'10 Cloverfield Lane' draws crowds while 'Brothers Grimsby' struggles
The new Sacha Baron Cohen comedy 'Grimsby' did not do well at the box office after opening this past weekend. Why did audiences stay away from the film?
'The Brothers Grimsby' stars Sacha Baron Cohen (l.) and Mark Strong (r.).
Daniel Smith/Sony Pictures/AP
Movies like 鈥�10 Cloverfield Lane鈥� and 鈥淶ootopia鈥� performed well at the box office this past weekend, while the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy 鈥淭he Brothers Grimsby鈥� stumbled.
The Disney animated movie 鈥淶ootopia,鈥� which centers on a police rabbit (Ginnifer Goodwin) working in a city populated by animals, came in first at the box office after having opened and done well last week. 鈥淶ootopia鈥� grossed an additional $50 million this past weekend.听
The new film 鈥�10 Cloverfield Lane,鈥� a sort-of-sequel to the 2008 hit monster movie 鈥淐loverfield,鈥� opened on March 11 and grossed more than $25 million this past weekend, a result that is being looked at as a success by industry watchers considering the mystery surrounding the movie and the lack of marketing for the film (it was only revealed to the public earlier this year).听
The superhero movie 鈥淒eadpool鈥� continued to do well this past weekend, taking in more than $10 million, while the action movie 鈥淟ondon Has Fallen鈥� came in fourth with more than $10 million this past weekend and the Tina Fey war film 鈥淲hiskey Tango Foxtrot鈥� came in fifth with more than $4 million.
鈥淕rimsby鈥� did not perform as well. The film, which stars Cohen and Mark Strong as long-lost brothers who are forced to flee for their lives,聽only took in more than $3 million, with new movies 鈥淭he Perfect Match鈥� and 鈥淭he Young Messiah鈥� both doing better. 鈥淕rimsby鈥� came in eighth place at the box office.听
Cohen was behind the 2006 box office hit 鈥淏orat.鈥� Why did 鈥淕rimsby鈥� not do well?
that there have been a lot of films opening recently. Films like 鈥淲hiskey Tango Foxtrot,鈥� 鈥淕ods of Egypt,鈥� and 鈥樷�漃ride & Prejudice & Zombies鈥� have all struggled to make themselves known to audiences.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 a traffic jam out there,鈥� Mr. Dergarabedian said. 鈥淭he marketplace is monumentally overcrowded and there are too many films that don鈥檛 have a solid chance to do well.鈥�
In addition, Dergarabedian notes the contrast between 鈥淶ootopia鈥� and 鈥淕rimsby.鈥� There is little else for families to see right now in theaters, and so 鈥淶ootopia鈥� has become a hit. In terms of movies rated R and so presumably aimed at adults, however, 鈥淕rimsby鈥� has to go up against films like 鈥淟ondon Has Fallen,鈥� 鈥淲hiskey Tango Foxtrot,鈥� and 鈥淒eadpool.鈥� 鈥淒eadpool鈥� in particular seems to share the elements of comedy and action that are present in 鈥淕rimsby.鈥�
鈥淭he marketplace [is] loaded with R-rated fare,鈥� .听
In addition, the results from comedies seemingly aimed at adults have movie fans wondering if the genre is having trouble breaking through with audiences. noted this past summer that 鈥渞aunchy comedy is having a rough run at the box office,鈥� pointing to the underwhelming financial results from films like 鈥淰acation,鈥� 鈥淭ed 2,鈥� and 鈥淓ntourage.鈥澛�
Why did these movies not do well? Mr. Barnes notes that most of those movies didn鈥檛 get good reviews (the R-rated comedy 鈥淭rainwreck鈥� did and became a hit) and a large amount of films in the genre, with that rating, were being released.听
noticed a similar trend this past summer.听
鈥淯nlike other genres, novelty is a key selling point for comedies,鈥� Mr. Lang wrote. With 鈥淭ed 2鈥� in particular, 鈥渢he posters and television spots were too reminiscent of the promotional campaign for the first 鈥楾ed.鈥欌�澛�
After all these factors came into play, comedies in 2015 were not some of the highest-grossing films of the year. Superhero movies and family fare have ruled over the past few years, with films like 鈥淪tar Wars: The Force Awakens,鈥� 鈥淛urassic World,鈥� and 鈥淚nside Out鈥� doing well. In 2015, the highest-ranked film that had elements of a comedy was 鈥淧itch Perfect 2,鈥� and that had the additional draw of popular music appearing in the movie.听
It鈥檚 not until number 22 for the year that a traditional comedy, Will Ferrell鈥檚 鈥淒addy鈥檚 Home,鈥� appears.听
This is in contrast to the box office results of, for example, the 1990s, when movies like 鈥淲ayne鈥檚 World,鈥� 鈥淭he Mask,鈥� and 鈥淭he Nutty Professor鈥� were some of the highest-grossing films of their respective years.