It’s time for another monthly wrap-up. This time, we take a look back at March of this year. Note that all of my “expectations” were about the film and not about its box office, so keep that in mind when you read them.

March 4-6, 2011

The Adjustment Bureau

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “None”
Oscar Results: No change.
Box Office Prediction: $90 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “High. I love good science fiction and this one looks to have promise.”
Box Office Results: $62.5 M
Thoughts: [Unexceptional] While not the box office draw I expected, this was a modest haul.

Rango

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “Any animated film released in the year could be a Best Animated Feature contender.”
Oscar Results: It is probably a strong contender for a nomination, though only if there are five slots. It’s less likely if there are 3.
Box Office Prediction: $122.5 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “Low. Lame is the best way to describe the trailers I’ve seen for this film. It may be a decent film, but so far I don’t have high expectations.”
Box Office Results: $100 M
Thoughts: [Success] It was the success I thought it would be and then some. Johnny Depp may well be the reason it did so well since the genre and style just doesn’t seem like something people would want to see.

Apollo 18

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “None”
Oscar Results: N/A
Box Office Prediction: $50 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “None. I haven’t seen a trailer for this film yet.”
Box Office Results: N/A
Thoughts: [Unexceptional] The film was pushed back to September.

Take Me Home Tonight

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “None”
Oscar Results: No change.
Box Office Prediction: $50 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “Low. Although I love the idea, the trailer just looks bland.”
Box Office Results: $6.9 M
Thoughts: [Major Flop] An ill-conceived idea flopped in a spectacular way.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “It’s not only likely to be nominated for Foreign Film at the Oscars, but it could easily win.”
Oscar Results: When I wrote those words, the Oscar nominations had not yet come out. However, the film didn’t get nominated and now must consider running again this year in other categories. That decision would be a poor one.
Box Office Prediction: $25 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “High. It has received rave reviews and is one of the lead contenders for Best Foreign Language Film, so it should be good.”
Box Office Results: $172.6 K
Thoughts: [Flop] Despite the critic notices, the film failed to pull any major attention at the box office.

March 11-13, 2011

Battle: Los Angeles

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “None”
Oscar Results: I still don’t think it will have a chance, but Sound, Sound Effects and Visual Effects could now be within reach thanks to its strong box office performance.
Box Office Prediction: $60 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “Modest. The tension in the trailer is high and the suspense surrounding the film’s content gives one hope.”
Box Office Results: $83.6 M
Thoughts: [Major Success] This one surprised me at how well it did at the box office. While alien invasion films fare better than standard sci-fi, the positioning just didn’t seem to be a good idea. Yet, it managed to come in second at the box office in totals for the month of March.

Mars Needs Moms

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “While some will suggest it’s an Animated Feature contender, no other lifelike motion capture animated feature has been nominated for Animated Feature, so you should probably count this one out.”
Oscar Results: With that box office performance and the critical drubbing, you can basically consider this one a non-starter.
Box Office Prediction: $100 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “Low. I’m not interested in the idea. And consider”
Box Office Results: $21.3 M
Thoughts: [Major Flop] Probably the biggest flop so far this year, the film’s poor reviews and limp box office proved that not everything animated that’s heavily hyped will turn to gold.

Red Riding Hood

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “None”
Oscar Results: No change.
Box Office Prediction: $80 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “Low. I have the “werewolf” pegged from the trailer, so I’m not sure what excitement there could be to be had.”
Box Office Results: $37.7 M
Thoughts: [Major Flop] One of two films released in March whose dreadful box office performance is proof that everything designed for tween audiences will attract them.

Jane Eyre

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “Keep it in mind for Art Direction and Costume Design, but 10 months is a long time in Oscar voter memories.”
Oscar Results: It still has a chance, though I’m still not sure it will be remembered.
Box Office Prediction: $15 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “Low. It’s a promising cast, but an early-year release suggests the film has quality problems.”
Box Office Results: $11.0 M
Thoughts: [Unexceptional] Performing right where I expected it to, this film did solid specialty house business.

March 18-20, 2011

Beastly

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “None, though Makeup is a distant possibility.”
Oscar Results: No change.
Box Office Prediction: $85 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “None. It’s an attempt to appeal to young audiences without any substance.”
Box Office Results: $27.9 M
Thoughts: [Major Flop] The other film that proved you can’t turn a stinky concept into a tween blockbuster.

Limitless

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “None”
Oscar Results: No change.
Box Office Prediction: $90 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “None. Trying to build on Bradley Cooper’s popularity, this pseudo-sci-fi flick just doesn’t excite me.”
Box Office Results: $78.9 M
Thoughts: [Minor Success] Under-performing slightly against my expectations, the film did solid business, but not enough to propel Cooper into box office draw territory.

The Lincoln Lawyer

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “None”
Oscar Results: No change.
Box Office Prediction: $45 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “None. Matthew McConaughey has been a has-been for some time. I don’t know why they’re trying to reignite his career.”
Box Office Results: $57.1 M
Thoughts: [Success] I am still surprised this did so well. It wasn’t McConaughey who drew the audiences in, but lightweight subject matter with positive word of mouth helped it eke out a respectable total.

March 25-27, 2011

Sucker Punch

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “None of Snyder’s prior films were Oscar contenders even though they probably should have been in the tech categories.”
Oscar Results: No change.
Box Office Prediction: $75 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “Modest. Visually stimulating, the premise is interesting, but director Zack Snyder has yet to direct a good movie.”
Box Office Results: $36.4 M
Thoughts: [Flop] Not as big a flop as the twin tween pics or the abysmal Mars with Moms, but considering the hype and advertising that went into this film, you can’t help but consider it a disappointment.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “None”
Oscar Results: No change.
Box Office Prediction: $70 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “None. Never saw the original and still have no desire to do so.”
Box Office Results: $52.5 M
Thoughts: [Minor Success] Not quite where I would have expected the sequel to place, but it did well enough to become the best performing film released on this weekend.

The Beaver

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “None”
Oscar Results: No change.
Box Office Prediction: $5 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “None. I don’t like Mel Gibson as an actor, never have. I like him even less as a human being and the concept is too ludicrous to be interesting.”
Box Office Results: $916.2 K
Thoughts: [Major Flop] Not even morbid curiosity (either about the concept or Mel Gibson’s post-meltdown performance) could save this far-fetched idea.