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2009-08-15

Ponyo on Twitter

Ponyo is now among the top trending topics at Twitter. As of 2:30 am cdt, it is ranked #7. I'll keep my eyes open to see if it continues to rise this weekend.

The buzz for this movie is tremendous. The Ghibli Blog has never been more popular, I can assure you. The critics are nearly unanimous, and the fans are roaring to the multiplex. Ponyo is going to be a great success.

As always, a big hello and thank you to all the new visitors to this site. Take your time and look around.

4 comments:

returnofthesmith said...

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/?sortdate=2009-08-14&p=.htm

Looks like Ponyo is looking to only grab around 4 million over the weekend. It's screen avaerage is pretty darn avaerage. Its a damn shame, but its looking like a colossal flop.

Sean L. said...

I am so glad to have found your blog! It's very professional and informative.

Ponyo is my latest obsession, and I've been a devoted Miyazaki & Ghibli fan since I saw Princess Mononoke. I'm excited like you to see that Ponyo is being received so warmly. I've seen it twice already (the first time was at a preview screening)! Here's hoping Ponyo gets the box office success it deserves.

My review of Ponyo on my personal blog: http://seancl.blogspot.com/2009/08/ponyo-on-cliff-by-sea.html

Daniel Thomas MacInnes said...

Thanks! Glad to have you aboard.

Daniel Thomas MacInnes said...

@returnofthesmith - Now, now. Let's not panic yet. Sit back and think about what you've just said. Ponyo opened yesterday. One day, maybe five or six shows per theater. By that calculation, we have already decided on whether or not Ponyo is a success at the box office.

We must be careful not to fall into this mindset. It's the way Hollywood bosses think, but it's not reality. It speaks more to their impatience than anything else. Movies, more than ever, are built on word-of-mouth. Ponyo will find its audience.

Look at me. I'm the editor of The Ghibli Blog, and I haven't seen Ponyo yet. I'm going to see it today, and then again tomorrow. Most likely I will pay to see it four or five times, which is how many times I saw Howl's Moving Castle when it played at the Uptown Theater.

Most movies earn all their money up front and then are almost immediately forgotten. That's because pictures about plastic toys and transforming robots are disposable amusement park rides. A film like Ponyo will have a more sustained support. Word-of-mouth is key.

If Ponyo is to become a success, it will be because YOU - each and every one of you - did your part. If you bring one friend to the theater, that will make a great difference. I honestly don't know why apathy and laziness are so widely accepted in America. This is the same nation that put a man on the moon?

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