We actually beat the $31m Sunday projection, the film dropped less than expected due to positive word of mouth. Final number for Fri-Sun should be closer to $32.7m which makes us the third-biggest January opening of all time (behind Cloverfield and Star Wars re-release) and the best ever for an R-rated movie.
We actually beat the $31m Sunday projection, the film dropped less than expected due to positive word of mouth. Final number for Fri-Sun should be closer to $32.7m which makes us the third-biggest January opening of all time (behind Cloverfield and Star Wars re-release) and the best ever for an R-rated movie.
We actually beat the $31m Sunday projection, the film dropped less than expected due to positive word of mouth. Final number for Fri-Sun should be closer to $32.7m which makes us the third-biggest January opening of all time (behind Cloverfield and Star Wars re-release) and the best ever for an R-rated movie.
We actually beat the $31m Sunday projection, the film dropped less than expected due to positive word of mouth. Final number for Fri-Sun should be closer to $32.7m which makes us the third-biggest January opening of all time (behind Cloverfield and Star Wars re-release) and the best ever for an R-rated movie.
That $38m four-day estimate is simply tremendous, especially for an R-rated picture. I was hoping the box office would expand to accommodate both Eli and Avatar, and am glad to see it did.
I hate to rain on Gary's parade but I wrote Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel... so unless Eli breaks $200 mil domestically I am still the best writer on GAF.
I was so nervous this week I had almost no appetite at all and barely ate. Woke up on Sunday, saw the numbers on my email, realized my stomach was grumbling and went and demolished a massive pancake breakfast. Feels good man :lol
The next runner up is the Quran, which has only 800 million copies in circulation, yet it survives Book of Elis holocaust with no problem.
Eli attempts to compensate for that math with the ridiculous claim that during the apocalypse everyone went a little crazy and, while they were burning to death, going blind, and hiding in caves; stopped to torch every bible on planet Earth while blaming it for civilizations downfall.
Those two books are not the same in preservation methods. Literally millions of Muslims memorize the Qur'an by heart at a young age. And can recite it back to you ( exactly like Eli did in this film) fully.
The same cannot be said for the bible.
Point Number 2;
The people burned the religious books because they blamed religion for whatever happened in the world before. Not as a secondary thing they just happened to be doing.
This is not a well established review I must say. Those two books are not the same in preservation methods. Literally millions of Muslims memorize the Qur'an by heart at a young age. And can recite it back to you ( exactly like Eli did in this film) fully.
The same cannot be said for the bible.
Point Number 2; The people burned the religious books because they blamed religion for whatever happened in the world before. Not as a secondary thing they just happened to be doing.
Hey Gary. Saw the film over the weekend and I have a few comments / questions / observations.
At the end of the movie when the camera zooms into Eli's eyes, they appear to be glazed over. This may have been discussed already, but I wanted to know which of these scenarios is likely: 1) He was blind the entire film due to the "Flash" or 2) He was blinded by the "Flash" but granted sight to complete his journey and deliver the word to the People who needed it?
Regardless of which it is, I thought it was great how his senses were heightened (hearing, smelling, etc) and how he touched things as a blind person would when he was searching.
Absolutely loved this film and looking forward to seeing it again soon!
What Dolla Dolla posted is the reason why I had thought Eli was
blind before the flash, and had sight afterward. The long zoom into his eyes at the end, showing them glazed over, was what led me to think that he had sight during the events of the movie, and lost his sight once he had completed his mission.
Gary, speaking about the twist, and I apologize if you went over this in previous posts, but was
Eli 100% blind? or did he have limited sight?
I ask because there are a couple of scenes in the movie where
namely when he was walking on the highway and it came to and end, he knows to stop. Or when the outlaws hijack those people walking with the shopping cart, and he knows to crouch down behind some rubble, or even when he shot the arrow into the cat at the beginning.
I can understand if
he had some limited vision to see shapes and shadows, but if he was completely blind, did he build up his other senses over the course of the 31years he has been walking to become almost 'Daredevil' like?
I still enjoyed the movie a bunch, but just some of the stuff I mentioned above was bugging me...
First of all, I liked it. I have some major problems with the movie, but on the whole I liked it.
My biggest complaint honestly is the fucking retarded product placements in this movie. In a world where books are a rare commodity, water is scarce and working electronics are even scarcer it seems that corporate branding has been harmed in no way whatsoever. Several of the product placements took me right out of the immersion in the movie. The KFC packets were one thing, the giant fucking Motorola logo on the bullhorn was too much.
