» Feature
Simon Pegg = Box Office Failure
Ok look, before I say anything else let me put this out there first. I frigging LOVE Simon Pegg. I think he has some of the best comedic timing, both as straight man and protagonist working in the industry today and I find him completely entertaining. This guy should be a major star and I would put him in any film I ever do in a heartbeat, and probably ask him for a new autograph in between each take. (That’s me with him in the picture. See… I’m not trying to bash the guy in this post at all)
But my personal feelings aside, there seems to be no arguing with the numbers… Simon Pegg can not draw an audience, at least not in the North American market whatsoever. A point made even more true this past weekend as Pegg’s new film “How To Lose Friends And Alienate People”, which had a pretty respectable marketing campaign, only managed to make $1.4 million at the box office in 1750 theaters on opening weekend. OUCH!!!
But this isn’t the first poor showing like this. His last film, “Run Fat Boy Run” only managed to take in about $6 million in it’s total run. The fantastic “Hot Fuzz”, a film that SHOULD have easily been a $100+ film only managed to bring in about $23 million.
So my question is, why doesn’t Simon Pegg work as a lead for North American audiences? The guy is beyond brilliant. His performances are always wonderful. He has a lot of natural charaisma. So why doesn’t anyone want to go see his movies? Is it:
- His looks?
- The fact that he’s British?
- His movies look bad?
- The fact that he’s British?
- Bad marketing?
- The fact that he’s British?
All kidding aside, this is pretty disappointing. In a world where certain talentless hacks seem to be able to get attention, why can’t a genuinely great performer get any sort of love even when he’s given a chance by the studios? Your thoughts
You’re repeated use of the phrase “the fact that he’s British” offends me deeply John (:P).
But I don’t think that statement stands, two words - Hugh Grant. He may have lost his draw NOW but when he was popular his name drew in lots of money. Maybe that’s a rare exception though…
Who cares. He gave us Spaced and Shaun of the Dead so he’ll always be welcome here in Blighty.
Do you think he’ll be more bankable after he appears in Trek though John as I imagine that will get a fair amount of exposure.
Might it be because the vast majority of the American movie going public wouldn’t know a good movie if it bit them on the ass?
Okay so I’m not american and don’t know how the movie was marketed there. But my perception of how the movie is marketed is with Megan Fox. So yes she is pretty and all but she isn’t exactly Angelina Jolie when it comes to acting. She isn’t a huge cashmagnet so there you go. She is okay when you got a movie like transformers and you need a pretty face to lean over and have the camera pan up and down on her.
I like Pegg, but he isn’t a huge cashmagnet either. Not very interesting actors+what is this movie about again = 1.4mil.
The difference between Hugh Grant and Simon Pegg is that Hugh Grant was mildly British. Simon Pegg has that thick accent, but he’s not a cool, tough guy like Jason Stathem. My landlady and I went and saw Ghost Town last night and she admitted that it took her a while to understand Ricky Gervais… so I’m guessing it’s the accent and/or the quirky mannerisms.
p.s. we both thought Ghost Town was great.
Hot Fuzz bombed? Good God.
It really might be the marketing. From the few trailers I saw on TV, I had no idea what “Run, Fatboy, Run” and “Alienate People” were about, and the only thing that interested me about them was Simon Pegg’s presence.
Yea im with u on this one john…Pegg is an amazing actor with great timing. I think with the Star Trek he should get a little more recognition but then again star trek isnt exactly something u take ur girlfriend to so i guess only time will tell, but i most certainly agree that Pegg deserves more recognition.
I don’t know if it really had anything to do with Simon Peg but the new movie he is in sucks. It’s hands down one of the worst movies I have ever seen.
wow are really wondering why he hasnt made it…its simple ..the humor that simon pegg delivers is IMO half british and the other half probly american stlye…probly written byt american writers….but i feel most americans dont garner brits funny….in fact i think subconsciensly they hate it but dont no why….i love his humor because i changed my opinions on him during shaun of the dead…..to me the zombies made me appreciate it…..any ways ..like i said i blame it on the fact that humor is percieved differantly around the world.
“The difference between Hugh Grant and Simon Pegg is that Hugh Grant was mildly British.”
:O:O:O
I think Hugh Grant is about as stereotypically English (that posh thing…) as you can get.
It’s the fact that he’s british
The fact that he’s British AND ALSO not a sex symbol.
Because male-model-esque Brits are box office gold. I think.
It’s kinda hard for a british actor to get a big success in the states, when moviegoers prefer to go watch stupid movies like Beverly Hills Chihuaha, which ended up #1 during the week-end, than to go see a more serious comedy.
Plus Megan Fox looked freakin hot in trailer and production stills!!
I really don’t think the failure of his last two films are much to do with him at all. He just made some films that nobody had any interest in seeing, which had bad reviews as well. On the same note, I don’t see Ricky Gervais new film doing very well either. As Pineapplehead said, lets see what ‘Star Trek’ does for him.
