIS MYERS, CNN ANCHOR: They are back and most definitely in the black. It was a record take for "Men in Black II" at the holiday box office, the sequel earning $54.1 million, breaking the record for the weekend, which was held by the original movie. Alien action followed by last week's number one film, "Mr. Deeds," "Like Mike," "Lilo & Stitch," and "Minority Report."
So where does a commercial success like "Men in Black" score on the creative, classic scale?
Joining us with more on that, KTLA's entertainment editor, Sam Rubin, from the West Coast.
Good morning, Sam, how are you?
SAM RUBIN, KTLA ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Hey, good morning, Chris. Very, very well.
MYERS: Well, how about it? Does it have to be creative, classic to do well at the box office? Why are people complaining about that?
RUBIN: Well, I don't think you necessarily have to be a big award winner to be a big success in the accounting department. That is certainly the case with "Men in Black II." Record-setting box office, as you mentioned. Already, the studio has announced this morning there will be, you guessed it, "Men in Black III." Theyre already developing that. And you know, that -- that makes sense, certainly from a ledger point of view. Financially, obviously, these movies are extraordinarily profitable.
But I think they're tremendously dispensable, in that I don't think theres anybody who walked out of the theater seeing a movie this weekend that can really tell you anything about it. Its not a movie that really resonates or sticks with you. It's a pleasant enough experience for a brief period of time, but you know, is it a movie that youre going to remember ten minutes later in the mall? I don't think so, and that's part of the dilemma, particularly in this case.
Sometimes these sequels can be better than the original. Here, we knew all the surprises already. We knew the whole plot line, so I think it was a bit of a creative disappointment. Obviously, though, people did go out and see it. MYERS: No question. I took my sons to see "Scooby-Doo," and one of them said -- he said, you know, that Scrappy is the villain. I dont want to get into -- but he said, you can scrap this film, Dad. And I said, you're not a critic, eat your popcorn.
But you are. Is it OK, I mean, for a movie -- and "Scooby-Doo," thats doing very well -- is it OK to have a movie that you don't have to think about? Sometimes people just want to go to a movie and be entertained.
RUBIN: Well, the cliche phrase, Chris, is "popcorn movies." And as you mentioned to your son, theres there certainly is a place for popcorn movies. The concern I think some people have is -- and this weekend was a good example -- there were literally nothing but popcorn movies. Maybe in that top five that you listed, "Minority Report" was the only movie with a little more weight than anything else.
The kids had some bad choices this weekend. They were sophisticated enough to realize it. "Powerpuff Girls," which you can see on television, certainly did not do well on the big screen. And the week before, "Hey, Arnold" -- these are both Cartoon Network/Nickelodeon films making their transfer to the big screen -- basically bombed, because your son and other sons and daughters around the country are sophisticated enough to know when their pockets are being picked. These are shows you can watch on TV for free, and the movies werent that distinct. They werent that different. And thus, neither did well at the box office. In fact, in a summer of hits, the only bombs so far are these cartoons, "Powerpuff" and "Hey Arnold!"
MYERS: Theres probably no Oscar nominations there, but one that you liked in this area, Road to Perdition, hasn't opened yet across the country. But people will want to see this one.
RUBIN: I think they certainly will want to see it. This is going to be the best reviewed movie so far this year, and with good reason. Tom Hanks as you've never seen him before, a hit man in a movie thats the second effort to the big screen from the director of "American Beauty." Sam Mendes has only made two movies. Paul Newman told me hes got the weight and the heft of a man whos made a dozen or more.
I talked to Sam about this whole conflict about popcorn movies. Will Perdition perform at the box office? Here's what Sam Mendes had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM MENDES, DIRECTOR, "ROAD TO PERDITION": One can only do the best one can with a film and hope that people get turned on. The one thing, I think, that is very, very dangerous is the fear factor that stops people making these films, because they worry that theyre not going to make it. But then they don't try to make them at all as a consequence, and that seems very damaging.
(END VIDEO CLIP) RUBIN: And I think that -- that is the thing, that it is potentially damaging. Would you rather see a movie like this, which when you all see it, you will agree, as opposed to Men in Black VI, VII or VII? You would, but the box office suggests the sequels have more priority.
MYERS: All right. Thanks very much, and take care.
RUBIN: All right. Thanks, Chris. Thank you.
MYERS: And of course, Tom Hanks becoming a modern day Jimmy Stewart-type actor. I appreciate you being with us.
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