B.O. Boys (Movie Box Office)

I’d give these guys 5 for their insight, but the sit- down comedy “ bits” on the road to their analyses are like watching a 29 minute deleted impro from an Apatow movie, and realising why it was deleted. Good insights though…

I recently discovered this podcast as I was interested in the box office opening for the new Avatar movie. I enjoyed listening to a couple of earlier episodes which touched on the recent Dwayne Johnson/Black Adam controversy. Unfortunately when it came to Avatar, one of the hosts overestimated it’s box office opening by a ridiculous $80m! The whole reason I started listening to this podcast was to listen to either experts or at the very least people with some knowledge of cinema box office, so this was surprising to say the least. I haven’t seen any other box office analyst come anywhere near missing the mark as badly as this guy did. The same guy consistently uses the word ‘comp’ as an abbreviation of comparison rather than complimentary which is a minor quibble. So all in all it is an entertaining podcast between two hosts that have a good rapport. But if you’re looking to hear expert or knowledgeable analysis of cinema box office, this isn’t the show for you.

Engaging enough when they talk about box office. Their attempts at humour are embarrassing ; long riffs that go nowhere. They don’t even laugh at each other’s jokes. I find it hard to finish an episode due to the puerile comedy, which is a shame.

Where to begin? I got into Box Office in my teens, travelling to London (England) to buy Variety (pre hit pieces) so I could see the opening numbers for Death Wish 4: The Crackdown , Superman IV and Nightmare on Elm Street 3. I studied the per screen average, the weekly % changes etc etc. GOOD TIMES! I’ve been fascinated by Box Office ever since and came across this podcast as it has Scott Mendelson on it as one of their fantastic range of guests. Pat and Clayton are hilarious and an absolute joy to listen to. Furthermore, their pioneering work on The Kraven Effect (a terrible disease afflicting people who think they’ve seen an oft delayed film, even though it hasn’t come out) has shown sufferers that they are NOT alone. Look, you don’t know me and even if you did, you’d be unlikely to act on my Podcast recommendation BUT if you want a good time, all of the time and are even slightly interested in cinema or life then this podcast is the best there is. It’s also one of the only ones out there to use the word ‘milieu’ (I take a shot every time Clayton says it). Oh yeah, Christopher is also dope.