The star-studded Lions for Lambs (reviews) looks at the Iraq war on three fronts; The Vince Vaughn comedy Fred Claus (reviews) kicks off the holiday films of '07; And the horror/thriller P2 (reviews)....
As I post this, the lower profile P2 has a higher "freshness rating" on Rotten Tomatoes than either "Claus" or "Lambs"...???
Pamela McClintock and Dave McNary of Variety:
Tom Cruise stars in political drama 'Lions for Lambs,' which marks the reinvention of both UA and Cruise himself.
Tom Cruise is one of the world's top box office stars, with his long list of commercial titles grossing $2.8 billion domestically. With today's bow of political drama "Lions for Lambs" in 2,215 theaters, he's asking moviegoers to accept a new, more meek Cruise who's less about box office roar than about creative effort.
Film, the first release from Cruise and Paula Wagner's reinvented United Artists label, couldn't tout a more high-profile pedigree: It was directed by Robert Redford, who also stars alongside Cruise and Meryl Streep.
But in tone and storyline, "Lions" is far more akin to a specialty title, hence, expectations are that the movie likely won't open to more than $10 million. The last wide release starring Cruise to open in that B.O. neighborhood was "Far and Away" in 1992.
UA faces a daunting challenge in managing expectations and trying to educate the public and consumer press that box office grosses aren't what United Artists is about; rather, Cruise and Wagner want to continue the company's legacy of nurturing talent and creativity. Still, "Lions" comes at a tricky time, with auds thus far largely rejecting a string of films that, like it, address the issue of current wars and failed U.S. policy.
Thus far, these pics have had a tough time finding an aud, although it appears "Lions" will do better than New Line's "Rendition," which bowed to only $4 million from 2,250 runs last month.
UA is a subsid of MGM, which will distribute all of its titles, including "Lions." MGM brokered the deal for Cruise and Wagner to revive UA after their very public break with Paramount, where Cruise and Wagner had a production deal for 14 years. Sumner Redstone caught Cruise off-guard when he told the press that he had no interest in reupping the pact with Cruise and Wagner, the actor's longtime producing partner.
"Lions" cost $35 million to produce. UA is confident that the film will do OK financially once it finishes both its domestic and international runs.
Wagner and Cruise's shop isn't the only one managing expectations and dealing with issues of changing identity.
Also this weekend, Warner Bros. opens family holiday title "Fred Claus," which reteams Vince Vaughn with "Wedding Crashers" director David Dobkin. It's the first PG-rated film in which Vaughn has starred, causing confusion as to just how family-friendly "Fred Claus" is or isn't...
You can see the entire article if you click here.
Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly:
Vince Vaughn's PG-rated holiday flick will shoot to No. 1, but ''Lions for Lambs'' will have a much tougher time...
Next Week: 2 long awaited flicks finally arrive...
Richard Kelly's Southland Tales comes to us on Wed November 14th; While Robert Zemeckis' adaptation of Beowulf battles on the big screen Friday the 16th. The kiddie flick Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium brings up the rear.
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