Box Office: This big fake gorilla thing isn't really going according to plan
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Box Office, Family Films, Remakes and Sequels
The Christmas Day numbers are
not yet in, but it looks like the first half of the weekend is going to add more insult to Universal's already injurous
season. King Kong is still lagging behind Chronicles of Narnia – and not far behind, which is
probably even more insulting. What's wrong with the Big Fake Gorilla that he can't rally up a couple hundred grand to
beat a bunch of kids and a magic closet? Is this Andy Samberg's fault? Elsewhere, Fun with Dick and Jane
isn't turning out to be the disaster 
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-26-2005 @ 11:06AM
David Hudson said...
Boy, this is getting embarrassing for Universal. But you know, we haven't seen any follow-up stories yet on how effective the massive campaign in the churches and so on for Narnia has been. I can't help but think that has something to do with Narnia's long and powerful legs.
Plus, I think families are waiting for word-of-mouth they can trust: Before we commit three hours to Kong, is it going to freak out the kids? I think (and hope) Kong's going to be fine in the long run, but I also hope Universal knows it's going to have to commit itself to the long haul. When January hits and that movie schedule looks really desolate, that may be when some who were simply too busy in the holiday rush will finally find those three hours to spare.
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12-26-2005 @ 11:55AM
Peter said...
I know at least a dozen people who will see Kong in theaters, but just haven't gotten the chance yet. It was released the week of finals, so that ruled out the opening day hits from the majority of the college crowd. Then it was right on the heels of the holiday. It'll certainly stand the test of time, I think. Most people just assume, and rightly so, that it isn't going anywhere so there is no rush to see it asap.
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12-26-2005 @ 4:29PM
Jim L said...
I'm way out of the movie demographic as I'm 61 but I grew up with The original King Kong being the first big movie I saw on TV.
I enoyed the new movie (albeit a bit too long and drawn out) but I hope it does have its legs as it's a worthy and fun film
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