# $175 million "Mars Needs Moms" opens to $7 million weekend **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878 "2011-03-24T19:22:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/21 "2011-03-24T21:21:44Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > I don’t think parents that hate their kids (now or in the future) are part of Disney’s target demographics.😉 If a kid likes this movie, I don’t know … ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/22 "2011-03-25T03:14:22Z")
Someone I talked to last week thinks that it’s failing because the characters are too far into the uncanny valley for kids to enjoy. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/23 "2011-03-25T03:16:46Z")
I saw lots of commercials for this on TV…the characters looked way too creepy. I wasn’t even aware of the plot or the original story’s author until this thread. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/24 "2011-03-25T03:18:35Z")
I was part of a test panel who was paid to watch some early-release footage of Mars Needs Moms, and I was brutally honest with them, begging them to re-edit it, telling them that is was among the wost movies that I had EVER previewed. I guess they didn’t listen… ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/25 "2011-03-25T03:19:29Z")
Personally, I don’t plan on seeing any 3D movies anytime soon. The gimmick is too distracting when it doesn’t work perfectly, which is unfortunately a lot of the time, especially if you got to the theatre late and can’t get perfectly-centered seats. 2D will do, thanks, and a weak story isn’t going to be improved by adding effects of _any_ kind. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/26 "2011-03-25T03:37:20Z")
[Nelson Muntz]HA ha![/Nelson Muntz] ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/27 "2011-03-25T03:47:25Z")
> [@mrklutz](#): > > I’ve seen trailers for it quite a bit. I’m pretty easy to please when it comes to cartoons, but this looked terrible. I’m not at all surprised it’s bombing. I’ve seen a lot of the trailers too (on TV). It looks awful. If they’re using some of the best stuff – catchy lines, etc. – for the trailer, yeah, it’s gonna suck. Good point also, about the uncool title. There’s another kids’ movie trailer I’m seeing – I’ve forgotten the title and I just saw the damn thing an hour ago (it’s that memorable). All I remember is “by the people who brought you Despicable Me”. It doesn’t look good either. Oh! It’s _Hop_! A “save Easter” movie? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Sakuma\_Drops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sakuma\_Drops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sakuma_Drops)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/28 "2011-03-25T04:31:40Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > There’s another kids’ movie trailer I’m seeing – I’ve forgotten the title and I just saw the damn thing an hour ago (it’s that memorable). All I remember is “by the people who brought you Despicable Me”. It doesn’t look good either. Oh! It’s _Hop_! A “save Easter” movie? :dubious: Oh yeah, the movie that finally teaches us the truth about jellybeans: they’re Easter Bunny poo, don’t eat them! 😛 I noticed that the bumper for this trailer (with the Universal logo) had the Minions from _Despicable Me_ wearing bunny ears. Why didn’t they just make a movie (or at least a short film) where the Easter Bunny gets the flu and subcontracts the Minions to make and deliver all his Easter treats instead? I would have paid to see _that._ ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/29 "2011-03-25T10:14:36Z")
I figure that Hop can be, at best, as good as Greg the Bunny. While the show had its moments, I don’t think that’s a very high bar. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/30 "2011-03-26T17:47:08Z")
> [@Sakuma\_Drops](#): > > Oh yeah, the movie that finally teaches us the truth about jellybeans: they’re Easter Bunny poo, don’t eat them! 😛 I noticed that the bumper for this trailer (with the Universal logo) had the Minions from _Despicable Me_ wearing bunny ears. Why didn’t they just make a movie (or at least a short film) where the Easter Bunny gets the flu and subcontracts the Minions to make and deliver all his Easter treats instead? I would have paid to see _that._ I’d love to see a TV series starring the Minions, but I don’t think there’s a market for silent comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/31 "2011-03-26T19:03:30Z")
My kids loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/32 "2011-03-26T20:41:27Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Someone I talked to last week thinks that it’s failing because the characters are too far into the uncanny valley for kids to enjoy. Thoughts? Saw the trailer for this in front of _Tangled_, and it was the uncanny valley factor that made me think “no way in hell will I ever see that one”. Absolutely horrid looking. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/33 "2011-03-26T23:25:25Z")
[Many Culprits in Fall of a Family Film](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/business/media/15mars.html) > [@](#): > > LOS ANGELES — In the movie business, sometimes a flop is just a flop. Then there are misses so disastrous that they send signals to broad swaths of Hollywood. “Mars Needs Moms” is shaping up as the second type. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/34 "2011-03-26T23:35:14Z")
Berkeley Breathed wrote the book the movie’s based on? That I have to take a look at. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/35 "2011-03-26T23:48:21Z")
Merged duplicate threads. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/36 "2011-03-27T11:42:34Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > I was part of a test panel who was paid to watch some early-release footage of Mars Needs Moms, and I was brutally honest with them, begging them to re-edit it, telling them that is was among the wost movies that I had EVER previewed. > > I guess they didn’t listen… Or, worse, they did listen and still couldn’t fix it. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/37 "2011-03-27T12:09:09Z")
I love 3D but Zemeckis makes bad choices for movies - or just makes bad movies. Why on earth did he think we needed yet _another_ version of A Christmas Carol? I didn’t hate it, but c’mon; it has been done to death. This one just didn’t catch my interest. There was nothing in any of the marketing that made me want to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/38 "2011-03-27T12:29:24Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > I’d love to see a TV series starring the Minions, but I don’t think there’s a market for silent comedy. It worked for Pingu, Shaun the Sheep, and currently works for Timmy Time on Disney Channel. I say go for it!!! ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/39 "2011-03-27T13:12:48Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > There’s another kids’ movie trailer I’m seeing – I’ve forgotten the title and I just saw the damn thing an hour ago (it’s that memorable). All I remember is “by the people who brought you Despicable Me”. It doesn’t look good either. Oh! It’s _Hop_! A “save Easter” movie? :dubious: My wife and I have an ongoing debate about the content of the balckmail pictures that were used to get James Marsden to appear in this movie. As for the OP, all of my wife’s friends have refused to take thier under-tween aged kids to see it because they feel the concept of Moms being kidnapped would be too disturbing for littler kids, but the movie does not look appealing for older kids. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878/40 "2011-03-27T15:22:40Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > I was part of a test panel who was paid to watch some early-release footage of Mars Needs Moms, and I was brutally honest with them, begging them to re-edit it, telling them that is was among the wost movies that I had EVER previewed. > > I guess they didn’t listen… You should have told them “I’m calling my broker and telling him to short Disney, just on the basis of this preview”. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/175-million-mars-needs-moms-opens-to-7-million-weekend/575878.md?page=3)