As we have already reported, the box-office tally for “Grindhouse” is in and it isn’t pretty. The film from directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino debuted at a disappointing number four over the weekend, taking in a meager $11.4 million.
Disappointment in the box-office numbers has led Miramax studio head Harvey Weinstein to consider splitting up the two films within “Grindhouse” and re-releasing them separately. This strategy would be in line with the proposed release of the films overseas and for the eventual DVD release of the film.
“I don’t think people understood what we were doing,” Weinstein said. “The audience didn’t get the idea that it is two movies for the price of one. I don’t understand the math, but I want to accommodate the audience.” He said the main deterrent to ticket buyers is the length, which “becomes a time commitment.”
So, in other words, people will have to pay twice as much to watch the movies separately than watching them together. Sounds to me like they’re doing it more for money than audience convenience.
I’m glad I got to see it as a double-feature.
It seems to me the main reason people aren’t flocking to see this movie is that it looks like an authentic grindhouse feature. I’m not sure how many people know what that term means but I think this film appears, to most, to be a stereotypical exploitation film in which the artistic content and quality of the movie are sacrificed for excessive sex, violence and gore.
I haven’t seen it yet so I can’t say if this is true or not. It’s my understanding that this is a film that pays homage to exploitation films but is itself not an exploitation film. Or at least not a typical exploitation film. The star roster already sets it above the genre.
I think the general impression of the film is that it is not a high quality film. I have a date to see it this weekend so I’ll find out for myself.
I saw the movie on opening weekend and loved it! The only thing I would have changed is the order. While Deathproof (the second movie) does eventually payoff it zapped the energy that Planet Terror starts you out with.
If you’re thinking about missing this movie Don’t!