Kristen Stewart at the On the Road U.S. premiere in New York. A major international name, Kristen Stewart rose to fame after being cast as the lovestruck Bella Swan in Catherine Hardwicke’s 2008 film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling fantasy novel Twilight. Chris Weitz’s New Moon, David Slade’s Eclipse, and Bill Condon’s Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and Breaking Dawn – Part 2 have all served to solidify Stewart’s popularity. Her non-Twilight films, however, have for the most part been underperformers. These include the indies Adventureland, The Runaways, and Welcome to the Rileys. The one exception: Snow White and the Huntsman.
Kristen Stewart flop On the Road vs. Robert Pattinson flop Cosmopolis: Why the comparison?
(See previous post: “Box Office Comparisons: Kristen Stewart On the Road Movie Flops.”) Why the On the Road vs. Cosmopolis comparison found in the previous post? For those who’ve been having trouble understanding what should have been obvious, here’s why:
a) Both On the Road and Cosmopolis are arthouse movies that were deemed “quality” enough to have been screened at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival‘s Official Competition for the Palme d’Or.
b) Both On the Road and Cosmopolis were distributed in the United States by a relatively small indie company. As mentioned in the previous post, IFC Films handled On the Road. Cosmopolis was handled by eOne Films, whose parent company, eOne, is big in Canada and the U.K. (where they distribute the Twilight movies) – but not in the U.S.
c) Both On the Road and Cosmopolis are uncommercial, highly personal English-language projects, featuring a loose, episodic, stream-of-consciousness narrative. Coincidentally, automobiles serve as a key setting in both films.
d) Both On the Road and Cosmopolis were directed by well-respected “arthouse filmmakers” (Walter Salles, David Cronenberg), and feature a “name” supporting cast (e.g., Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst in On the Road; Juliette Binoche, Jay Baruchel, Paul Giamatti in Cosmopolis).
e) Both On the Road and Cosmopolis had similar (reported) budgets: On the Road, $25 million; Cosmopolis, $20 million.
f) Both On the Road and Cosmopolis received mixed reviews in North America. Among Rotten Tomatoes’ top critics, On the Road has a 42 percent score and 5.9/10 average (19 reviews); Cosmopolis has a 50 percent score and 5.7/10 average (28 reviews).
g) Both On the Road and Cosmopolis feature at least one internationally known Hollywood celebrity in a lead or semi-lead role: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, respectively. If that weren’t all, both films feature a performer who also starred in the highly popular Twilight Saga movie franchise: once again, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.
h) Both On the Road and Cosmopolis came out as “micro-platform releases” in the U.S. See below.
Platform releases: ‘On the Road’ vs. ‘Cosmopolis’
Platform releases – i.e., screenings at up to a few hundred theaters – are those through which a distributor tests the box office waters before spending extra cash opening their film in more markets. In North America, Los Angeles and New York are the two urban centers (at times with the addition of Toronto) where “micro-platform” releases usually take place.
Movies distributed in that manner, such as On the Road and Cosmopolis, open at only a handful of theaters. If the per-theater averages are good – or great – the film expands; i.e., it opens at more theaters.
But what’s a “good” or “great” per-theater average for a micro-platform release?
That depends on the exact number of venues. Remember, all things being equal, the smaller the number of theaters the higher the per-theater average should be. (See On the Road vs. The Impossible in the previous post.)
In general, if a film in a micro-platform release –2–6 locations or so – opens below $20,000–$30,000, chances are the movie in question will have a small expansion. Or no expansion at all.
One possibility is that the distributor will keep the movie at a handful of theaters, but in different locations – e.g., dropping two New York venues while adding one venue in San Francisco and another in Denver; the next week, dropping San Francisco and Denver, while adding Miami and Detroit, and so on, for a few weeks until the film disappears from movie houses.
Cosmopolis with Robert Pattinson. When not playing the centenarian vampire Edward Cullen, Robert Pattinson – like fellow Twilight Saga player Kristen Stewart – has mostly chosen low-budget indies to showcase his talent. Also like Stewart, Pattinson hasn’t been very lucky with these minor star vehicles, as they have been less than enthusiastically received by critics while being mostly ignored by audiences. Remember Me, Bel Ami, and Cosmopolis all flopped at the domestic box office, though Remember Me did find some favor outside North America. The one exception: 20th Century Fox’s Water for Elephants, also starring Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz.The Cosmopolis case
Following its expansion from three to 63 locations on weekend no. 2, Cosmopolis‘ good – though hardly outstanding – $23,446 per-theater average plummeted to $2,429. Two weeks later, only 45 theaters were showing Cosmopolis in the U.S. Two weeks after that, only nine.
Why the decrease?
Once again, if a movie in platform release doesn’t find an audience on its first or second weekend out, almost invariably it will either have a very small expansion or none at all.
“Oh, but fans can’t drive ten hours to watch a movie.” No, not fans who live in Utah and want to catch a movie in Los Angeles. But those fans who live in the L.A. area wouldn’t have to drive that long, not even during rush hour. They are the target audience of platform releases.
If those fans buy tickets, then distributors feel secure that more fans elsewhere will do the same. If they don’t, chances are distributors will not want to increase their distribution/marketing expenses to release likely unprofitable movies in smaller markets.
Kristen Stewart-Rupert Sanders scandal box office influence?
Regarding our suggestion in the previous post that the Kristen Stewart-Rupert Sanders scandal helped Cosmopolis on its first weekend out in North America, do we have hard proof that it did?
Of course not. One would need to interview those people who bought tickets – and make sure they’d be telling the truth.
But stop and think for a moment: eOne Films has scheduled Cosmopolis’ U.S. release for mid-August. Following the scandal in late July, Robert Pattinson disappears for several weeks only to resurface at his film’s New York City premiere. He’s later interviewed on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. The entertainment and tabloid media passionately cover the event.
Are we then to believe that Cosmopolis didn’t have its visibility dramatically increased at the time?
That, in fact, might help to explain the film’s dramatic box office drop on its second weekend. The ten-fold expansion came too soon, especially considering that the novelty had worn off; after all, the post-scandal Robert Pattinson had already made his television appearances and had rung the bell at the New York Stock Exchange the week before.
Then what, without strong word of mouth and/or eOne’s publicity machine working full force to maintain Cosmopolis in the public consciousness?
Hollywood scandals & the box office
But how dare we mention The Scandal? Shouldn’t we only discuss what takes place on screen?
Well, we’re not sure in which galaxy you live, but on Planet Earth what happens off screen affects – oftentimes radically so – what we get to watch on screen (and how we get to watch it, too).
Imagine someone discussing Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s mammoth Cleopatra (1963) without mentioning the Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton affair and the behind-the-scenes goings-on.
Or discussing Douglas Sirk’s mother-daughter melodrama Imitation of Life (1959), one of Universal’s biggest pre-1960 hits, without mentioning Lana Turner’s daughter fatally stabbing Turner’s hoodlum lover Johnny Stompanato and the highly publicized trial that ensued.
Or discussing Woody Allen’s Husbands and Wives (1992) without mentioning the nasty Allen-Mia Farrow breakup at that time.
Or, back to Taylor, discussing Richard Brooks’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) and its stupendous box office performance without mentioning that the film opened as the Elizabeth Taylor-Eddie Fisher-Debbie Reynolds scandal was about to explode.
The list goes on.
Kristen Stewart and Rupert Sanders on the set of Snow White and the Huntsman, with Chris Hemsworth. Robert Pattinson is supposed to have been involved with his Twilight Saga co-star Kristen Stewart, who was photographed being physically intimate with her Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders, who is married to model/sometime actress Liberty Ross (Snow White’s mother in the film). Stewart has generally received positive notices for her work; the films themselves have been less lucky. At the box office, Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman has been her only hit, even if lessened by its exorbitant $170 million budget.What about ‘On the Road’?
The scandal likely didn’t help On the Road for the simple fact that Walter Salles’ movie opened in the U.S. five months later. What was found in supermarket, online, and television tabloids back in July is now old news. Had On the Road debuted in the U.S. back in August, its opening-weekend box office results would likely have been more impressive.
