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Did the P-word hurt Zack and Miri?
I was a bit disappointed when I saw the box office numbers come in this weekend for Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Even with that title, I thought, perhaps naively, that the movie might end up being one of writer-director Kevin Smith’s most popular movies.
Alas, it’s not on track for that sort of success. The movie made about $10.7 million over the weekend, which is a little better than usual for Smith, but not by much. As things stand, it is on track to top out at around $30 million or so, which is about par for the course for the director of Clerks, Dogma and Jay Silent Bob Strike Back, among others.
Why do I care? Because I think it’s Smith’s best movie since Chasing Amy, and it deserves a better reception than it’s getting. Sure, some of the gags wallow in the gutter, but on balance, the movie isn’t that far removed from something like, say, Knocked Up, which was a much bigger hit.
So I wonder: Did Smith paint himself into a corner by putting “porno” in the title? I really have to wonder if people saw that word and said, “You know, I think I feel better watching that in the comfort of my own home.” Smith’s movies historically do much better on DVD than in theaters.
Would you have gone to see it if it were called something tamer like Zack and Miri Get Off, Zack and Miri Get It On, The Naughty Adventures of Zack and Miri, or When Zack and Miri Loved Each Other Very Much … ?
Even if you did see it, why do you think more people didn’t?
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Comments
By Kim S.
November 3, 2008 1:19 PM | Link to this
Personally, I didn’t see it, and don’t really want to see it. Certainly not paying $10 to see it. I went to see “Saw V” this past weekend, only because I had yet to see an installment in a theater. I’m also sick to death of seeing Seth Rogen. Or perhaps I’m just tired of comedies that I don’t find funny. If I want a comedy, I’ll stay home and watch “30 Rock”. If I do see the film, I’ll see it on DVD - Kevin Smith hasn’t been my style for quite some time.