None of them had any except Nacho which people laughed at.

Exactly.

OK, here is one piece of positive news: AMC Mercado, the theater that was graying out a lot of shows online before Friday, is selling out at night emphatically. I didn't see any movies, but I decided to drop by on the way home, and the park lot was the busiest I've seen in more than a long time. I didn't normally go to opening night of a blockbuster, thus not much to compare, but I couldn't find a parking anywhere without waiting for other cars to leave. The line was huge, and three shows between 9 and 10pm were all sold out.

Funny you mention Scary Movie 4 because notfabio compared MI2 to it in his latest update.



Not looking so hot.

American Haunting seems to be doing rather well vs. expectation. I have only myself to blame for chickening out at the end, even though the Yahoo buzz number was promising. If M:I3 underperforms by a big amount and Haunting overperforms, it will add more significance to the buzz chart.

I didn't say it was likely, I said if other theaters are like this, this is the type of performance it would look like.

BTW, I am wondering why you haven't responded to my PM.

Mission: Impossible III
11:30 showing, 500 seats, sold out (I checked the other 11:30, it was around 3/4 full)

Trailers
Superman Returns
Over the Hedge
Click
The Break-Up
Nacho Libre
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Movie
Call me predictable, but I friggin' loved it. It's a combination of the first two films all in one, freakin' awesome package. The entire cast is great, the action scenes were incredible, etc. etc. etc. More thought later. Best of the franchise. A+

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE THREE

Where: Harkins theatre OKOKC
When: 05-05-06 2230
Size/Occ: 550/75-80.....to be fair, MI3 was playing on 3 screens with showings @ 11?? and 12?? upcoming

Trailers:
POTC2-excellent reaction and this final trailer looks very nice, one with the kracken
Superman Returns-longer trailer showing lex and the plane...?? final trailer ?? I think it's okay, crowd like
Nacho Libre-when first saw it was so so but this trailer kicks Ass and is a definite hit, crowd LOVED it
Over the Hedge-MI "type" trailer but showing lots having to do with this lady and her house, looks Great

Film: Short and Sweet. Fantastic. I loved it. I thought there was only one slow bit during the film and that was I believe when the team was conducting the kidnapping of PSH. I liked the tone, the characters and plot. I was a bit annoyed with the use of the face as a twist again, but that I can get over. The opening to the film is very jarring which really grabs your attn and leaves you craving the rest of the film as it unfolds. I am pleased how it concluded and am looking forward to MI4. JRM was very hot to give him props. *One other thing to mention PSH was unbelievable in this role. It really shows why he is a Best Actor winner and his level of evil is at it's highest.

Grade of Execution: A

I'm with you. If it underperforms I blame the whole TomKat thing too, which has turned many off. I hate Tom Cruise now and do not want to support his movies, so if I see MI3 (which I might because a friend wants to) it will be one I sneak into, because I'm not giving it my $$$.

Ugh, I don't see how people could laugh at that. It looks so terrible! This trailer seems to be attached to a lot of movies and overplayed trailers for awful looking movies are one thing that makes me glad I don't go to the movies all of the time.

BJ = in shock, MI3 was supposed to be a mammoth size beast

M:I 3 @ 5:30 - 20 people in a 350 seater. And to think I actually bought my tickets ahead of time.

Trailers - Break-up, Nacho Libre, Poseidon, The Omen. No reaction.

Film - Very disappointing. The plot is tired and otherwise overdone (Must every other film have the hero wrongly accused at some point) and the whole Rabbit's Foot thing was never fully explained, making it even more difficult to care about what happens. Also, what's with them not actually showing Hunt getting the thing in China. He just suddenly has it. All the build-up for nothing. Also not helping matters is the horribly filmed action sequences that lack any sort of kinetic spark, perhaps showing that Abrams isn't a good film director as this is easily the most bland-looking of the three M:I films. At least De Palma and Woo each have a distinct visual style. JJ does not and it comes off looking like an episode of one of his TV shows. Also showing his roots is the casting of Keri Russell. Although she isn't bad her casting is surely because of connections and nothing more.

