Lee's Movie Info - Clockstoppers

Lee's Movie Info > Humor > Clockstoppers Updated: 02/10/02

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Clockstoppers: The Inside Scoop

Clockstoppers
Is Heating Up

by Lee Tistaert (BOFC Host)

Long-term studio projections can always baffle some moviegoers. For instance, Warner Brothers once predicted a $200 total domestic gross for A.I. and a shot at even $250 when it has failed to even crack the $100 mark. Last year there was talk about Lord of the Rings' potential to beat The Phantom Menace and even the question of it surpassing Titanic, of which both are never going to happen in its lifetime. It usually comes down to the question of who to believe.

Of what is generally a lackluster season at the box office between January and April before the summer unravels, such does not look like the case for the March 29 opener, Clockstoppers.

Backed by Paramount Pictures, the studio behind last summer's hit, Tomb Raider, Clockstoppers has been reportedly flying powerfully on the industry tracking chart. Studio chief Robert Kisselm told reporters, "The current interest for the film is out there, as our tracking indicates a 30% awareness level, which generally speaking, points in the direction of a $25 - 30 million box office debut." While a very optimistic projection, Kisselm added, "the trailer's been playing solidly in just about every market. Typically the strongest trailer reactions come from big cities like New York and Los Angeles (where audiences tend to be more enthusiastic), but the numbers we're looking at claim it's playing as well in NY as it is in let's say Texas, which is just amazing. And when you consider the competition it's going to face on the 29th, well, it's just minuscule; it's on its own."

Asked about long-term projections, Robert noted, "We're looking at a very nice run which should reach well into summer. The project holds a budget at a very pleasant $15 million, and when you consider we're looking at a close to three month theater engagement period, it's going to be very profitable."

When prompted about advanced ticket sales status, Paramount executive Peter Rider noted, "It's definitely up there. The numbers we're getting from MovieFone (America's most reliant online ticketing service) are significant enough to suggest a sturdy launch." After being asked regarding its position in MovieFone requested films, Rider stated, "as of right now the leading film up to summer is Spiderman (opening May 3), and when you consider the differences between both pictures (Clockstoppers and Spiderman) it is just a nice feeling to know that you're in the game. And when you've got roughly a month of space between you and it, you've got time to rake in some figures."

Spiderman stands as Clockstoppers' main long-term competition

According to Paramount, early test screenings for Clockstoppers have shown exceptionally positive reactions with 95% in the top two boxes ("excellent" or "very good"). Mark Blanke, head of advertising on the film, commented about the screenings, "We haven't seen this good of results since Forrest Gump. In the long end it all comes down to the execution of the film's ad-campaign and I believe I've done a great job on that aspect. Audiences are going nuts for the film and when that takes place, you know that the ads are working."

Clockstoppers'
competition opening weekend

Clockstoppers is a comedy about a scientist who creates a device that allows speed to depreciate 25 times its normal speed. Screenwriter David Weiss, who co-wrote with David Stern, explained, "I originally got the idea from a dream I once had, and when I brought the mention to David (Stern) he was more than thrilled to help along." Stern added, "it really is an original piece and something that you don't see very often in theaters. I truly believe we've got a better story than Panic Room or Death to Smoochy, which are both currently slated for our release date.

Paramount had confidence in us and I think we're going to deliver. The only remaining element in question is reviews."

On the subject of reviews, Paramount chief Robert Kisselm commented, "Good reviews or cranky critics, we're in the ballpark ready for a good swing of the bat. On this type of product your audience (teens) will show their faces whether critics want them to or not, and from tracking we're seeing right now, teens have their eyes on this. And excuse the rather corny mention, but we're looking to hit a home run."

Asked about any last comments, Kisselm noted, "(It) Looks like we're going to sail right past Big Trouble and Universal's Scorpion King like a charm. Both pictures are showing up on the radar boldly but it looks as though we're going to shoot both of them down. We're looking to top charts until Spiderman, and when that time comes, we'll really know the loyalty of our fans when moviegoers are prompted the question on May 3rd, Spiderman or Clockstoppers?"

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The above article is entirely fictional. Any actual individual or organization noted above was used only for the purpose of parody and neither agrees nor condones the opinions of the article.

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