First weekend’s collection for Pearl Harbor was 79 million. Second weekend’s collection (just published this morning) is 30 million. I saw the movie yesterday (Sunday of the second weekend). We were expecting a big crowd, and the crowd was there, but not for PH, but for ’’Shrek’’.
PH’s total collection so far is $119 million. Their total expense was $140 million and the actors and directors worked on a deferred payment basis which means they haven’t been paid yet.
Surely this movie is a flop, I would say. It may make some profit, but don’t compare it with Titanic. Titanic was a silly movie too, but this is sillier.
If you are going to watch it for the love story (they are promoting this movie in Japan as a love story), go watch a Hindi movie (Hero loves heroin; goes to war; gets killed; hero’s best friend and heroin fall in love with each other because of their common grief; heroin gets pregnant; hero comes back not dead; hero and best friend go to war together; the best friend gets killed this time for real; hero comes back with the body; hero and heroin marry and raise the child of the heroin and the friend - Sorry I had to give the story away, but it is as silly as that).
If you want to watch the special effects, arrive at the theater 100 minutes late. I guarantee you will get tickets judging by the crowd there yesterday. The pearl harbor attack scene is well done. Don’t pay attention to the stretched heroics of the hero and the friend. Leave as soon as the Japanese General says ’’Withdraw the third wave’’.
The movie is totally distorted. Bad acting and bad direction. The women nurses look, speak and act like 90’s teenagers in USA. They weren’t properly directed to act like 40’s nurses. The director obviously thinks that just by using 40’s cars and gas stations, he can take the viewers for a ride to the 40’s. Ben Affleck as Rafe (the hero) and Josh Hartnett as Danny (the friend) are good. Kate Beckinsale as Evelyn (the heroin) is pathetic. Jon Voight as President Franklin Roosevelt is exceptional.
I am sorry I had to be mean about this movie, but it was 3-hr long and I had a headache when I left the theater. I don’t know why they don’t have intervals here in US. At least they could sell more pop corns !