Facing stiff competition at the holiday box office and hobbled by largely negative reviews, Paramount Pictures has decided to hold back on this Friday’s planned expansion of The Lovely Bones, according to the Los Angeles Times. Director Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the bestselling Alice Sebold novel debuted in three theaters in New York and L.A. on Dec. 11 and pulled in an anemic $218,774 in its first 12 days of release. Paramount, which is hoping to lure younger female moviegoers to the dark PG-13 thriller, now plans to expand the film nationwide on Jan. 15.
Dec 24
2009
12:40 PM ET
Paramount delays 'Lovely Bones' expansion
- Comments 16
- Add comment
Latest News
- 'Star Trek' No. 1 on Friday: $22M
- 'SNL': All Stefon's 'N.Y.'s hottest clubs'
- Seth Meyers on 'SNL' transition: 'Today'
- Shonda Rhimes talks 'Grey's' finale
- 'Voice': Team Xtina or Team Shakira?
- 'Warehouse 13' canceled by Syfy
- 'Office' finale reaction: Yay or nay?
- Kanye video projected onto 66 buildings
Hope the movie is not disappointing. I have high hopes for this movie.
I read the book a couple of weeks ago and frankly I had high hopes for it but was very disappointed.
bad idea! The cast has been doing much publicity for the film and it’s at least on the radar as being out soon. Jan. 15th? that’s a lot later than expected
This movie is a dud from day one. Bad choice of director, bad cast. They should just rush it to dvd and be done with it. Peter Jackson needs to stick to fantasy for the masses but then again maybe he just lucked out with “Rings”.
The movie is good. Most of the reviews have been off the mark on this one. It may not work for everyone, most films that go in a different direction than your average flick tend to divide audiences, but there is so much thought and artistry in the adaptation of this difficult material. I need to see t again to decide whether it is a full out masterpiece or “merely” a very well made original movie. This film deserved a better and more discerning critical reaction than it got, including from EW.
Frankly, I was disappointed in the book. The murder and rape of Suzie, as horrible as it was,was the most well written part of the book, and was left out. The movie actually looks very well done.
The real problem is that this is a book that should have stayed a book.
Was’nt that the original plan?
Because according to boxofficemojo.com a few weeks ago, it would get a limited release on Dec 11, expand a little on Christmas day (although now that’s not the case), then expand nationwide on the 15 of Jan.
Ryan Gosling is probably SO glad he pulled out of that movie. Book was amazing….it haunted me for months after I finished it. I’ll probably give the movie a try, but I’ll save my $9.00 and download later on.
The book sucked, no surprise that movie does as well.
“Dark PG-13 thriller” – okay, I know movies won’t be exactly like the book, but if it’s been redesigned a s a “thriller”, then no wonder it’s been getting such poor reviews. Been awhile since I read the book, but I assumed the point was more about “grief and the how people recover from it.”
*please mentally delete the random “the” in the last line
a slump for P.J. indeed from the mega success of TLOTR trilogy to the disappoint that was King Kong and now this flop from him! Sigh
I loved “King Kong.” In fact I liked it even more than I liked LOTR. I read “The Lovely Bones” and I liked it. The trailer looks good although after “The Happening” I have my doubts about the casting of Mark Wahlberg.
I loved this book, but if Paramount is trying to boost their audience by putting the trailer for this in the G rated, Princess and the Frog movie that I saw today with my little girls, that tactic will backfire. Poor taste.
I loved this book, but I was SHOCKED when I saw the movie trailer – it looks like a thriller?! with the dad hunting a serial killer, misses the entire point and themes of the book? wtf?