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*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars.
Alright, let’s talk about “Inception.” People have been salivating over this thing since before it even went into production and the marketing campaign Warner Bros. put together was pretty top notch. The director was coming off the biggest film of the decade (at that time) and the cast was impressively assembled, led by one of the biggest names on the planet. Early reviews were ecstatic and the market was desperate for a live action blockbuster to live up to the hype.
With all that said, “Inception” opened at the top of the box office this weekend with $60.4 million. Is that any good? Well, it’s less than “The Dark Knight” made in one day, but it’s by far the biggest opening of Leonard DiCaprio’s career. With no previous source material and a tricky sci-fi premise aimed at adults, Warner Bros. was always going to have an uphill battle here.
As far as summer sci-fi goes, it’s a little less than what “I, Robot” debuted with in July 2004, but well ahead of the $48.8 million launch for “Minority Report,” which had Cruise and Spielberg to help sell. That film had similarly positive reviews and went on to gross 3.7 times its debut with a $180.7 million finish. If “Inception” were to do the same, we’d be looking at a $223 million total.
Unfortunately, I think that may be a bridge too far for Nolan and company. A negligible drop from Friday to Saturday indicates things weren’t too fanboy front-loaded, and many will go back for repeat viewings but it’s important to remember that Kevin James is a huge, bankable movie star. In other words, “Inception” might have the blood of Jesus Christ seeped into the negative according to internet savvy young adults, but to most of America, it’s a long, confusing movie with no villain, sidekicks or wisecracks.
“Despicable Me?” held strong with a 42% drop to $32.7 million and second place. The film has already zoomed past $118 million total and has a strong chance of passing “How to Train Your Dragon” when all is said and done. That’s what a villain, sidekicks and wisecracks will get you.
Remember that “Predators” movie? That thing dropped 73% to $6.8 million in its second week. That’s the fifth biggest drop ever for a film on more than 2,500 screens and at this point, the film won’t even match the $57.6 million total of “Predator 2.” Adrien Brody < Danny Glover < Carl Weathers.
“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” opened with a very un-Bruckheimer $17.4 million, giving it $24.5 million since opening Wednesday. The bearded one seems to be losing his magic touch as the debut for this $150 million summer fantasy couldn’t even match the $21.9 million January debut of “Kangaroo Jack.” Are we finally taking our seven years overdue vengeance on Bruck for giving us the movie where a kangaroo punches Jerry O’Connell?
Poor Jay Baruchel has to come to terms with the fact that he’ll never be as big as Jason Segel, who will never be as big as Seth Rogen, who will never be as big as Adam Sandler.
Just outside the top 10, “The Kids Are All Right” expanded to 38 screens and grossed a cool $1.0 million. Clearly, Focus is hitting the right spot with the marketing and release strategy but conservative America is still to go and will determine if this is more “Sideways” or “A Serious Man.”
This weekend, I paid my $14 to see “Inception” in the Dome at the Arclight. Unfortunately, the A/C broke so I got moved to a smaller theater, but alas. To the surprise of few I imagine, I didn’t think much of the film. Promising opening, followed by 90 dreadful minutes of smug exposition and clunky character development, followed by a breathtaking 25 minutes in the first two dream levels of the heist and then mindless, non-descript action until the close. In my opinion, the aforementioned and similar “Minority Report” is superior in every way.
What did you guys see? Here are this week’s top grossing films courtesy of Exhibitor Relations:
52 responses so far
1 7-18-2010 at 1:13 pm
Jacob S. said...
Arclight with a broken AC? Were you at this particular showing? http://www.movieline.com/2010/07/inception-screening-shut-down—-with-christopher-nolan-in-attendance.php
2 7-18-2010 at 1:15 pm
Danny King said...
Even though you had to move theaters, can we still assume – unlike “Shutter Island” – that you wouldn’t have walked out on “Inception”?
3 7-18-2010 at 1:37 pm
Kevin K. said...
Chad didn’t like a mainstream high concept film. Color me shocked.
4 7-18-2010 at 1:50 pm
Hans said...
I’m quite surprised you didn’t like it, actually, since you’ve said that what you look for in a film is something that you have never seen before or makes you think in an entirely different way. Yours is one opinion in which I’m actually disappointed that you didn’t like the film. I’ll agree with you in that the third dream lacked a certain “magic” the previous two had but I liked the surreality of the fourth dream/limbo. The exposition, I thought, felt natural, much more than other films that employ exposition fairies at certain parts.
