"Kill Bill: Vol. 2" will not be the only film opening tomorrow centering around a roaring rampage of revenge. "The Punisher," the next big-screen adaptation of a Marvel comic, opens tomorrow as well. Both plots contain individuals seeking vengeance after an act of mass violence committed against those closest to them.
Due to this overlap in subject matter, some suggest they are competing for the same audience and the question is raised: Which film will be more successful?
It's anyone's guess as to which film will grab the No. 1 spot this weekend, but Nick Nunziata, the creator and operator of CHUD.com (Cinematic Happenings Under Development), feels that "Vol. 2" will top "The Punisher" in their first week.
"'Kill Bill' should be grossing more, opening at number one unless 'Passion' does some other U-turn," Nunziata said in a phone interview. "Regardless of what he's writing about or directing, bottom line is that it's a Tarantino film. It's its own sort of event picture. 'The Punisher' is a name brand, but they're not marketing it all that well."
Over the past month, "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" was advertised even less than "Punisher," but within the past week ads for the Quentin Tarantino film are almost impossible to miss. Tarantino is also on the cover of both the latest issues of Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone.
"I really enjoyed the first 'Kill Bill' movie, but I didn't know when the second one was coming out until a week ago," said sophomore Allison Baffoni. "Now it's like every time I turn on TV I'm seeing Uma Thurman."
Despite considering "Vol. 2" a shoe-in, Nunziata doesn't think it's a mistake for the studios to put "Punisher" and "Kill Bill" opposite each other.
"It's such a crowded summer and there's so many things to consider," Nunziata said. "With 'Punisher,' you don't want to go near 'Spider-Man.' [As for] 'Kill Bill,' I think it was just a matter of if they waited any longer, they were going to alienate their audience. They have already made the fans of Quentin Tarantino wait two extra months. It's just a matter of they have to strike while the iron's still warm. They missed their opportunity. It was supposed to come out in February. It would've made a lot more sense if it did."
The fact that the storylines for "The Punisher" and "Kill Bill" are so similar won't ultimately effect their total box-office despite the fact they are opening on the same day, Nunziata said.
"They're both R-rated revenge flicks at their core," Nunziata concluded. "Their target demographic is guys aged 17 to 30. Those guys, they're not going to see one or the other. If they're interested in both films, they're gonna see them both. What better way to unwind than with two films that are completely debauchery-laden? It may affect their first weekend but it won't affect their total box office."
"Punisher" star Thomas Jane agrees with Nunziata; he doesn't believe the competition will affect his film in the long run.
"Reminds me of when I used to go to the theater and see 'The Wrath of Khan' and 'Bladerunner' all opening up in the same weekend," Jane said. "It's great. See two movies on one weekend. I don't really think about all that bullshit. Movies come out when they come out, and people who want to see 'em go see 'em. I like Tarantino. I'll probably go see ['Kill Bill.'] Sounds cool"
