Alvin and Chipmunks Surprise Hit

Based on its pre-release buzz, Twentieth Century Fox's Alvin and the Chipmunks was widely expected to only be a modest hit, if not an outright bomb. This author called the flick "a trainwreck in the making" and wondered why the MPAA had cleared a gag about eating poop in a trailer meant for a family audience.

Other critics would rather have buried the flick than praise it: 68 out of 89 critics hated Alvin and the Chipmunks, giving it a 23% Rotten rating on movie site Rotten Tomatoes. Even those who liked the movie weren't exactly effusive about it.

"The sight of enhanced Alvin and the Chipmunks in the movie of the same name is far less squirm-inducing than one might have feared," wrote Gene Seymour of Newsday in one of the few positive reviews of the flick. The stage was set for this flick to bomb big-time.

However, the film started making money. Alvin and the Chipmunks made $44.3 million in its first weekend (Ratatouille made $47 million in its opening weekend) and has pulled $176.7 million so far. That puts it 11th for the highest box office earners of 2007, and it ranks behind The Simpsons Movie as Fox's biggest film for the year. The Simpsons Movie made $183 million during its theatrical run, so it's likely that Alvin could end up topping that flick in the coming weeks.

After predicting a bust, movie critics and analysts are collectively saying, "WTF?"

Even Hollywood Talent Hated the Script

Ratatouille voice actor Patton Oswalt called the flick "a blatant, soulless, money-grab . . . Oddly enough, both (fellow voice actor and friend) Brian Posehn and I were offered the part of Ian, the agent. We both threw the script across the room in disgust. David Cross caught it."

Cross apparently caught so much flack for appearing in Alvin and the Chipmunks that he wrote a 1771-word missive on his blog defending his decision to take the role.

"I knew going into this movie that I would be eating a lot of delicious **** for it," wrote Cross. "But I wasn't prepared for the level, or amount I should say, of vitriol that's been flung about like so much monkey poo."

Cross also hammered Oswalt for his "snide comment in his blog about how he and Brian were offered the part and how they then chucked the script in disgust only to have it hungrily intercepted from its intended trajectory into the incinerator by me, a money hungry whore sell out, (I'm paraphrasing)."

Some of Cross' reasons for taking on the role? The fact that he hadn't worked in 6 months, he wanted to make a down payment on a cottage in Sullivan County, that he had turned down the role once before (before Oswalt and Posehn even had a chance to read the script) and only had second thoughts after Fox upped their price.

Despite Alvin and the Chipmunk's success, Cross is still defensive about his decision to take on the role. He even signed off with "yours until the next piece of ****."

So Why Did Alvin and the Chipmunks Hit Big?

It's simple. A lack of competition.

G and PG-rated movies always do well during the holiday season. Somewhere between unwrapping the presents, finding a way to discreetly get rid of that hideous sweater from Aunt Bertha and drying out Uncle Elmer after he didn't put enough egg nog in his rum, someone always suggests going to see a movie. And since babysitters are hard to find, it ends up being G-rated so that all the kiddies can come too.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe was the recipient of such timing, back when it hit theatres in the winter of 2005. Although it had a PG rating, enough families saw it, ensuring it was a mammoth hit. The fact that it was based on a beloved children's novel didn't hurt, either.

So which movies was Alvin playing opposite this holiday season? Two horror flicks (One Missed Call, Alien vs Predator: Requiem), a horror/thriller (I Am Legend), a treasure-hunting thriller (National Treasure: Book of Secrets), a teen pregnancy comedy (Juno), and a movie about a serial killer (Sweeney Todd). Not exactly family fare.

Disney's Enchanted had come out in November, which meant that most families had seen the film by the time the Christmas holidays came around. The only other family friendly movie that was released during the Christmas season was Sony's The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep. That film didn't excite people the way its distributors had hoped, making $30 million in its two weeks in theatres.

Due to some inter-studio politicking, The Water Horse also ensured that the next Chronicles of Narnia flick, Prince Caspian, won't hit theatres until May. Both films were produced by Walden Media, and they didn't want both their films getting released at the same time. So Prince Caspian wasn't there to spoil Alvin's ride.

Lots of bored families at Christmas + lack of serious competition = big box office for Alvin and the Chipmunks.

There Will Be Alvin Sequels

Of course, any time a movie becomes a hit, a studio starts talking sequel. Alvin and the Chipmunks only cost Twentieth Century Fox $60 million to make, and it's already doubled that at the box office. It's only a matter of time before Fox green-lights an Alvin 2 (or 3, or 4, or . . .).

Until then, those involved in the movie's cast and crew will point to the movie's box office, and deny that they had any qualms about working on a film that so many derided.

"I have no regrets at all," wrote Cross about his experiences making the movie. "I enjoyed my time on set and the director Tim Hill was a pleasure to work with. There was no pretending or ignoring that we weren't working on a big commercial movie to be rushed into theaters to fill an empty Christmas time, children's movie slot."

Alvin and the Chipmunks poster

Print Article

Email Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds