'Warrior' isn't the only underseen September release out on DVD this week; 'Straw Dogs' arrived on Tuesday as well, only with almost as little fanfare as it had upon initial release. The remake of Sam Peckinpah's notorious revenge thriller earned just $10 million at the box office, and was quickly labeled one of the bigger bombs of 2011. Not that star James Marsden is too concerned with that reception.
"Nobody sets out to make a bad movie," he told ET. "Nobody sets out for their film to do mediocre at the box office. [...] Obviously I want my movies to do well and for people to dig my work, but at some point it's out of your power. It's your responsibility as an actor to deliver a performance that you're proud of. If people like my movies, that means more to me than if they do well at the box office. I can name a movie I did that made a lot of money at the box office, but I don't think it's a good movie. I think 'Straw Dogs' is a better movie than that one, so creatively I'm prouder of this one."
That's a good outlook on fame and life in general -- you can only control what you can control -- but it raises the question: which of his successful films does James Marsden think is not good? Let's investigate!
1. 'X-Men: The Last Stand': $234.3M
2. 'X2: X-Men United': $214.9M
3. 'Superman Returns': $200M
4. 'X-Men': $157.2M
5. 'Enchanted': $127.8M
6. 'Hairspray': $118.8M
7. 'Hop': $108M
8. 'The Notebook': $81M
9. '27 Dresses': $76.8M
10. 'Death at a Funeral': $43.7M
Marsden also did voice work in 'Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,' which made $43.5 million. So! Which of those films was Marsden referring to? Speculate wildly -- and likely inaccurately -- in the comments section below.
'Straw Dogs' is on DVD now.
[via ET]
Gallery | The 18 Worst Wide-Release Opening Weekends of 2011
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'Creature' (9/9)
Opening: $327,000 from 1,507 screens (per-screen: $217)
What to say about 'Creature' beyond this: the film -- which appeared in seven more venues than 'Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star' (remember that name) -- was the fifth-worst wide-release opening ever. If you doubled the film's per-screen average, you still couldn't buy an iPad. -
'Bucky Larson' (9/9)
Opening: $1,415,023 on 1,500 screens (per-screen: $943)
In the end, Bucky Larson wasn't born to be a star; it was born to be the worst wide release of 2011. The film earned just $2.5 million in its 14 days of release, including its 15th place showing on opening weekend. Not that star Nick Swardson minds. "It's a lot of work and a lot of reviewers aren't going into that movie to like it," he told SplitSider. "They don't want to like it. None of those reviewers was psyched to see 'Bucky Larson' and laugh. They go in with the mentality, f-ck these guys for making another movie. They go in there to kind of headhunt. It makes me laugh because it's just so embarrassing. It makes them look like such morons. You can't review 'Avatar' then review 'Bucky Larson.' Comedy is so subjective, you know what I mean? To sit there and technically pick it apart is so stupid. We've never made movies for critics, so we could give a f-ck." Neither did audiences. -
'The King's Speech (PG13)' (4/1)
Opening: $1,133,162 on 1,011 screens (per-screen: $1,121)
Surprise! Not all opening weekend catastrophes happened to bad movies. Released after 'The King's Speech' grossed $135 million and won Best Picture, this "family-friendly" version of the smash hit was supposed to make The Weinstein Company even more money. It didn't, but the re-release wasn't as bad an under-performer as the standalone numbers would indicate. After all, the R-rated cut of 'The King's Speech' (which earned that rating for one scene of jubilant cursing) only grossed $1.5 million during the weekend before this release, with a per-screen average of $1,467. By the time this new cut came out, 'The King's Speech' was already losing its populist voice. -
'The Big Year' (10/14)
Opening: $3,251,884 on 2,150 screens (per-screen: $1,513)
Welcome to Hollywood economics in 2011, where a film with three major stars (Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson) can barely top $3 million on opening weekend. That breaks down to a little more than $1 million per star. Here's guessing you won't see many bird-watching comedies in theaters any time soon. -
'Take Me Home Tonight' (3/4)
Opening: $3,464,679 on 2,003 screens (per-screen: $1,730)
