This changed last summer when Maguire was
cast in the title role of "Spider-Man" – a
decision that seemed rather surprising to
those who were familiar with his previous
work. However, his strong performance
helped propel the blockbuster to worldwide
success, and consequently, he became
something of a household name. It may have
been is biggest and most well-known
performance yet, but his stellar work in
smaller, more intimate films is what first
made him famous and remains his greatest
strength.With that in mind, his follow
up, the $86 million horse racing drama
"Seabiscuit" is likely to test this
newfound notoriety of his. Can his name
help open a film or will his latest film
enjoy the moderate success of similar
films of his? Granted, there are several
other contributing factors, but that
question is one many are curious to see
answered.
This latest film reunites Maguire with
director Gary Ross, who first collaborated
with the twenty-eight year old actor back
in 1998 to create the masterpiece,
"Pleasantville." Adding to that are
Maguire's co-stars in "Seabiscuit,"
including award-winning actors Jeff
Bridges ("The Contender") and Chris Cooper
("Adaptation") – both of which adding to
the early Oscar buzz surrounding this
film, an adaptation of the best-selling
novel by Laura Hillenbrand.
The film is
based on a true story of the legendary,
crooked-legged race horse named Seabiscuit
who made racing history with the help of
his jockey (Maguire), trainer (Cooper),
and owner (Bridges), and stole thousands
of hearts in Depression-era America.
The film, said to have spectacular
camera work and cinematography, is being
pitched through various trailers and TV
spots as a very "triumphant" sports drama,
which has its drawbacks and possibilities.
Each of the lead actors plays fractured
characters; Maguire is a jockey who's lost
his spirit, Cooper a lost cowboy, and
Bridges as millionaire with nothing to
live for. With Seabiscuit as their a
common link, they will defeat the odds
together. Such a film seems extremely out
of place in the middle of a hot, sticky
summer filled with so many blockbuster
auctioneers like Maguire's "Spider-Man"
was last summer.
The thing about "Seabiscuit" is that
even though it is an oddball
comparatively, it'll need to do just as
well as its competitors to earn back its
hefty budget. Universal, the studio
releasing "Seabiscuit," has had a pretty
disappointing year thus far due in great
part to the under-performing of its $125
million "Hulk" film adaptation.
The $86 million budget for "Seabiscuit"
is rather steep for a drama of this kind,
and truthfully, no one can guess if it'll
make a profit when it opens this Friday,
July 25th. Up against typically
action-packed fare such as "Tomb Raider:
Lara Croft and the Cradle of Life" and
"Spy Kids 3D" (along with leftover hits
such as "Pirates of the Caribbean") it's a
tough call whether "Seabiscuit" can see
its way to victory. This film is this
season's box office darkhorse, indeed.
I don't think there is anyone naive
enough to not believe "Tomb Raider" will
claim this weekend's top spot, but also
naive enough to believe "Seabiscuit" will
too put up big numbers. Although I don't
think it'll draw a large crowd in its
first weekend, positive reviews and good
word-of-mouth may help the film sustain
strong figures, if success is where it is
headed. Unlike most summer films, this one
will most likely rely on its reviews and
audience feedback to help find large
numbers, opposed to heavy opening weekends
making up nearly half of a film's final
gross.
However, there's always that chance of
failure, as there is with every movie; but
with that aside, who will be the ones
seeing "Seabiscuit"? Who will be the
audience for this drama? The genre itself
usually attracts older, more adult-heavy
crowds; this particular audience (by
nature) tends to pay closer attention to
reviews of a film, more-so than the
younger audiences that dominates several
of the season's most panned films.
It's common for a film with an adult
audience to either do very well by
word-of-mouth or die quickly, and that's
really what the performance at the box
office will come down to for "Seabiscuit."
If people can connect with this
Oscar-hopeful film, it will most likely
perform well, but if people do not take
well to it, it'll collapse.
'Seabiscuit' Preview Continued >>