Oh, but Kristen Stewart has been recently seen at all those premieres and awards season roundtables and photo-ops. Yes, and those premieres and roundtables and photo-ops were mostly followed by her fans, spread out all over the world.
What would truly have helped On the Road at this time of year, in Los Angeles and New York City, would have been strong local reviews; tons of billboards, and TV, print, and online ads; plus a few awards here and there. None of that happened.
Box office reports
But, but, but … why discuss box office reports? Who cares about box office grosses?
According to some fans, Cosmopolis is a great movie. According to other fans, On the Road is a fantastic movie.
What does it matter if Cosmopolis bombed in the United States and failed to get even close to reaching its $20 million budget at the worldwide box office? What does it matter if On the Road opened with highly disappointing figures in North America and may ultimately fail to match even as little as half its budget at the global box office?
Well, we’re sure that these films’ investors and distributors think it matters. That David Cronenberg and Robert Pattinson and Walter Salles and Garrett Hedlund and Sam Riley and Kristen Stewart think it matters as well.
As for those who don’t care, well, they should simply avoid reading box office reports. That would take care of their problem.
And remember: no box office (and/or ancillary revenues) = no movies. If you believe it’s all about “art,” then we’ve got a couple of bridges, half a dozen mountain ranges, and one huge waterfall to sell you.
Photo of Kristen Stewart at New York City’s On the Road premiere via the On the Road Facebook page / IFC Films.
Robert Pattinson Cosmopolis image: eOne Films.
Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Stewart, and Rupert Sanders Snow White and the Huntsman image: Universal Pictures.
“Kristen Stewart Sexy Flop vs. Robert Pattinson Cool Bomb Comparison Enrages Fans” last updated in July 2018.
79 comments
These are not all your exact words…I did check the numbers….
Just a observation of selective words I read your article : On The Road” BO opening numbers were “highly disappointing ” opening in 4 theaters average $9,888 per…. ending with total ending US gross of $744,296 from *Dec/2012 thru *May/2013.
widest release 107 theaters
•
Your description: “Cosmopolis “bombed” in the US ” … yet it opened in 3 theaters 23,446 per… opening weekend total $70,339. Cosmopolis widest release 65 theaters… only in realease from *Aug /2012 thru *Oct /2012 ending US market Total Gross $763,556
Sorry, When I read your article I did chuckle. (highly disappointing vs bombed)
I did find your observation somewhat puzzling. It is what it is. Take Care :-)
p.s. I Did observe OTR Internationally did gross a little more but it also had time on its side. Thanks again
I did not want to know about on the road, I wanted to know about Cosmopolis. Mr. David Cronenburg is a Brilliant Director. The cast did a magnificent job of bring these characters to life. The producers etc. were spot on. I am very sorry about the Gay Actor dying without recognition; but I wanted to know why Cosmopolis was not considered for awards.
Okay. Couple and compare away. But know that doing so entices the fanatical sects of both fandoms……..you know…..the “monstrous jerks”.
Personally, I think bringing their individual work together in an article is a little disrespectful of their individuality. It has a tabloid smell to it.
I don’t blame the fiercely private and independent Hepburn for being pissed.
Why are people freaking out about this? I liked Cosmopolis. It’s a good movie, but it’s not really a “mainstream” movie. The scandal probably did help it. I like both Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson and I don’t see anything wrong with saying that?
Andre, fantastic piece. Your were merely reviewing OTR’s progress and then you were attacked by “starving sh*t eaters” as quoted from Kristen. Honestly these people who attacked you and attack Kristen need help. They are bitter, awful little girls who never grew up. I’m a fan of Kristen’s work and am looking forward to see what OTR will be like.
To me a list of BIG HUGE MONUMENTAL box-office hit entails the first 20 positions of that list.
The rest are not monumental.
“Both movies you’ve mentioned have in the cast the two parties involved in these scandals.”
And what part of “both” wasn’t clear? And all those scandals you have mentioned? They covered magazines for months. I wrote nowhere that the fact the Taylor-Burton scandal broke a year before release diminished its effect by june 1963. You interpreted it that way, don’t put words in my mouth. And how come the Stewart-Pattinson’s scandal is way in the past when it comes for “On the road”? Did you miss the circus of the reconciliation?
And you keep ignoring that we’re no longer in a time when cheating is a big scandal.
You claimed the “big” expansion “Cosmopolis” had its second week was because of the scandal (because according to you it raised the average in the first week). “Cosmopolis” had the same kind of expansion reserved for a movie that had a lower average and less promotion, by the same distribution company. “Cosmopolis” never went over 65 venues, too. It was a disappointment? Sure, I’m not hiding it. I’m arguing your point about the scandal helping it.
Despite expectations + a scandal “Cosmopolis” drew an average of $23,000 in the opening week. You keep contradicting yourself too in these comments, “A dangerous method” did better than “Cosmopolis” because it was more commercial, but “On the road” isn’t?
Don’t try to confuse, deflect or spin what you or I wrote.
And you’re last response to me? Very mature.
@Liz0
The Taylor Burton scandal helped “Cleopatra” but the Stewart-Pattinson scandal hurt “On the road”? Those fans driving to see “Cosmopolis” would have done it without the scandal too.
@Andre
True, “Cleopatra” was #1at the box office in 1963 but it was not a big huge monumental box office hit. DOMESTIC GROSSES Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation: boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm . And an online research tells me the Taylor-Burton Scandal broke in spring/june 1962. Didn’t “Cleopatra” open on july 12nd, 1963, in the US, following much hype and rumors of its astronomical cost too?
Allen was a 3 times Oscar winner by 1991. Other Allen’s movies that were in more limited release performed better than that movie in their opening week.
Both movies you’ve mentioned have in the cast the two parties involved in these scandals.
And again one’d think eONE would have opened at least in 6-8 venues to take advantage of the attention (especially in NY) and make at least a little more money, no? (I wasn’t talking about dozens of releases).
And look at this:
boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=alatequartet.htm “A late quartet” (distibuited by eONE, opened on November 2, 2012, with Seymour Hoffman & Walken) opened in 9 theaters with $8,364 average; the second week it was in 63 theaters (just like Cosmopolis) with an average of $2,881, that convinced eONE to open in 100 theaters for its third week. I don’t think they went out of their way with Cosmopolis because of the scandal (as you’ve written somewhere in the comments?). How much promotion did “A late quartet” get?
These scandals help publicity and advertisement, they don’t “likely” help the box office in my opinion. How many heavly pubblicized movies don’t do that well at the box office? When you talk about tv ratings, that may change.
The Sandy relief concert appereance of Stewart (the one who got more attention out of this scandal) couldn’t be considered close to the scandal when it comes to pubblicity in NYC?
@spider,
If you think $533 million (as per that Box Office Mojo page you linked to) – the 40th highest-grossing movie in history – doesn’t indicate A BIG HUGE MONUMENTAL box-office hit, then I’m at a loss for words. You’ve set a really, really high bar. $534 million, perhaps??
So, your online research led you to discover that the Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton scandal broke out in spring 1962. “Cleopatra” opened a year later.
Do a little more research, please. You’ll then discover that Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor were both married at the time. That they both had to get divorces. That they both went on to get married. Not to mention the fact that the way Taylor and Burton were acting on the set was a key reason why “Cleopatra’s” costs escalated beyond belief. Fox later *sued* them. More publicity.
So, Woody Allen was a three-time Oscar winner by 1991. Well, Katharine Hepburn was a four-time Oscar winner by that time. She couldn’t open a movie either. TriStar decided to open “Husbands and Wives” at 865 locations – a lot of theaters back in those days, especially for an arthouse movie. As a result, “Husbands and Wives” had the highest-grossing opening weekend of a Woody Allen-directed movie EVER (not adjusted for inflation) at the North American box office.
Opted to ignore “Imitation of Life”? Was Johnny Stompanato featured in that movie? What about “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”? Did Elizabeth Taylor frolic with Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds in that movie?
