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Premiere Nightmare, Lack of Testicles Leave 'SATC' Fighting Two-Front War
Posted by Defamer Hollywood at 2:15 AM on May 29, 2008
A hearty morning "Congrats" goes to the gang at New Line Cinema, which, in lame-duck fashion even more stylish than Carrie Bradshaw, sent its final film as a stand-alone studio into Publicity Hell when thousands of ticket-holding fans were turned away from last night's Midtown Handjob Market Sex and the City premiere in New York. Complaints have been aired everywhere — from the "near riot of Louboutin clicking girls" noted by our colleagues at Gawker to the bereft throat-cancer survivor in the Daily News — and we expect heads to roll within the hour at New Line HQ. Except, wait! They already have!
And that's not the least of it for the studio; after the jump, join us in watching SATC's male interest plunge!
Some industry folks, like former South by Southwest festival guru and admitted SATC follower Matt Dentler, have strictly pragmatic reasons for avoiding the film: "Sure, the movie is rated 'R,' but what boundaries could they possibly have left to push?" he wrote Tuesday. "Are the gals gonna test out some bestiality and necrophilia? I can't say that would really send me to the box office anyway." [Mr. Dentler's views do not, ahem, reflect those of Defamer. — Ed.] But both Variety and the Associated Press have far more skeptical glimpses at the big picture, with the trade noting that most men "suggest they'd rather be shot than sit through the movie."
The AP's Jocelyn Noveck, meanwhile, adds that the last hit to skew so female was the PG-13 The Devil Wears Prada:
"This movie really will be a paternity test for R-rated female-driven romantic comedies," said analyst Jeff Bock of box office tracker Reel Source. "There haven't been a lot of movies like this." Bock predicts the movie will have a strong opening weekend, then a big drop-off. "There's no getting around that this is a film oriented to women and gay men," he said. "It will be very hard to get past that, especially with a lot of testosterone-driven films out there this summer."
"Paternity tests" [?] aside, we can't wait to see how New Line reacts to the challenge. What's the worst that could happen? No, seriously — what is it? Half the office has a sick day planned Monday anyway.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
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DrFeelgood
Posted 9:12 AM 29/5/08
Regardless of the films merits, this is a wide release for a direct to DVD cash cow production. The DVD box set sales are what got this thing greenlit to begin with.
Also, forget breaking new boundries, what this film (should) be about is "happily ever after". If it's not? It's going to do the same numbers as "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me".
DrFeelgood
CapnCalamity
Posted 5:12 AM 29/5/08
@Miss Anne Thrope: Clearly. I mean, "paternity test?" I'm trying to make sense of it on some/any level, and...just, no. Especially in that sentence. How can one movie determine from where all other female-driven romantic comedies originated? What? This is a disaster.
CapnCalamity
Miss Anne Thrope
Posted 4:39 AM 29/5/08
@CapnCalamity: He's a box office analyist, not a scientist ;-)
Miss Anne Thrope
Desk_hack
Posted 4:33 AM 29/5/08
@Mel Gibstein: I'm visiting my Mom in Nebraska this weekend, and she's already declared that we will be seeing this on Friday night. I plan on sneaking in a flask filled with Cosmo.
Desk_hack
CapnCalamity
Posted 4:25 AM 29/5/08
They did mean "litmus test," didn't they?
CapnCalamity
TheStarterWife
Posted 4:04 AM 29/5/08
@Mel Gibstein: Ahh...
But what New Line has done (quite brilliantly I might add) is that they've made seeing SatC the women's "event" movie. Something that best-bestie BFF's would go see with all of their pals. They've been having make-up demos at malls all over the country, clothing tie-ins, etc.
And I don't know about the "smattering of casual friends". This is a show that as been in syndication long enough that it could very easily have picked up more hardcore viewers.
The only thing that pops to mind when I think of the comparison as far as a rom-com...
Hitch. I feel like it will do Hitch's numbers.
TheStarterWife
Sweet Panda Love
Posted 4:03 AM 29/5/08
@Mel Gibstein: I just feel like most women of that demographic are the sort to be more like "Oh my god! The Sex and the City movie is out! Oh, I so want to see that but it's my cousin's bar mitzvah in Denver this weekend, I can't go! Let's go next weekend!"
Or some other crude stereotype like that. I think nerds prioritize movies in their schedule more. I speak as a nerd.
Sweet Panda Love
Mel Gibstein
Posted 3:58 AM 29/5/08
@Sweet Panda Love: Seems to me that the fans of this show WILL see it opening weekend. I'm guessing there's a smattering of "casual fans" that will go second or third weekend, but SATC fans have always struck me as all or nuthin'. But I could be wrong.
Mel Gibstein
Sweet Panda Love
Posted 3:49 AM 29/5/08
@Mel Gibstein: But not being nerds, do the women and gays have as much of a fetish for seeing something opening weekend? There might not be a massive drop because the audience could be spread out over more weekends.
Sweet Panda Love
Mel Gibstein
Posted 3:45 AM 29/5/08
@TheStarterWife: Oh, but it will. See, women and homosexual viewers are a bit different from "the geeks" who see Star Wars, etc. in that they won't see a film multiple, multiple times.
Also, will anyone in Salt Lake City or Buffalo (where women stay at home and gays stay in the closet) give a shit? How are the advance sales in Houston? Factor in that almost zero straight men will see this without the promise of getting to perform anal sex on their partners afterwards and voila! A 70% drop-off in weekend #2.
Mel Gibstein
TheStarterWife
Posted 2:30 AM 29/5/08
It's Wednesday and half of SatC tix at the Arclight are sold out. (Including the $60 a piece SatC "party" tix, which have been sold out for the next two weekends for some time now.)
I doubt the film is going to have that much of a drop.
TheStarterWife