How many blockbusters will last longer then one week on top?

[Dusty]

Of course that said, it's the only pure CG movie out right now... and those tend to draw crowds no matter what.

Tell that to Kung Fu Panda 2, which had a pretty disappointing opening just a few weeks ago.

I have no idea what to expect from Cars 2. The reviews are not very good, which is unheard of with a Pixar movie (is there any Pixar movie on Rotten Tomatoes that's not designated fresh?). I keep seeing the estimates go further and further down. It's obviously going to win the weekend, but I don't think it's going to approach the $75 million opening people were talking about a month ago.

[MrBlud]

The first "Cars" is notable for being a dismal (by Pixar standards) 76%

Outside of Lasseter's strange "Cars" obsession and the equally inexplicable merchandising juggernaut I never understood the push for a Cars sequel. The very idea always struck me as a bad Disney DTV that somehow was done by Pixar and set for wide release.

[Akitsu]

Kung Fu Panda 2 did okay, but it has no staying power. They pulled in around 9 mil this past weekend, which is pretty much the nail in the coffin. They've already pulled 400 theaters, and it's making just over a million each weekday at this point.

Don't get me wrong, it's tearing up the foreign market like crazy... but I think kids are a bit Jack Blacked Out after Gulliver. ;p To be honest I thought it had already been pulled entirely.

Cars 2 will stand or fall based on the merchandising. If there's a slew of new Cars toys in the isle, and kids see books, party supplies, etc for it... it tends to grab their interest. With Kung Fu Panda 2 exiting the building I don't think it'll have much competition, despite KFP2 being a stronger narrative. (From what I've seen, Cars 2 involves a lot of spy gimmicks... 'cause kids like spies, right? Then again what kind of story can you have about cars and racing?)

[Rhinox]

The only reason there is a Cars 2 is to sell more toys and really, that's a justified reasoning. I mean, years after the first movie, the toys were still on shelves, still selling well. They practically had to push out a sequel, just so they could finally make more toys that aren't repaints of the first cast. Literally every car in the film got a toy the last go around.

[Chiclo]

We even still carry Cars fishing poles at my store. At one point, a guy I worked with said we were probably done with Cars fishing poles and every year we get more.

[Dusty]

38%!

Wowzers. Pixar's gotta be shitting themselves. They care about this stuff a lot.

[Akitsu]

Lassiter will go into full denial mode and claim the reviewers just didn't understand it's a "family movie", and that it has to be held up to different standards than Pixar's other work. This is of course an out and out lie, but it'll make him feel better about selling his soul.

From a marketing standpoint it's a brilliant film. It cashes in on kids love of anthropomorphism and cool cars... which is far more marketable than his previous attempt at a cash in movie, which tried selling stuffed anthro-fish to kids.

[LLcruize]

It is now down to a 33% rotten rating. This is an absolute failure for Pixar. Even when their films have not generated huge box office numbers, the one constant has been the high critical and fan praise. From persons I know who have seen this and the fan reviews, it seems like what we have here is Pixar's first film that aims directly for kids and doesn't weave in the depth of emotion and story that we have become accustomed from with their films. That is not a bad thing, but I think it is taking folks off guard.

[MrBlud]

it seems like what we have here is Pixar's first film that aims directly for kids and doesn't weave in the depth of emotion and story that we have become accustomed from with their films. That is not a bad thing, but I think it is taking folks off guard.

How is that not a bad thing when we expect and deserve, and know they're capable of, giving us both?

[Vicious]

it seems like what we have here is Pixar's first film that aims directly for kids and doesn't weave in the depth of emotion and story that we have become accustomed from with their films. That is not a bad thing, but I think it is taking folks off guard.

How is that not a bad thing when we expect and deserve, and know they're capable of, giving us both?

I had the exact same question, myself.

[LLcruize]

There can be kids films that are just silly and fun without there being any kind of deep emotional story connected. Pixar took the genre to another level. All of their movies are expected to be like that now, so when one of their films is light on the emotional element and heavy on the light, folks are a little taken back.

I was at the theater seeing Super 8 today and the Cars 2 showings were packed. The film did 25.7 million on Friday, if today is any indication, the film should do well today too. Looks like it will end up in the 70 million range for the weekend.

[Akitsu]

Erm... nooo.... Disney did that. Let's not forget Aladdin, Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast... or Bambi and Snow White. Movies that were fun, adventurous, sad, and scary all wrapped up into one. Pixar simply did the same thing in CG.

[LLcruize]

For sure, Disney cartoons did all that. Most, not all, Disney's traditional animated films were based on fairy tales or stories previously published through books. Pixar has always been known for taking less of the fairytale route and going with more grounded story lines through non-traditional characters.

In my opinion, none of the Disney old-school films reach anywhere close to the emotional depth that Pixar's stories have. Old school Disney and Pixar have provided commentary on serious issues of aging, loss, moving on, environment, social class, etc. But Pixar has done it with less of the whimsy of those classic Disney films. Old school Disney films you expected fun above all, Pixar, the expectation is depth of story with fun .

[Akitsu]

Lol... I beg to differ. Bambi is all about growing up and accepting loss. Fox and the Hound is about how friendship can overcome intolerance and bigotry. Lady & the Tramp handled the power of love to overcome social class.

The thing about Pixar is that they started doing their thing at a time when Disney was floundering, and it's easy for people to forget that long before people shed a tear for Woody, they were bawling at the end of Snow White in a time where cartoons were strictly "kids fare".

[LLcruize]

True, I grew up with a heavy dose of Disney. The early 80's saw a major decline in quality. When I had kids in the late 80's the Disney brand enjoyed a resurgence that started with The Little Mermaid. But personally, I don't think the golden age of Disney nor it's second-coming ever approached the emotional depth of the Pixar films, especially their last 7. There is something about watching the Pixar films as an adult that is different from watching the Disney classics as an adult. I personally think the Disney classics were given far more license to be silly and fun than what the Pixar films are given, as evidenced from the critical drubbing that Cars 2 is receiving.