'Land of the Lost' lost on audiences
After a sad start for his movie "Land of the Lost," all Will Ferrell
can really do is hope his next movie, "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard"
hits a little closer to home with audiences in August.
Perhaps it was because of "Up" and "The Hangover," but "Land of the
Lost" didn't perform very well at the box office this weekend.
'Up' still tops at box office
Despite new movies opening this weekend, "Up" sold the most tickets
once again this weekend, pulled in $44.2 million this weekend on top of
the fast cash it made last weekend as the No. 1 seller for that weekend.
America's favorite brand-new release turned out to be "The Hangover,"
making $43.3 million.
"Land of the Lost" came in third with $19.5 million. That doesn't
sound too bad until you factor in the budget for "Land of the Lost":
$200 million. Most of Ferrell's movies in the last decade have had far
smaller budgets and pulled in closer to $30 million on opening weekend.
Looking forward to 'The Goods' movie
Perhaps "Land of the Lost" suffered because it wasn't aimed at
Ferrell's usual audience. Although it is listed as
"adventure/comedy/sci-fi," marketing for "Land of the Lost" seems to
have emphasized the "adventure/sci-fi" aspects while its star, Ferrell,
has a long history of drawing audiences to comedies.
Luckily, "The Goods" movie is listed as strictly a comedy on Internet
Movie Database. My prediction is that a comedy with an economy-based
theme with Will Ferrell at its center will appeal to more everyday
Americans than a sci-fi movie about time travel and dinosaurs.
'The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard'
"The Goods" movie focuses on an entity that has been a staple of
everyday news this year: the car dealership. Will Ferrell has top
billing for the film, but his character's name isn't yet listed. "The
Goods" movie is slated to hit theaters Aug. 14.
The movie stars Jeremy Piven, who is hired by a flailing auto
dealership to make their Fourth of July sale a success. Many American
families have been affected by the dwindling auto industry. Any who seek
solace in the form of satire will likely find it in "The Goods" movie.
Limited information on 'The Goods'
I couldn't find the budget for "The Goods" movie, but from all I've
seen about, it seems to follow the same formula as many prior Will
Ferrell movies. It should also benefit from other big names included in
the cast, such as Ed Helms and Rob Riggle.
Strangely, although Will Ferrell is listed first under "cast," he
doesn't appear in the trailer for "The Goods" movie, which you can watch
here. Will Ferrell also produces the movie along with Adam McKay. The
two make up Gary Sanchez Productions.
Adam McKay also produced "Step Brothers" and "Talladega Nights: The
Ballad of Ricky Bobby," both of which starred Ferrell. "Step Brothers"
cost $65 million to make and brought in $31 million on its opening
weekend and $100 million overall in the U.S. "Talladega Nights" cost
$72.5 million to make, made $47 million on opening weekend and $148
million overall in the U.S. Here's hoping, for the sake of the Will
Ferrell fans left out there, that "The Goods" movie performs as well or
better.
