First of all let me begin by asking who, in their right mind, would ever spend what it takes to go to the movies these days to see a tired and worn out Barbra Streisand and the very unfunny Seth Rogen? Apparently not very many, since their latest trip to the big screen, something described as being a road-trip comedy, entitled The Guilt Trip, debuted with a quite unimpressive $1.1 million at the North American box office on Wednesday. It was Streisand’s first return to the big screen in a lead role since The Mirror Has Two Faces back in 1996. I don’t recall how that little flick faired at the box office, though personally I’ve never been a fan.
From Paramount and David Ellison's Skydance Productions, Guilt Trip did, however, come in at No. 2 behind Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which took in $6.3 million for a six-day domestic total of $106.5 million. Oh the embarrassment of it, getting beat out by a Hobbit. Rumor has it that Paramount was anticipating a rather slow start for Guilt Trip, which is expected to post a five-day debut of $7 million to $8.5 million. Normally, that would spell death for a studio film, but year-end holiday titles often see unusually high multiples because of people being off of work and out of school.
The week between Christmas and New Year's Day is ‘usually’ particularly strong. Conversely, films opening the weekend before Christmas don't generally score huge openings because people are distracted by shopping and other holiday preparations. Box-office observers are waiting for the weekend before making any final pronouncements about Guilt Trip, but the comedy is facing several key challenges. Directed by Anne Fletcher, it is said to have only received a B- CinemaScore. Now while I’m not sure what that means, apparently it can’t be good if it’s being described as a challenge that needs to be overcome.
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