‘Land of the Lost’ lost on audiences
Is Will Ferrell's star power fading?
After a sad start for his movie “Land of the Lost,” all Will Ferrell can really do is hope his next movie, “The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard” hits a little closer to home with audiences in August.
Perhaps it was because of “Up” and “The Hangover,” but “Land of the Lost” didn’t perform very well at the box office this weekend.
‘Up’ still tops at box office
Despite new movies opening this weekend, “Up” sold the most tickets once again this weekend, pulled in $44.2 million this weekend on top of the fast cash it made last weekend as the No. 1 seller for that weekend. America’s favorite brand-new release turned out to be “The Hangover,” making $43.3 million.
“Land of the Lost” came in third with $19.5 million. That doesn’t sound too bad until you factor in the budget for “Land of the Lost”: $200 million. Most of Ferrell’s movies in the last decade have had far smaller budgets and pulled in closer to $30 million on opening weekend.
Looking forward to ‘The Goods’ movie
Perhaps “Land of the Lost” suffered because it wasn’t aimed at Ferrell’s usual audience. Although it is listed as “adventure/comedy/sci-fi,” marketing for “Land of the Lost” seems to have emphasized the “adventure/sci-fi” aspects while its star, Ferrell, has a long history of drawing audiences to comedies.
Luckily, “The Goods” movie is listed as strictly a comedy on Internet Movie Database. My prediction is that a comedy with an economy-based theme with Will Ferrell at its center will appeal to more everyday Americans than a sci-fi movie about time travel and dinosaurs.
‘The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard’
“The Goods” movie focuses on an entity that has been a staple of everyday news this year: the car dealership. Will Ferrell has top billing for the film, but his character’s name isn’t yet listed. “The Goods” movie is slated to hit theaters Aug. 14.
The movie stars Jeremy Piven, who is hired by a flailing auto dealership to make their Fourth of July sale a success. Many American families have been affected by the dwindling auto industry. Any who seek solace in the form of satire will likely find it in “The Goods” movie.
Limited information on ‘The Goods’
I couldn’t find the budget for “The Goods” movie, but from all I’ve seen about, it seems to follow the same formula as many prior Will Ferrell movies. It should also benefit from other big names included in the cast, such as Ed Helms and Rob Riggle.
Strangely, although Will Ferrell is listed first under “cast,” he doesn’t appear in the trailer for “The Goods” movie, which you can watch here. Will Ferrell also produces the movie along with Adam McKay. The two make up Gary Sanchez Productions.
Adam McKay also produced “Step Brothers” and “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” both of which starred Ferrell. “Step Brothers” cost $65 million to make and brought in $31 million on its opening weekend and $100 million overall in the U.S. “Talladega Nights” cost $72.5 million to make, made $47 million on opening weekend and $148 million overall in the U.S. Here’s hoping, for the sake of the Will Ferrell fans left out there, that “The Goods” movie performs as well or better.
Geez are you ill informed. Will Ferrell is far from the star of this film. Yes, he produced it and he has a bit part but it is far from a headlining role. I would estimate the budget was somewhat smaller than the Will Ferrell starring pictures you reference. Again, while this is a Will Ferrell PRODUCED film, it is not a Will Ferrell vehicle. While its success or failure will impact his producing career, it will have little impact on his career as an actor. The leading actor in the film, as seen in the trailers, is Jeremy Piven.