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Craig Younkin
Crowd Report: "Man on Fire"
By Lee Tistaert Published April 24, 2004
I was actually contemplating seeing 13 Going on 30 and making that the first non-male oriented crowd report I?ve ever done on this site, but oh well (I might see it on Saturday or Sunday). Rather, at the last second I decided to check out the 10:15 show of Man on Fire on Friday night at the Westwood Crest theater (450 seats) in LA. Getting there at just about 10:00, there was a line to get in but it was not that big, and there was a decent line at the ticket booth.
When all was said and done, the theater was packed; there were some seats available, but it was pretty close to a sellout. The audience seemed to be in the 30 ? 45 age range, with a decent quantity of 20 ? 30-year olds as well; the gender ratio was also fairly split down the middle.
The Crest traditionally only shows two previews; the first ad was the newer trailer of I, Robot, which received a quiet response, but I think I heard a few sarcastic reactions.
And last but not least, there was The Day After Tomorrow, which played similarly, and I did hear a few laughs when it concluded (which couldn?t have been a good thing). However, reactions to this trailer would probably differ based on the age of the crowd; if this ad played at the Village theater in Westwood in front of a packed college audience, there would likely be enthusiasm.
I knew going into Man on Fire that reviews haven?t been that good, but I usually don?t care about that aspect (unless it?s a movie I?m unsure about). But not too long into this film I suspected that 150 minutes of it was going to be a bit of torture. This movie isn?t bad, but for what it sets out to do (it?s a very simple story), you really don?t need a two-and-a-half-hour running time.
I?ll admit that I?m not the biggest fan of Denzel Washington; I thought Out of Time sucked, and though Training Day has some interesting ideas, the story ended up being too clich? in the end (and I didn?t think Denzel?s performance was anything to scream about). However, I did like Tony Scott?s thriller, Enemy of the State, to some extent; but here, while there are similarities in tone, the story is just way too light to sustain attention for the entire time.
The line to get in beforehand was about on par (in length) with Phone Booth ($5.2 million - $2,086 per-screen) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ($2.6 million - $1,954 per-screen) on opening night here. However, the film did remind me a little bit of The Recruit ($5.3 million - $2,243 per-screen), which did play at this theater; and once I found that comparison, it seemed like a pretty strong one (per-screen wise) as the movie played.
With that being said, a Friday gross of close to $6 million could be in the works, but nearing $7 million is also a decent probability. The figure could be similar to Enemy of the State, which scored $6.4 million on opening day, but in just 2,393 theaters (compared to 2,979 theaters for Man on Fire).
When all was said and done, the theater was packed; there were some seats available, but it was pretty close to a sellout. The audience seemed to be in the 30 ? 45 age range, with a decent quantity of 20 ? 30-year olds as well; the gender ratio was also fairly split down the middle.
The Crest traditionally only shows two previews; the first ad was the newer trailer of I, Robot, which received a quiet response, but I think I heard a few sarcastic reactions.
And last but not least, there was The Day After Tomorrow, which played similarly, and I did hear a few laughs when it concluded (which couldn?t have been a good thing). However, reactions to this trailer would probably differ based on the age of the crowd; if this ad played at the Village theater in Westwood in front of a packed college audience, there would likely be enthusiasm.
I knew going into Man on Fire that reviews haven?t been that good, but I usually don?t care about that aspect (unless it?s a movie I?m unsure about). But not too long into this film I suspected that 150 minutes of it was going to be a bit of torture. This movie isn?t bad, but for what it sets out to do (it?s a very simple story), you really don?t need a two-and-a-half-hour running time.
I?ll admit that I?m not the biggest fan of Denzel Washington; I thought Out of Time sucked, and though Training Day has some interesting ideas, the story ended up being too clich? in the end (and I didn?t think Denzel?s performance was anything to scream about). However, I did like Tony Scott?s thriller, Enemy of the State, to some extent; but here, while there are similarities in tone, the story is just way too light to sustain attention for the entire time.
The line to get in beforehand was about on par (in length) with Phone Booth ($5.2 million - $2,086 per-screen) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ($2.6 million - $1,954 per-screen) on opening night here. However, the film did remind me a little bit of The Recruit ($5.3 million - $2,243 per-screen), which did play at this theater; and once I found that comparison, it seemed like a pretty strong one (per-screen wise) as the movie played.
With that being said, a Friday gross of close to $6 million could be in the works, but nearing $7 million is also a decent probability. The figure could be similar to Enemy of the State, which scored $6.4 million on opening day, but in just 2,393 theaters (compared to 2,979 theaters for Man on Fire).
'Man on Fire' Articles
- Craig's Man on Fire review B+
April 25, 2004 This character makes The Bride from Kill Bill look like Minnie Mouse, and it becomes a real guilty pleasure watching him do his dirty work. -- Craig Younkin
