King Kong Box Office Disappoints
King Kong scored a disappointing opening day at the box office grabbing only $9.8 million which while impressive by most standards was well below the record breaking opening that many were hoping for. The $207 million remake by Peter Jackson only managed to rank as the 21st biggest Wednesday opening on record.
King Kong also opened in some 36 other territories around the world which contributed to a world wide opening box office of some $17.8 million.
As is often the case with big movies, the media are looking for controversy. In case of King Kong it seems the racism is the card they’re going to play. Newsday suggests that all version of Kong can be seen as metaphors for racism. On the other hand Slate.com thinks that King Kong is racist with the implication that Kong stands for the black man brought in chains from a dark island with a penchant for skinny white blondes.
I think some people need to chill out a little.
Eoghann Irving is amongst other things the creator and Editor of Solar Flare. He has a life long interest in all forms of science fiction and fantasy and a pressing need to share this interest with anyone who will listen. Find out more at his personal website eoghann.com..
One Comment, Comment or Ping
Andrew Oakley
I think this is one of those films where the director, cast and backers got carried away on their own hype. At the end of the day, King Kong is just not cool. It’s a story about a big ape. Sure, it was a classic of its day and the new version may well be superbly done. But is it a concept that draws huge audiences today? I think not.
Does average Joe want to see a film about a giant monkey? Not especially. Does average Joe want to see a remake of a film he’s already seen about a giant monkey? I really can’t see that happening in record-breaking numbers.
It’s certainly not on my must-see list. It’s not even on my satellite-pay-per-view list. The subject matter, regardless of the quality, just doesn’t interest me.
Of course, all this cynicism is easy to do in hindsight.
Dec 19th, 2005
Reply to “King Kong Box Office Disappoints”