And I couldn’t tell you what happened with ‘Hot Fuzz’ overseas. All i know is that we gave it our money in the UK.
I just kind of don’t like him and the majority would seem to either think that or just don’t care.
Oh and I’m British, he’s not the god here that some Americans seem to think.
If simply having a British lead is reason enough for getting Box Office failure, then explain Christan Bale, Kate Winslet and the Harry Potter cast.
….Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Jason Statham too.
I think that you can only enjoy Hot Fuzz and Sean of the Dead after a few repeated viewings.
was this a shameless way to show off your picture with Simon Pegg?
I’ve loved my namesake Simon, since Spaced which I got hooked on before the hype, I really liked Shaun of the Dead and I loved Hot Fuzz, that film went from good to great, loved how he kept the big ending from being in the trailers.
THOUGH, I thought Run Fatboy Run looked horrible and I think How to Lose Friends and Alienate people looks horrible.
Pegg doesn’t even look good in them. I think he tries to be two types of actor too much and should just stick to the british comedys. Living in the UK I can’t really comment on why he never pulls the NA crowd, maybe it’s the fact they never really aired spaced as early as the UK.
Haole? Mildly British? Less of an accent than Pegg?
Your crazy, go watch some early Hugh Laurie or Fry and Laurie stuff.
I have really liked his previous movies, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (a favorite), but his recent movies have not looked interesting to me. There’s also the fact I live in a small town and my movie theater only seems to bring the more popular movies, annoyingly enough.
The fact that he’s British does not bother me at all and it’s really a shame that it seems to bother most Americans. I spend a great deal of time watching British television shows and movies, and quite frankly, their stuff is better most of the time.
I myself am British am offended and yet have to agree with you. Day after day I hope that Oliver Stone will knock on my door to come to tell me he can see the natural ability that I have in acting. Day after day I’m disappointed.
Is this because I am British? No. Probably not, but at least let me think that Hollywood is Xenophobic..that keeps me going.
HTLFAAP was a terrific movie. Perhaps Pegg is simply too “normal”
Those movies have terrible terrible names that’s why.
I love Simon Pegg. and I agree it is a mystery why he hasn’t made it big time in the US. Every chance I get I show my friends Shaun of the Dead, which is my favorite Simon Pegg film. Although all of his films are good. Hot Fuzz, Run Fatboy Run and Shaun are all great movies, and I haven’t met anyone disappointed after seeing any of them. Shaun of the Dead is one of those movies you can watch over and over and find something new that is funny every time. I haven’t seen How To Loose Friends and Alienate People yet but I’m going this weekend to check it out. He’s a great actor and needs a little more credit and recognition thrown his way. Even when he isn’t talking, his facial reactions to other people are the best ever.
I don’t even know this guy…
-First off actors and actresses today are not Box Office draws no matter who you are, except for Will Smith who is Mr Box Office. People today know that actors and actresses they like will not make a movie better.
-People here in Ireland and the UK are more familiar with him and he’s comedy style. Pegg still needs a massive blockbuster to get recognized by American audiences. Star Trek may do this for him.
-At the end of the day, How To Lose Friends and Alienate People and Run Fatboy Run were never hyped to begin with. Both movies never looked good to begin with so why bother with them.
Could it be that regular joe schmoes in America don’t even know who Simon Pegg is?
“Might it be because the vast majority of the American movie going public wouldn’t know a good movie if it bit them on the ass?”
So true.
I think it’s easy. Nobody knows who he is in the states.
he needs to leak a sex tape.
I love Simon Pegg, but his last two American films haven’t looked entertaining enough to pull me into the theater, so I’m waiting for DVD. I haven’t yet watched Run Fat Boy Run, but it’s on the list.
I have to agree that a lot people in America don’t really know who Simon Pegg is. I also didn’t see a lot of marketing for his last flick, a few commericals, but that’s it.
This makes me sad, because I am a devout disciple of the Church of Pegg. I love him in everything save for Fatboy, and I think he’s a tremendous talent, but he’s closer to a cult figure like Bruce Campbell than he is to the A-list. A fortunate few know and adore him, but it’s a FEW, not a lot, and that saddens me. He just isn’t a draw. I guess I gotta rush to see HTLFAAP this week before theaters dump it completely.
And the picture in this post makes me smile and seethe with jealousy simulatenously. I’d love to meet Peggy:)
I have only seen Hot Fuzz, it was good but imo it wasnt histerical, but i prefer Snatch and Lock Stock maybe because im a huge gangster fan and Brad Pitt was hilarious in Snatch.
I find Tarantino dialogue especially Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs funnier than Hot Fuzz.
After watching Mr. Pegg in Hot Fuzz (my current all time favorite movie of all time), I have a hard time watching him playing a “loser” character, like in Fat Boy (which was okay). I passed on the new film. He is going to rock as Mr. Scott, however. Damn, that new Trek film can’t get here fast enough.
Pegg just needs to choose better projects.
