Jennifer’s Body Bites the Big One: Box Office Bomb

By Will Melton • September 21, 2009

Final body count: 2 computer nerds, one butch, and a father of three who had the weekend to himself.

The much-hyped Jennifer’s Body starring Megan Fox’s body came in fifth over the weekend. It managed to scrape together 6.8 million in loose change, some lint, and an old condom.

Coming in first was the insanely-titled children’s flick Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which, in my opinion, sounds like the title of an avant-garde adult film.

Without a doubt, this is a major disappointment for Diablo Cody. After winning both critical acclaim and the Academy Award for her coming-of-age debut feature Juno, it has to completely suck to score the world’s hottest flavor of the month as your lead, undertake a Blitzkrieg of press and marketing, and wind up getting pulverized by a kid’s movie about raining meatballs.

But look on the bright side, Diablo, at least Toni Collette walked away with the Emmy.

Oh, and to the general public, I know that we’ve had our differences in the past (and by that I mean that I typically loathe you and your taste), but you really came through this weekend. Thank you for standing up to the Hollywood PR machine and saying, “Look, we don’t care how hot the girl is. If the movie sucks, then we’re not going to see it.”

Now, if we could only join forces again when the new Twilight movie hits the screen, then that would be amazing.

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Categories: UNHINGED
Tags: Diablo Cody, film, Hype, jennifer's body, megan fox, movie

About the Author

Will Melton

Will Melton is a dorky, postmodern kind of guy obsessed with pop culture, counterculture, social media, and pastiche. He loves trash cinema in the vein of Spaghetti Westerns, Kung Fu flicks, Yakuza crime thrillers, zombie flicks, UFC fights, and weird, avant garde stuff. He’s watched Garden State over 35 times because he’s obsessed with the existential metaphors, and he will talk hyperreality with anyone as long as there are beers and tacos present. He has penned four feature-length screenplays—none of which have earned him any acclaim, prestige, or money. He worked with a small film crew on a guerrilla-style documentary in a Post-Katrina Lower Ninth Ward; this adventure included bridge-climbing in traffic and running from police in an abandoned condominium complex. He also worked for Funny or Die’s marketing team while he completed his master’s degree in Media Communications. Currently, Will resides in Saint Louis where he is working on his second master’s degree in Philosophy at the University of Missouri.

Chris

A movie doing bad at the box office does not mean that it is a bad movie, in the same way that a movie doing great at the box office does not mean that it is a good movie. The film has received mixed reviews from critics, and even praise from Roger Ebert. I'll give it a chance. I just wish that I could find it online for free right now. Yep, even I don't feel like paying to see it. It might make a lot in DVD sales, though, and become a cult classic.