Box office watchers are predicting that “Dream House” will end up beating Seth Rogen’s “50/50” and Brad Pitt’s “Moneyball,” which opened last week, to become the top film this weekend. I find it hard to make such a prediction, though, when I haven’t seen the film. And neither have most critics. That’s because Universal, the film’s distributor, decided not to screen it for reviewers. The move surprised most of us, given the pedigree of the talent involved in the movie. Daniel Craig is the latest James Bond and a respected actor beyond that. Rachel Weisz is an Oscar-winning actress who often takes a break from the big screen to go back to her roots in the theater. (The two just married this year, in a surprising private ceremony, adding only more interest to the film.) Naomi Watts has been nominated for an Oscar as well.
The film was directed by Jim Sheridan, an Irishman who has been nominated a six times for Academy Awards, including “My Left Foot” and “In the Name of the Father.”
So what happened?
The professionals aren’t saying much, of course. But rumors that Sheridan clashed with Morgan Creek Productions head James G. Robinson are so widespread, there must be some truth to them. Reportedly, the studio boss took creative control of the film away from Sheridan, making changes and cuts of his own. Predictably, the director wasn’t happy. And the actors backed him up.
In fact, Craig, Weisz and Watts were so displeased with the direction the film took that they’ve all refused to do publicity for it. The studio was left scrambling, picking bits and pieces out of other interviews the stars have done in which they might have mentioned the film.
Craig and Weisz play a married couple in the film who move from Manhattan to New England with their two young daughters. They don’t find peace in their new home, however. It turns out the house was the scene of a shocking multiple murder of a mother and her children, one that was never completely solved. Watts is a neighbor who knew the family and befriends Craig as he looks for answers as mysterious things begin happening to his own family.
Anyone who’s seen one of the film’s trailers knows this storyline — and a lot more. One wonders if Morgan Creek wanted to get people in the theaters after they released a promo that seemed to give away the film’s major plot twist. Certainly, a spooky story like this usually appeals to audiences when there’s more mystery surrounding the film — the film’s plot, that is, not its troubled production. I suspect there’s more to the story that is revealed in the clips. But again, I can’t tell you if that’s true.
A cold opening, as a release without critics seeing the movie beforehand is called, doesn’t necessarily keep away audiences — though it took me a while to go down the list of top films from this year and find one that opened cold. Tyler Perry’s movies don’t screen for critics, but always make money.
“Dream House” cost about $50 million to make. Whether it can make that back, and then some, is a question only the audience can answer.
Kelly Jane Torrance is The Washington Examiner movie critic. Her reviews appear weekly and she can be reached at [email protected].
