Far From Perfect
December 12, 2007
The Perfect Holiday tries to get an early jump on the competition by opening tonight in just over 1300 theaters. But will this gambit work?
The Perfect Holiday is a romantic comedy aimed at African American audiences starring Gabrielle Union and Morris Chesnut. These two have worked with each other three times in the past, but the results have been mixed. In fact, the film with the biggest box office and best critical reception was The Bothers, which earned under $30 million at the box office and 63% positive with critics. It is unlikely this film will live up to that, either critically or at the box office.
So far, The Perfect Holiday is earning 22% positive, which is not as bad as it sounds. Romantic comedies tend to follow a rather predictable path and the inevitable cliches get in the way when it comes to impressing critics. Add in the family Christmas spirit, (i.e. sap), and there was no way this film was going to win over critics. But even so, while it will have an easier time with moviegoers, this won't develop the word-of-mouth needed to expand from its initial opening. But at least Gabrielle Union and Morris Chesnut have good chemistry together and can rise above the script.
Look for just over $1 million tonight, just under $1 million tomorrow, $5 million over the weekend, and thanks to the holidays, $20 million in total. Odds are, that's more than it cost to make and that should make the studio happy. It could surprise and get off to a faster start, but even the best case scenario has $30 million at the top of expectations.
Filed under: The Perfect Holiday