Did Hop Succeed at the Box Office Because of Adults?
According to the unofficial box office numbers released on Sunday, Hop enjoyed the biggest opening of any 2011 release -- besting Rango by a mere $39,000. Congrats, Tim Hill! What led this mostly reviled animation hybrid to box office glory? For the answer to that, perhaps take a look in the mirror.
Per the Los Angeles Times, one of the big reasons for Hop's monetary success was adults.
Maybe most important, Hop passed the Pee Wee Herman Test -- it was goofy and appealing enough for kids (candy-pooping bunnies, e.g.) but with enough adult material slipped in to allow parents to feel good about going. (Underscoring the point: the movie's references to the likes of David Hasselhoff and Fatal Attraction, its contributions from Simpsons veteran Mike Reiss, the voice casting of Russell Brand and even incidental plugs on the likes of The Colbert Report.)
Huh. OK? Considering parents likely didn't see any of those pop culture references in the marketing materials for Hop, it seems a tad specious to argue that over-18s were drawn to the film on opening weekend because of them. A more believable scenario would be that adults went to Hop because their kids wanted to see it -- after all, it's not like the trailers skewed adult like the trailers for Rango.
In other words: Hop succeeded because it was the lone option in release that kids could see. If you were on the fence about seeing the film with some friends, however, perhaps that timely Fatal Attraction reference will get your juices flowing.
· Is 'Hop' a one-off success or the beginning of a talking-animal comeback? [LAT/24 Frames]
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Comments
No other options out there? Perhaps you've not heard of a little movie called Mars Needs Moms?
No? You haven't heard of it? Strange...
Or perhaps the trailers were warm and fuzzy (no pun intended) and adults were attracted to it for its lighthearted feel.
I saw Hop at a screening and as an adult, fell in love with the movie. It was corny as hell, and the adults in the audience laughed louder than the kids -- who incidentally seemed bored with the movie. I thought it was cute, loved the voices, it was familiar (sure!), but it was also non-offensive. I got the jokes.
Hop's success can be explained by what I like to call the Dumb Ass Factor, or DAF. Movies made to appeal to kids and dumb adults do well since most people are dumb. There are a lot more C students than A students after all, and C students love this kind of garbage. This is why Adam Sandler movies are almost guaranteed to do well, no matter how horrible they are. The next time you find yourself wondering why idiotic movies do well, think about the people who can't remember to hold the onions on your order. They are the audience for this type of movie.