Lets do the maths. How many half arsed American actors do we have to put up in the Uk. A couple of poor box office performances for Pegg does not make him a box office failure, it infact makes the studios a failure for half arsed scripts, direction and marketing.
Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead and Spaced all excellent direction by the superb Edgar Wright, brillant original scripts and marketed a British film to a British audience. So to put it blunty stick it! if you don’t like him we will swap him back for Seagal any day he seems to be spending alot of time over here playing the blues.
Love the site John.
no- okay..
im sorry i have to RESPECTFULLY disagree
some of his movies sucked but he was HILARIOUS in hot fuzz and shaun of the dead. HE-IS-FUNNY.
BUT
he happens to be in some shitty movies. no one wants to see a movie about loosing friends (wtf!?) or about a guy running the 5 k (wtf x 2)
but put this guy in shaun of the dead or a movie liek that and he WILL make you laugh
theres a scene in hot fuzz where he shoots a guy and says
“youre a doctor!!! DEAL WITH IT!”
In the respect that his presence in the new Star Trek might garner him more fans and therefore more box office, I have to disagree. I think people are betting too much on the success of the new Star Trek movie. I’ll be there opening night, but I don’t think it is going to be a mega hit. We live in what is now a ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua’ society where stupidity equals box office. if you look at Mission Impossible 3, another high profile movie directed by JJ Abrams, you’ll notice that really didn’t help Simon Pegg in the least.
And that’s a shame. I actually enjoyed Run, Fatboy, Run despite being a generic romantic comedy chick flick because of Pegg’s charm.
I saw run fatboy run in the theaters and enjoyed it. Also, another problem with this film failing this weekend might have also been the fact that 5 other movies came out at the same time! 3 I wanted to see; Appaloosa, How To Alienate, and Religulous. I only got to see Religulous cause I had a busy weekend. But the fact that so many movies came out this weekend also might have contributed to the movie failing. Also, Hot Fuzz bombing, is a sad sad notion. It’s easily one of my favorite comdies of the decade.
HA! ^^^^^ the guy above me if fucking retarded to a very entertaining point
The problem is not with Mr Pegg. As I have siad before, movie marketing determines the potential box office potential of a movie. My take and estimation of “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People”, is that first the title should be changed. Too many wordy titles. I prefer quick titles that are still representative of the movie. Same thing with Run Fatboy Run. What kind of moron camp up with that.
Secondly, if you show the same trailer over and over and over, many people think you’ve just sowed them all of the funny parts of the movie before they’ve seen it. How about actually showing the setup?
I also think most of SPegg’s fanbase knows when he makes a Edgar Wright movie, and concentrates on that.
And finally, even though many people think Shaun of the Dead was a big hit. It only made 30m worldwide. Granted it only cost 4m to make.
That definitely doesn’t make SPegg in to Hugh Grant.
david lopan…uumm…not you pal…his stupididty was so great that his comment got erased hence it looks like im talking to u now…
hehe…
I think one of the problems is he’s picking some lame films…
funny I just checked THR, and How to loose friends,,, just came in 1st place in the UK,,, 2mil,,,lol
On his appearance in Trek, it could also kill his career, if as many Americans don’t like this guy… (Myself I have NO prob with British actors)
Who knows,,, I hope I have enough Ameros to see the new Star Trek film…
Do you know, I think Eddie Izzard says best,
In the UK we’re great at making these nice, modest budget, feel good movies, that you might watch of a Saturday afternoon and afteward go mmmm nice story. It’s all very esoteric, you kind of sit there with your bucket of popcorn and never actually eat any of it…
if the same movie were made in the states, it’d have explosions, and guns, naked ladies, lots of swearing, and you’d be all like wow, and chucking pop corn down your neck like it was gone out of fashion.
I love Simon Pegg, but he’s always going to be a cult figure, not a box office hero like Will Smith or Tom Hanks. I saw Fatboy Run, and it was okay, a modest film well acted and directed, but it didn’t boggle my brain…
Perhaps in terms of the North American vs UK thing, perhaps it’s partly differences in humour, but also perhaps a stylistic thing, not seen the new film, but if it’s anything like Fatboy it’ll lack the ‘wow’ factor that turns audiences heads…
RALPHY: Think you are spot on (or eddie izzard is anyway)
Simon Pegg is brill, but I wouldnt go overboard on any of his films, apart from Shaun of the Dead!! The rest are all…..(horrible word for a film, but)..average.
Dont get me wrong, i liked them, but wouldnt exactly go to the cinema to see them. For a BIG SCREEN, you want a BIG SCREEN film.
Then again, personally, i would only go to the cinema for a ‘blockbuster’ as such!!!
http://www.nerdoh.co.uk
I think that Pegg has a good box office draw unless you are only including the states hot fuzz grossed a total of 80mil world wide. Thats not a whole lot, but it’s enough I think to say he isn’t a complete failure. Also his new movie looks pretty bad.
i think if he was in a clever american comedy, if there is such a thing (30 rock) and the regular tv joe six pack saw him and loved him, then he’d rock the american film industry. flighty bastards.