If you think a $2,881 per-theater average at 63 theaters would “convince” a distributor to nearly double the number of theaters for their box office bomb, then check out the per-theater averages for Woody Allen’s “To Rome with Love”: $3,861 at *806* locations. Any further expansions? “Little White Lies”: $8,551 per-theater average at three locations. Second weekend an expansion to 12 theaters, average drops to $3,586. Maximum number of theaters? 14.
For eOne to expand a box-office bomb like “A Late Quartet” to 100 locations was a mistake, unless they got sweet deals from exhibitors. It’s costly to expand small movies to dozens (or 100+) locations.
Check out this “Variety” report:
variety.com/2012/film/news/eone-bolsters-distribution-strategy-with-a-late-quartet-1118061664/
Now, *please*: Before making any more wrongheaded comments filled with either misinformation or misleading info, spend a little more time online or at your local library.
I do think the scandal could have helped. And then on the other hand I do think word of mouth probably helped. I read from one fan site, fans had dragged their partners to see it. The same people went and saw the film multiple times. The scandal may have even influenced the so-called rabid fans to go and see it when it was released in New York, just to prove some kind of point.
I’m not sure what influenced ticket sales. I’m just glad people saw it. And I wish more had seen ‘On The Road’, but never mind! Like I’ve said elsewhere in a comment on another post of yours, I cannot wait for the DVD release in the UK. I made what I call a mistake, of buying ‘Welcome To The Rileys’ on DVD from France or Germany, and then so many months later it was released in the UK on DVD. I always find buying DVDs from within your own country, increases the sales in that country, rather significant.
Also, once again, enjoyed this post.
Let’s face it:
1. many Cronenberg fans refused to see Cosmopolis because Rob was in it.
2. whether Rob fans knew the above or not, many of them made plans to drive hours to go watch this movie to support Rob - because they felt Rob needed to be supported, whether for his career or personal life
3. many Kristen fans didn’t go to see On the Road because of many of these reasons
1. Kristen isn’t the leading star of this movie
2. some of them don’t want to see Kristen in this type of role yet
3. (the Robsten fans) feel that Kristen needs to be supportive but not as much as Rob
BOTH Cosmopolis and On the Road are superb film but for those thinking that the scandal didn’t slightly help Cosmopolis or slightly hurt On the Road are in denial
Daisy Kenyon, bravo for your first comment!
I do not believe any scandal had anything to do with what happened with Cosmopolis. Robert Pattinson has a huge fan base. If you saw the Water for Elephant premiere and the Cosmopolis premieres, fans were lined up for days.
@larry411 just did a thorough analysis of the Cosmopolis DVD and gives it high marks. I believe that Cosmopolis’s subject was a bit weird and how these indies are rolled out by the promoters have an effect as well.
Do you not think the sex scene had anything to do with it? I believe so. The curiosity of seeing Pattinson in such a different role is what sold this film along with it being a Cronenberg film as well. I believe you stating that some scandal was the result of the opening box office is a bit facitious to say the least. That is the easy out. A simpleton’s analysis. The scandal was still hot news the following weekend too. Robert was still promoting the film on Jimmy Kimmel.
This story seems to be for hits on your site. It’s sensational to say the least. It’s a moron’s analysis of a film’s box office. Did you not see the boos of the audience during a NY Times Q & A when someone tried to even bring up the scandal? That shows that even Robert’s fans were not even remotely interested in it. Robert is a hot star in Hollywood, people were curious to see the film…period.
That scandal had little to nothing to do with its opening. There is no statistics to support what you are stating. Any audience poll that I have seen was that the audience that viewed Cosmopolis were mainly fans of Robert. The scandal had no effect.
So, unless you can show the pollesters and their analysis that Cosmopolis’s opening day success was due to some scandal, I want to see it. So, since you failed to quote any audience polls to that effect, your analysis is negated.
LOL what are they sniffing? Cosmopolis was one of the biggest flops in Croneneberg’s career. It’s not hard to understand that none of the Twilight actors can open a movie. OTR promo was based heavily on the Stewart’s tablod persona and that was completely wrong. In the end, not Stewart or RPatz are stars outside the Twilight bubble. That’s is the ultimate truth. ALL their indies are big flops. Now please go back to the reality, will you?
@andre
Thank you for responding. I just see the obscene media coverage as overshadowing rather than boosting. I don’t believe the average, non industry, non fan, person understood there was a film in the midst of the gossip. Don’t get me wrong, Cosmopolis was never going to be a blockbuster but should have done similar numbers to other limited release Cronenberg films and should have probably equaled at least its France totals in the US.
@Daisy Kenyon
One correction: The much more commercial (in terms of narrative) “A Dangerous Method” was a much bigger hit than “Cosmopolis” both in North America and elsewhere. “A Dangerous Method” earned about five times as much as “Cosmopolis.” Its budget – according to reports – was slightly lower than that of “Cosmopolis,” around $18 million. True, the film didn’t earn its money back at the box office, but it got close.
One can only wonder how much longer David Cronenberg will be able to get $20 million financing for his films if they don’t turn a profit – or at least break even. But then again, there’s always the home video market. Perhaps Cronenberg’s movies do really well in that regard – I haven’t seen any figures, as “official” ones are hard to come by.
@Spider
You’re dead wrong about “Cleopatra” – which was HUGE, MONUMENTAL, GIGANTIC box-office hit. But it was also the most expensive movie ever made, not only up to that time, but once adjusted for inflation up to our present time.
So, would approx. $540 million domestic gross be considered a hit? That’s “Cleopatra” in adjusted (2012) U.S. dollars.
As for eOne opening “Cosmopolis” at dozens of theaters in the aftermath of the scandal… Get real. They open it at four locations, “Cosmopolis” gets a solid – though hardly spectacular per-theater average – and then they expand to 63 locations the following weekend. An unwarranted move considering the film’s good-but-not-outstanding $23,000 per-theater average. We all know what happened then.
Now, would the scandal per se have made “Cosmopolis” a hit? Nope. (See “Husbands and Wives” remark below.) And that’s not stated in the article. But I bet that it helped to inflate the film’s first-weekend figures to a certain extent. (See “Husbands and Wives” remark below.)
Note: Woody Allen in 1992 was hardly a box-office magnet. But “Husbands and Wives” had a fantastic opening for an Allen movie. And then it went downhill rather rapidly.
You want the “monstrous jerks” to stay away and yet you have done nothing here except bait them.
They are separate people…..separate actors with separate minds and separate movies……write about them as such. To do otherwise is to invite the most psychotic fans of all. Those in-love with their love, obsessed with their relationship.
Not either of these movies were successful in capturing the heart of their stories from the writings of Don D or Jack K.
Iam not a twihard sorry but iam Kristen fan so i would comment to her movies not other her costars and dont compared them bec i dont care her costar on/of screen…fact!!!
I am disappointed that I have not been able to see On the Road because it is not playing in my city. I am anxious to see it. If it had not been for the promotion that Kristen did for On the Road it may have made less money at the box office. In fact, when Kristen first mentioned that she was going to be in the movie, she insisted that she had only had a very small part. The tabloids made it her movie, and then she stepped in to promote it. I agree that the scandal benefited Cosmopolis but may have hurt On the Road.
Re reading your article and comments: As you say Cosmo. received some free publicity/advertising due to said “scandal” But how it affected box office in terms of selling actual tickets, is unknowable. Differing theories like posted here-could be right-or wrong. It’s all Unprovable. But I tend to think it did not have much affect on actual box office. Very slightly at most.
Because Cosmo is a David Cronenberg film; He is well known and most definitely has an ardent following. Those folks want to see the latest DC film asap and they did. To the best of my knowledge, DC has never gone out of his way to make a hit movie for the mainstream. So why would anyone, including investors, believe much differently this time. His last film Dangerous Method has similar budget and box office to Cosmo. DM stars 3 big names who command press, they did promote it, yet it did film did not make its money back 20 million budget back. at least not with the latest numbers. DC still continues to get financed though and has another project lined up.
