S U N D AY, D E C E M B E R 3 1 , 2 0 0 6Whither Mike Myers?The NYTimes treats Mike Myers absence from new movies as if he wereakin to Stanley Kubrick or Terrence Malick.</p><p> I wouldn't mind if Myershad made more good movies, but his record is very spotty, to say theleast. "Wayne's World" and "Austin Powers" are his sole claims to fameat the movies so far.</p><p> And in a typically lazy comparison, the NYTimesinsists that the Austin Powers franchise rivaled "X-Men" and "Lord ofthe Rings." Not even close.</p><p> The two Austin Powers sequels grossed$300 million worldwide each, roughly. (The first was a a $53 millionsurprise and a smash on DVD.) The "X-Men" movies grossed $300million, then $400 million then $450 million worldwide.</p><p> That's 50%more, quite a lot when you're talking about a $150 million difference.And "LOTR?" That's an ENTIRELY different playing field, with $860million, $920 million and $1.1 BILLION per movie worldwide.</p><p> AustinPowers is not even remotely comparable to that. "Shrek" is a muchbigger franchise, but -- despite the NYTimes implication that Myersinsisted those slackers involved with the movie do a better job on hischaracter, he has no creative involvement on the script or anything elseother than providing his voice.</p><p> The franchises I would compare toAustin Powers? Maybe "Rush Hour" or the Bourne movies.POSTED BY MICHAEL IN NEW YORK AT 11:57 AM 3 C O M M E N T S :Ed Sikov said...I still think he'd have made a great Clouseau.1:54 PM Michael in New York said...I don't know if anyone would make a great Clouseau.</p><p> I don't know why;it's just a slapsticky character -- I think the hard prt is finding the rightdirector.</p><p> But you're right; he would have been a great choice.3:43 PM priv8pete said...I think his best film was So I Married an Axe Murderer.</p><p> That movieNext Blog»sal1mineo@hotmail.comSEARCH BLOG FLAG BLOGFOLLOW BLOGP O P S U R F I N G .</p><p> C O MS U R F I N G T H E WAV E S O F P O P U L A R C U LT U R EB Y M I C H A E L G I LT Z & F R I E N D SPOPSURFING.COM: Whither Mike Myers?http://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/12/whither-mike-myers.html 1 of 37/28/09 1:48 AMFAV O R I T E L I N K SAmericablogFive O'Clock Lightning baseball blogDeep Pop -- Lori Lakin's BlogThe Back Page -- Jason Page on ESPNRadioCine-Blog -- George Robinson's BlogDocuments On Art & Cinema - DarylChin's BlogBrucie G's Wondrous Blog OfAdventure and Mystery -- BruceGreenspan's BlogB L O G A R C H I V E▼ 2009 (17)▼ July (3)1939 -- The Greatest Year ForMoviesSwimming Bans Those Hi-TechSuits!Best Movies Of The Year -- TheMaster List► June (3)► May (1)► March (2)► February (1)► January (7)► 2008 (86)► 2007 (781)► 2006 (2412)► 2005 (5)C O N T R I B U TO R SAaronBiboyMichael in New York POPSURFING.COM: Whither Mike Myers?http://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/12/whither-mike-myers.html 2 of 37/28/09 1:48 AMPOPSURFING.COM: Whither Mike Myers?http://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/12/whither-mike-myers.html 3 of 37/28/09 1:48 AM
