With a $19 million opening weekend, the big-screen version on “Land of the Lost” is the first big box-office bomb of the summer season.
But what caused the reboot of the cult TV series to fail in its translation to the big-screen? The Hollywood Reporter columnist Steven Zeitchik dissects just why the movie didn’t equal a large opening weekend for the movie.
Here’s a sample of what Zeitchick says:
The Ferrell Factor: It’s time to start acknowledging that for all his name recognition, Will Ferrell has joined the growing list of stars who don’t open a movie like they used to. Two years ago, Ferrell carried “Blades of Glory” to a $33m opening weekend and $118m domestic cume — in February, no less. Last year his mojo began to slip. He had “Step Brothers,” a summer comedy that pulled in a lower $30m and barely hit the $100m mark. And a disappointing winter comedy, “Semi-Pro,” opened with just $15m and barely cumed $30m.
Remake Redux: As more and more new releases take the form of film remakes, it’s been easy to forget how toothless the previous phase of television-show remakes were (cf, another summer Ferrell dud, “Bewitched.”) Audiences simply don’t respond to a three-decade-old television show the way producers would like them to — if anything, the brand recognition becomes a hindrance as auds see the remake as a retread.
You can read the rest of the story HERE.
I think its simple, Will Ferell just isn’t that funny. and plenty of other remakes have done fairly well. I just think that Will Ferell is the kiss of death to comedies.
Will Ferrell only plays one character: The idiot. You see him cast as the lead in a movie, you know you’re going to see him play the same idiot he played is his last six movies. After you’ve seen one of his movies, there’s no need to see another one.
A light, fun romp of a remake of Land of the Lost could’ve been successful. But as soon as the name “Will Ferrell” was attached to the movie, everyone knew that we weren’t going to see a family adventure story. We were going to see him vamp around as the same idiot he played in Elf, Ron Burgundy, Talidaga Nights, Blades of Glory, Bewitched, and just about every other movie he’s been in.
Turning Will and Holly into adults was also a mistake. This could’ve been a movie that parents could’ve used to share their childhood memories with their kids. Instead, we got a movie that was too stupid for adults and too racy for kids.
Well lets see……
Boob jokes, toliet humor, Will Ferrell’s acting…….see a trend yet?
Tim
“too stupid for adults and too racy for kids”…. YES! Exactly why it bombed.
Uhm… Will Ferrel… the end.
Everyone thought it was a kids/family. It was almost billed as such, up until very close to the release.
When everyone found out it wasn’t a movie they could “share their childhood memories with their kids” , many of them stayed home… including myself.
“a movie that was too stupid for adults and too racy for kids”
DING DING DING WINNER!
Poor Sid & Marty. They were hoping that this movie would be a fore runner of movies based on their Sat Morning line up. Oh Well. I guess we are spared a CGI H.R. Puffinstuff