Well, you'll have a review from an actual horror movie fan in a couple of hours. I'm leaving right about now.

Excellent. I'll see it in the morning, since it'll be too late over here.

Its second weekend is the Halloween weekend...no way it'll drop anything more than 45-50%.

Here is my theater report (30-plex in Orange California)

Celsius 41.11 (90 seater)
2:25 - 15% full.
4:35 - 25% full.
7:00 - 23% full.
9:25 - 41% full.
(Not too bad)

I Heart Huckabees (300 seater)
2:10 - 5% full.
5:00 - 10% full.
7:50 - 28% full.
10:40 - 43% full.
Not too bad here.

Surviving Christmas
12:30 (300 seater) - 5% full.
1:15 (250 seater) - 4% full.
3:00 (300 seater) - 2% full.
4:00 (250 seater) - 5% full.
5:55 (300 seater) - 6% full.
6:30 (250 seater) - 4% full.
8:10 (300 seater) - 15% full.
9:10 (250 seater) - 15% full.
10:45 (300 seater) - 13% full.
Embarassing. Even New York Minute sold more tickets than this. Funny story, the Dreamworks executives came to our theater to check up on audience polls on Surviving Christmas, and when I showed the numbers, they flipped out.

The Grudge
12:30 (400 seater) - 12% full.
1:10 (600 seater) - 7% full.
2:10 (600 seater) - 8% full.
3:00 (400 seater) - 11% full.
3:40 (600 seater) - 15% full.
4:40 (600 seater) - 18% full.
5:30 (400 seater) - 45% full.
6:20 (600 seater) - 44% full.
7:10 (600 seater) - 75% full.
8:00 (400 seater) - Sold Out.
8:50 (600 seater) - Sold Out.
9:40 (600 seater) - Sold Out.
10:30 (400 seater) - Sold Out.
11:20 (600 seater) - Sold Out.
12:00 (600 seater) - Sold Out.
12:30 (400 seater) - Sold Out.
Wow!!! This is our biggest seller since Alien vs. Preditor. We sold out 2/3 of tonights admissions only on this. Overall, the Grudge did all the business, the rest hardly put a dent in the biz. Shall We Dance held on well, but Team Amerca fell like stone. Thanks to the Grudge, this was the biggest Friday in the Fall season so far (that is not saying much).

i cant believe i predicted $12M for Surviving Christmas ! :evil:

The Grudge

Time: 9:50 PM

Location: Cinemark Tinseltown 16 in Medford, OR

Attendance: 100% full in 250 seat auditorium

Trailers:
White Noise (No reaction. This looks really, really bad.)
Seed of Chucky (Smatter of laughs)
Boogeyman (I thought this was direct to video? Anyway, looks pretty good. No reaction)
Saw (Lots of talking. Can't wait for next weekend.)
Alfie (No reaction. Looks like crap.)

Movie:
HOLY SHIT! Those were my exact thoughts leaving the theater tonight. Folks, this is, hands down - the scariest film i've ever seen in a movie theater. Does it have a good plot? Absolutely not. Does it have good character development? Hell no. But you know what, that is clearly not what this movie is about. If you go in expecting what is essentialy an anthology film focusing around one house and the vengeful spirits within, you'll have a complete blast. You guys, this movie is truly, honestly frightening. It's not really the kind of frightening that stays with you weeks after the film. It's just extremely visceral and in-the-moment. I truly believe that the people saying it isin't scary are putting up a front. I am a 19 year old life long horror fan, and I do not scare easily. This movie had me cowering in my seat and totally dreading what was coming next. I can not recommend this movie enough. It's completely and utterly the perfect movie for Halloween. I would go into greater detail, but I really don't want to give away anything. This is a movie best seen with as little previous knowledge beforehand as possible.

