Monday Mixer: Happy Life Day!

Posted Monday, November 17, 2014 at 4:01 PM Central

by John Couture

Some days you just have it, and others... well, they call it an off day for a reason.

Some would look outside and see the cold and the flurries and think it must be the weather. But, the fact of the matter is that I love the cold and snow, so that's not it. I'm thinking it has something to do with the box office.

The last couple of weeks has given me a false sense of belief that we had grown as a film audience. No longer would we sit back and watch drivel and drool and fart jokes. No, we will watch films that will inspire us to travel amongst the stars and fight crime with our very own fat robot. But alas, the dream is over and the nightmare has begun.

Speaking of time travel from Interstellar, someone has turned back the clocks to 1994 and suddenly Jim Carrey is relevant again. There's an interesting story about the original Dumb and Dumber and maybe this is really why I'm having an off day.

So, Dumb and Dumber came out in theaters on December 16, 1994 which means that it was the hot video store rental in the Summer of 1995. As tradition back then dictated, the VHS was then re-priced for the sell-through market for a very profitable holiday 1995. So, my first time seeing the film was either at Thanksgiving or Christmas in 1995.

I was a poor college student at the time, so films weren't exactly in the budget or high on my priorities. But, I remember this clearly because my entire family sat around and laughed our collective rear ends off watching the film. It was odd for me because I went away from college and I was on the cusp or either had just turned 21 and this was really my first drunken family holiday (at least that's what I'll tell the cops).

It was great and in a small way, that family showing of Dumb and Dumber brought our diverse family together in ways that still resonates today. As I've gotten older and moved farther away from home, it's harder and harder to make it back up north. This year is particularly difficult because our plans got thrown a curve ball and I won't be able to make it back to Michigan for the holidays.

I blame Sea Bass and Harry and most definitely Lloyd. So, this weekend's box office performance by Dumb and Dumber To is a stark reminder that I won't be seeing my family this weekend. I'm sure most of them will have seen the film by the time Thanksgiving rolls around and I'm sure they will talk about it between the laughs and general revelry.

So yeah, some days are just better than others.

Box Office 411

When it comes to films that were tough to predict, I think Dumb and Dumber To was up at the top of the list. Collectively, Tim and I thought the film would gross a total of $55 million and it almost did that in its first weekend of release. There are many reasons that we were skeptical about the potential success of this sequel, but ultimately, we just figured that people were over Jim Carrey and the timing was a bit off for a screwball comedy.

Boy, were we wrong.

Dumb and Dumber To opened with $38.1 million and most of that was thanks to nostalgia as the majority of the audience was over 25. Or in other words, they were alive when the first film hit theaters 20 years ago. Man, think about that. It's been 20 years since Dumb and Dumber came out.

Great, now I'm feeling nostalgic and old, which is precisely what Universal was aiming for. The set up for Dumb and Dumber To wasn't any great mystery, they basically brought back the original cast and made them even dumber than they were when we last saw them. It's not an unfamiliar formula and more often than not, it works.

Big Hero 6 had a really good second week with $36 million in second place. The animated Disney film has now banked a total of $112 million and looks to be well on its way to $200 million.

Interstellar didn't hold quite as well as Big Hero 6 but still mustered a pretty good showing in third place with $29 million. Interstellar looks to pass $100 million today or tomorrow and should still make it up to $175 million before it's all said and done.

Quick Hitters

• Speaking of Interstellar, if you're a fan of the film but want to see it like a dozen more times, then you're in luck. Paramount and AMC theaters have announced an unlimited ticket that will allow fans to see the film as often as they want.

  Of course, that means sitting there for many three hours at a time. Well, it is cold outside and as long as your bladder cooperates, then you should be okay.

• Have you heard about Too Many Cooks? Well, it's the latest viral video to take the Internet by storm last week and if you're a child of the '80s like me, there's no doubt that you'll love it.

  In case you haven't seen it yet, I'm embedding it below. Enjoy.

• Finally, today is a major holiday in the Star Wars universe. That's right, it's Life Day! If you're scratching your head in wonder, consider yourself lucky. This Star Wars Holiday Special aired on TV on November 17, 1978 and it is roundly believed to be the worst thing ever created for the Star Wars universe.

  

  Yes, even worse than Jar Jar Binks.

  About the only thing redeeming about the special is a cartoon segment that introduces Boba Fett to the franchise. Because I am nothing if not a cruel man, I've included a snippet below. The entire special has never been re-aired or released in any format so it truly is the unholy grail of the Star Wars universe.

Remember folks it's Life Day, be kind to each other and Mix Well!