5 7-18-2010 at 1:52 pm
Marshall said...
Why does everyone have to be so grumpy about not liking “Inception?” Is it that you feel you have to be so vehemently against as if you could cancel out the masterpiece shouters?
6 7-18-2010 at 1:53 pm
red_wine said...
“breathtaking 25 minutes in the first two dream levels of the heist and then mindless, non-descript action until the close”
That pretty much describes the climax. The heist began well but soon sapped out of energy instead of getting more tense and urgent. And that last shot felt extremely cheap.
7 7-18-2010 at 2:04 pm
snowballa said...
Solid film, by no means a masterpiece as the dialogue left something to be desired. Weak characterization, everyone was way too similar.
The ending was a dream as Saito dies on at the third level thus sending him into limbo, no?
8 7-18-2010 at 2:05 pm
Hans said...
How was it cheap? SPOILERS, by the way. We saw the top begin to wobble, so I thought Nolan presented a brilliant paradox in line with the rest of the film. Do we follow our own instincts that the top fell? Or do we imagine that it kept spinning forever? Our rational minds would suggest the former, but because Nolan implanted the idea into our heads that the top kept spinning, with cut-to-black and everything, it’s hard to keep that idea out. It’s the same struggle that Mal had to deal with that eventually ended her life.
9 7-18-2010 at 2:14 pm
/3rtfu11 said...
The zero gravity sequence is everything. The ending ruined the desire for repeat viewings.
10 7-18-2010 at 2:27 pm
Dan said...
I totally rolled my eyes at the ending.
11 7-18-2010 at 2:50 pm
al b. said...
“Adrien Brody<Danny Gover<Carl Weathers" = milk flying out my nose!
Please keep these amazing columns up!
12 7-18-2010 at 2:51 pm
al b. said...
That’s *Glover* of course.
13 7-18-2010 at 2:59 pm
Kyle said...
Different strokes I guess, I can barely sit through Minority Report, but I saw Inception twice this weekend. Go figure…
14 7-18-2010 at 3:25 pm
Tye-Grr said...
Saw ‘Inception’ twice, and I’m going back for round 3… I loved it. Hard to choose, but ‘Inception’ and ‘Toy Story 3′ are the best of 2010 so far. I’m sure both will be Best Picture nominees, though I do feel ‘TS3′ has the better shot at actually winning. To each their own, but I know that I enjoyed ‘Inception’ so much from beginning to end, I’m strongly anticipating my 3rd and even 4th viewings.
15 7-18-2010 at 3:27 pm
Aaron G said...
the exposition is only irksome if you take it at face value, which you shouldn’t. cobb is a guy who has a very tenuous grasp on reality and doesn’t arthur even say to ariadne that what cobb says and what cobb does isn’t necessarily always the same thing? nolan is adept at misdirecting the audience and the people who simply take what the characters say as Truth have fallen into a trap.
as for the characters being one-dimensional, well, none of them are real. they’re projections of cobb’s unconscious. didn’t any of you geniuses realize that the inception was performed on cobb, not on fischer? the last shot of the totem is a trick that clearly worked on a lot of people. whether or not it falls is irrelevant, since it was mal’s totem, not cobb’s. it doesn’t indicate whether he’s awake or dreaming, but it’s very likely that he’s dreaming and unaware of it.
16 7-18-2010 at 3:33 pm
Jake said...
I really think Inception is the film of the year for the average movie-goer. I was the lone person championing the film in my group of friends (and acquaintances, for that matter) during its production, and now everyone is talking about it. Twitter? Inception. Facebook? Inception. EVERYONE is talking about it. I personally don’t know a single person who saw it and didn’t like it. In fact, they’re all suggesting the film to everyone else. It’s definitely a word-of-mouth film and I really think (fanboy-ness aside) it will do quite well at the box office. Inception is the film of the now. A comparison that comes to mind in terms of cultural impact is Avatar. I don’t think Inception will come close to mimicking Avatar’s commercial success, but it will be very successful in its own right.
17 7-18-2010 at 3:35 pm
Guy Lodge said...
“the exposition is only irksome if you take it at face value, which you shouldn’t”
As a viewer, I think one’s perfectly entitled to take storytelling technique “at face value,” but that’s me.
