| Entertainment Weekly‘s October 27, 2000, issue is their annual POWER ISSUE. Here’s what they had to say about Sly: * SYLVESTER STALLONE – His last $100 million hit was 1985’s Rocky IV, and the $7 million opening for Get Carter shows just how far the mighty have fallen. It’s been a rocky road for the 54-year-old’s future flick about an alcoholic FBI agent, now titled Eye See You, which has been on and off Universal’s release wagon for a year. The next best hope is Renny Harlin’s race-car pic, Driven. |
*****
You all pretty much know how I feel about the results for “Get Carter” and the negative effect the marketing strategy had. Consider this, in the same issue of EW, “Pay It Forward” gets 1 1/2 pages and a “D” rating from the reviewer, “Bedazzled” gets 1/3 of a page and a “C-” and “The Yards” 1/2 page and a “C” rating. Each of these reviews also contained a picture from the movie reviewed.
The week that “Get Carter” premiered NO review or picture was offered because the marketing wizards decided to NOT offer “GC” for advance reviews! When the magazine finally was able to review “GC” it earned a “C” rating (higher than two of the three movies reviewed above and equal to the third!). But by this point the damage had been done.
– Craig Zablo (October 22, 2000)