Jodie Foster Directing "The Beaver"

[u2bonoman]

I love Mel Gibson! Will be seeing this for sure!!

[Tom Hiddleston]

I want to see this so badly. I love Mel Gibson. And of course it is not playing anywhere near me.

[Moefiz]

Came out last weekend, made 104,000 so far in limited release but doesn't look good for wide release.

"Mel Gibson has said that friends like Whoopi Goldberg and Jodie Foster have stood by him through tough times, but will moviegoers?

Gibson’s film “The Beaver,” which co-starred and was directed by Foster, opened in limited release this weekend to poor box office returns. After a bow in 22 theaters, “Beaver” only pulled in $104,000, according to Entertainment Weekly.

The movie, released a little less than a year after the controversy surrounding Gibson and his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva made headlines, tells the story of a deeply depressed toy company CEO (Gibson) who relies on a beaver puppet to help turn his life back around.

As the Hollywood Reporter points out, “The Beaver” had plenty of pre-release publicity, what with Gibson’s personal struggles and Foster’s ardent support of him during press stops. (And who can forget a movie title like that?)

Some critics also appreciated the film and Gibson’s performance, with Rolling Stone saying “[this] flawed but heartfelt movie has the power to sneak up and floor you,” and Roger Ebert saying the movie shows “another of Mel Gibson’s fine performances, a reminder that he is after all a superb actor.”

And yet, while the movie’s studio Summit Entertainment was hoping for a per-screen average of $15,000 to $18,000, in actuality that average was $4,745, reports THR.

Summit Entertainment president of domestic distribution Richie Fay tells the Los Angeles Times that while some may pinpoint Gibson’s public perception as the root of the problem, he believes it has more to do with the movie itself.

“I don’t think this is as much a repudiation of Mel and his personal life as it is about a film with difficult subject matter,” Fay said. “As it turns out, I think the film is more of an art-house specialty kind of movie than a broader commercial film….even though it’s got a commercial actor in it like Mel Gibson.”

“The Beaver” will expand to 30 theaters next weekend and was expected to go wide on May 20, but the L.A. Times reports that it will likely stay limited to an “art-house run.”

[technique]

looks good i'll be seeing it

[coolmilo]

I think the movie made something like $100K in the theaters, a monumental box office disappointment. It seems that he is box office poison now due to his past digressions. If he wasn't such an ** off screen, he could have earned an Ocsar nomination for his performance.

I did not see the movie but I still have his amazing phone calls on my iPod.

[u2bonoman]

Originally Posted by coolmilo

If he wasn't such an ** off screen, he could have earned an Ocsar nomination for his performance.
:

Which makes NO sense. Roman Polanski won best director for The Pianist and what he did was much MUCH worse.

[MDJ]

i wouldn't consider my local Clearview arthouse but they are playing this. saw it and thought it was really good.

[X400]

Originally Posted by u2bonoman

Which makes NO sense. Roman Polanski won best director for The Pianist and what he did was much MUCH worse.

yeah but when you look @ the industry heads etc, it's no surprise why Gibson is demonized in the industry over the pedophile rapist. Cuz Gibsons drunken rant is far far worse



as for 'The Beaver' getting plenty of "pre-release publicity" that's just bull

and I don't think The Beaver is really a test of Mels relevance "Edge of Darkness" was and it did fairly well

[coolmilo]

Originally Posted by u2bonoman

Which makes NO sense. Roman Polanski won best director for The Pianist and what he did was much MUCH worse.

Yeah, it is really sad that Polanski is allowed to make movies at all. He is a criminal and a coward and I would not spend one dime to watch anything he makes.

With respect to Mel, I was commenting based on what a reviewer said about the film. He commented that if Mel's reputation wasn't so tarnished at this point, the movie would have been released in the fall and Mel would or should be considered for an Oscar for his strong performance. Almost every review that I have read/heard regarding this film said the same thing. It's a shame and I feel bad for Jody Foster.

Does it make more sense now?

[u2bonoman]

Saw it this past weekend in Des Moines, Ia. It was really good, and is basically a story about a father and son. Mel Gibson delivers a great performance, and I really hope this at least does well on Blu.