In a 'New York Minute,' Olsen Big Screen Hopes Fade?
HOLLYWOOD (Box Office Mojo)—New York Minute's title turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy of how long the picture will last in multiplexes.
After much ado about their media empire and admirable personal fortune, made-for-home-video stars The Olsen Twins failed to register theatrically, bowing to $6.0 million at 3,006 theaters—the lowest opening ever for a movie playing at over 3,000 theaters. Its audience was 83% girls under age 11, according to distributor Warner Bros.' research.
The debut was far less than last year's girl-targeted summer opener The Lizzie McGuire Movie ($17.3 million) or even Warner Bros.' What a Girl Wants ($11.4 million), which was also directed by New York Minute's Dennie Gordon.
New York Minute will sell fewer tickets than the Olsen's big screen debut, 1995's It Takes Two (also released by Warner Bros.) That picture bowed to $5.6 million (or $7.9 million adjusted) at 1,581 theaters compared to Minute's 3,006. It went on to gross $19.5 million (or $27.5 million adjusted). Minute headed for $18 million at the very most by the end of its run, which will also make it the lowest grossing movie ever to play at over 3,000 theaters (stripping Battlefield Earth of that claim to infamy with its $21.5 million tally).
Throw another casualty onto the pile of fizzling girl movies this year. 'New York Minute' repeated the same mistakes (that Mean Girls avoided), chief among them no foundation in reality. Here it was not only unrelatable fantasy, but a trailer that didn't even convey the movie's premise coherently (with the non sequitur inclusion of Eugene Levy as an overzealous truancy officer that takes too much explanation time and still doesn't quite make sense). It doesn't help the Olsen cause that only their devoted young fans can tell which one is Ashley and which one Mary-Kate—the star personae have to be distinct and engaging before people can begin to overlook what the movie is about.
To be fair to the Olsens, the "twins" thing is both a blessing and a curse now and as they grow older. It's been lucrative on video, in merchandising, etc. where its young girl appeal is adequate but a mass audience isn't necessary. Versatility is inherently limited as it's always going to be about "the twins," putting the Olsens at a distinct disadvantage in movies compared to singular starlets like Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff. Of course, the Olsens could try going back to their Full House roots and both play one part. Or maybe one retires so that the other may go on…
click here to view the
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE CHART
After much ado about their media empire and admirable personal fortune, made-for-home-video stars The Olsen Twins failed to register theatrically, bowing to $6.0 million at 3,006 theaters—the lowest opening ever for a movie playing at over 3,000 theaters. Its audience was 83% girls under age 11, according to distributor Warner Bros.' research.
The debut was far less than last year's girl-targeted summer opener The Lizzie McGuire Movie ($17.3 million) or even Warner Bros.' What a Girl Wants ($11.4 million), which was also directed by New York Minute's Dennie Gordon.
New York Minute will sell fewer tickets than the Olsen's big screen debut, 1995's It Takes Two (also released by Warner Bros.) That picture bowed to $5.6 million (or $7.9 million adjusted) at 1,581 theaters compared to Minute's 3,006. It went on to gross $19.5 million (or $27.5 million adjusted). Minute headed for $18 million at the very most by the end of its run, which will also make it the lowest grossing movie ever to play at over 3,000 theaters (stripping Battlefield Earth of that claim to infamy with its $21.5 million tally).
Throw another casualty onto the pile of fizzling girl movies this year. 'New York Minute' repeated the same mistakes (that Mean Girls avoided), chief among them no foundation in reality. Here it was not only unrelatable fantasy, but a trailer that didn't even convey the movie's premise coherently (with the non sequitur inclusion of Eugene Levy as an overzealous truancy officer that takes too much explanation time and still doesn't quite make sense). It doesn't help the Olsen cause that only their devoted young fans can tell which one is Ashley and which one Mary-Kate—the star personae have to be distinct and engaging before people can begin to overlook what the movie is about.
To be fair to the Olsens, the "twins" thing is both a blessing and a curse now and as they grow older. It's been lucrative on video, in merchandising, etc. where its young girl appeal is adequate but a mass audience isn't necessary. Versatility is inherently limited as it's always going to be about "the twins," putting the Olsens at a distinct disadvantage in movies compared to singular starlets like Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff. Of course, the Olsens could try going back to their Full House roots and both play one part. Or maybe one retires so that the other may go on…
click here to view the
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE CHART