Tell me you're kidding, makeshift. Every single scare in The Grudge was predictable, to the point that my audience was laughing when they should've been screaming. Was that final frame supposed to emit chuckles? The only screams came from the typical "Lights out... lights on... oh my god, there she is!" close-ups, and frankly, I think Exorcist: The Beginning already over-played that card.

Nope. I thought it was genuinely frightening, and while the scares were somewhat predictable, they were still effective. I thought the last ten minutes of the film was some of the scariest stuff i've ever seen. My nerves felt like swiss cheese when the credits rolled up. When the woman fell down the stairs in the bag and started to tear through it....

The crowd I saw it with had a completely different reaction, too. Tons of screaming, and dead silence. When the lights came up a girl behind me said that she could still feel her heart beating.

BTW - Glad to see you here, DarkShape. :wink:

The Grudge

Time: 7:10 PM

Attendance: 100% in a 500 seater

Trailers:
The Ring 2 (Lots of Oohs, and one "YAY!!!")
Hide and Seek (The audience just laughed, heard one person call it stupid)
Boogeyman (No reaction)
Blade: Trinity (No reaction whatsoever, surprisingly enough)

That honestly was the scariest movie I've ever seen in my entire life, and I'm a huge horror buff. Everyone in the theater was screaming and jumping. Everyone. It didn't have much of a story or character development like said, but that doesn't matter really when it's terrifyingly awesome. I loved every second of it and I'm so going back to see it on Saturday with my sister, and probably again next weekend.

I could barely sleep last night thinking of that one scene in the bed.

lets just say MR.X internet opinion has absaloutely no bearing on real life opinion.

http://naturalflux7.com/showthread.php?t=83

My original opening weekend pred for this movie was $33.5m back in September. I changed it to $28.4m on 20th October [because i always tweak it around 1-2 weeks before release when youve got a better picture of ads etc]

It looks like THE GRUDGE could be heading in the way of $30m+.
In saying that i also said that SKY CAPTAIN would do $28.4/$137 a while before it was out and pegged 13 GOING ON 30 for $117m total! [in the same early preds thread]

That's great! Don't expect any more Christmas movies in October for another 20 years!

WOW!!! I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL I SEE THE GRUDGE TODAY!!!

Thank you so much for those words, Makeshift. You got me pumped.

Im not putting a front,I thought it was horrible and not scary at all.People in my theatre were laughing and booing when it ended.

Diffrent tastes i guess.Example:I find the exorcist the scariest film ever but some find it the funniest film ever.

neo_wolf, I agree this movie is not very good. Let us not denigrate the smartest and the scariest movie ever made by comparing it to the utterly pointless and clueless The Grudge. The grudge was written mainly with a teenage audience in mind. That should say it all.

The Grudge

AMC Marple 10
2:50pm, 400 Seater, 85% Full

Trailers
The Ring 2 (Great reaction)
Hide and Seek (Good reaction)
Boogeymen (Good reaction)
Guess Who (Big Laughs)
The Life Aquatic (A few laughs, mostly bad reaction though)

Movie
This is hands down the scariest movie I've seen in a long, long time. I do not ever get scared in movies, and if ever, I jump occasionally. This movie, however, had me at the edge of my seat the whole time. It's not the greatest plot you could ask for, but who cares. I had so much fun watching this movie, and it's an instant horror classic in my book. The acting was okay. Sarah Michelle Gellar did an okay job, nothing special. The little boy was freakin' scary as shit! I loved every minute of it. A


Surviving Christmas

AMC Marple 10
5:00pm, 300 Seater, 25% Full

Trailers
The Ring 2 (Okay reaction)
Madagascar (Good reaction)
Meet The Fockers (Good reaction, Laughs)
Fat Albert (Hey hey hey, it was okay)

Movie
Pretty funny comedy. It's the perfect Christmas movie, actually. If only it was actually... Christmas. Still, an enjoyable comedy that the whole family could like, but not hilarious. Just decent. B-

I Heart Huckabees

Dipson Amherst Theatre
2:00 pm 150 seater 30% full

Trailers
Stage Beauty
Sideways


It was silent audience. The whole time. I couldn't gauge a reaction from anyone. I suppose that's better than everyone hating it.
It's possible everyone's brain was overloaded, still trying to figure out what the hell was going on in the movie that they just saw.
The good news is, you don't have to understand all the philosophical stuff to enjoy it.

