Monday, July 03, 2006

Material Girls - Sizing Up the Competition - August Movie Preview

The Material Girls release date of August 18th is about a month and a half away, so I thought it would be a good time to see what the movie will be up against.

Take a look at the other major movies that are coming up in August, and how they will affect Material Girls' Box Office Totals.

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August 4th:

Movie: Barnyard
Genre: Animated Family Comedy
Cast: Kevin James, Courteney Cox, Sam Elliott, Danny Glover, Andie MacDowell, Wanda Sykes
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG

Thoughts: Barnyard is a family comedy, so it will definitely be competing with Material Girls, but it will be entering it's 3rd weekend by the time Material Girls opens, so it probably won't be that much of a threat.

Conclusion: Minor Threat.



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Movie: The Night Listener
Genre: Thriller
Cast: Robin Williams, Sandra Oh, Rory Culkin
Studio: Miramax Films
Rated: R

Thoughts: This looks like an interesting movie. I like Robin Williams as an actor much better than as a comedian, so this looks like something I might like him in. Miramax also has a good reputation. That being said this movie will probably have very little affect on Material Girls, since it is rated R, and will be in it's third week by the time Material Girls opens.

Conclusion: No Threat.



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Movie: The Descent
Genre: Horror
Cast: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, MyAnna Buring, Nora-Jane Noone, Oliver Milburn, Molly Kayll
Studio: Lions Gate
Rated: R

Thoughts: Yet another horror movie. It's been getting pretty good buzz, but I doubt it will be much of a threat in it's third week, plus it's rated R.

Conclusion: No Threat.



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Movie: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Will Ferrell, Michael Clarke Duncan, Gary Cole
Studio: Sony/Columbia
Rated: PG-13

Thoughts: Will Ferrell is back in what promises to be a hit comedy. I see this movie being pretty big, and it will definitely still be around when Material Girls shows up. This could be a situation where a family would be choosing between this and Material Girls, and I see this winning in most cases, since it has much broader appeal than MG.

Conclusion: Medium Threat.



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August 11:

Movie: Accepted
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Justin Long, Blake Lively, Lewis Black
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG-13

Thoughts: Comedy about a kid who can't get into college, so he decides to open his own. I can't see this movie being very big, but it still might be a minor threat to Material Girls because there is some demographic overlap, and it's rated PG-13, so it might take away some from MG's potential older high school age audience.

Conclusion: Minor Threat.



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Movie: Step Up
Genre: Drama
Cast: Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan, Mario, Drew Sidora, Rachel Griffiths
Studio: Disney

Thoughts: I don't know much about this movie, except for the fact that it's a Disney movie, and has some kind of inspirational feel to it. Just from what I have read it reminds me of Raise Your Voice, so it is probably targeting the same audience as Material Girls.

Conclusion: Medium Threat.



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Movie: World Trade Center
Genre: Drama
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña, Maria Bello, Maggie GyllenhaalS
tudio: Paramount
Rated: PG-13

Thoughts: There has been mixed buzz about this movie. I think the trailer looks great, but I have read some things that say otherwise. Either way, I would think that this movie is targeting a compleatly different audience than Material Girls, so I don't think it will be a threat.

Conclusion: Minor Threat.



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Movie: Zoom
Genre: Family Comedy / Adventure
Cast: Tim Allen, Spencer Breslin, Chevy Chase, Courteney Cox
Studio: Sony/Columbia
Rated: PG

Thoughts: Family Adventure similar to Spy Kids and Agent Cody Banks. Probably will be a major threat to Material Girls because it is targeting a lot of the same audience. This movie will probably take away from Material Girls potential younger audience, although girls would probably prefer MG to this movie.

Conclusion: Major Threat.



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August 18th

Movie: Snakes on a Plane
Genre: Thriller, Cult Classic
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson
Studio: New Line
Rated: R

Thoughts: I don't know if there has ever been a movie that has gotten this much internet buzz before. Snakes on a Plane is already a cult classic, and it hasn't even come out yet. The good news is that the demographic that is going to be seeing this movie is compleatly different than the Material Girls demographic, so this movie will be no threat to MG. The other good news is that Snakes on a Plane is the only other wide release on August 18th, so Material Girls won't be overshadowed that much by other movies.

Conclusion: No Threat.



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August 25th

Movie: Beerfest
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske
Studio: Warner Bros

Thoughts: A movie about drinking beer. I like the concept, but I don't think it will affect Material Girls.

Conclusion: No Threat.



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Movie: DOA: Dead Or Alive
Genre: ActionCast: Devon Aoki, Sarah Carter, Natassia Malthe, Matthew Marsden, Jamie Pressly, Eric Roberts, Holly Valance
Studio: Dimension Films

Thoughts: Movie based on a video game. Might do OK, but different demo than Material Girls.

Conclusion: No Threat.



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Movie: How to Eat Fried Worms
Genre: Family
Cast: Luke Benwald, Tom Cavanaugh, Kimberly Williams, Hallie Kate Eisenberg
Studio: New Line
Rated: PG

Thoughts: This will probably be Material Girls' biggest competition in the second weekend. Based on the hugely popular Thomas Rockwell book, this movie will probably appeal to families with younger children.

Conclusion: Major Threat.



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Movie: Idlewild
Genre: Musical
Cast: André Benjamin, Antwan A. Patton, Paula Patton, Terrence Howard, Patti LaBelle, Ving Rhames
Studio: Universal
Rated: R

Thoughts: The Outkast Movie might be interesting, but no threat to Material Girls.

Conclusion: No Threat.



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Movie: Invincible
Genre: Sports Drama
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Kevin Conway, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rispoli
Studio: Disney
Rated: PG

Thoughts: Disney Sports movie is probably targeting the same age demographic, but will probably appeal more to males, while Material Girls will obviously appeal to females.

Conclusion: Minor Threat.



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