Ironically, in a weekend that banked on 1980s nostalgia, this weekend brought back the summers of my youth in a different way. Back when I was growing up, June was THE month of summer. Sure studios would release a big title over Memorial Day and/or the Fourth of July weekend, but the (alleged) big 800 pound gorillas debuted in mid-to-late June. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Batman, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Jurassic Park, The Lion King... the film that most expected to rule a given summer was usually released in the heart of June. Alas, since 1996 (when Twister, Mission: Impossible, and Independence Day crushed everything else released that summer), the studios have banked on early May, Memorial Day weekend, and the Fourth of July weekend (which would occasionally include the very last day of June), and the Warner Bros' mid-July slot as prime real estate. This June, at least over the next two weekends, mid-June is once again a release-period to be reckoned with.
Surprising even the most optimistic pundits, Sony's remake of The Karate Kid opened with a whopping $56 million. If the estimate holds, it will be the eighth-biggest June opening of all-time. Costing just $40 million, the Jaden Smith/Jackie Chan vehicle benefited from surprisingly-decent reviews, as well as a marketing campaign that sold the film as simply a compelling character-drama (and it played as such, with a solid 3.0x weekend multiplier). The film played to nostalgic fans of the original, young fans of the stars who probably had never seen the 1984 picture, and others who merely thought the movie looked pretty compelling. I'll presume the Justin Bieber single/music video didn't hurt either. We may have all ranted and railed about the idea at the idea of remaking such a beloved 80s classic at the time. Ironically, The Karate Kid is, with the possible exception of the Julia Roberts romantic drama, Eat Prey Love, and the Zach Efron vehicle Charlie St. Cloud, arguably the only such character-driven drama being given a wide release by a major studio this summer. By the standards of Iron Man 2, Sex and the City 2, and Prince of Persia, The Karate Kid practically comes off as Oscar bait. Speaking of which, if the film holds up throughout the summer, Jackie Chan has an outside chance at his first Oscar nomination (everyone loves him, and Pat Morita was nominated the first time around).
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