Not too bad, compared to what? being completely empty.

About 90 people saw this turkey for the whole day in one of the busiest theatres in the country. That is way beyond pitiful.

Well, considering that this movie had like NO ADVERTISING AT ALL in contrast to Surviving Christmas that had only like twice as many viewers despite 2 screens...not all that bad, hehe.

I don't care what movie you compare Celsius to, its gross is still laughble and so is Scott's comment about it.

BTW, SC is also a turkey to begin with.

The Grudge
2:45 show, 400-seat auditorium, about 50% full (healthy).

Trailers:
Boogeyman - nothing much
Hide and Seek - whispers
After the Sunset - nada
The Ring 2 - lots of excited whispers
Guess Who? - laughs
Saw - talking

Movie:
What a ride. Granted, I don't see many horror movies (at least in the theatre), but this is one of the creepiest ones I've seen in a while. The imagery (and the noises - oh, dear, the croaking...ahhhh) was sufficiently disturbing, and tension sometimes builds to an unbearable level. Despite getting top billing and having the most screen time of any character, Sarah Michelle Gellar's Karen seems to fade into the background at times. Gellar, who is usually charismatic and energetic, seems both tired and flat. The rest of the cast (including Bill Pullman, who provides the movie's first shock) is barely in the film enough to determine anything. Anyway, I thought The Grudge was a great scary flick. It's not great art (or as good as The Ring), but if you're in a Halloween spirit, this should do well for you. Anyway, the audience predictably screamed often (a lot of teenage girls). They all seemed to like it, if the meowing and croaking (in a ...good...way, I think) I heard when I was leaving the theatre was any indication.

jb007, I was saying that is was not too bad because at my theater, these independents never do really well unless it's from a studio. At least it sold more tickets than Surviving Christmas (which is a major release, see the difference). Lecter is completely correct on his statement.

Anyway, here is a Saturday Report. (Friday/Today)

Celsius 41.11 (90 seater)
2:25 - 15% full / 25% full.
4:35 - 25% full / 54% full.
7:00 - 23% full / 49% full.
9:25 - 41% full / 34% full.
(Nice increase)

I Heart Huckabees (300 seater)
2:10 - 5% full / 20% full.
5:00 - 10% full / 15% full.
7:50 - 28% full / 27% full.
10:40 - 43% full / 15% full as of 10:15 pm.
(Very good increase here).

Surviving Christmas
12:30 (300 seater) - 5% full / 8% full.
1:15 (250 seater) - 4% full / 16% full.
3:00 (300 seater) - 2% full / 9% full.
4:00 (250 seater) - 5% full / 7% full.
5:55 (300 seater) - 6% full / 11% full.
6:30 (250 seater) - 4% full / 9% full.
8:10 (300 seater) - 15% full / 20% full.
9:10 (250 seater) - 15% full / 30% full.
(Pretty high increase, but still very bad).

The Grudge
12:30 (400 seater) - 12% full / 34% full.
1:10 (600 seater) - 7% full / 21% full.
2:10 (600 seater) - 8% full / 30% full.
3:00 (400 seater) - 11% full / 31% full.
3:40 (600 seater) - 15% full / 29% full.
4:40 (600 seater) - 18% full / 42% full.
5:30 (400 seater) - 45% full / 72% full.
6:20 (600 seater) - 44% full / 57% full.
7:10 (600 seater) - 75% full / 85% full.
8:00 (400 seater) - Sold Out / Sold Out.
8:50 (600 seater) - Sold Out / Sold Out.
9:40 (600 seater) - Sold Out / Sold Out.
10:30 (400 seater) - Sold Out / Sold Out.
11:20 (600 seater) - Sold Out / Sold Out.
12:00 (600 seater) - Sold Out / 60% full as of 10:15.
12:30 (400 seater) - Sold Out / No tickets sold yet.
1:00 (400 seater) - Sold Out / No Show tonight.
1:50 (600 seater) - 50% full / No Show tonight.
(Hard to tell at this point, despite in increase of matinee performances and the unknown in after midnight shows).

