Dec 30 2005
The Morons Won’t Let It Go
LOS ANGELES - Who’s afraid of a couple of gay cowboys? Not moviegoers, who helped “Brokeback Mountain” post the highest per-screen average over the film-flush holiday weekend.
The Ang Lee film, which follows the 20-year forbidden romance between two roughneck ranch hands, earned $13,599 per theater, compared with $9,305 for weekend winner “King Kong” and $8,225 for “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
The big question is whether “Brokeback” can maintain its momentum as it moves from selected cities, where audiences are receptive to the subject matter, to suburbs far and wide, where that might not be the case.
Early numbers — and early awards buzz — establish the picture’s staying power, industry insiders say. “Brokeback” earned a leading seven Golden Globe nominations.
Yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn. I swear, someone’s going to need to put a towel on the floor under these idiots so when they keep panting and drooling over the movie, it won’t flood the floor. 
I thought this movie was supposed to be a huge risk. Can we finally put that stupidity to bed now?
December 30th, 2005 at 2:59 am
It’s very seldom where a movie is fawned over this much by the media. Usually this only happens AFTER awards are given out.
December 30th, 2005 at 6:37 am
It was finally advertised locally down here in SC. And only once so far as I can tell. I leave the tv on all day to hear ‘adult’ conversation, even if it is in the background, and the only time I saw an advertisement for it was yesterday… one time. Nothing about it since.
December 30th, 2005 at 12:12 pm
I’m just amused that a “gay-themed” movie fared better than a “Christian-themed” one (Narnia). Something to ponder, no?
December 30th, 2005 at 3:52 pm
Of course it’s fawned over by the media:
1. It challenges an american legend (the manly cowboy).
2. It’s about gay people.
Opie and Anthony made a great point a couple of weeks ago. If you want to win an Oscar, just play someone who’s gay or retarded and it’s in the bag.
December 30th, 2005 at 5:16 pm
Not all critically acclaimed movies are well-received at the box office. And it’s probably a lot harder for a drama about gay men to have any kind of traction than it would be for a comedy (Too Wong Foo, The Birdcage, etc.).
I’d agree with your earlier assessment that this wasn’t necessarily a risky career move for the principal actors, but I’d suggest that it’s a DIFFERENT story, and worth reporting, that it’s turning out to be a MORE POPULAR movie than King Kong or the Chronic — WHAT? — cles of Narnia.
December 30th, 2005 at 6:53 pm
Speak for yourself. I’d rather watch Parnel and Samberg mack on some cupcakes.
I have no problem with the movie, actually. Just the idiotic assessments that it was a dramatic risk, and so on. This wasn’t a risk, it was a goldmine looking for miners. Whoever took these roles was gonna be a hero.
December 31st, 2005 at 2:51 am
I saw Narnia tonite with my wife and my parents, we all enjoyed it. A good movie for anyone over the age of 8. I read a review for it that basically said it’s a good movie but sure wish it didn’t have christian undertones in it.
I’ve heard rumors that the overwhelmingly positive media coverage for Brokeback is politically motivated. Wouldn’t be the first time.
Hmmm, I didn’t originally intend for those two paragraphs to mirror like that.