A Plea to Gamers: See a Movie!
Word on the street is gamers were crashing their cars through the doors of Best Buys, etc. last night to nab a copy of the video game of the year, Grand Theft Auto IV. (Note to all bosses: Your employee is not really sick today.)
The last time a game this big came out was when Halo 3 hit stores last September. The media types said that the box office suffered, down big time from the previous year and killing any chance the Farley Brothers’ The Heartbreak Kid (released a weekend later) had of making any money.
Now, I know this weekend is different. First, it’s the official opening of the summer movie season with Iron Man hitting theaters. Second, The Heartbreak Kid sucked. Still, with Grand Theft Auto IV ready to crush sales records, many (Nikki Finke) think Iron Man should be shaking like the Tin Man in the haunted forest.
I’d like to make a plea to all the gamers out there to take two hours out of your weekend to see Iron Man. Early reaction is very positive, and if there’s any chance of quality pictures being made, you have to see the good ones. Sure, Grand Theft Auto has drug-dealing, organized crime, ultra-violence, strippers, prostitutes…wait. What was I talking about? Oh, yeah. Big guy in a tin can. But he fights Afghan insurgents! If you don’t see Iron Man, then you are with the terrorists. Now, think about that.