I get your article. Very informative. But I take you to task about the fans. I’m a 63 year old grandmother , who I think was the last person on earth to read the Twilight Saga. I loved the books. Then watched the movies ans wanted to compare how true they were to the books. I loved the movies too! I discovered this British actor who is a wonderful actor. So I decided to study the author ? I bought her illustrated guide to her books. I found out some worth while info and how she created this world. It became more of a study for me, on how the films were made and all that entails. Very much a fan of the whole cast. I don’t consider myself a crazy Twihard. Please don’t link all the fans in a negative way. The stars are entitled to their private lives. I feel I’m only expecting a good performance for the price of my ticket. Not all of Twilight fans are crazy. It’s a very small part of it. It’s the comment by a few on websites that do tend to scare me. They are cowards setting behind a keyboard making the aweful comments. What I deplore are webloids making up such aweful lies about the stars. This is what makes me mad. They are owed nothing. One thing for sure I loved Bel Ami, and Cosmopolis. Rob is great in both. I have seen all of Kstews movies and find I like her too! I purposely find movies the whole cast has made. Everyone of the cast is very talented. I guess the Twilight Saga has a great love story. I guess I’m a sucker for romance. Nothing wrong with that.
Maybe you should footnote the fact that On The Road is not a “Kristen Stewart” film. She’s in it for a brief amount of time on screen. The film is Sam Riley’s and Garrett Hedlund’s. Kristen extended herself in the promotion of the film because she believed in it. She’s barely in it. So why are you giving her the brunt of its box office failure? Why are you not placing the “box office blame” on the men who are the stars of the film? Who are in the film the most? Yes, Stewart plays Marylou who was an intertesting person in the life of Kerouac but to say that some “so-called scandal” about someone’s personal life which has nothing to do with a film she’s barely in is somehow her fault is ridiculous.
Just to add…. Not all attention is good attention. Cosmopolis’ opening was scheduled well before the events in July. The build up to the opening, even with fans, ended up being diminished. You may disagree, but, I do not believe talk of the affair equated to attention for the film. The numbers at the three sites on opening weekend were significantly enhanced by post screening appearances, discussions with Cronenberg which ignited intense interest by already focused fans. Those aware of and anticipating the opening were not impacted either way by the promo. Those that could have further enhanced the numbers never had their interest piqued by the televised promo because the focus was never the film, which, as I said, was an afterthought for those trying to get a scoop. The excitement for the film was lost in the frenzy over the scandal. I do think the story for OTR is hardly finished, it opened during a crowded weekend further hindered by the pending holiday. It should do decent numbers if allowed to find its audience something the media and Eone failed to allow Cosmopolis to do.
I will disagree about the affair helping Cosmopolis. I know of many who were asking last month if Cosmopolis was ever released in the US. When told of the August release they recall Pattinson’s appearances on the Stewart or the morning shows but say they thought he was there because of the affair. They do not recall the film being discussed because, on most shows, it was an after thought. The hardcore fans , Cronenberg’s and Pattinson’s, were aware of the opening. Those that could of had interest piqued with the promotion were lost by the media coverage of the scandal. The poor distribution by Eone didn’t help either. I live in a major city where it opened in the second week of release. There were absolutely no print or television ads and absolutely no posters, etc. The only ‘advertising’ was the reviews one of which was extremely positive and one that was negative. Two weeks in the past, the initial, muddied promotion had no effect. Also, obviously little thought meant in to the release locations. Many fans I know we’re unable to see the film until its VOD release this past week.
You’ve listed some good reasons for why you compare Cosmopolis and On The Road. I think people need to accept that sometimes their films will be compared, and considering your list of reasons, you’ve compared them not by a random spur of the moment act.
I also think @Freda that even if the author of this article compared these two films with a variety of films that features all these elements, readers would ignore all the other films being compared, and still focus on the comparison between Cosmopolis and On The Road.
There is only one film that I didn’t particularly find interesting to watch with Kristen in. That was ‘In The Land of Women’. I haven’t been able to see ‘Cutlass’ though I’d love to. Every other movie I have enjoyed, even her relatively small part in ‘Jumper’, I loved the film. She picks brilliant movies, and whether she has a lead, supporting or minor role, I usually tend to love films she is in. ‘On The Road’ included. And I cannot wait to own it on DVD once it is released in the UK. I was wondering, do you know what the results are for OTR in the UK?
To be honest @Jen even if someone is ungrateful you shouldn’t hate them. I’d understand disliking someone for allegedly being ungrateful, but to hate them? I have to in turn judge people like you that say you hate her. Hate is a strong word.
You are my hero. Thank you for finally speaking up!
The main thing that puts off your readers is that you write about Stewart and Pattinson as a “package deal”. Twilight is over, they have separate careers and different fanbase (Twihards are not included ’cause they don’t care about non-Twilight films). If you want hits on your page - keep on doing the same thing, if you want to avoid the fan rage - don’t put them together, general public is sick of them as an on/offscreen couple. That’s it.
“I don’t see why you’re so surprised someone disagreed with your comparison with the Cronenberg’s movie.” says poster Spider.
I don’t think Andre is surprised or cares about someone disagreeing with him, I think his issue is that he does not want to be lambasted over it. I would imagine he, like myself, is more surprised that any article or film review online about Ms Stewart is necessarily flooded in the comments section with moralizing and severely harsh criticism about Ms. Stewart’s private life and morality. Even now, there is a comment below referring to her “slutty” dress and immoral behavior.
I think it is fair to compare and contrast any indie films, and interesting and legitimate to look at the career trajectory of all the Twilight stars as they leave the franchise and take on indie films and mainstream films. We could and should include Taylor Lautner here too but he hasn’t done much compared to Stewart and Pattinson. Will be interested to see if Lautner does end up in the rumored Gus VanSant project.
@jen hahahaha jen poor woman!!! iam boring read hater comment, why dont you go back to your blog robsessed!!!
Obviously they are ugly people who’s attack you and Kristen on internet!!!
Preach it!! I admire you so much for telling it like it is and calling things by what they are! Bravo!! *claps*…We all have a right to our opinion…and we also have a right to have them respected! My sentiments EXACTLY!
You should read comments/articles written by middle aged critics/bloggers/reporters about Robert when the scandal broke.Now you can say what ”attack” means.Some of them(from The Hollywood Reporter,The Los Angeles Times) were so smart that called him ”cuckold”,I’ve never read that some journalist from tabloid press would have called Kristen ”wh@re”.Those journalists were defending Kristen and at the same time they insulted and ridiculed Robert, they forgot he was a victim in all this scandal.Those(mostly guys)didn’t even mention Sanders in their articles,didn’t say anyting about his ”talent” as director or insulted him on private level,just nothing,like he hadn’t been a part of this scandal.People will continue to comment,because you write about R&K together.And you know that,you figured out how get hits.
“there isn’t much I can say except that holier-than-thou moralists are some of the most venomous, most repulsive, and, really, most dangerous people on the planet.”
And Kristen Stewart is one. I get you have never read any of her interviews because she has a constant habit of putting fellow actresses and peers down. No one is as honest, real and as non-Hollywood as she is. Everyone else is fake. Heck, she even had the audacity to devalue some of other people’s charity work (when she’s barely doing any). So when she turns around to be the biggest Hollywood cliche it’s hard not to enjoy a little Schadenfreude. She calls her fans retards, compares being photographed to rape, and her cussing to Tourette’s. She’s so arrogant and self centered with zero awareness. YET she’s one of the most overrated actresses of her generation and has Hollywood constantly blowing smoke up her behind with no merit for it. She still gets jobs because of her many connections (because lets be real, unless she’s riding a franchise with other A lists she can’t fill those seats) while other far better actresses don’t. Those are very valid reasons why people hate her. People may hate cheaters but they hate overrated, hypocrite ungrateful brats more.
Fair enough concerning OTR and the scandal. Now this might sound old school but I’d suggest that simple word of mouth has helped Cosmopolis. It’s appealing to the arthouse crowd, the intellectuals (pseudo and otherwise) and, most importantly for Rob, it’s attracting a male audience. I don’t believe that 20 something male urban crowd is in anyway invested in the cheating scandal. As a NYU student, I’m hearing professors and fellow students talking about this film. In fact, I know several who have seen the film multiple times as it’s the sort of movie that insists on your full attention and thoughtful analysis.