“as for the characters being one-dimensional, well, none of them are real”
So imagined/projected characters can only be one-dimensional?
18 7-18-2010 at 4:10 pm
Speaking English said...
***as for the characters being one-dimensional, well, none of them are real. they’re projections of cobb’s unconscious. didn’t any of you geniuses realize that the inception was performed on cobb, not on fischer?***
This is a glib, shallow “projection” of your ideas onto ours, somehow presenting your interpretation as stone cold fact.
19 7-18-2010 at 4:12 pm
Speaking English said...
And the exposition is a problem because Nolan insists on being so damn self-serious with it that much of it comes off as gobbledygook nonsense.
20 7-18-2010 at 4:12 pm
tony rock said...
It’s a heist film, supporting characters such as Ariadne, Eames, and Arthur don’t need to be fully-fleshed out three-dimensional characters. The only characters that needed it, had it. Cobb, Fischer, and Mal. By the way, despite the ending being a big tease, I think it’s obvious that the top would’ve fell and Dicaprio wasn’t dreaming.
21 7-18-2010 at 4:17 pm
tony rock said...
And Hartigan, I think there should be a rule where you can’t review a movie for the rest of the year unless you liked it.
22 7-18-2010 at 4:18 pm
j said...
I think the CinemaScore indicated that the movie’s played best with the high school & college aged. So that might be part of why it’s big on Facebook/Twitter.
I’m already annoyed by fanboys who A) worship it and, much worse, B) tear down anyone who does not. Like on Awards Daily, the people who run the site say people who do not like it are moronic or senile, deserve pity, and should not respect themselves.
23 7-18-2010 at 4:35 pm
Drew said...
To j: It goes both ways. The “fanboys” are no worse than some of the critics claiming that people who liked the film are just Nolan zealots who’d worship literally anything the guy does. One comment I read on another site said something like “Nolan could film himself taking a shit for 3 hours and his fans would still think it’s a masterpiece.” Debates on the film just go back and forth between people shouting “Backlasher!” and “Fanboy!” Not saying everyone’s like that, just that there are two extremes here, and they’re equally bad. Trying to discuss anything Nolan related gets more and more absurd with each film.
24 7-18-2010 at 4:40 pm
Chad Hartigan said...
There’s no excuse for the expository dialogue here. It reeks of a first draft and given Nolan’s power post-The Dark Knight, there’s reason to believe it may have been. He seems way too taken with his own idea that he feels the need to explain every single detail so that we know just how well he’s thought it through.
Some of it is necessary of course, but I don’t need to know how every single thing works and why and who came up with it to enjoy the movie. It was much more fun figuring it out for myself in the opening sequences.
25 7-18-2010 at 5:01 pm
Duncan Houst said...
Listen, regarding the ending, in none of the dream scenes when the top was spinning did the top start to wobble. It wobbled at the end, so it must not have been a dream. That is something I know without a doubt having seen the film a second time. I can’t comprehend how so many people are knocking this film. Kill me if I say what you are all so vehemently denying, but it was a masterpiece. These message boards are littered with people saying otherwise, but I am proud to say that I absolutely loved it, and I’d see it again and again. I saw “The Dark Knight” in theatres 5 times. I could see Inception 7 times this summer, and likely will considering this subpar Summer. I see definite Oscars in its future.
26 7-18-2010 at 5:21 pm
j said...
True, but it’s just kind of gross how the runners of my favorite awards site are acting so unilaterally bitchy and superior when it comes to this movie.
I mean, I have my favorites but if someone doesn’t like them I’m not going to assume stupidity that requires pity in place of the respect obviously lacking in such a person, y’know?
27 7-18-2010 at 5:26 pm
Duncan Houst said...
True, but I find Chad’s analysis to be a little unfair, and inaccurate. The film didn’t drop at all from Friday to Saturday. As a matter of fact, not including midnight showings, Saturday was even better than friday.
28 7-18-2010 at 5:33 pm
Robert Hamer said...
Sadly, I find myself in agreement with smartass Chad on this. I was somewhat entertained at times, but it was so disheartening to see Chris Nolan treat his dream worlds like algebra problems.
A misfire from him, in my opinion.
29 7-18-2010 at 6:35 pm
Speaking English said...
