According to Box Office Mojo, Speed Racer has pulled in a little over $93 million worldwide since its release back in May. Considering this was supposed to be a major summer blockbuster and the fact that it cost $120 million to make, that adds up to a definable flop. Critics seemed to hate it, too, which probably didn't help its abysmal numbers.
I mention all this because I'm a bit perplexed as to why it did so poorly after watching it on DVD last night. I happened to miss out watching it on the big screen only because Lemon had no interest in seeing it, and I never found an opportunity to sneak off to the theater to see it alone. After finishing it, though, I was disappointed that I hadn't seen it on the big screen. The visuals are amazing! It was like tripping on acid without the acid. I imagine this is what they were going for when they tried to bring Dick Tracy to the movies. It was truly a live action cartoon.
Sure, the physics were preposterous. Sure, the script wasn't the most intricate thing ever. Sure, other family-friendly cartoons like any of the Pixar movies probably have more heart and soul. It was fun to watch nonetheless, and I felt was a pretty entertaining movie.
So why did it do so horribly bad? Is there something I missed? Granted, this endorsement is coming from a guy that still enjoys Joe Versus the Volcano whenever it's randomly showing on TV late night, but still, the special effects of this movie alone should have gotten it to at least break even in it's box office sales. Even some stinker sci-fi movies from Paul W.S. Anderson did better--that's kind of insulting.
