What Happened With 'R.I.P.D.'?

"Because I like him so much and want only good things for him, I wish Ryan Reynolds would start choosing better movies to be in -- or at least be a little more selective." Thus began a comment from a friend of mine about R.I.P.D., the action-comedy that tanked over the weekend. I agree 150 percent: He's a funny, likeable guy who can't seem to stumble into a good movie. (It's like Channing Tatum stole the career he should have had.) For IFC Fix, my latest Bomb Squad column tries to get to the bottom of why R.I.P.D. failed so spectacularly at the box office. Here's what I came up with.

What Happened With 'Peeples'?

Anybody who's a fan of Craig Robinson no doubt hopes to see more of the guy, not less. But box office bombs like Peeples aren't going to help his upward climb. For IFC Fix, I devote my Bomb Squad column to this misfire, trying to figure out why people stayed away in droves. You can read my theories here.

What Happened With 'Scary Movie 5'?

For my "Bomb Squad" column over at IFC Fix, I look at the box office disappointment of Scary Movie 5. The obvious answer for why the movie failed is, "Hey, these movies stink -- that's why." But, as I argue in my piece, artistic feebleness has nothing to do with it. Not one of these movies has gotten good reviews, and yet three of the four previous installments grossed over $90 million. So why did audiences suddenly decide now that they weren't interested in this franchise? I try to explain why here.

(Update: You can now read this piece here.) 

What Happened With 'Admission'?

We've had back-to-back weeks with comedy bombs at the box office. First, it was The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. Now, it's Admission, which I think is underrated. Regardless, for IFC Fix, I did another of my Bomb Squad columns, figuring out why people weren't interested in this Tina Fey film. You can read my conclusions here.

What Happened With 'Burt Wonderstone'?

For IFC Fix, I'm going to start doing an occasional column called "Bomb Squad" where I try to figure out why a recent film tanked at the box office. For the inaugural column, I take a look at The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, which, you may remember, I actually sorta like. My IFC Fix piece is here.