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05/07/2005: Thought for the Day:
Then again, it isn’t like Smith’s – or my or anybody else’s – review is going to matter one damn bit when it comes to “Revenge of the Sith.” This is the film for which the expression “critic proof” was invented. Just to give you an idea what I’m talking about, the current over/under on the movie’s opening weekend gross stands at $86 million, with odds on the “over” running 1:3. Clearly, the bookies are betting that it won’t just be the geeks lined up to see this film in the first few days (and frankly, there really aren’t that many of us). Smith has given the flick some nice pre-release publicity, but it – and the avalanche of reviews yet to come – is ultimately meaningless. It’s all just another bit of nerd minutiae for obsessive compulsive dorks like yours truly to chew on for a few more weeks.
Don’t believe me? If you look at the reviews for both of the prequels so far (I checked rottentomatoes.com), you’ll find about a 65% favorable rating for both. If you check the “cream of the crop” reviews however (and yes, I realize Film Threat isn’t included among those), you’ll see ratings only in the 40% favorable range. This is significant because, like it or not, major dailies and TV are where most of the moviegoing public get their upcoming movie info. And yet, even with those sub-par numbers, “Phantom Menace” still grossed $64 million on opening weekend (on its way to $431 million total domestic box office), while “Attack of the Clones” racked up $80 million upon opening ($310 million overall).
--Pete Vonder Haar
Len on 05.07.05 @ 12:17 PM CST
