King Kong (dir. Peter Jackson)

[Deleted]

I went to see this movie last night, expecting a packed theatre. We arrived at 9:00 for a 9:45 show and I was convinced that we weren't going to get tickets, and if we did, we'd have to get in line and get shitty seats. My friends and I waited around until 9:15 to actually buy our tickets, and the theatre we went inside was dead. True, it was a half hour before the show but I was convinced there'd be more people, I'm pretty shocked.

The movie was alright, I was a little blazed so I didn't understand/remember too much. I do remember really liking the directing style, because it looked like the movie was actually made in the 30s. I thought that was cool. The rest was alright.

ETA: I also remember at one point that I really, really rooting for Naomi Watts to win the Golden Globe. Looking back now I don't really think so at all, but I was pretty passionate about it at the time.

[abbynormal]

$14 million on Friday, putting it on track for about a $45-$50 million opening weekend. Not a bad number, but considering the budget and hype for this film, it's still disappointing.

[Mugsy]

I don't understand opening movies right before Christmas. Aren't people out shopping and going to parties and whatnot?

It's waaayy too early to call KK a bomb. It will do well over the holiday break when the kids are out of school, and the Christmas hype is over. All reports say it's a good movie, and those are few and far between.

There aren't many movies out there my whole family can go to together (kids aged 12-20), that is good for the youngest, and still interesting for the older ones, plus something not too brainless for us parents. KK fits the bill for us and we plan to go after Christmas. I think a lot of families are like us.

Everyone I know is busy with work parties, shopping, school Christmas concerts, getting together with friends, and so on. No one is thinking about going to a movie right now.

[goggle]

I agree. It's the last weekend before Christmas (though Christmas itself is on a weekend) so people are busy doing holiday stuff. The week between Xmas and New Year's could be good for it, unless of course other good movies come out.

But what do I know? I wasn't going to see this movie anyway.

[realitybug]

Yeah, perhaps it'll get a slow start and gross alot over a long period of time.

Someone told me that there were parts that were really boring. She and I usually have the same taste in movies. That and the three hours long run time is what keeps me from paying.

[lpatrice]

I think Hollywood puts too much emphasis on opening numbers. If the movie is doing horribly after about week three, then yeah there is probably cause for concern. But considering that the movie is 3.5 hours long, and Universal didn't order enough prints, it doesn't suprise me that it isn't going to make 80 million on opening weekend.

I see King Kong being more like Titanic, in that sense that good reviews and positive word of mouth will probably make it a big consistent money maker.

Or of course it could flop, hard to tell these days.

After reading this,

Grosses for "King Kong" jumped 40 percent from Friday to Saturday, a huge increase for a non-family film and a sign that good word-of-mouth was pulling in audiences, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

I am leaning towards it not being a flop, but again I think that with this movie, only time will tell.

[Deleted]

Saw it today and enojyed it. I came to care about the CGI gorilla, darn it all.

It's a little long, but I thought it was really well done.

[huntergrayson]

Well, of course, as people are still in work on Friday and it's a 3 hour film. Though I swear to god, I saw it and a good 10-12 minutes of those three hours were closing credits, with all the F/X folks credited. I do think studios should be obligated to show only one or two trailers for a film of this length though. I'm glad it jumped because it's really, really good.

And it really isn't that excessively long. The middle section drags a little, what with all the action scenes, but they are all pretty well staged. But I didn't mind the exposition-heavy beginning at all, before we get to Kong, because there's such a good supporting cast of characters -- Billy Elliot! Cute and Vain actor guy! Mean and mysterious captain! Son of Tom Hanks!

I've said it before, I'll say it again -- Naomi Watts owns my ass. She is so amazing in this.

The moment at the end in New York where she stands in the snow in that white dress and Kong sees her and stops his rampage and they just gaze at each other for a while because he's been tearing the city apart, looking at all those other blondes and now has found her was pure Hollywood magic. The totally implausible but beautiful thing that you go to the movies for.

There was plenty of wonderful things up til then but that moment bought my total surrender.

I'm surprised that someone's friend thinks there's not enough prints -- it's showing every half hour at the newest bestest Regal theatre here in Knoxville, TN, which is their home base of operations.

[Deleted]

Mean and mysterious captain!

I looked him up on IMDB and he was the Nazi officer that feeds Adrien Brody's character in The Pianist.

[Deleted]

Saw it today, and really enjoyed it. The characters were stereotyped, of course, as noted by huntergrayson above, but it totally worked--I liked that the movie didn't take itself so seriously about that.
I guess this would belong in an Adrien Brody thread, (don't know if there is one), but anyway: I know he's probably sort of a dumb guy in real life--at least that's the way he comes off in interviews & articles--but I can't help but just really, really like him. There's something appealing about him.
I think the movie'll do well. Maybe it won't be one of the top grossing movies of all times, but I think people will be going to see it.