14 DAY TRIAL // While acts like the Jonas Brothers are and will always be extremely popular with a certain demographic, as also will be the movies or related products they put out, the unthinkable has happened. The Brothers’ “3-D Concert Experience,” expected to rake in millions in its first week, tanked at the US box-office, grossing a little over $12.5 million, according to numbers made public by DeadlineHollywoodDaily.
Despite the fact that the Jonas Brothers themselves promised fans they would “pop in” at select theaters to watch the movie with them, this too failed to get the usual screaming mobs see the film. Granted, $12.7 million is better than nothing, but it barely stands for anything when compared to the $40-50 million the boys thought it would make, or to the smashing success “Hannah Montana 3-D” was. Then again, the latter was just a “one-week lock engagement” as industry insiders call it, and it did create a sense of urgency with the fans.
Be that as it may, the fact that the Jonas Brothers performed so badly in the opening weekend (leaving aside for a second the fact that the film played in just 1,271 3-D theaters) can only mean that this is just the beginning of a bad streak of luck. “Concert pics usually look better on paper than they actually are because the fans drive tracking but it doesn’t go beyond fans. Many had unrealistic expectations for this pic.” an industry insider tells the aforementioned publication about the reason for this unexpected failure.
As we reported only a few days ago, the Jonas Brothers announced at a special press conference that, when the movie was to hit theaters on Friday, fans should expect to see them sitting in the next row to them. Called the Surprise Theater Invasion Campaign, the move was supposed to make them feel much closer to the boys – literally, and to guarantee the success of the film.
“We can’t give too many details as to what cities or how many cities we’ll be going to. What we can tell you is it will be a coast-to-coast tour and it’s really all about our fans, and being able to experience this with them.” Nick said at the time. He also revealed that planes had already been secured to ensure fast transportation from one location to another, while also stressing that the Campaign was a means to make fans part of the Jonas family.