*”Inception” spoilers*
The whole point of the top spinning at the end was simply to show you that ‘reality’ is not an objective thing, and that what forms our own realities are our perceptions/delusions/thoughts/emotions/psyche. So to HIM that was reality. To us it doesn’t matter, because he clearly accepted it as such.
30 7-18-2010 at 6:42 pm
red_wine said...
This much I’ll say, word of mouth is tremendous. My facebook page is littered with stuff like “just saw the best film of the past few years” and it is the cool movie to see for everyone.
About the ending with the shot of the top, I couldn’t care less whether he was dreaming or in reality. Like I just shrugged off the question as something that did not concern or bother me in the slightest. Thats how emotionally invested I was in the characters and the film.
31 7-18-2010 at 7:16 pm
Brian said...
I loved the movie and felt like it was one of the best films that I had seen in the past few years but if somebody didn’t like it, who cares. There opinion is as valid as mine (but for the record the consenus from critics and fans is that Inception is atleast a good film). I just don’t like when people like or dislike a film for attention.
32 7-18-2010 at 7:36 pm
Colin Low said...
tony rock: Sorry, I don’t think having Daddy Issues / Dead Wife Guilt / One-Note Jealousy equates to being three-dimensional, not when these characters obsess over those respective issues at the expense of everything else, including their ability to take a joke.
33 7-18-2010 at 7:52 pm
RichardA said...
SPOILERS:
The idea that dreams are made of buildings and hotels and pedestrian traffic is fascinating. Boy, you’d think a “dream date” with Leo and Marion would be sexier. And could someone explain: Why was Marion on the ledge of the wrong building? Not in contention, imho.
34 7-18-2010 at 7:57 pm
Chad Hartigan said...
Obviously she got to the hotel, trashed the room and then booked the one directly across so that something would seem off to the audience, er I mean Leo
35 7-18-2010 at 8:12 pm
Speaking English said...
They’re artificially constructed “dreams” that are inhabited by skilled lucid dreamers. They need to be orderly so Cobb and his team can do their jobs.
36 7-18-2010 at 8:24 pm
Hans said...
Exactly, the entire reason that there aren’t giant pink bunnies or that they don’t randomly fly is because they must convince their subject that the dream is reality. The film toys around with the limitless potential of dreams during Ariadne’s initial “training” scenes.
And, let’s be honest, had there been giant pink bunnies and people leaping around, the same detractors would be declaring that the film was ridiculous.
37 7-18-2010 at 8:26 pm
JJ said...
Colin, what constitutes 3-dimension? I’m dead serious. And I only ask you cause you mentioned it.
I read reviews all the time saying “was 3d characterization” or “was NOT 3d characterization”.
Call me stupid, I honestly don’t get it. I mean, I know cardboard portrayals. I know when I like characters, I know when I don’t like them , I know if I can relate to them, & when I can not, etc.. But how do you know?
There seems to be a notion that every character onscreen (deemed 2d) would have to have had 5-10 minute sit-downs so we can “get” them. Great, so let’s have a 4 hour movie?
38 7-18-2010 at 8:26 pm
Chad Hartigan said...
I’m bothered by the word ‘challenging’ being thrown around about this thing too. Firstly because it’s obviously made so that even a teenager can keep up with everything. Secondly because it’s the worst kind of challenging. The only thing left to ponder after is whether the director tricked you or showed you his full hand not any kind of idea or theme meant to raise discussion.
39 7-18-2010 at 8:26 pm
Speaking English said...
I don’t think anyone wanted giant pink bunnies, they were just expecting something less linear, less literal, and far more abstract. Like “Mulholland Drive.” And that’s fine, however the story had a reasonable excuse not to go that direction.
40 7-18-2010 at 9:19 pm
George said...
I think many of you are missing the stronger aspects of the ending. Look at the other times throughout the film Cobb spins the top. And then look at the ending. You are the only ones worried about whether or not it falls. Cobb is over there by the door hugging his kids.
41 7-18-2010 at 9:23 pm
Maxim said...
The reviews for Minority Report were significantly stronger than those for Inception. In fact, it had the second best tomatometer of the year. Spielberg’s and DiCaprio’s Catch Me was the third.
I like DiCaprio but he is hardly “one of the biggest names on the planet”. In fact, the Aforemntioned Catch Me is his highest grossing film after Titanic and is likely to remain that after you make your adjustments.