Also - can we say it? - Cosmopolis is simply a better movie. But good or bad aside, by nature it will appeal to a small crowd. I would have thought OTR would attract a wider audience. I suspect Kristen’s box office draw doesn’t reach far beyond Bella.
I had to drive 2 hours to see Cosmopolis. There was hardly any Promotion , the one in New York brought some attention but Pattinson was grilled about the affair at every interview he gave and could barely talk about his Movie while Stewart promoted OtR with her slutty dresses for almost a year . Nobody even hinted anything about that woman’s desire to go and pick up a married dude for sex. Its some twisted society
Funny.
In your educative piece you fail to mention that “Cleopatra” wasn’t a box office success, for years considered a flop. And the movies you mentioned were all released in the past century. Things have changed, Stewart is nowhere near the status Woody Allen or Liz Taylor had back in the day, there’s a scandal every month and online piracy. All those movies weren’t limited releases too.
Wasn’t Stewart at the Sandy relief concert, a highly publicized even in New York? I’ve seen “On the road” being mentioned in every article mentioning this scandal for 4 months now.
Had eONE shared your opinion wouldn’t have they tried to open “Cosmopolis” in more than 4 theaters? They had 3 weeks to do that.
You fail to stress the fact that IFC chose to open “On the road” against heavy competition from limited and wide releases. “Cosmopolis” had not the same competition back when it opened in august and not the same amount of promotion. “Cosmopolis” didn’t get only mixed reviews, it got some negative but some really positive ones too. These facts are less relevant than a scandal when it comes to box office numbers for indipendent movies? I don’t see why you’re so surprised someone disagreed with your comparison with the Cronenberg’s movie.
I have morals but the difference is I have a heart and I am not judgemental like some people are.Kristen is a good actress and I enjoy her work and look forward to seeing her in future movies.And my hats off to you for speaking up against all these venom spewing people.
so Cosmopolis succes in comparison with OTR was because K-Rupert story? Think again! Cosmopolis is a interesting dinamic movie, while OTR is a long,boring jazzy story. Cosmopolis has great critic reviews in Europe and US while OTR was a flop at Cannes. Looks like it ll be a big flop in US also. Not to mention Cosmo didnt have a chance of a big promo, while OTR promo was bigger than any blockbuster’s
Thanks so much for this article!!
Enough of morons and stupid people who only know to offend and insult famous because only think all know about them thanks to tabloids.
I don´t understand why they waste their time talking about a person they don´t like in all gossip sites. With respect we can opine about everything, we can say I don´t like Kristen Stewart in her last movie por example but why talking about her private life.
If private life are very important for us so we shouldn´t see more films because each actor, director, etc… has got a sleketon in his closet…who care their private life?? The important is their work.
Regarding “item a),” there isn’t much I can say except that holier-than-thou moralists are some of the most venomous, most repulsive, and, really, most dangerous people on the planet. That’s no exaggeration. Take a good look at history — up to the present day — and you’ll see that I’m right.
Couldn’t agree more. Have serious film goers even bothered to read the book before getting on their high horse?
Bravo! As always I enjoy reading your blog/reviews (though not always agree with your opinion on different aspects - and it’s how it’s supposed to be). Kristen is one of my fave actresses now, especially after OTR. It sucks that BO disappointed, I can see a lot of reasons, but somehow I think DVD sale should be good.
I enjoy reading your posts talking about Kristen as an actress and as a person. I’m a fan of hers, and just like you, I don’t think there’s any other actresses performances that I’ve enjoyed the most. I enjoy pretty much all of her roles and movies that she has chosen.
Thank you for drawing attention to a post where you received a lot of negative comments. And thank you for giving your interpretation as to why they were so negative and angry. They usually are known for “foaming-at-the-mouth” when anyone is being positive about Kristen.
Usually I stay away from comment boards on film or celebrity related sites for the sole reason if I comment, I’ll no doubt get into an argument with the people who foam-at-the-mouth. But I plan to comment on your posts about Kristen in future. I want to help spread appreciation for your posts, and I’d like to show that there are fans out there.
As usual, good reading!
all articles!
You made my day! LMAO
The 4 measly days Cosmopolis promoted in New York was helped and mentioned by the Scandal according to you but the 1 million premieres Kristen attended wearing sheer outfits to get attention and news stories and using Breaking Dawn’s promotion to highlight On the Road is hardly mentioned. Your bias continues to show. The scandal did not help. People do not watch movies based on actor’s personal lives. What “Helped” was the promotion occurred in New York and LA and they had TV ads in New York. The big drop the following week was explained by the fact that the many new places where Cosmopolis opened did not get any real promotion or TV ads. If you looked at just the New York/LA drop, it was normal and not skewed. The skew occurred because it opened in places where it wasn’t as promoted as New York/LA. Please continue to defend your obvious bias though. It’s amusing to read someone so lacking in awareness.
Guys, you are obsessed with Stewart-Pattinson thing. You are overanalyzing.
You’re right. The reason they continue to comment or rather attack is because you haven’t had anything bad to say about Kristen.
The film opened in the two cities that had numerous screenings of OTR. I think their audience already came out during the screenings.
In Italy Cosmopolis was n°3 for the opening week at the box office (273 screenings, € 1.212 average), against Man in Black 3 (opening that week too with 2.4 times screenings) and Dark Shadows (in its third week); “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (opening the same week too but with half the screenings Cosmopolis had, € 1.498 average ) was n°7. And French (and that I know of UK too) box office numbers are usually higher than italian ones, it’s not surprising to me. Considering the mixed reviews, Cosmopolis did ok in my book. In 2011 “A dangerous method” opened here a couple of weeks after Venice with 121 screenings and an average of €3.624, but with better reviews.
Were you talking about solid box office numbers? I thought we were talking about factors influencing box office numbers for limited releases.
And again, “On the road” wasn’t released in major european markets after Cannes, and european releases don’t affect the award buzz in the US. Many critics over here agree that the most talked about movies during festivals should be released not long after these festivals. I still think it should have opened in the US in september after TIFF, it could have benefitted of your beloved scandal too. IFC presented Stewart as a possible candidate for a nomination, it doesn’t mean it was actually into consideration.
And again, how do you explain the fact that the opening numbers for “Cosmopolis” in the US were lower than those of , say, “A dangerous Method”(opening over there in 4 screenings with $41,988 average on november 23rd, two months after the Venice film festival)? We agree, award buzz is stronger in nov/dec, but around Christmas time it’s also one of the most lucrative times for movies, hence it’s filled with too much competition for a small movie that got tepid/mixed reviews. Release during this time makes your movie face the harsher comparison with better regarded movies too.
Again, everybody heard about “On the road” way more than about “Cosmopolis”.
What is relevant to you?
Popularity of the source material is irrelevant.
Good reviews or receptions at film festivals don’t weight in when it comes to the expectations for awards?Numerous screenings in LA and NY and industry events don’t make it clear if members of SAG, AMPAS etc…had the chance to see a movie.
Length of promotional tour, competition and amount of press coverage don’t either.
But if people went or not to see “Cosmopolis” because they wanted to see how Pattinson would have handled the “situation” is relevant? Really, people are that stupid in your opinion? For that people watched the appereances on TV, certainly not a Cronenberg movie.
Another thing to consider in your examination of scandals history: “Cleopatra”, “Husbands and wifes” and “Mr & Mrs Smith” all featured the COUPLE involved in a scandal. This fact wasn’t the reason people’s curiosity increased? That’s irrelevant for you, too, I guess?
A scandal helped “Cosmopolis” in the US (while having the worst opening for a Cronenberg movie in the US in the last years), but facts like 1)“On the road” being the movie adaptation of one of the most famous American novels and 2)strong of a heavy promo and the release of a Twilight movie a month before (that is still out in some theaters) are irrelevant.
OK. I’m out, too.
@ Lena
1. OTR is included in many lists, even though it’s not at the top.
2. I don’t understand how you could consider Scott a joke. You may not like him personally but he isn’t the lead awards analyst for the Hollywood Reporter for nothing.
