‘How Do You Know’ Debuts Poorly at #8

Owen Wilson and Reese Witherspoon in 'How Do You Know'

A comedic dream team with one of comedy’s most prolific directors, How Do You Know was supposed to be a last minute Oscar contender with high box office prospects. But without positive reviews or much public interest, this $120 budgeted film opened with just $7.6 million.

The film had been quietly under wraps for almost a year, and began to show promise once the trailer debuted this summer. Oscar buzz for Paul Rudd followed a couple months later, with early word saying it was his best work yet. But once the film began screening to critics, in addition to reports of its out-of-control budget, it was clear this was a troubled project.

Whether it was the busy holiday season, nasty weather nationwide or just genuine lack on interest, the film disappointed out of the gate Friday night with only $2.5 million, while Saturday grosses barely passed that figure with an additional $2.7 million. Despite the star power of Witherspoon, Wilson, Rudd and Nicholson, the film was lost amid a sea of popcorn films (Tron: Legacy), children’s fare (Yogi Bear, Tangled) and Oscar bait (The Fighter, Black Swan), all of which opened ahead of it.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 19th, 2010 at 10:17 am and is filed under How Do You Know, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.