The Call 41% at Rotten Tomatoes

[Deleted]

Mar 15, 2013 7:11:44 GMT -5 doinkmark said:

Critics are probably being kinder to this movie because of Berry's starring role, but I think this movie will be decent enough to be worth checking out. Personally I'm still looking most forward to WWE's release of Leprechaun.

If they actually ever start the filming of Leprechaun. I remember about a month ago Hornswoggle said on AoW that the movie was supposed to come out this Spring but there were no updates or dates since.

[Deleted]

Just got back from seeing it this afternoon. 1pm, first showing in my end of town. About 8 people in the whole theatre.

All in all, it actually exceeded my expectations slightly. Of course, I was only expecting a by-the-numbers and predictable thriller. It was well acted by Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin, and Michael Eklund played a sufficiently creepy, twitchy sociopath.

One point in particular:

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}When trying to calm the girl (Breslin) down over the phone, Jordan (Berry) asks her what her favorite movie was. I swear, at this point, the first thing to pop into my head was "Please, dear Lord, say 'The Marine'"

[Deleted]

How was Otunga, did he seem out of place due to his bodybuilding physique, like Cena in his movies?

[Deleted]

Mar 15, 2013 16:35:08 GMT -5 @franco said:

How was Otunga, did he seem out of place due to his bodybuilding physique, like Cena in his movies?

He fit nicely into his policeman's uniform, so he looked pretty much like just a buff cop. The guy who was his partner throughout the movie (and Berry's on-screen BF) looked a lot like Titus O'Neill with a moustache.

He had a few disposable comedy lines and a couple semi-dramatic ones; "you DON'T want to talk about this in front of your kids" might be the next "I'll go to the papers if I have to".

[Deleted]

Mar 15, 2013 16:47:16 GMT -5 @meanstreetposse said:

Mar 15, 2013 16:35:08 GMT -5 @franco said:

How was Otunga, did he seem out of place due to his bodybuilding physique, like Cena in his movies?

He fit nicely into his policeman's uniform, so he looked pretty much like just a buff cop. The guy who was his partner throughout the movie (and Berry's on-screen BF) looked a lot like Titus O'Neill with a moustache.

He had a few disposable comedy lines and a couple semi-dramatic ones; "you DON'T want to talk about this in front of your kids" might be the next "I'll go to the papers if I have to".

Sounds awesome. I'll have to see this movie too after seeing DMD last week.

[Vice honcho room temperature]

On spill.com's review they all gave it a Full Price. They seemed to love it

[Bang Bang Bart]

Mar 15, 2013 16:47:16 GMT -5 @meanstreetposse said:

Mar 15, 2013 16:35:08 GMT -5 @franco said:

How was Otunga, did he seem out of place due to his bodybuilding physique, like Cena in his movies?

He fit nicely into his policeman's uniform, so he looked pretty much like just a buff cop. The guy who was his partner throughout the movie (and Berry's on-screen BF) looked a lot like Titus O'Neill with a moustache.

He had a few disposable comedy lines and a couple semi-dramatic ones; "you DON'T want to talk about this in front of your kids" might be the next "I'll go to the papers if I have to".

Does he live by the end of the film or is he a cannon fodder cop?

[The Heenan Family]

The Call beat the Incredible Burt Wonderstone yesterday, which starred Steve Carrell and Jim Carrey. That's gotta make WWE happy.


Box Office Mojo

As expected, Oz The Great and Powerful held on to first place on Friday by a wide margin. The more interesting story, though, was what happened with the newcomers: The Call got off to a surprisingly strong start, while The Incredible Burt Wonderstone bombed.

Oz added an estimated $11.4 million yesterday, which is off 53 percent from opening day. That looks like a steep drop, but it is noticeably better than Alice in Wonderland's 58 percent decline at the same point in 2010. Still, Oz's $114.2 million is nearly $50 million less than Alice's eight-day total. For the three-day weekend, Oz should wind up earning just over $40 million.

In second place, The Call exceeded most expectations with an estimated $6.2 million from 2,507 locations. Among Halle Berry thrillers, that's a drastic improvement over Perfect Stranger ($3.9 million), though it's a tad below Gothika ($6.7 million), which opened a full decade ago. For the weekend, the movie will absolutely open above $15 million, and could go as high as $18 million.

Meanwhile, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone debuted to an awful $3.72 million at 3,160 locations. That's one of the worst starts ever for stars Steve Carell and Jim Carrey, and is a tiny fraction of comparable movie Blades of Glory's $12.4 million opening. The movie will likely earn over $10 million this weekend, though not by much.

In fourth place, Jack the Giant Slayer eased 31 percent to an estimated $1.75 million. While that's a great hold, it's also too little, too late: the movie has only earned $49.4 million so far, and it would still be lucky to reach $60 million by the end of its run.

Identity Thief rounded out the Top Five with an estimated $1.4 million, which is off a light 22 percent from last Friday. That gross helped push the movie's total to $120.6 million, which makes it director Seth Gordon's highest-grossing movie ever ahead of Four Christmases ($120.1 million).

[Deleted]

I saw Burt. Its one of those movies you either live or hate, no middle ground. Personally, I loved it.

[Deleted]

Mar 15, 2013 22:50:45 GMT -5 Bang Bang Bart said:

Mar 15, 2013 16:47:16 GMT -5 @meanstreetposse said:

He fit nicely into his policeman's uniform, so he looked pretty much like just a buff cop. The guy who was his partner throughout the movie (and Berry's on-screen BF) looked a lot like Titus O'Neill with a moustache.

He had a few disposable comedy lines and a couple semi-dramatic ones; "you DON'T want to talk about this in front of your kids" might be the next "I'll go to the papers if I have to".

Does he live by the end of the film or is he a cannon fodder cop?

He lives, but not that it would make a difference.

And good to see The Call living up to expectations. I know there was a LOT of grief about Abigail Breslin doing most of act 3 with only a bra for a top. One reviewer cited that as the depravity of WWE over the depravity of Hollywood or any actual story-telling purpose (her loss of innocence IS used to show the effect the ordeal has on her), almost as if he had never heard of Mae Young.

[celticjobber]

From today's Wrestling Observer news update:

--"The Call" looks to be the first WWE movie since "The Marine" that is a theatrical release that will be successful. The movie is estimated as grossing $6.2 million just last night and expected to come in around $16 million. The budget is $13 million, but with theaters cuts and other costs, it would probably take about $24 million at the box office to break even. With that kind of opening, the movie should make money even before DVD sales. It is expected to finish No. 2 this weekend behind "Oz: The Great and Powerful," which is not a movie about WCW blunders in the early 90s. "Dead Man Down" is another story.