This coming-of-age comedy sat on the shelf for so long that its final day of shooting actually pre-dated the 2008 presidential election. Not surprisingly, audiences rejected the film wholesale; if only Relativity Media could have built a time machine to bring 'Take Me Home Tonight' back to an era when star Topher Grace was actually a draw. Like, 2007. -
'Johnny English Reborn' (10/21)
Opening: $3,800,000 on 1,552 screens (per-screen: $2,448)
American audiences couldn't be bothered with 'Johnny English Reborn' when there was a third 'Paranormal Activity' movie to see, but it's doubtful Universal was that upset with the washout: the Rowan Atkinson-led film has already earned $104.5 million overseas. Translation: write-off! -
'Hoodwinked Too! (Hood vs. Evil)' (4/29)
Opening: $4,108,630 on 2,505 screens (per-screen: $1,640)
What's more surprising: that 'Hoodwinked Too!' exists, that it came out this year, or that it earned $1 million more than 'The Big Year'? -
'I Don't Know How She Does It' (9/16)
Opening: $4,402,201 on 2,476 screens (per-screen: $1,778)
Audiences didn't know how to buy tickets for this flop, apparently. The Sarah Jessica Parker romcom earned $27 million less during its opening frame than her last leading role: as Carrie Bradshaw in 'Sex and the City 2.' -
'Prom' (4/29)
Opening: $4,712,638 on 2,730 screens (per-screen: $1,726)
To be fair, Disney only spent $8 million on the 'Prom' production budget, so earning more than half of that back on opening weekend is a victory. -
'One Day' (8/19)
Opening: $5,079,566 on 1,719 screens (per-screen: $2,955)
Don't cry for Anne Hathaway, but the starlet was involved in two of the bigger busts in 2011: the Academy Awards telecast and 'One Day,' a weepie drama that Focus Features dumped on 1,700 screens in August. Hopefully she has better luck with 'The Dark Knight Rises' next summer -
'Straw Dogs' (9/16)
Opening: $5,123,760 on 2,408 screens (per-screen: $2,128)
The original 'Straw Dogs' was a controversy magnet, something this remake probably could have used to goose receipts. -
'Drive Angry' (2/25)
Opening: $5,187,625 on 2,290 screens (per-screen: $2,265)
Wither Nicolas Cage. In addition to this bust, the Oscar-winning star also appeared in the 2011 flops 'Season of the Witch' ($24 million total) and 'Trespass,' which earned just $16,816 during its limited opening weekend in October. Good thing the Academy Awards don't have a buy-back policy. -
'Warrior' (9/9)
Opening: $5,242,107 on 1,869 screens (per-screen: $2,805)
When bad openings happen to great movies: no one saw 'Warrior,' despite near unanimous great reviews and some Oscar buzz. Hopefully viewers catch up with the MMA drama about dueling brothers when it hits DVD and Blu-ray. -
'What's Your Number?' (9/30)
Opening: $5,421,669 on 3,001 screens (per-screen: $1,806)
People love Anna Faris -- just not enough to pay to see her in this tepid romcom. 'What's Your Number?' was pitched as a worthy heir to 'Bridesmaids' and 'Bad Teacher,' but the conventional love story -- and minimal marketing -- kept it from catching on in any meaningful way. Between this and a co-starring role 'Take Me Home Tonight,' Faris is almost like the female version of Nicolas Cage. -
'Glee: The 3D Concert Movie' (8/12)
Opening: $5,961,231 on 2,040 screens (per-screen: $2,922)
The idea was that fans of the hit Fox series 'Glee' ("Gleeks," for short) would come out in droves to see their favorite McKinley High School glee clubbers on the big-screen. And in 3D. They didn't. The concert movie was a bust theatrically, though between DVD and soundtrack sales, Twentieth Century Fox probably thought of any ticket sales as merely gravy on an already delicious cash cow. -
'African Cats' (4/22)
Opening: $6,003,200 on 1,220 screens (per-screen: $4,921)
When opening weekend results lie: despite a low box office total, 'African Cats' was one of the stronger titles on this list of flops. Not that it was strong, but consider that its per-screen average was almost five times that of 'Bucky Larson' -
'Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer' (6/10)
Opening: $6,076,859 on 2,524 screens (per-screen: $2,408)
Sorry, Judy. It was a bummer summer. -
'Mars Needs Moms' (3/11)
Opening: $6,914,488 on 3,011 screens (per-screen: $2,218)
One of the most notorious flops ever, 'Mars Needs Moms' reportedly cost over $150 million to produce and earned only $21 million at the box office (and just $31 million worldwide). The motion-capture kids film was such a bust that producer Robert Zemeckis possibly lost out on his chance to make 'Yellow Submarine' for the studio. The decision to axe the film was made before 'Moms' bombed, but its paltry opening weekend sum couldn't have helped matters.
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