Overall, today has been very business. Shall we Dance is increasing very big, along is every other movie. This is our biggest day since the last two months. We are getting back in business.

jb007, I was saying that is was not too bad because at my theater, these independents never do really well unless it's from a studio. At least it sold more tickets than Surviving Christmas (which is a major release, see the difference). Lecter is completely correct on his statement.

Anyway, here is a Saturday Report. (Friday/Today)

Celsius 41.11 (90 seater)
2:25 - 15% full / 25% full.
4:35 - 25% full / 54% full.
7:00 - 23% full / 49% full.
9:25 - 41% full / 34% full.
(Nice increase)

I Heart Huckabees (300 seater)
2:10 - 5% full / 20% full.
5:00 - 10% full / 15% full.
7:50 - 28% full / 27% full.
10:40 - 43% full / 15% full as of 10:15 pm.
(Very good increase here).

Surviving Christmas
12:30 (300 seater) - 5% full / 8% full.
1:15 (250 seater) - 4% full / 16% full.
3:00 (300 seater) - 2% full / 9% full.
4:00 (250 seater) - 5% full / 7% full.
5:55 (300 seater) - 6% full / 11% full.
6:30 (250 seater) - 4% full / 9% full.
8:10 (300 seater) - 15% full / 20% full.
9:10 (250 seater) - 15% full / 30% full.
(Pretty high increase, but still very bad).

The Grudge
12:30 (400 seater) - 12% full / 34% full.
1:10 (600 seater) - 7% full / 21% full.
2:10 (600 seater) - 8% full / 30% full.
3:00 (400 seater) - 11% full / 31% full.
3:40 (600 seater) - 15% full / 29% full.
4:40 (600 seater) - 18% full / 42% full.
5:30 (400 seater) - 45% full / 72% full.
6:20 (600 seater) - 44% full / 57% full.
7:10 (600 seater) - 75% full / 85% full.
8:00 (400 seater) - Sold Out / Sold Out.
8:50 (600 seater) - Sold Out / Sold Out.
9:40 (600 seater) - Sold Out / Sold Out.
10:30 (400 seater) - Sold Out / Sold Out.
11:20 (600 seater) - Sold Out / Sold Out.
12:00 (600 seater) - Sold Out / 60% full as of 10:15.
12:30 (400 seater) - Sold Out / No tickets sold yet.
1:00 (400 seater) - Sold Out / No Show tonight.
1:50 (600 seater) - 50% full / No Show tonight.
(Hard to tell at this point, despite in increase of matinee performances and the unknown in after midnight shows).

Overall, today has been very business. Shall we Dance is increasing very big, along is every other movie. This is our biggest day since the last two months. We are getting back in business.

The Grudge - Edwards Mira Mesa Stadium 18
3:00, 600 seater, 65% full.

Trailers -
The Ring 2 (Talking, looks great)
Hide and Seek (Whispers, looks good)
Boogeyman (Some laughs and talking)
Guess Who (Some laughs, doesn't look too good)
The Life Aquatic (Nothing, looks good though)

Movie - I thought the movie was pretty good. I didn't really find it scary like all of you but it was pretty creepy/freaky. The cast isn't really special, Gellar's good and the rest of the supporting cast is alright. - B/B+

Audience reaction - Nothing much, some gasps here and there. When the film was over it was a mixed reaction.

Nice to see THE GRUDGE getting good reactions from the audience.
The fact that MAKESHIFT thought this movie has got me so hyped for November! .

Awesome!