42 7-18-2010 at 11:11 pm
Kristopher Tapley said...
Since the discussion is much more lively here than in the other threads, I’ll post this here.
Devin Faraci at CHUD has written up a WONDERFUL interpretation of the film that I think deserves a read:
http://tinyurl.com/37s33h5
While Vulture has probably one of the most satisfying interviews with one of the film’s principals (Dileep Rao) that I’ve seen yet:
http://twurl.nl/2lbus4
43 7-19-2010 at 12:37 am
Guy Lodge said...
The defensiveness of some of these comments is a little grating. So, the film works better for some than for others — that doesn’t mean anyone is necessarily missing, or misinterpreting, certain plot points.
By the way, the “the dreams are designed, hence they must be entirely linear/realistic” argument only goes so far with me, as I think greater interference of the unconscious mind would have been an interesting narrative road to explore. But I present that as a suggestion, not as an inarguable statement.
44 7-19-2010 at 5:28 am
Kyle said...
Now that’s an interesting thought Guy..though to be honest, when I go back and think about the film…it has ALOT going on. It was a pretty simple watch while you’re in the theater, but once you leave and review in retrospect…there’s alot to take in I felt like.
Adding another layer about the unconscious mind would caused my brain to melt down :-)
45 7-19-2010 at 5:54 am
Glenn said...
“Inception” isn’t out until Thursday day, but I saw “Winter’s Bone” and, despite the great performances, found it strangely uninvolving and kinda flat. I thought there must’ve been another 30 minutes to go when there was actually only 5. Oh dear.
46 7-19-2010 at 6:42 am
Guy Lodge said...
Still, that’s better than thinking there are another 5 minutes to go and finding out there are actually 30. #KnightandDay
47 7-19-2010 at 7:01 am
Kyle said...
#Splice
48 7-19-2010 at 8:53 am
Ben M. said...
Guy, I def. agree with you that Knight and Day felt like it dragged on forever, after checking the time at the end of it I was amazed that it was well under two hours.
Anyway, I’ll say some quick thoughts on Inception, I agree with A.O. Scott that it worked best on the thrill ride level rather than the character or idea level, but I felt on that thrill ride level it was easily the best action film I’ve seen this summer and I enjoyed it. Probably my one big complaint has to be with Zimmer’s score, I know some people love it but I found it really loud and obtrusive. Won’t make my top ten of the year, and unless it holds very well to get to around $250 million domestic (which I’m not sure will happen as the WOM I got from my screening seemed to be mostly good, but not great in the way WOM was at Despicable Me and The Kids Are All Right) I would guess it will also miss the academy 10, but certainly the academy could and probably will pick a couple of films far weaker than this.
49 7-19-2010 at 9:09 am
Kyle said...
Ben
I’d be pretty shocked if it missed the Academy 10, but what’s your top 10 look like at this point?
Because before Inception, I couldn’t even think of a good movie I saw this season except Toy Story 3 and Cyrus.
50 7-19-2010 at 10:27 am
Ben M. said...
My top ten (going by US release dates)
The Secret In Their Eyes
Toy Story 3
The Ghost Writer
Red Riding 1980
A Prophet
Hubble 3D
The Kids Are All Right
Please Give
How To Train Your Dragon
Splice
(Cryus and Inception would be some of the first films out so far)
Inception certainly could land in the academy list, just that this is not the type of film the academy usually goes for, and I’m not sure the reviews and gross are quite good enough to the point where the academy cannot ignore the film (which made need to happen for the film to breakthrough). Even Avatar was far more academy friendly IMO and that film also had the type of gross that means the academy couldn’t have ignored it, District 9′s nom could be a good sign for Inception but frankly I’m still surprised D9 got nominated.
51 7-19-2010 at 11:12 am
Kyle said...
You lost me at Splice, which is probably the worst movie I’ve seen this year. I kinda go either way on Please Give, which I thought was one of Catherine Keener’s worst performances.
But I appreciate your championing of a part of the Red Riding trilogy and A Prophet, pure cinema art for sure.
Thanks for sharing your list, I sadly can’t think of 10 films I enjoyed this year (I saw A Prophet last year).
52 7-19-2010 at 11:20 am
Kyle said...
I take it back, I saw it in February, so I guess it does make my list :-)
When you see so many movies, you forget when the heck you’ve seen the,