Hello, and welcome to a loaded edition of DIB? You guys are not going to believe this. This week’s Box Office scores had a bit of controversy! Aren’t you just dying to know what it is? Before I spill it, we have to see if my predictions proved true and exact for the third week in a row. Have I done it?
Redbelt: David Mamet takes the story of a mixed martial arts fighter who’s battling with money problems, but that’s just the beginning. Add a whole mess of subplots that interweave like a spiderweb, and you’ve got a film that will really sharpen your mind.
Will It Bomb? While the industry buzz is still harping on the outrageous success of Iron Man, this will make cash, but probably won’t get into the Top 10.
Did It Bomb? I was pleasantly surprised. Now in Wide Release after just a week, this came in at #10, earning $1.24 million.
Outcome: Strike! 0 out of 3.
Speed Racer: Emile Hirsch stars as the eponymous lead in this remake of an extremely popular animated series. The Wachowskis follow up their mega-hit Matrix franchise with this colorful and high-speed flick. Boasting a great cast that includes Susan Sarandon and Matthew Fox, a car-racer’s dream is kept alive, despite numerous obstacles.
Will It Bomb? The sheer power of the #1 film isn’t going to allow anyone to steal its thunder. It’ll make the bottom end of the Top 5, however.
Did It Bomb? It was expected to make a lot more than it did. Obviously, many were pretty surprised that this hit #3, bringing in $18.6 million. I know I was!
Outcome: Score! 1 out of 3.
What Happens in Vegas: Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz hit Las Vegas because they’re both pretty down. Well, after all the drinks, partying, and gambling, what’s left to do? Get hitched!! On the brink of an expected breakup, they hit the jackpot. Would you stay with someone for 3 million dollars? Or would you try to make their lives horrible?
Will It Bomb? I vote that this will make it into the center of the 10, but there’s no stopping Tony Stark and his suit!
Did It Bomb? How about that? This brought in $20.2 million, and jumped into the #2 position!
Outcome: Strike! 1 out of 3.
***Official Box Office tallies and positions according to Variety (variety.com), The Hollywood Reporter (hollywoodreporter.com) and The Internet Movie Database (imdb.com).
So, what’s the dirt, you ask? According to various media sources, there was supposedly an error somewhere in the tabulation regarding the #2 and #3 films (since we all knew what was going to stay at #1). When I checked the takes this past Sunday on IMDb, it claimed that Speed Racer made about $20.2 million and broke into the second spot, with Vegas following in at a close third, with $20 million. Come this past Monday, on another site, the figures themselves were recalculated and it’s been alleged that there may have been a little fluffing going on, possibly by Warner Brothers, the studio that released Speed Racer. I don’t work for the studio, and I cannot speculate what exactly happened, but it’s good to know that someone is keeping an eye open and making sure that the system remains truthful and accurate.
As for my predictions…unfortunately, my luck ran out this time around. Back to the drawing board! A brand new crop of movies are hitting the cinemas in a few days. Can I get my record back up again? Stay tuned for the next installment of WIB? to find out!
Release Date 8/29/2008 
The Wachowski bros certainly put a lot of effort into making Speed Racer… the movie overall looked and felt like a cross between anime, a kaleidoscope, that Flintstones movie, a video game and the Dukes of Hazard