Some bloggers and movie analysts are looking at the 2010 box office results and the hits and misses of the year. Many of them are calling “Yogi Bear” a flop. I saw “YB” for the second time over the MLK weekend (in a Sold Out theater) and laughed just as much, if not even more, than the first time.
For a movie to be a flop, it had to have done poorly at the box office and/or have not met expectations. In the case of “Yogi Bear” neither applies. In fact, heading into this weekend, “YB” has made around $85 million in the U.S., and $100 million worldwide. Domestically it’s the 36th biggest movie of the year, beating such films as “Paranormal Activity 2”, “Eat Pray Love”, and “Unstoppable”.
Why is it doing so well? Because it’s actually a pretty good movie. It’s funny, clever, and good for the entire family. Kids and their parents are probably going more than once.
I think the reason most “adult” critics gave “Yogi Bear” a bad review is they were afraid they’d ruin their “reputations” with their fellow critics and the on-line movie geeks by actually saying something good about the movie.
That’s something you never have to worry about with me. If I enjoy a film I’m going to tell you, even if it’s not the popular opinion. And if I don’t like a popular movie (“Avatar”) that everyone else loves, I’ll tell you that as well.
You can count on that now and when I’m an adult.
So, in conclusion, it’s wrong for anyone to call “Yogi Bear” a flop. In fact, it’s a HIT! It will make close to $100M domestically, probably $150M worldwide, and it delivers what you would expect: a good time at the movies. If you haven’t seen it already, you should definitely check it out while it’s still in theaters, to get the full effect of the 3D.