Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: What movies will be hot for Christmas?

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-29-2007, 09:12 PM:

Is it just me, or is this Christmas season shaping up to be sorta...weak? I hope I'm wrong but there's just nothing I'm feeling a buzz on...yet.

National Treasure will be huge, but most of the rest just seem marginal. Maybe I've had one too many sequel-heavy holiday seasons.

What's everyone else think? What are your picks to click?

Posted by Chad M Calpito (Member # 3736) on 10-29-2007, 11:12 PM:

I think National Treasure will be great, but, am unsure about the rest though.

Posted by Scott McGuire (Member # 4508) on 10-30-2007, 12:38 PM:

Our booker told us that this has been the slowest fall since 2000. Looking at what is coming out between nw and Christmas i don't see anything that i think will do great at the box other that National Treasure. I hope we aren't in for a slow winter as well.

Posted by James. R. Deeter (Member # 837) on 10-30-2007, 05:52 PM:

I'm thinking Fred Claus should do well ( Elf level biz ) and Enchanted will be a great family film

Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 10-30-2007, 06:49 PM:

There's a lot of good movies coming up. What about The Golden Compass, I Am Legend (Will Smith) , Alien Vs. Predator 2, The Bucket List (Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman), The Water Horse, Charlie Wilson's War (Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts)?

Posted by John T. Hendrickson, Jr (Member # 849) on 10-30-2007, 08:03 PM:

National Treasure will do great business. After that, roll the dice. [Eek!]

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 10-30-2007, 08:15 PM:

quote: Mark Ogden
There's a lot of good movies coming up. What about The Golden Compass, I Am Legend (Will Smith) , Alien Vs. Predator 2, The Bucket List (Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman), The Water Horse, Charlie Wilson's War (Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts)?

To all of those: respectable but not huge.

Except for AVP 2; I don't see how that one could do that great. AVP really didn't do well from what I saw and most fans of the comics thought it was pretty awful. So why should the sequel do well?

Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 10-30-2007, 10:07 PM:

In the smaller towns, Enchanted, Fred Claus, Mr Margoiums, National Treasure 2, Dewey Cox (if not rated R), The Water Horse should all do very well.

National Treasure 2 will do well, but have the curse of no legs sequel itis.

I personally think this Christma's lineup looks much better than last.

Its' been a rough fall that's for sure.

Posted by Luci Reeve (Member # 3651) on 11-01-2007, 04:06 PM:

I'm sure glad to hear that everyone is having a bad autumn...I thought it was just us!

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-01-2007, 05:53 PM:

quote: Brad Allen
I personally think this Christma's lineup looks much better than last.

There's always the hope of a December surprise too...I would've bet money last year that "Night at the Museum" would be a stinkeroo, and I was incredulous when our booker thought we should play it on the break...but it wound up doing very well for us.

Posted by Thomas Pitt (Member # 4322) on 11-02-2007, 06:37 PM:

I guess we're talking about the US and Canada here, since films are usually released a few months later in the UK. Other than the seasonal movies that really HAVE to be shown at certain times of year (there would be little point putting something like "Deck the Halls" on in June!), the autumn and winter line-up in the UK seems slightly better than what you're getting in the US.

Films like 'Golden Compass' have a mid-December release date in the UK. However, some of the other films mentioned in this thread have a January or February UK release, and I haven't even heard of some of them!

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 11-03-2007, 04:21 PM:

quote:
I'm sure glad to hear that everyone is having a bad autumn...I thought it was just us!

On the contrary, I think we're having better than average fall business at the locations I've been working.

As I mentioned to a manager just today, I'll be real interested in how well Charlie Wilson's War will do in comparison with Rendition and Lions For Lambs. My gut reaction is it may do quite well as the trailer tends to spin a different (dare say pro-war) message which, the other films do not. Without Any Political Comment, I'm just suggesting movie goers reject star-studded casts if they also reject the message they perceive the film gives off. If Wilson does well, I think it will prove my theory.

Posted by Andy Muirhead (Member # 712) on 11-06-2007, 07:42 PM:

I think it looks like a promising christmas line up in the UK. With Enchanted, Mr Magoriums, The Golden Compass, Fred Claus etc, it's better than I recall for a few years.

Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 11-06-2007, 08:54 PM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
There's always the hope of a December surprise too...I would've bet money last year that "Night at the Museum" would be a stinkeroo, and I was incredulous when our booker thought we should play it on the break...but it wound up doing very well for us.

Really? I thought just the opposite when I saw the trailer. Had the best leg's for us of anything we'd had in several years.

Posted by Anslem Rayburn (Member # 1267) on 11-06-2007, 10:42 PM:

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium may surprise. I think it looks awful, but it's got some star power and is the rare Rated G live-action film. Might be what the parents are looking for.

Golden Compass looks sort of blah to me, but if the religious groups get riled up and protest it, it might give it the extra media push it needs to be succesful.

National Treasure looks like a hit, I agree with everyone else on that.

I think I Am Legend will be big, it looks like the perfect movie to escape from all of the Christmas displays and cheer with! The only other truly interesting looking film is Charlie Wilson's War, but it could easily tank OR do huge numbers depending on how it's received.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 11-08-2007, 10:06 PM:

Tonight I just saw the dreadful Bee Movie with my family. Watching the trailers for Enchanted, Golden Compass and The Water Horse does NOT give me hope for the holidays. In fact, I would hate to be a kid at the movies now. Mr Magorium looks weak, the animated Panda thing and...the Vegitales...EHHH.
My money is on National Treasure...and adult fare with legs like American Gangster. (I know the Panda thing and Vegitales come out next year.)

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 11-08-2007, 10:34 PM:

I think National Treasure: Book of Secrets will probably be the biggest hit of the holiday season. Beowulf will do well, but not the numbers of the National Treasure sequel.

The Golden Compass looks interesting, but I'm not really sure about it.

The Coen Brothers' No Country For Old Men will likely be a darling for the critics. Good word of mouth could turn it into a hit. I'm certainly wanting to check it out.

I don't have a good feeling about I am Legend. Really, I hope it turns out to be a really good movie. But the marketing on this, right down to the title itself, just doesn't make any sense. I'm not familiar with the material. I don't know the "secret handshake" regarding this story. However, that may make my feelings over this film's marketing even more valid. No movie should require the viewer any prerequisite book/comic book reading, TV watching or video game playing.

Overall, I do agree with Mike that this holiday season's movie offerings seem a bit on the weak side compared to the release slate from the previous several holiday seasons.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 11-09-2007, 04:24 PM:

I forgot about No Country For Old Men.
This one should be good. I've been a fan of the Coen Brothers for a long time, since Raising Arizona. (Blood Simple was good but hard to watch...strangely, Fargo wasn't so hard to watch...)