Drive-in movie theatres let 'John Carter' ride on the coattails of 'The Avengers'

Last weekend, The Avengers earned $207 million. John Carter earned $1.4 million. The Avengers broke the record for highest opening weekend, and John Carter went up 1,223% from last week. It turns out the two Disney releases--one a hit, the other a flop--have something in common. They were paired together for drive-in movie theatres' double features.

Over the weekend, John Carter increased from 180 theatres to 349 theatres. Most of those additional locations were drive-ins, where the average ticket goes for just $8. I suspect Disney requested that John Carter be paired with The Avengers--why not promote another one of your releases? Plus, it added $1 million to John Carter's bottom line. That may be only one-two hundredths of what The Avengers earned, but it is something.

Drive-in movies may have long passed their heyday, but they're a fun, low-tech, and cheap way to experience movies. I'm sure the multitude of special effects in The Avengers are better viewed on the most up-to-date screen and in 3D, but drive-in theatres offer the kind of intangibles that make people actually pay money for a ticket instead of catching it later at home. Something fun to do with friends. Cheap child care, or a family night out. Low-priced concessions. Even now that drive-ins have been relegated to a nostalgic rarity, they can impart important lessons about why people go to the movies.

'The Lorax' bests Disney behemoth 'John Carter'

With a reported $250 million production budget, John Carter needed to hit it big in order for Disney's investment to pay off. At least in the U.S., Disney won't be making back much of its money. The sci-fi epic opened to just $30.6 million, $5 million of which came from IMAX screens--the hangout of fanboys who may have been familiar with the source material, a 1912 serial by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Overseas, John Carter came up with $70 million, still not enough to make the movie an initial success. Disney's current business strategy involves focusing on projects with franchise potential that can create value across Disney's many platforms. These type of films often cost a great deal of money, and John Carter shows what happens when such would-be franchises don't resonate with audiences.

The Lorax, which won the weekend with $39.1 million, did not come from the traditional champion of animation, Disney, but Illumination Entertainment, which releases its films through Universal. The Dr. Seuss adaptation has charmed moviegoers but not jaded critics. Its 44% drop from opening weekend should level off in coming weeks. After earning $120 million in just ten days, it won't be long before the movie reaches $200 million and probably a spot in 2012's top ten.

A horror movie that appears to be shot in one long take, Silent House, came up with a middling $7 million. Scary pictures often open big, so it's surprising that this one didn't attract a larger audience. Young females are often the biggest demographic for horror titles, yet Elizabeth Olsen didn't appear to draw these women in.

Friends with Kids opened strongly, boding well for its expansion next week. The comedy's per-screen average of $5,800 was higher than most films in the top ten. Packed theatres = more laughter = positive word-of-mouth. With $2.7 million earned from its 374-theatre run, this comedy could end up being a modest success.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen did exceptionally well with older audiences, averaging $13,000 per screen in 18 locations. 70% of attendees were over the age of fifty. This demographic tends to be more discerning about the films they see, and word-of-mouth could bring this movie strong business in coming weeks.

Eddie Murphy's A Thousand Words was a flop, but it was actually one of Murphy's more successful flops. Instead of the $5 million opening typical of Murphy's recent films, this family-friendly comedy earned a whopping $6.3 million, not so bad for a movie that's been shelved for four years.

On Friday, it's all about comedy. Goofy cop movie 21 Jump Street will hit theatres, along with Will Ferrell's Spanish-language Case de Mi Padre and the indie laffer Jeff Who Lives at Home.

'John Carter' faces uphill battle against 'The Lorax'

Disney may have a flop on its hands. John Carter (3,749 theatres, including 3D and IMAX screens), is a "big-budget adaptation [that] delivers epic scale and effects" but has some major flaws, according to FJI critic Daniel Eagan. "Too reminiscent of previous films to impress older viewers, and too lightweight to dazzle fantasy fans," the CG/live-action mix is on par to deliver $30 million this weekend, when $50 million would be more likely to help Disney recoup its reported $250 million budget. Many have faulted Disney's marketing campaign. One, the title originally was more revealing, John Carter of Mars, but was reportedly shortened after Mars Needs Moms bombed. I was confused by a giant billboard that only showed the CG alien. Was this a CG movie? The coolest part for me is that the movie centers on a Civil War soldier who's transported to Mars, yet I've seen no antiquated military garb or battles in the trailer. There's a strong possibility that The Lorax may beat John Carter this weekend. John Carter is exactly the kind of movie that does well overseas, but audiences at home may give this film a pass.

If you're interested in time travel, check out A Thousand Words (1,890 theatres). The Eddie Murphy movie has been shelved for the past four years. Murphy plays a man who finds out he only has a thousand words left to speak. High concept, and most likely low on anything else. This would-be family comedy should earn somewhere slightly north of $5 million.

Indie darling Elizabeth Olsen stars in Silent House (2,124 theatres), a haunted house movie with the "gimmick" of being filmed in one continuous take. Our critic Maitland McDonagh panned the "derivative thriller." In particular, the "big twist" will be evident to horror fans "long before it arrives."

Friends with Kids (374 theatres) is rather "studied and forced" compared to Bridesmaids. The two comedies share a number of cast numbers, but unfortunately the "funny lines" are accompanied by an "awful lot of unoriginal, would-be side-splitters," according to critic David Noh. Many are expecting the comedy, which centers on two friends who decide to raise a child together, to be popular among the date-night crowd.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (18 theatres) starts out as an "appealing" romantic comedy before changing "midstream."  According to critic Kevin Lally, it's a "promising replica of the golden era of screen comedy that becomes mired in increasingly unwelcome narrative muck," a real "missed opportunity." Still, CBS Films hopes positive word-of-mouth will give momentum to their planned platform release.

Anyone who identifies as a "foodie" should check out Jiro Dreams of Sushi. The documentary about a famous Japanese sushi chef is the "Planet Earth" of sushi, and it will also make you feel more thoughtful about what you consume, though the chef's philosophy far predates the local, slow-food movement.

On Monday, we'll see if John Carter will be sunk by its high budget or if overseas returns keep it afloat.