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Flipping through the 'ol intraweb thingy today and I found this article on Evan's Almighty.
http://www.laweekly.com/general/deadline-hollywood/evans-in-need-of-a-miracle/16668/

Granted this is just one gentlemans opinion. However this is the kind of thing I have been saying for months now, and the numbers are starting to back my case.
The reviews are starting to trickle in as well, and they don't bode well.

I saw the set at Universal and i could tell they worked there butt off for it so reviews like that won't stop me, that review actually encouraged me to go see it just a little bit more.

Wow. I see what you mean. This movie may not do as well as most of us think. It's sometimes easy for us to think that people are aware of these movies because we are. But, not everybody is as interested (much less as well informed through investigation) as those of us who are researching these movies for the purposes of our game. On the other hand though, the preovews I've seen just at random and at the cinema (which I think many people would also be familiar with) look pretty darn funny (and not to mention wholesome for the kiddies) and could still end up drawing the crowds.

~D

It currently has a RottenTomatoes score of 14%. That's shocking.

tuan69 wrote:

It currently has a RottenTomatoes score of 14%. That's shocking.

That is quite shocking. I really hope that it doesn't bomb.

~D

I think it will be one of, if not the biggest bomb of the summer (in terms of financial backing compared to profit). With the budget as high as it is and the competition of "Ratatouille" (G), "Fantastic Four 2" (PG-13), "Transformers" (PG-13), "Live Free or Die Hard" (PG-13); I really can't see how it'll make any money. It needs $65M+ opening weekend just to even make a dent. It will break $45M, but don't expect much more than that, if even that. If I were Universal, I'd be calling up some connections, because some are going to be losing their jobs.

Now Universal has more to worry about other than money loss due to piracy.

iamhollywood wrote:

Now Universal has more to worry about other than money loss due to piracy.

They'll probably still blame piracy though.

~D

That really was a pretty poor move on their part anyways, letting the budget get up to $210 million, because I've already seen the movie and the effects looked like shit; it did not at all like $210 million on screen. If they had kept it at $120-150 million they could've made a profit, but instead they gave in to an egotistical director.

Universal has been advertising this movie like crazy. All of the big shows on NBC have had that damned annoying "Evan Almighty: Please go see it!" banner covering up the bottom of the screen and Steve Carrell has been on every television talk show that will take him. I think the budget total finally sank in for Universal. They desperately need to win the weekend. Granted they'll make most of their money in dvd sales, television rights etc, but I wouldn't want to be an executive at Universal this weekend.

I wouldn't want to be ANYBODY working for Universal at this point.
I mean it's all yet to be said and done, but Evan should biff it pretty hard.
It's been a tough stretch for Universal over the last few years. With a few exceptions (Knocked Up, The Break-Up, King Kong) they've not had a real commercially viable hit recently.
Last year they finished 6th among the studios in market share (Sony, Disney, Fox, WB, Paramount all finished ahead).
Universal never released a lot of movies per year, in fact only released 17 last year, so with each movie they release, they need it to preform well.

With Chuck and Larry and Bourne down the pipeline this summer, they're far from done, but, people are going to lose jobs.

friskytiger81 wrote:

"Fantastic Four 2" (PG-13)

I don't mean to be crude but Fantastic Four was given a solid pg rating.

I think evan almighty will do a lot better than everyone thinks. Just cause a bunch of movie nerds like us write negative comments doesn't mean the general public isn't going to like it. Aren't the movies that we don't like the ones that make the most money anyways. Evan will be a great family movie but I think they did spend a little much on it. Lets hope it wasn't too much

kid_icarus wrote:

With Chuck and Larry and Bourne down the pipeline this summer, they're far from done, but, people are going to lose jobs.

I don't necessarily think so; I do think Evan Almighty and Bourne (which also had a grossly overinflated budget) will end up being mild disappointments, but Knocked Up's been doing very well, and I suspect Chuck and Larry will make AT LEAST $200 million, probably more.

kid_icarus wrote:

I wouldn't want to be ANYBODY working for Universal at this point.

I wouldn't mind working for Universal ANYTIME. haha

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