Let Me In

Director: Matt Reeves

Run Time: 1 Hour 55 Minutes

Rating: R

The Bouw-Man.

Well, I guess someone figured there just weren’t enough films centered around vampires these days.  Seriously, is there anyone else as annoyed as me that seemingly every new book, television show and movie produced these days has something to do with vampires?  Who are these people living their lives in a fantasy world of fangs and blood?  If you let your child dress as a vampire this Halloween, don’t come to my house in the pursuit of candy.  I will reserve my treats for the kids who chose to go as Shrek, Iron Man, SpongeBob or any other real or mythical character that is not a vampire in nature.

 

With “Let Me In” we have another low budget horror flick, with a favorable risk/reward for the film’s producers.  Chloe Moretz seems to be the next big thing among child actors after her successful turns in “(500) Days of Summer,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and most notably “Kick-Ass.”  She’s linked to seven additional films scheduled for release over the next two years, so I guess she now replaces Abigail Breslin as the young girl occupying all the good roles.  Richard Jenkins also stars in “Let Me In” as the father, which bothers me to some degree.  At age 63, he is now as relevant as ever.  However, after his Oscar-caliber performance in “Eat Pray Love,” it would’ve been nice to see him follow it up with another solid drama or comedy.

Prediction.

The “R-rating” won’t help “Let Me In” attract the important teenage demographic.  You also have to wonder if the adult market is really going to come out to see a horror film with two kids as the main characters.  I’m going to predict that there is too much competition out there for “Let Me In” to enjoy a solid opening.  $9.5 million sounds like a suitable total for opening weekend.

Opening Weekend Gross: $9.5 Million

Noodles.

'Let Me In' strikes me as an intriguing twist on the conventional vampire story. I'm always a fan of movies that make children into the villain anyway, so this seems right up my alley. The trailer makes it seem like its not only a good horror premise but there is the suspense angle mixed with the classic tale of a weak kid made strong by a powerful ally. 

What the creators did here was make a trailer that creates questions that only the full movie can answer, and I want those answers. What turned a little girl into a vampire? Who is her pet human and why is he in a garbage bag suit? Does she turn her new "friend" into a vampire by the end? I have to admit to kind of looking forward to checking this one out.

Prediction.

This film doesn't boast a lot of star power, but on a weekend devoid of any real exciting competition it could do better than average. If 'Vampires Suck' can rake in $12 Million this movie with its compelling concept should almost double that number.

Opening Weekend: Gross: $21 Million

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Twilight:: Eclipse

 Production Budget: $68 Million

Director: David Slade

Run Time: 2 Hours 4 Min.

Rating: PG-13

The Bouw-Man.

Although not quite as influential as the “Harry Potter” series, “Twilight” has established itself as a powerhouse supernatural movie franchise.  The books must certainly be popular, because the main three actors were pretty much “no names” before they lucked out and snatched the title roles.  Now, they can be seen on just about every magazine displayed in the grocery store checkout line.  Personally, I don’t understand the world’s infatuation with vampires.  Whether it’s “Dracula,” “Blade,” “Interview with a Vampire,” “From Dusk Till Dawn,” or “The Lost Boys, all my life people have flocked to theaters to see anything where fangs are apparent.  I know, fans will argue that the “Twilight” films are not just about vampires (I guess there’s werewolves too).  However, that’s what gets everyone’s attention.  Since I never read the book, didn’t see the first two films, I will stay consistent and not go see this one either.  The preview offers nothing that would attract someone who hasn’t shown an interest up until now, a reason to finally get on board at this point.  That’s not to say that this third installment won’t fulfill the hopes and dreams of all the “Twilight” fans who have drooled over its existence from the start.  It does seem to offer more in terms of action sequences than the first two, so now maybe the reluctant boyfriends will have something watch this time around. 

Prediction.

Strange statistics surround the “Twilight” series when it comes to predicting an opening weekend take.  The original took in approximately $70 million, and “New Moon” more than doubled that at approximately $142 million.  Both of these were released during the Thanksgiving weekend, so the huge difference cannot be attributed to release date.  Now it sits in the coveted 4th of July weekend position, so one would think big things are ahead.  Let’s say it averages $30 million/day during its five-day opening run.  So, that will put it at $150 million for the long haul ($90 million Friday-Sunday).

Opening Weekend Gross: $150 Million

Noodles.

I cannot express my complete indifference to this movie enough. Perhaps its because I lack the proper amount of estrogen in my bloodstream to really appreciate these Twilight films, I don't know. What I do know is that after I watched the first Twilight, I completely stopped caring what happened to these characters. I can't get over the feeling of what is so damn special about this Bella chick, that's got all the Vampires and Werewolves tripping over themselves to get at her. At least when I watch True Blood I can see the attraction of a Sookie Stackhouse, and I'm not just talking about looks here, I think her character is interesting.

Anyhoo, this is about Twilight. I think a new rule is going to have to be created for movies like this...The Phenom Movie Rule - This is where regardless of critical acclaim or great storytelling a movie will deliver a large opening primarily on the back of what has come before it, i.e. a popular book, or previous film that leaves its fans craving more. The Harry Potter films fit into this category, although in the case of Harry, the movies have been very entertaining.

Prediction.

As you can probably tell, I'm not a fan of Twilight so its hard to be objective in my criticism of its trailer. I will say however, that I believe that it will do well. Its just got such a built in, loyal following that its hard not to make money on this franchise. Considering that the first Twilight made $69M opening weekend, and New Moon made $142M, I'm placing my prediction at double the production budget...$138 Million

Opening Weekend: Gross: $138 Million

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