3. Cosmopolis didn’t get “stellar reviews” at Cannes. Were you around at that time? Some people liked it and some people didn’t as shown by the reviews.
No offense to your research & analysis about box office numbers & critics’ opinions - I do like the way you stick to FACTS in your blog - but both OTR & Cosmopolis will always have a limited audience because both stay true to the underlying material and the directors’ visions. Let’s not give the “general public” too much credit for being discerning viewers. As for critics, find one or two who give you consistently good recommendations - (you & Ebert come to mind) - & don’t read Rotten Tomatoes reviews (they’re written by those same idiots that you work/go to school with!)
(By the way, do you think Roger Ebert will be able to return to work after his hip fracture? Or perhaps his wife will carry on? Thanks for any info.)
First of all I don’t see a problem with the comparison. Both movie budgets are $20 Million or more and both had star studded screenings at Cannes in May. On The Road also had the benefit of a highly- publicized premiere at TIFF. Yet both movies ended up with highly disappointing box office totals..domestic and foreign.
In terms of Cosmopolis, a David Cronenberg movie which earns less than $1 Million in the US and Canada is a huge disappointment no matter how divisive the subject matter. Cosmopolis received much more press than the usual Cronenberg fare too. Although Cosmopolis topping several influential critics year-end lists could spell good news for Robert Pattinson’s attempts at a post-Twilight career and Cosmopolis’ potential to expand on the home video platform.
The bulk of On The Road’s extensive media campaign happened in NY/LA so the numbers should have been at least decent but they aren’t. I’m sure a rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes and so-so Metacritic didn’t help. I can’t say there was a lack of advertising because of newspaper ads, multiple screenings, and interviews on late night. Kristen Stewart’s participation guaranteed that it received more attention than most independent movies.
People simply didn’t show up for On The Road. My question is will expansion be cancelled if the numbers remain this low? AMPAS aren’t going to magically nominate On The Road when it has been missing everywhere else. It’s astonishing to me that a movie which has been in development for over 30 years by Francis Ford Coppola and is based on one of the most popular American books of the last century opened to such middling numbers . I’m not seeing On The Road on any year end lists either.
I think some in the arthouse community dismissed both Cosmopolis and On The Road early because of the Twilight stars. I would say the totals would be the same or possibly even better if they were not involved, so I don’t believe a scandal benefited either film.
@Liz
How do you explain “Cosmopolis” is 65% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes while “On the road” is 46% rotten. “Cosmopolis” has 58/100 on Metacritic, “On the road” has 53/100. The number of reviews considered for this percentages are higher for “Cosmopolis” in both cases.
Wrong, you wrote it yourself in a previous reply, “Cosmopolis” opened in Italy back on May 25th and is out on DVD now. “On the road” opened in october here. And you’re right, you wrote “Cosmopolis” did decent numbers in FRANCE because of Cannes, my bad.
Cannes is one of the three biggest film festival in Europe (quite possibly the biggest for media attention), Cannes buzz is big in other European countries beside France, like Italy, but “On the road” was released in markets like UK, Germany, Denmark, Ireland and Italy in october, it will be released in Spain next february and I can’t find info for the release in other European countries (that’s why I simply wrote Europe, without the patience and time necessary to write all this down). And no, you didn’t simply write “Europe is not a monolitic block” repling to me. You wrote “Europe is much bigger than just France and Italy. I mean, you must have studied geography in school (??)”
I checked Mark G’s comments. But I’m surprised you’d agree, we’re not talking about wide release movies, or big budget movies here. “Cosmopolis” was no “Cleopatra” or “Mr and Mrs. Smith”. Festivals don’t help sell tickets for smaller movies, but scandals do? Aren’t smaller movies seen mainly by movie fans, who actually waste a little time reading reviews and following film festivals news? How come other Cronenberg movies in limited release faired better in the US, yet “Cosmopolis” with Pattinson and with the “help” of the scandal, did worse numbers?
Why there’s no comparison between “On the road” and another more popular Salles’s movie, like “The Motorcycle Diaries”? It had a limited release in the US too. Why choosing “Cosmopolis”? Because it had a Twilight actor too? 90% of “Cosmopolis” frames have Pattinson in it, Stewart has a supporting role in “On the road”, they don’t have the same impact on their respective movie.
The public interest for a movie like “On the road” was greater than for “Cosmopolis”, yet they drew in similar numbers, and that’s not telling of something going wrong with “On the road”? “On the road” having a way longer promo tour “that totally made up any little attention the scandal may have brought to Cosmopolis) is irrelevant?
The number of locations a movie is shown at doesn’t affect the final box-office numbers (that you mentioned in your article)? Wouldn’t that info (or the fact that “On the road” opened in France right after Cannes, just like Cosmoplis) give more means to judge the movie performances in France, Italy and Brazil? [Those infos about “On the road” number of screenings are avaible on its IMdb page].
-“What DID make a difference were the mixed-to-poor notices. That dramatically hindered the film’s chances for success. And the lack of awards-season recognition. Thus, those who went to see it were Kristen Stewart, Garrett Hedlund, Walter Salles fans. Not sure if fans of the novel would have been that interested, considering most of the reviews.”- Agreed, and some of that goes for “Cosmopolis” too.
The couriosity and attention for that scandal was limited, it affected mostly Twilight fans (only a handful of which go and see other Stewart or Pattinson movies). Most people didn’t care about Pattinson and Stewart, they’re not Pitt&Jolie or Taylor&Burton. And that curiosity was spent with the online leaked version of both movies and with the tv appeareances of the two actors. We’ne no longer in the sixties or early 2000s. Scandals = more attention =/= more tickets sold. It’s not that simple.
Premieres and screening for “On the road” aren’t long past, the general public was well aware of its release.
You didn’t actually read my comments, and again you go with veiled insults. I got that IFC hoped for award recognition, and I explained that IFC expecting it for On the road wasn’t justified by the reviews the movie got, so IMO the late release was a bad move.
@ro
You’re absolutely right. “Cosmopolis” opened in Italy in late May.
“Cosmopolis” had a solid opening. The only way to find out why the movie’s per-theater average plummeted is, really, to interview Cronenberg / Pattinson fans (living in the urban centers where the film was playing) to discover why they decided NOT to pay $10 or $12 to watch the film.
@Liz
Even with all the 789653214 screenings where Kstew showed up almost naked, no one cares about OTR, it isn’t be considering for any award, and please give me a break with Scott F, this guy is a joke. Cosmopolis had received stellar reviews in Cannes and figure in various lists (Les Cahiers du cinémà, ThePlaylist, Love Film, etc)as one of the best films of the year, capice?
@tina
Like you said, OTR premiered at many more place than Cosmopolis did, so the latter didn’t get as many reviews as OTR did. Critics and people such as Scott Feinberg said “You and I usually are on the same page, but I think that COSMOPOLIS was the worst movie that I saw in 2012. And I saw BATTLESHIP. ” I like Cosmopolis but at least OTR is being considered for awards, as far down the lists as it may be. You just don’t like Kristen Stewart.
Cosmopolis is way way better than OTR, see RT and critic praise. OTR premiere in Cannes, TIFF, AFI and numerous screening and pimping of KS to get an award nomination , but no one cares about OTR. face it. Trying to compare Cosmopolis to OTR is laughable
@Andre
LOL, I’m Italian (you’re another American assuming the internet is populated by only americans I guess) and I didn’t write Cannes or TIFF help sell the tickets, but they get you coverage and pubblicity in Europe or in the US. Please, re-read my comments. And you were the one who wrote “Cosmopolis” did so-so at the box office in Italy only because of Cannes.
“Why didn’t you wrote that “On the road” opened in 225 screenings in Italy? Or that it opened right after Cannes in France with 357 screenings?
By the way, scandals don’t sell movie tickets either. As festivals do, it can get you attention, but that attention does not always benefit the box-office. You really think that people saw Pattinson in TV after the scandal and rushed to the movie theaters blindly, without checking out reviews or the synopsis beforehand? Come on. We’re not talking about a movie like “Avengers” or “Thor”.