Plot wise.. I am going to give the movie a pass on some stuff
I don't think it's very likely everyone would have forgotten about religion and books become that scare in just 20 something years. However, that is the premise of the film so I kind of let that one go. Chalk it up to a free pass to get an allegorical tale off the ground
I'm an atheist and found several of the more religious scenes in the movie pretty hamfisted. It backed down off of them towards the end
for half a second I thought Eli was going to be Jesus that arose from the dead and was found walking the wide of the road. Thank god it didn't go that route
The action scenes were fun for the most part. The movie had some major pacing issues.
the very end after the big reveal went on far too long. It just kept showing the badguy reacting to his world falling apart. That could have been done a lot quicker.. as it was it just drug on way too long.
In regards to the big twist.. I'm not sure how I feel. At the moment it happened I thought it was clever. It was set up with several hints.. but the more I think about it the cheaper it feels.
I'll have to watch it again to see how plausible it is that blind guy did half that shit. I'm not talking about the action scenes either.. I'm talking about his awareness about his surroundings and what was going on
there was some sort of religious war that caused the problems. It was somewhat non-specific, but the people blamed religion on the destruction of the planet.
It seems to fit in with the general theme that religion isn't the problem. It's people using and manipulating religion to fit their means/control power. Seemed to be the general theme of the movie. Religion/Faith = good. Religion being abused for power = bad
there was some sort of religious war that caused the problems. It was somewhat non-specific, but the people blamed religion on the destruction of the planet.
It seems to fit in with the general theme that religion isn't the problem. It's people using and manipulating religion to fit their means/control power. Seemed to be the general theme of the movie. Religion/Faith = good. Religion being abused for power = bad
I have no idea, obviously I'd love to see that stuff. Maybe it's more likely now that the movie has been a big commercial hit. Personally I'd love to see an Eli figurine and a really good quality replica sword.
I have no idea, obviously I'd love to see that stuff. Maybe it's more likely now that the movie has been a big commercial hit. Personally I'd love to see an Eli figurine and a really good quality replica sword.
I have no idea, obviously I'd love to see that stuff. Maybe it's more likely now that the movie has been a big commercial hit. Personally I'd love to see an Eli figurine and a really good quality replica sword.
OK so people seem to be having a problem with him taking so long to make his way to his destination. For one we don't really know when he received his quest or what was done in between then and the end. It could be said that maybe he just wandered around in the desert, i.e. moses for 30 years until it was his time to finish. Maybe it just takes a suspension if disbelief. I can't say for sure.
Why were things forgotten so quickly ? I wish i could explain that one. I have a theory but maybe it was a hole. Who knows.
I mean this in all sincerity but why is it that when there are religous overtones do atheists feel that someone is forcing it down their throats or become offened ? When the tables are turned i don't feel that anyone is forcing atheism on me. Does someone making a point always have to be considered forcing it or heavy heanded just because you dont agree ?
Aww, selective quoting is cute. How about we see the entire sentence I wrote?
Vast Inspiration said:
And I haven't sen anyone mention this, but I found the movie played out very similar to The Road and Waterworld (a connection which no one has seemed to point out)...except this movie is done much better and has an awesome ending.
The Road connection has been pointed out many times before but I was specifically talking about Waterworld. I even said it again in brackets that Waterworld is the one that hasn't been mentioned before.
But I guess its cool that you got to make a witty comment.
OK so people seem to be having a problem with him taking so long to make his way to his destination. For one we don't really know when he received his quest or what was done in between then and the end. It could be said that maybe he just wandered around in the desert, i.e. moses for 30 years until it was his time to finish. Maybe it just takes a suspension if disbelief. I can't say for sure.
Why were things forgotten so quickly ? I wish i could explain that one. I have a theory but maybe it was a hole. Who knows.
There might be an easy explanation for that. Not necessarily immediately forgotten. But forbidden from mention leads ultimately to erosion of memory. The vast majority of the world after the flash, didn't see any benefit in religion and was in fact militant towards it.
Back when West-African slaves where taken to America. Many of them already had their own religious background, so they were Muslims or something else.
Many of them kept reciting their religious scripts and cultural traditions. So they would teach their children their cultural and religious heritage such as the the Qur'an ect. As a consequence, many slaves were severely punished so they couldn't:
A-Teach their progeny any other language than the English they'd be growing up in. So it'd be harder for them to communicate with their Children.
