I'm disappointed. I really am. Not necessarily in the movies themselves, but in the audiences and viewers who didn't at least pay matinee prices to see this weekend's new releases. I was in the camp (though a rather small one, admittedly) who didn't mind the 2014 re-boot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action franchise via Paramount and Nickelodeon Pictures and was happy to see that film break out in what is commonly the last big weekend of summer (the second week of August) with an unexpected $65.5 million opening weekend. Upping the budget by $10 million and ordering a full plate of fan service this sequel is actually a better movie than the original, but it seems those who weren't pleased with that live-action re-boot didn't care to risk spending money on the sequel and thus Out of the Shadows still debuted at No. 1, but with a 46% drop from the previous film for an estimated $35.25 million. This is what most pundits were expecting, but it still feels weird to live in a time where financial expectations for a sequel are that much lower than the original in which the studio was unsure or unaware of their products potential. Call it market saturation as we've received a sequel of sorts every weekend this summer except one, but it definitely feels as if audiences are finding it harder and harder to get excited over sequels when everything seemingly gets one. Just look at this weekend, Warcraft is the sole original property opening and while it's doing big international business I don't expect it to break out in the U.S. The two other major releases are sequels to 2013 films that were never intended to have sequels. More disappointing is that original films like The Lonely Island's mockumentary, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping are making even less money as Popstar could only garner $4.63 million from 2,311 theaters despite solid reviews and good word of mouth. My fingers are crossed this one will break out on home video and in syndication, but who knows. Anyways, without further ado-hit the jump to see our full video reviews as well as subscribe to our channel for a new review (or reviews) each week!
You can also read my full Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows review here.
You can also read my full Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping review here.
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