Did I write that all Palme d’Or winners go on to get STRONG award buzz? No, I wrote that the release of “Amour” later, during award season, is more justified than the late release of “On the road”, that movie already got awards and critical acclaim, that “On the road” didn’t have.
People did hear about “On the road” anywhere they turned: Cannes, TIFF, the scandal, the Twilight movie promotional tour, the endless screenings in nov/dec that landed Stewart on gossip magazines etc… Why does nobody say that On the road could have done worse than this had it not been for that scandal and the relase of the twilight movie?
@ro
I didn’t assume you were an American. *You* used the word “Europe”; I simply said, Europe isn’t a monolithic block — like many, whether in Europe or elsewhere, seem to think it is.
And you misread my comment: True, I said “Cosmopolis” did so-so business in Italy, but not *because* of Cannes. [Correction: “Cosmopolis” opened in Italy in late May, not in October.]
Why didn’t we state that “On the Road” opened at 225 locations in Italy or 357 in France? Because it’s irrelevant. (Also, we didn’t have that info at hand.) “Cosmopolis” opened in France in early June, right after Cannes. In terms of its success (or lack thereof), does it matter if it opened at 10 locations and then expanded to 300? What matters is how the film performed – per-theater average – whether at 10 locations or 300.
Rob and Cosmopolis has nothing to do with Kristen on the road.
Two different roads in two different movies. totaly different. they go on different directoins. east is west in one. west is east in another. why not go south? holy motors. ho ho ho Merry Chrismas!
Am I a genius or are most people really dim?
The comparison between On the Road and Cosmopolis makes total sense: indie movies shown at Cannes distributed by small company in US with respected directors and cast and each starring a Twilight star.
What’s so hard to understand about this?
Maybe your problem is that you don’t like the comparison. But that’s your problem, not the author of this story.
Still not understanding the comparison of the two,films and can we all please stop writing and talking about the scandal … Move on please
I am stocked that on the road will be coming to atlanta!
Lol, “Amour” win the freaking Palme d’Or at Cannes, it was obvious they’d try to get award buzz in America too and release it during award season.
On the road has/had nowhere as close as critical acclaim as “Amour”.
You say “Cosmopolis” did so-so in Italy and France and only because of Cannes, that’s another reason that should convince you they should have released the movie right after Cannes in Europe and after TIFF in the US (this is usually the complain of some critics I follow: movies that participate in festival are then usually released too late to benefit from it). Cosmopolis was scheduled to come out in Europe in december 2012, but they changed their mind, and for the best apparently. Wasn’t On the road scheduled to come out earlier in the US too? Plus isn’t TIFF widely covered in the US?
In your words: “Amour is hardly an audience-friendly flick” yet it did better than “On the road” on opening weekend in the US (with 0 big mainstream names). “Cosmopolis” is hardly an audience friendly flick too, and it did better on opening weekend in The US. “Amour” has awards and critical acclaim, Cosmopolis had Cannes, On the road lost the Cannes and TIFF train and is 46% rotten (if you claim the scandal helped Cosmopolis, it helped way more On the road, because since august the movie has benn mentioned in every single article about Stewart and in 90% of her interviews).
@ro
Do you know how many Palme d’Or winners have gone on to earn strong Oscar buzz in the U.S.? In the last 15 years, three titles: “The Pianist” (2002), “The White Ribbon” (2009), and “The Tree of Life” (2012). That’s it. Two of these are English-language films made by filmmakers with the word “Hollywood” attached to them (at least for part of their careers).
Michael Haneke’s name and the prestige attached to the film’s veteran cast led to the Oscar buzz for “Amour.” Else, “Amour” would have gone the way of fellow recent Palme d’Or winner “Uncle Boonmee,” who, though able to recall his past lives, was all but ignored during awards season (and by North American movie audiences).
Whether you’re talking about “On the Road” or “Cosmopolis” or some other movie, Europe is much bigger than just France and Italy. I mean, you must have studied geography in school. Europe isn’t a monolithic block. What’s successful in one country may bomb in another. In fact, Cannes doesn’t sell tickets in most territories. What’s more, do you think “they” have control over when “On the Road” gets distributed? Who are “they”? “On the Road” was distributed by different entities, with different agendas, in different markets. There’s no one “they.”
I have to agree with the writer of this article, the kristen stewart circus this past summer must have helped Cosmopolis promo. At least it made me, who love film and watch a lot of films, discover Robert Pattinson who I had never seen in a film before. Same goes for Kristen Stewart. I decided to check out a few of their respective smaller films in a show of support, just because the scandal made me feel sorry for two such young actors having their personal life exposed in the media like thatand was very impressed with Stewart in Speak and Into the wild, although not as impressed as I was with Pattinson in Little Ashes, How to be and Remember me. Tried to watch Bel Ami also but to me he really sucks in that for some reason. Anyway, My point being, I was unaware of both Stewart and Pattinson pre-scandal so I do find it logical that Cosmopolis was helped by the scandal, esp considering the intensity with witch Pattinson’s fans seem to support him.
I think a lot of things contributed to the soft opening. Firstly, the long wait and the mixed reviews. People were anxious to see it until it was bad-mouthed by some Cannes critics, then the anticipation waned. Secondly, Kristen Stewart is a double-edged sword. She has a huge fanbase and they’re not all teenagers as some seem to think. They came out to support her at screenings and even at the premiere. There were so many screenings that I think that most people who went to see her in NY and L.A. already saw it, some multiple times. However, she also has her detractors and people who refuse to see a movie with her in it. In conjunction with that, some Kerouac fans feel that the cast is too Hollywood and that goes against the spirit of the book, although I think that Kerouac would’ve approved of the entire cast, particularly Kristen Stewart. She’s about as non-Hollywood as an international movie star can get. Thirdly, fans who probably won’t travel hours or fly to other countries to see Kristen for 15-20 minutes will buy a DVD and some did buy the French version. Some fans put that DVD up to be streamed and many fans have already seen the pirated movie, unfortunately. Fourthly, the awards buzz for Garrett and Kristen didn’t pay off in any nominations, like you said. There are people who felt the attention was one-sided towards Kristen and left Garrett out and they resented that, although IFC did everything for Garrett that they did for Kristen. Kristen is just the more widely known star, so they used her to promote the movie. Lastly, the locations where the movie is playing for the January release are very disappointing for the fans who were eager and willing to see the movie in the theater. Most people are going to have to travel at least 2 hours to see it, or it’s not playing in their area at all, and many Kristen Stewart fans are not willing to do that for such a small part. Some fans don’t like the book enough to camp out, like they did for the Twilight movies and I guess the other stars in the movie aren’t compelling enough to them to take the trek. So, I think a lot of factors contributed to the low box-office. However, I think it’ll do fantastic on DVD and VOD, once it’s available.
i read the article, and still don’t see the comparison. they don’t star the same stars, they aren’t made by the same people, they weren’t funded by the same people. they both priemered at cannes and have car scenes. so did holy motors. why not throw that in there as well? so other then the fact pattinson and stewart date there is nothing these two films share.
I never said I expected On the road to be a hit, I did expect it to do better than this and better than “Cosmopolis” since opening weekend, no matter the time frame of the release, tough. I’m saying that it could have done BETTER than this had it opened earlier, when there was still a little buzz after TIFF or Cannes. I’ve read many complaints about the fact that it’s been too long of a promo tour too.
How do you explain the fact that in other countries (where it was released earlier) the movie did better then? Isn’t “On the road” considered one of the classic American novels? I didn’t expect other countries to appreciate it more looking at the box office. How come Cosmopolis drew the same numbers in france and Italy, despite being more astruse and unpopular? I saw more promotion for “On the road” than I’ve seen for “Cosmopolis”, too. Plus that the scandal YOU mentioned in the article helped promote “On the road”, in my opinion.
And critical acclaim doesn’t automatically translate to good box office earnings. If IFC chose this time to release the movie only to try and get award buzz, considering the reviews that came out of Cannes and TIFF and the fact that this is one of the busiest and most competition-filled time of the year to release a movie, it was a bad choice IMO.