B- Erase their cultural heritage including religious inclination. So that they'd adopt surrounding culture and traditions.
I suspect something similar but not of the same severity must have been the case with the Book of Eli. Until most of them just forgot.
There might be an easy explanation for that. Not necessarily immediately forgotten. But forbidden from mention leads ultimately to erosion of memory. The vast majority of the world after the flash, didn't see any benefit in religion and was in fact militant towards it.
Back when West-African slaves where taken to America. Many of them already had their own religious background, so they were Muslims or something else.
Many of them kept reciting their religious scripts and cultural traditions. So they would teach their children their cultural and religious heritage such as the the Qur'an ect. As a consequence, many slaves were severely punished so they couldn't:
A-Teach their progeny any other language than the English they'd be growing up in. So it'd be harder for them to communicate with their Children.
B- Erase their cultural heritage including religious inclination. So that they'd adopt surrounding culture and traditions.
I suspect something similar but not of the same severity must have been the case with the Book of Eli. Until most of them just forgot.
I think this is what I might have been leaning towards. Scares the hell out of me wondering how quickly our culture could be forgotten if something of that magnitude ever happened.
I think this is what I might have been leaning towards. Scares the hell out of me wondering how quickly our culture could be forgotten if something of that magnitude ever happened.
Sorry. Being more than slightly facetious. I do not honestly think our present culture is completely devoid of merit. I do, however, live in South Carolina at the moment, so that does tend to darken ones image of culture at large...
He's trying to say that "our culture" isn't worth saving.
Which is a cynical point of view, but one that many people share.
hednik4am said:
I mean this in all sincerity but why is it that when there are religous overtones do atheists feel that someone is forcing it down their throats or become offened ? When the tables are turned i don't feel that anyone is forcing atheism on me. Does someone making a point always have to be considered forcing it or heavy heanded just because you dont agree ?
Totally agree. If you felt that religion was "shoved down your throat" in this movie, then you either don't know how to use that phrase or you are extremely insecure.
Have to say...I really couldnt get into it. The pacing was roughhhhhhhhhh. The characters never developed at all. I left completely meh'ed out after hoping the story would eventually, somehow pick up. Beginning was way too plodding imo. Parts of the middle got my hopes up only to crush them right down with some more ridiculous pacing and the silly ending.
At least Mila Kunis was smokin' as usual. God that woman is perfect. Probably the only holywood "crush" I have.
He's trying to say that "our culture" isn't worth saving.
Which is a cynical point of view, but one that many people share.
Totally agree. If you felt that religion was "shoved down your throat" in this movie, then you either don't know how to use that phrase or you are extremely insecure.
First of all, I liked it. I have some major problems with the movie, but on the whole I liked it.
My biggest complaint honestly is the fucking retarded product placements in this movie. In a world where books are a rare commodity, water is scarce and working electronics are even scarcer it seems that corporate branding has been harmed in no way whatsoever. Several of the product placements took me right out of the immersion in the movie. The KFC packets were one thing, the giant fucking Motorola logo on the bullhorn was too much.
Yea, no product placement would lead me to wonder who actually made any of that shit. It made perfect sense. Product placement is really that prolific in our day to day lifes, in case you haven't noticed.
Have to say...I really couldnt get into it. The pacing was roughhhhhhhhhh. The characters never developed at all. I left completely meh'ed out after hoping the story would eventually, somehow pick up. Beginning was way too plodding imo. Parts of the middle got my hopes up only to crush them right down with some more ridiculous pacing and the silly ending.
At least Mila Kunis was smokin' as usual. God that woman is perfect. Probably the only holywood "crush" I have.
The pacing was not what i had come to expect when I walked in the thater... i was expecting fast cuts and a shoot out every 5 minutes and it never happened and to be honest i was glad it didnt. Thats not the kind of movie it was.
As for the charaters not developing I never got the feelgin they were supposed to. We weren't supposed to know their fully fleshed out backgrounds and what made them cry... i feel they were in a way one dimensional for a purpose.
Yea, no product placement would lead me to wonder who actually made any of that shit. It made perfect sense. Product placement is really that prolific in our day to day lifes, in case you haven't noticed.
As my girlfriend pointed out, it's unlikely that the first priority among survivors in a post-apoc world would be to scrape the logos off everything :lol
As my girlfriend pointed out, it's unlikely that the first priority among survivors in a post-apoc world would be to scrape the logos off everything :lol
