Jerry Seinfeld's relentless promotion failed to pay off: Bee Movie opened in second place at the box office, easily outmatched by the live-action American Gangster.
According to Box Office Mojo's number crunchers, Bee Movie made $38,021,044 in its first weekend in theatres, slightly less than the $40 million analysts had expected the film to pull.
It was the sixth highest grossing debut for an animated film in 2007, and opened with less than Disney's 2005 CGI flick Chicken Little, which made $40.6 million in its first weekend. That film was eventually labeled a disappointment by the Mouse House, and was a major factor in Disney's decision to buy Pixar Animation for $7.4 billion.
Bee Movie: Just Another "Talking Animals" Flick?
The general attitude towards Bee Movie was, despite the star-studded cast and self-referential publicity, that it was yet another in a long line of "cute talking animal" CGI flicks that glutted cinemas in 2006. Reviews for the film were mostly so-so, with Bee Movie ultimately scoring a 53% Rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That means 50 out of 94 reviewers liked the flick, but not enough to give it a whole-hearted recommendation.
Bee Movie's initial box office is cause for concern for DreamWorks Animation, since the studio reported that the flick cost $150 million to make. That's the same amount of cash that Pixar put into Ratatouille, and many box office analysts were concerned when that Brad Bird film only made $47 million in its first weekend.
However, Ratatouille managed to compensate for its disappointing domestic box office with some genuinely impressive numbers overseas, thanks to its Parisian setting. It's unclear how Jerry Seinfeld's brand of comedy, and Bee Movie's New York vibe, will play in non-North American theatres.
Box office analysts expect Bee Movie to make only $175 million in domestic cinemas which, considering that $150 million price tag, would make it a very modest hit at best.
Could Seinfeld's Antics Kill His Movie?
Bee Movie's biggest asset may also be its downfall. The presence of Jerry Seinfeld was the biggest selling point for the film, and indeed its raison d'etre. However, many online news groups complained that the ubiquitous "TV Juniors" that DreamWorks put together to promote Bee Movie were too much of a good thing, and shifted audience attitudes from anticipation to exasperation.
Not only that, but Seinfeld may have further hurt his case with comments he made to several publications, and on radio and television.
In an interview with Inside Bay Area's Susan Young, he complained about the length of time it took animators to render a scene, and described working with DreamWorks animators as "describing funny to someone who, in most cases, is not a funny person."
On October 30th, Seinfeld appeared on The Late Show to promote Bee Movie. During the interview, he claimed that author Missy Chase Lapine, who had accused spouse Jessica Seinfeld of plagiarizing her cookbook, was a "wacko" and claimed to be worried that Lapine might try to kill his wife.
" . . . you know," Seinfeld told host David Letterman, "if you read history, that many of the three-named people do become assassins."
The A.V. Club's Amelie Gillette was swift to denounce his performance on The Late Show.
"In short," she wrote, "Seinfeld is kind of an a****** now—and he's not even a funny a****** like (Curb Your Enthusiasm creator) Larry David."
Upcoming Animated Films
Bee Movie has two weeks to make money before any serious competition comes knocking. Paramount's Beowulf, with its sword-and-sorcery ambience, is targeting a very different audience than Bee Movie so it shouldn't affect the flick's receipts. That film opens November 16th.
However, Disney's Enchanted (a hybrid live-action/animated movie) is also aimed at a family audience and is riding a much better buzz than Bee Movie. Enchanted opens on November 21st.
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