The weekend box office results were hardly amazing after the big numbers posted almost every week all summer long, but the numbers did have a lot of meaning behind them. Make no mistake, Once Upon a Time in Mexico opening to the tune of 24 million and taking the top spot is more of a boost to Johnny Depp's career than the outstanding numbers Pirates of the Caribbean has produced (the film is well on its way to breaking 300 million domestic). Yes, Mexico certainly benefits from being a sequel to Desperado, which has a distinct cult following, as well as people who vaguely remember that guitar full of guns being "pretty cool" and that Salma Hayek is sexy, but the film's ad campaign was centered around Depp. Look at the poster if you think I'm wrong.

The actor mentioned in recent weeks he was surprised how much screen-time he actually had in Mexico considering he was only on the set for nine days, and it appears director Robert Rodriguez' decision to put him in so much of the film was a smart idea. 24 million may not be the kind of opening that blows people away these days, but it's still roughly 10 million more than Matchstick Men was able to earn with Nicolas Cage and plenty of good reviews (Ebert gave it four stars).

Depp has always made it clear in interviews and based on his career decisions that he doesn't really care about being a big star with box office credibility. Ironically, this attitude is a huge part of his fast-spreading appeal to audiences both young and old. Is there any doubt that his widely respected performance in Pirates has been the key to the film's Nemo-like longevity in theaters this summer? I doubt many will argue against this stance, and I think it's safe to say the opening of Once Upon a Time in Mexico has solidified his status as a legitimate box office draw -- whether he wants to be or not. Sometimes I hate seeing this happen to a good, independent-minded actor because it means he or she will get nothing but shitty screenplays thrown in his or her face, but with Depp, the odds of him not tossing the garbage in the trash where it belongs seems far less likely.

Posted September 16, 2003 | link