Sorcerer's Apprentice Stumbles Out of Gate
Early estimates for The Sorcerer's Apprentice's opening day are in, and they could most charitably be called "alarming": The Nicolas Cage fantasy drew $3.7 million on 3,385 screens in the U.S. and Canada, setting some five-day projections below $30 million. That would result in the second straight Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer underperformer after Prince of Persia. Clearly it needed a better iPhone app. [Deadline]
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This is the least attractive aspect of this site, and of the new obsession with instant box office projections. We used to have weekend totals on Monday, then weekend projections on Sunday, now opening day on the following day, and soon perhaps an hour by hour calculation. And doesn't this type of reporting actually create this effect? People say, "Oh, no one's going to that movie -- I'm not either. It's a huge disaster." Based on a single day's receipts!
I know the money side must also be part of show business reporting, but I just wanted to get this off my chest.
I had no idea this movie even existed. Did it receive any pre-release publicity? I don't recall seeing a single TV ad, promotional article, or anything. If they want people to go see these movies, they really need to let us know they're coming out.
The promoters for the movie went to see Twilight for the 10th time so they all forgot all this one.