@ro
Cannes buzz is infinitely bigger in France – for obvious reasons – than in North America. That’s why “On the Road” (and “Cosmopolis”) did better over there. The reasons “On the Road” did better in Brazil are clearly explained in the article. Elsewhere, it did so-so/mediocre business or downright flopped. That includes Italy, where it’s no. 105 for 2012 [correction: it opened in Italy in May 2012].
Opening “On the Road” in North America as near to Oscar time as possible was a good move. Another reason for the Dec. 21 opening day: “On the Road” now has about ten days of “holiday season” to generate extra business – Christmas and New Year’s falling on a Tuesday should mean more people off work on Monday and better Sunday attendance. Whether that’ll happen is unclear, but it makes perfect sense that they would have *expected* it to happen.
That’s also why “Amour” – another Cannes entry – opened the same day as “On the Road.” The key difference, of course, is that the hopes for Oscar buzz for “Amour” have actually paid off.
How can you say the scandal helped Cosmopolis and in the same breath say it did poorly in North America? Yes, Cosmo did its best in foreign markets, but it was released there BEFORE the scandal. In North America, where it was released AFTER the scandal, it had a strong opening and then the numbers went down dramatically. That’s not exactly surprising for a hard-to-sell indie. I went to see it in a very small obscure theater in NY, where it screened for TWO weeks. The Cronenberg fans, the Pattinson fans and people who were anticipating it saw it on opening day, resulting in high numbers. That’s not exactly surprising, is it? OtR IS a more popular and loved book, Salles is a director that is much easier to swallow, and the supporting cast was filled with more household names than Cosmopolis. Not to mention all the promo and paid for buzz. OtR should have done much, much better. The scandal didn’t hurt it. The fact that Kristen Stewart became the selling point did. No one took her seriously as an actress and now everyone knew the kind of person she was. The scandal only added about 10% to OtR’s already ensured failure.
@Andre
Pattinson & Stewart are not among the biggest names in the industry, please and LOL! and I’m saying this as a person who has enjoyed some of the movies Pattinson’s been in.
“On the road” has more big names that “Cosmopolis”. “On the road” is a more popular book than “Cosmopolis”, more people were interested in a movie adaptantion of that book, why didn’t they go see this movie then???? “On the road” is more known, obviously more people would have been interested in going to see it. It doesn’t seem so far streched to me, but it’s quite logical.
Cosmopolis is a wierd movie and after seeing it there’s no chance for me to believe that it could have done better. Can you honestly say the same for “On the road”? You’re comparing how very different movies did at the box office at different times of the year and in different circumstances, hence your statements don’t hold. Can you honestly say that “On the road” couldn’t do better if it was released right after Cannes or TIFF?
Again, the scandal didn’t help “Cosmopolis” at all, the movie did fine in spite of it! Pattinson’s image got a big blow, while some people thought of the poor guy who was cheated on, the rest of the world was laughing at him and at the crazy twilight fans who freaked out. It robbed him of the chance to detach himself from that awful movie saga, it shifted the attention away from the US promo for Cosmopolis, all people wanted to see was his reaction to the scandal.
You can’t ignore that. Your conclusion is a simplistic and superficial way to see things, IMO.
I stand by my opinion that choosing “Cosmopolis” for a box office comparison is scorrect. You could have chosen other indies, closer to “On the road” for this comparison. I did read about the comparison with other movies, I was referring to the inclusion of Cosmopolis in this comparison.
@ro
“On the Road” wouldn’t necessarily have been a hit had it opened right after Cannes — much like “Cosmopolis” bombed in Canada, even though it opened there in the spring.
“On the Road” is hardly a commercial movie. Not as out there as “Cosmopolis,” but certainly not at all like a mainstream flick. So, IMO my comparison holds.
And yes, you can compare how movies fared even though they opened at different times of the year — as long as you take that into account and include that information in your piece.
“On the Road” would have fared much better had it gotten stronger awards season buzz from critics groups. I’m sure IFC Films was betting on some critical love for their film and/or stars, but that didn’t happen. They tried. “On the Road” opened at an appropriate time.
Having said that … it’s unclear whether or not IFC Films made screeners widely available to critics, SAG voters, etc. That can make a huge difference on who gets in and who doesn’t.
Dear Andre, no matter how much you want to try to knock down Rob or Cosmopolis both keep getting mega year end and tops so many ”Best of 2012” lists. (did you ever mention about that?..)
On the Road promo was huge. You can’t even compare with the Cosmo.
Endless screenings with main stars (+ with the support huge names like Coppola. sure it got lots of attention)
four major premieres, (NYC, AFI Fest,TIFF,Cannes) studios’s award campaign. Governors Ball, Variety Oscars Round Table, Q&A events, talk shows,Mags, etc etc.
I’m not a kristen stewart hater. Not at all. If you want to write about her positively, go ahead. but… sure there is a way to praise one movie without put down another or pit/compare them…
I used to come here, but your dislike for a few Rob fans starting to affect your Rob articles. Sad.
You’re a biased. no matter how much you’re pretend that you’re not.
If people
can’t handle the truth ..well,Hollywood life is the perfect place for their unnecessary complaints . “the scandal” was a BIG help to promote Cosmopolis and pattinson’s image .The aspect of timing was perfect .”the poor guy deserve a better girl in his life “,”robpattz is the better man on this planet ..”and extreme fans showed their support watching cosmopolis -to the point of exhaustion- .I don’t blame their actions,because I remember a Robert pattinson’s interview on tv when he invited his fans to buy 8 tickets per person -in the meantime-Jon Stewart offered him some ice cream .”the scandal”was a big unnecessary drama ,but pattinson and his team know how to handle the situation in such a way that it works to their benefit .of course Stewart is like the sacrificial lamb . conclusion :Pattinson and Stewart are back together ,this is the best proof that the ‘scandal’ were no so relevant in their real lifes with exception of business.
What kind of comparison is this? This is the kind of article that makes people like me not take Pattinson or Stewart seriously.
How can you compare “Cosmopolis” to “On the road”?
1) Cosmopolis came out in august, not during holiday season.
2)That lame scandal didn’t help at all Cosmopolis: that is not a movie that Twilight fans would see, and they didn’t, and many Cronenberg’s fans, already put off by the casting of Pattinson, ran in the opposite direction after that. If that scandal helped at all, it helped “On the road”.
3)Can we agree that “Cosmopolis” was and still is a way less popular book than “On the road”?
4) Isn’t a movie like “Cosmopolis” less accessible than “On the road”? That didn’t play a role as well? Come on.
5)Cosmopolis came out 3 months BEFORE that Breaking Dawn movie, “On the road” a little more than a month LATER. That gave “On the Road” more exposure, it had an AFI premiere a week before the twilight movie, plus Hedlund and Stewart were “campaining” for a nomination for any award, the movie had more pubblicity than your avarage indie.
6) Cosmopolis came out in France and Italy right after Cannes, and drew in the same numbers as “On the Road”, which is surprising since, again, “On the road” is generally way more popular than the other. Maybe IFC should have released the movie sooner.
7)”On the road” debuted in may in Cannes, and has been out for months in other countries. Sorry, but most people who wanted to see it saw it online.
You couldn’t find more recently released indie movies to compare?
You should be embarrassed to call yourself a film blogger. You’re honestly going to credit Cosmopolis’ success with the media storm created after Miss Stewarts affair? Not that it was a Cronenberg movie? Not that it starred one of the biggest names in Hollywood at the moment? Not that it had stellar reviews at Cannes? Not that it had a supporting cast of Oscar winners/nominees? Your bias is showing sir and you should be ashamed. Talk about film on your film blog, not gossip. I won’t be visiting your site again. I can get this info from Hollywood Life.
Comparison is unnecessary OTR flopped and that’s it, why not compare it with holy motors?
what do these two films have to do with other.?other then having the the two main stars from them dating….nothing. why not throw in all the other indies into it as well. are you going to be comparing brad pitt and angelina jolie films as now too?