Bones
Release Date:
October 24, 2001
A film that will draw natural comparisons to The Crow due to its combination of mystical hero and gritty urban setting, Bones tells the story of Jimmy Bones, a local '70s neighborhood hero in the Shaft-meets-The Undertaker mold. He lives his life as a protector of his friends and family until he is betrayed and killed by those closest to him. His spirit returns over two decades later to clean up the mean streets and gain revenge on those who wronged him.
Spike Lee protégé Ernest Dickerson, the cinematographer for Malcolm X, Jungle Fever and Do the Right Thing, returns in a fashion to the format that afforded him his first opportunities as a director in this New Line release. Like his early directorial efforts, Juice, starring Tupac, and Surviving the Game, starring Ice-T, Dickerson is again attempting to take an ultra-cool rap star and turn him into an action hero. This will be the second big role for Snoop Doggy Dogg in 2001, after Baby Boy (he also has a small part in Training Day), and will go a long way in determining how successful he is in reinventing himself as a movie star. Dickerson also has some experience directing the macabre as he was the creative force behind Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight. The combination of director and star would be interesting enough on its own merits, but the casting of Pam Grier, AKA Foxy Brown, as Snoop's co-star is truly inspired. It's a wonderful retro tip of the cap to her '70s work, which the movie will probably both lampoon and laud. Also, Bianca Lawson, fresh from portraying a hostile ex-girlfriend in the sleeper hit Save the Last Dance, will play the love interest. Finally, Michael T. Weiss, AKA The Pretender, plays the villain in the movie, a cop who betrays and kills Bones.
The urban market is tricky to forecast, as a person or genre's popularity waxes and wanes in the blink of an eye (see: Sisqo), but this movie could see similar success to DMX's first two starring roles in Romeo Must Die and Exit Wounds. In fact, the parallel between the two career moves cannot be ignored. Just as DMX played the villain in Romeo and then the avenging angel in Exit Wounds, Snoop has just come off his role as the central source of conflict in Baby Boy and directly moves into the "wronged hero gains revenge" genre. (David Mumpower/BOP)
Comparison films for Bones |
Title |
Date |
Opening |
Adjusted Opening |
Screens |
PSA |
Adj PSA |
Total BO |
Adjusted Total |
Mult |
| Save the Last Dance |
1/12/01 | 23.44 |
25.01 |
2230 |
10511.00 |
10790.1 |
90.17 |
96.23 |
3.28 |
| Exit Wounds |
3/16/01 | 18.49 |
19.73 |
2830 |
6532.00 |
6705.4 |
51.76 |
55.24 |
2.80 |
| Romeo Must Die |
3/24/00 | 18.01 |
20.14 |
2641 |
6819.00 |
7337.7 |
55.97 |
62.61 |
2.74 |
| William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet |
11/1/96 | 11.13 |
15.18 |
1276 |
8723.00 |
11446.5 |
46.35 |
63.23 |
4.16 |
| Baby Boy |
6/29/01 | 8.61 |
9.18 |
1533 |
5614.00 |
5763.0 |
28.74 |
30.67 |
2.98 |
| Juice * |
1/17/92 | 8.09 |
11.75 |
1089 |
7429.00 |
10382.7 |
20.15 |
29.27 |
2.49 |
