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Box Office: Cloverfield Puts Up Monster Numbers
Michael Stahl-David and Jessica Lucas in Cloverfield courtesy Paramount Pictures
Converting on months of Internet hype in the way Snakes on a Plane couldn't, Cloverfield topped the weekend box office with $41 million, besting Star Wars: Special Edition's 11-year-old record for a January debut. (Watch the Cloverfield trailer here.)
Katherine Heigl's 27 Dresses was not a bride but a bridesmaid, coming in second with $22.4 mil.
Rounding out the top five were The Bucket List ($15.2 mil), Juno ($10.3 mil) and National Treasure 2 ($8.1 mil).
Mad Money reaped anything but, stealing just $7.7 mil to land at No. 7.
What's your take on any of the new releases? Already we've had at least one reader email us about needing to step out for an "illness" break during Cloverfield, thanks to the jittery camerawork. And while 27 Dresses was stood up by many critics, filmgoers really seemed to RSVP.
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Jan 20, 2008 4:03 PM
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I saw both movies this weekend.
27 Dresses was good, my wife liked it.
Cloverfield was okay, but I agree with the "illness break" - mine was about 30 minutes in and then I watched, or rather listened to, the rest of the movie from inside my hat.
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Jan 20, 2008 4:40 PM
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How does Juno make it to No. 4 with just $1.3 million? Do you mean $11.3 million?
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Jan 20, 2008 5:25 PM
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I saw 27 Dresses last night and laughed harder than I have at a movie in a long time. I hold up the bar scene as one of the best I've ever seen in a film. I will be singing Benny and the Jets for a long time!
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Jan 20, 2008 5:25 PM
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Cloverfield...worst movie I have ever seen. Worse than Gigli....no kidding.
Boring, stupid, horrible acting, total waste of time and money...Stunk
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Jan 20, 2008 5:54 PM
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Cloverfield: a FANTASTIC monster movie, a true convention buster with an original creature, wide scale destruction, and believable special effects. And the handheld camera work was just fine (I am ALWAYS surprised by those who find it "nauseating," just as I find the widespread distaste for subtitles baffling).
Anybody who thought this movie would be something that is wasn't (conventionally filmed, conventional script, conventional ending) obviously has been asleep at the wheel given the insane amount of press coverage and reviews.
27 Dresses seems far more up to their standards.
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Jan 20, 2008 6:06 PM
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I loved Cloverfield. Fantastic directing, acting, writing, etc, all around. I'm very happy for it. I for one didn't feel at all seek throughout the entire movie, so maybe that's why I loved it more than others.
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Jan 20, 2008 6:06 PM
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Cloverfield is what it was -- it wasn't Gone With the Wind. It wasn't the Godfather. The pre-disaster went on far too long and I didn't care about anyone, but I was tense through the whole thing and enjoyed it.
I just wish that camcorder had a steadycam button, but that sort of thing annoys me rather than makes me sick.
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Jan 20, 2008 6:08 PM
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CLOVERFIELD!!! I am proud to say that I have never seen the Blair Witch Project. I was never a fan of scary "jump outta bushes" movies and that new concept of shaky handy cams filming the entire movie never did anything for me. I though it was stupid. Well...time heals all wounds and mine healed enough for me to embrace the style this entire movie has. This film had me on the edge of my seat. Sometimes it was for the impatient part of me wanting a real steady picture and sometimes it was for THE MONSTER(s)!!!! I really liked this flick. It had a good story (to me at least) and some breakthrough methods of giving an audience the feel of terror! The scenes were very realistic and reminiscent of the people that fled 911. Very scary. There is a sense of realism in this movie because you felt that this occurrence could actually happen in NYC more so than GODZILLA in the most recent incarnation of that screen monster. I felt more......at home with a big lumbering creature running into buildings and causing the military some serious defeats. Some people have already penalized JJ Abrams for taking us back to 911 but I say they are mistaken.
CLOVERFIELD serves the purpose well and all of the secret advertising ploys used prior to this opening actually worked.
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Jan 20, 2008 6:23 PM
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How does Juno make it to No. 4 with just $1.3 million? Do you mean $11.3 million?
Actually, I meant $10.3 million. The "0" key on my laptop is finicky these days. - MWM
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Jan 20, 2008 6:24 PM
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We just saw Cloverfield and absolutely loved, loved it. It's a monster movie so I just threw myself into it and enjoyed the ride. Very tense at moments. I was glad I had my honey to hang onto, and I actually screamed out loud twice. Found the jerky camera a bit annoying at times, and at times it made us a bit queasy (two people walked out of the theater because of this) but we just looked away and then back and that helped. Hud was steadier than Rob when it came to holding the camera.
I think this movie was well done, put you right there, and even when we could tell what would happen we still jumped.
And the ending put a lump in both our throats!
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Jan 20, 2008 6:37 PM
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I saw Cloverfield and I really enjoyed it. It was different than anything I'd seen in a while, but I think the best part was that Marmaduke from Carpoolers played Hud. He is so funny in the tv show and I think his humor really made this movie so much better.
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Jan 20, 2008 7:08 PM
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Word-of-mouth is going to KILL Cloverfield. It's dopey as all hell, and word is spreading fast. It's going to take the mother of all 2nd weekend tankings.
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Jan 20, 2008 8:09 PM
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I saw Cloverfield and Juno yesterday. Cloverfield was good, if you acknowledge that it's not really about the monster - just like The Mist was not about the mist. Cloverfield was about what you would do to be able to tell someone you love them, and how you need to treasure those "perfect days." The camera work could be a bit frustrating, but at the same time that was what made it special. And I personally think they made better use of the handicam style than Blair Witch did.
Juno was awesome. I loved it. I want to make it into a pillow and snuggle with it at night. I know there are those who don't like - maybe because it's one of those movies where it almost becomes cooler to not like it. Whatever, I loved it and so did my husband. Ellen Page was fantastic, as was the entire cast. Can't wait for DVD!
I'm going to see 27 Dresses tomorrow - my momma and I are getting together for a girlie day. I expect it to be cute - a basic Rom Com, but that's all I'm looking for, so that's cool with me!
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Jan 20, 2008 8:56 PM
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*MINOR SPOILERS*
It seems to me the only reason people dislike Cloverfield is because it doesn't give them what they want, in terms of a conclusion. Shaky camera aside, most people seemed pretty into the movie during both screenings I participated in, until the very end... I guess some people just can't take an ambiguous ending (see The Sopranos, No Country for Old Men, et al). Sad...
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Jan 20, 2008 9:41 PM
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