Snakes on the wane
This article by Simon Houpt, art critic for the Globe and Mail, wonders aloud why "Snakes on a Plane" has done so badly, even though it generated so much internet buzz?

I have a few answers for him:
1) Have you seen the movie?
2) Do not believe the hype produced by a bunch of internet dorks. Peanut Butter Jelly Time may be the most amusing thing ever created, but an award-winning piece of culture it ain't.

Besides, even though New Line will recoup its 30 million in production costs with an opening weekend of 15 million, they really dropped the ball on how to make money from this movie:

MERCHANDISE! They should've crammed "Snakes on a Plane" logos and screenshots on everything from Burger King Cups to disposable diapers. That's the real genius behind the whole phenom that Houpt doesn't perceive: "Snakes on a Plane" really is just that bad of a concept that it appeals to the perverse to promote it. The movie will become a cult classic, surely, but it will never be a box-office smash.
- posted by frank crist @ 3:58 PM