As for Cruise, he shows that he is a rather limited actor. He never truly embodies the pain and torture of Hunt. You always are aware that you're watching Cruise, not a character. This is similar to any other film he has done with the exception of Magnolia. Hoffman is good but sorely underused. He, unlike Cruise, has shown that he is fully capable of becoming a character, such as he did for his Oscar-winning performance in Capote. Michelle Monaghan is about as good as she can be in the thankless role of Hunt's wife.

In the end, I was just bored far too often for a supposed summer blockbuster. It should have been far better and likely would have been with a different, more distinctive, director at the helm. J.J. Abrams and his co-screenwriters should have been able to come up with a far better and more exciting storyline than what is offered here.

Grade - C

An American Haunting @ 8:00 - 100 people in a 350-seater.

Trailers - The Omen, See No Evil, Brick (WTF?)

Film - Better than expected considering Solomon directed the awful Dungeons and Dragons with a few memorable sequences (such as the carriage sequence) and nice camerawork (I liked the swooping camera as it mimicked the moving of the spirit quite effectively). Solomon utilizes different film stocks, black and white, and a odd effect when lightning flashes that makes the characters look like X-rays. Very odd but at least it's different. Still, there really isn't too much story but I actually enjoyed the film more than M:I 3, likely because of lowered expectations.

Grade - C+

Stick It @ 10:00 - 40 people in a 150-seater. Missed all trailers except for POTC 2.

Film - Enjoyably predictable fluff that is helped by a good lead performance from the obviously put-together Missy Peregrym and able support by Jeff Bridges and Vanessa Lengies. The dialogue is oftentimes witty and the cinematography is sometimes stunning.

Grade - B

Yeah, same here. Although I've been burned so many times in the past for going too high, that I don't regret it that much.

Seriously, what a total bust that was.

Possibly the lamest, most cheap tactic I've seen used in an action film. I would be able to understand if it was a low-budget direct-to-DVD film starring Steven Seagal but M:I 3 cost what, like 200 million, and they couldn't be bothered to show us how he got the one thing driving a major plotpoint in the film? What a rip-off and Abrams and Cruise should be ashamed of themselves.

I actually liked that. It was unconventional, and made for a great start to the following action scene. Besides, you could guess what happened in there. Doesn't it work the same in every action movie?

Still, I'd like to have seen him kick some but and break some necks.

There was no need to show Hunt taking the Rabbit's foot from the chinese building. We know he is going to complete that part. Besides, the whole point of him going after it to begin with is to save his wife which is the main objective at that point in the film. Did Not showing it detract from the film? No. Did it save time to keep the film moving instead of getting bogged down in a action piece in the building? Yes. Maybe if they filmed that sequence at all they can add it to the Director's Cut.

I'm sure they left that scene out because they knew they couldn't top the break-in scene from De Palmas first MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE...

At HSX:



I can just imagine some 10m-12m opening day.

That wouldn't really surprise me honestly though given that this movie had about 10 things working against it, especially MI2.

Mission: Impossible III definitely peformed better than SM4 did on opening day at my theater. Both had two screens, though M:I-3 had another screen added. This performed like a $20+ million opening day film should.

I don't understand, really. I hope it can still make over $20 million considering the number of theaters (over 4000) and the number of screens it's getting in all those theaters. It doesn't need all sell outs to accomplish it.

Looks like $15M opening day is possible. Give/take 3m. But will hopefully rise tomorrow. WOM is quite +ve, if you listen to people who don't hate Tom Cruise.

I don't know too many that don't. Plus MI3 just didn't seem to have the feel of an event movie and had more of the feeling of another stupid action picture (Phillip Seymour Hoffman or not). His personal life totally out shone the movie in the press.

It seems there truly are a lot of M:I or Cruise fans at South bay area. I went to see United 93 today at 5:30pm, and 5 of the night shows for M:I3 were already sold out.