News Feature - Serenity at the Box Office

Hollywood executives were anxiously waiting, with cell phones in hand, for the box office returns this weekend. But, except for maybe a select few, it had nothing to do with Jodie Foster once again playing an overprotective mother or Jessica Alba in a bikini. They were waiting for the results of one of the most interesting box office stories of the year. They were waiting to see if a whole new field of ideas might open up to them - the canceled TV show.

It doesn't look like it was meant to be. Based on the canceled Firefly, Joss Whedon's Serenity couldn't climb to the top of the box office this weekend. In its second weekend, Flightplan made an estimated $15 million and beat second place Serenity by a decisive five million dollars, according to Box Office Mojo. Serenity barely beat out the second weekend of The Corpse Bride at 9.8 million, while the highly acclaimed A History of Violence expanded to the highest per screen of the week, with 8.2 million, in fourth place.

As reported on Serenity's Official Site, FOX canceled the TV show after only 11 of the 14 produced episodes aired, though Firefly’s quirky mix of humor, complex characters and sci-fi had attracted a loyal and passionate following. So when Universal announced production of Serenity, everyone seemed a little surprised that Joss Whedon (writer and director) was able to take an unsuccessful FOX TV series and get a second shot. Entertainment Weekly wondered if Nathan Fillion (the lead of Serenity) could follow in Harrison Ford’s footsteps - "Serenity is poised to be a hit, and may do for Fillion what Star Wars did for that carpenter guy."

The marketing campaign consisted of numerous, internet-promoted screenings, which die-hard fans flocked to, but the unique marketing plan appears to have backfired. Firefly fans were encouraged to spread the word about the film and make sure their friends went to see the movie. So far, that hasn't happened.

If Serenity could have hit it big it might have meant unearthing shows that were critical darlings, ones that TV executives canceled well before their due time. There were probably executives dreaming of bringing Dark Angel to the big screen. The FOX action series about a genetically enhanced supergirl proved too costly to match its low ratings., but it could have worked on the big screen. After all, Jessica Alba (who starred in the show) needs something since Into the Blue sank to fifth place in its first weekend. But now that probably won't happen.

Or perhaps executives would have gone the direction of comedy/drama and given Sports Night a chance in the theaters. ABC’s failed show couldn't find a mainstream audience but at least it has noticeable stars with Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) and Peter Krause (Six Feet Under). But again, audiences probably won't be getting that chance.

Why didn't it work? It could be lack of star power or maybe the direction they took their marketing, allowing all the cult-like fans to see the movie possibly too early. But Whedon can take solace in the fact that critics certainly like the flick. Currently, it has an 79 percent positive score on Rotten Tomatoes. Compare that with the 37 percent score for Flightplan and it does leave you scratching your head. If it's truly that good, maybe there's still a chance the word of mouth could spread for Serenity. Wouldn't it be appropriate for a concept that failed on television to only succeed in its second or third weekend at the multiplex? It's unlikely though that, after this lackluster opening, anyone is green lighting a sequel, another Firefly television series, or searching through the brilliant-but-canceled file for new ideas. Maybe Fox got it right the first time.