Originally I was going to do a comic about San Diego Comic-Con. But at this point, I think if I read one more tweet, blog post or status update about Panel “X” or Celebrity Sighting “Y” I’m going to scream.
Good job, internet. You’ve covered San Diego Comic-Con so thoroughly I have no interest in talking about it with anyone else.
Salt hit theaters this weekend and raked in $36 million at the box office. Certainly a very respectable opening. But the big story is that Inception only slid 31% in its second week, earning $43 million in ticket sales. For a cerebral thriller like Inception to have that kind of staying power in its second week is a testament to how good the film is and how strong word of mouth was.
The reviews for Salt have been 50/50. Critical reaction to Knight and Day was practically the same.
This kind of surprised me because I don’t know anyone who saw Knight and Day. Meanwhile, I have several friends that went to see Salt and raved about it. I’d had heard it favorably compared to The Bourne Supremacy and films of that ilk This left me with the assumption that Cruise picked the wrong horse.
I suppose the only way to be sure is to wait around a couple of weeks and see if anyone is still talking about Salt. Although, if it couldn’t unseat Inception in its second week, I find the prospects of that unlikely.
Then again, with Dinner for Schmucks, Charlie St. Cloud and Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore as Salt’s only competition this weekend, maybe it’s got a chance!
What do you guys think? Did you see Salt this weekend? Was it any good? How many of you went back for a second helping of Inception? Leave your comments below!
Did you know Salt was originally supposed to be played by Tom Cruise?
He backed out to make Knight and Day instead.
Hmm. I can understand that. Salt kind of has a Mission: Impossible vibe to it.
He probably didn't want to do the same thing twice.
Besides how was he going to assert his heterosexuality without Cameron Diaz on his arm?
Tom, I have not seen Salt but last week, my 15 year old daughter informed me that SHE really wants to go see it. We would probably go together this weekend but she’s leaving to visit her grand dad on Wednesday & will be gone for about a week.
Maybe we’ll see it then – if it’s still in theaters.
Someone who’s opinion I trust told me that Salt was the worst movie he’s seen so far this year (in fairness, I’m not sure he’s seen “The Last Air Bender” yet). I’ve caught a few minutes of Knight and Day during breaks at work and I really like what I have seen of it, though obviously (as it’s been out for a while now) not enough to actually go see the movie yet.
Actually, I have two friends who are about as far apart on Salt as you can get. One called it formulaic crap. The other thought the car chase in the first act was cinematic genius.
If you’re trying to avoid formulaic crap, then skip Knight & Day. 109 minutes of Tom Cruise laughing at his own lame jokes and shooting people in the head while Diaz flaps her arms helplessly and (surprise) ends up in a bikini. Will they end up together in the end?! Gee, I dunno…
I went and saw Inception for a second time. I had a friend that hadn’t seen it yet and I couldn’t not take him at that point. He really liked it and I enjoyed it a second time because it gave me a chance to catch things I hadn’t either noticed or processed the first time.
I had a feeling that Inception would still stand pretty strong after a week. This summer has been rather lackluster, and I have a feeling that as word of mouth continues to spread, Inception will stay at the top.
As for how Salt will do this upcoming weekend, I don’t see it doing well. This weekend has a pretty varied mix of movies, with Dinner for Schmucks catering to comedy audiences, Charlie St. Cloud being the drama/teenage girl bait, and Cats & Dogs being kid fodder. I think with such varied films opening up, that will definitely hurt Salt’s chances of doing well a second week. The film it resembles closest is Inception (both are action films), and there has been a lot more buzz surrounding Inception. Combine that with the fact that this weekend will split movie goers (in theory), its chances don’t look good to me.
I also wanted to point out that Toy Story 3 came in number 5 at that box office! I am very glad to see it doing so well!
Saw Inception last week, but don’t think I’ll be back for a second viewing in the theaters. I’ve felt like that with most of Nolan’s films – it takes me a little while to digest it, and even though I LOVE the films, they’re not the kind I’d want to sit through again a second time in rapid succession.
I’m looking forward to seeing Salt tonight – I know the reveiws are mixed, but it looks like good, traditional summer-movie far. Besides, Angelina Jolie + guns is always a winning combination.
I felt Salt was a super mediocre movie. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t like it either. It didn’t help that the plot was ridiculous and you could see the twists coming a mile away.
Also some of the action scenes were good and others were ridiculously bad. (no spoilers)
Finally, more gunkata from Kurt Wimmer. That should be his signature in every script he writes/movie he directs!
I saw Inception for the second time last night, and loved it the second time (and I wasn’t even sitting in a proper seat b/c of how crowded it was!) I really got to appreciate more details, and also better understand plot points that left me puzzled afterwards. Still trying to figure out if we ever actually saw reality, or if parts that we thought was reality wasn’t. I mean, that Chemist guy really seemed to know Cobb’s history well based on his tone and things he said to Cobb, but my understanding was they had never met. Was he a projection, or more than he seemed?
As for Salt… eh. Didn’t look that good from the trailers to me. I’ll catch it on TV or instant Netflix if it comes to that.
I saw Salt this past weekend and thought it was okay. It’s pretty much a brain-candy movie, entertaining but not deep.
Haven’t seen Inception yet, but I’ll probably go see that some time this week.
Just saw Inception yesterday and was blown away! Great movie.
Haven’t heard anything about Salt yet (I live in Holland) so I’ll see it when I see it.
Great cartoon btw love Tom’s expression in the 4th panel 😉
I don’t see why anyone would need to see Inception again. It was a great movie, I just don’t have time or money to spend on seeing the same movie twice in theaters.
Time and money are factors, sure. But for as much theorizing and noodle-twisting Inception has inspired, it makes sense to see it a second time in theaters if you want to either refine your interpretation or add more to the conversation.
It’s all about stayin’ in the pop culture flow, brah.
I was a bit surprised last night–at the theater I manage, Charlie St. Cloud brought in the most people for the midnights. More than Dinner for Schmucks or The Kids are All Right. Who knew?