Poll: Could 'Star Trek' Beat 'Angels & Demons' This Weekend?
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Paramount, Sony, Box Office, Remakes and Sequels, Religious, Polls
Is there really much enthusiasm for a religious thriller this weekend? I realize that The Da Vinci Code made eleventy billion dollars worldwide despite widespread critical negativity, and that legions of fans support Dan Brown, Tom Hanks, and Ron Howard, but I'm not feeling the love for Angels & Demons, which opens on Friday.
I admit I'm biased. I managed to finish The Da Vinci Code, which was one of the most turgid, tortured, self-important works of fiction I've ever read, and don't have much regard for the movie version. I can understand why so many people went to see it, with the unbeatable combination of sensational subject matter, the promise of a thriller, and Tom Hanks' mullet. Yet how many came away satisfied, and demanding a sequel?
Early critical reaction to Angels & Demons has been tepid (54% at Rotten Tomatoes), but that didn't dissuade people before, so that probably won't be a factor. Our ace prognosticator Matt Bradshaw predicted that Angels & Demons would top the box office this weekend with $60 million, with J.J. Abrams' Star Trek dropping to the #2 spot after last weekend's $79.2 million haul. But could Star Trek retain its #1 position? The Movie Blog agrees with me on two points -- disappointment with The Da Vinci Code and lack of buzz for the sequel -- and also suggests that Star Trek's quality, excellent word of mouth, and expected repeat business could make the difference.
What do you think?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-14-2009 @ 4:35PM
Billy Bob said...
thanks for stealing my idea cinematical. this is what i predicted at the box office post yesterday and now u write a post about it? at least give me some credit
Reply
5-15-2009 @ 10:11AM
Erik Davis said...
Billy Bob, c'mon man -- if I had seen your comment and got the idea from that comment, we surely would've credited you. Fact of the matter is, a few of us were talking about this on Twitter and I asked Peter to write up a poll on the topic to see what other people thought. I'm sorry you thought we snagged it from you, but that's not how it went down. This is a topic a lot of people are talking about right now.
Erik
5-15-2009 @ 3:37PM
Eric H said...
My friends have been chatting about this since we saw the film last week billy, I don't think you were the first, it seems a pretty common thread, especially with Trek Fans.
5-14-2009 @ 10:45PM
lotech said...
You mean 41% on Rotten Tomatoes.... seems to be sliding into Wolverine territory....
And full credit to Billy Box for his article idea.
Reply
5-15-2009 @ 9:22AM
Karenshusband said...
Yes, Angels is sliding a bit. I saw A & D at a screening last week and it's no Star Trek.
Weekend Prediction:
# 1 Angels and Demons barely taking 1st place with 42 million
#2 Star Trek with 36 million
#3 Wolverine 14 million
There's 3 reasons why Star Trek will do so well this weekend.
1. Great word of mouth
2. Chris Pine, Zackary Quinto and Simon Pegg
3. People will see it again to look for Chris Doohan in the transporter room with Scotty.
Reply
5-20-2009 @ 11:53AM
cassieopeia said...
please, folks...that movie angels and demons doesnt have a prayer! set phasers to demons, trek is going to smoke tom hanks' poser blockbuster!
Reply
5-16-2009 @ 7:07AM
sudha said...
thank god i didn't watch both movies in theater coz those are not that great to watch in theater but i like A&D i watched it here http://mymovees.com/archives/watch-angels-demons/
Reply
5-17-2009 @ 1:00PM
Thurein said...
Well I watched both at the cinema... mind you Sudha but no pirated movie can get you anywhere near the experience you can get from watching them in cinema.
Star Trek is a movie that's really worth watching in cinema, I did it two times already. Gonna watch it again next week if my friend comes along. As for Angels and Demons, I would just say eh.
Star Trek is much better, by a thousand light years.
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