Zack Snyder: Attacks on Watchmen were 'personal'

DIRECTOR Zack Snyder has blasted the way the opening weekend of Watchmen was perceived as a disappointment.

He said the film was attacked for making just $55million on its opening weekend and yet Night at the Museum 2 was praised for bringing in a similar amount on its debut.

Speaking to CHUD in the run-up to the release of Watchmen on DVD and Blu-ray next month, he said: "'We made $55million on our opening weekend and everybody was like, 'Oh that's too bad.' And then Night at the Museum made $58million and everyone was like 'Hey, it's a box office bonanza!'

"I was like, 'Really? REALLY? A PG-13 movie about some kids in a frickin' museum and they make a few million more than us and that's awesome?' Maybe it's just sour grapes, but I felt like it was a little bit personal."

Asked why he thought new release Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, had made more on its first day than Watchmen did in its entire first weekend, he said: "Not to be snobby or anything, but I think the movie (Watchmen) asks a lot of the viewer.

"It's not 'entertaining' in the classic sense of the word. That's just a fact. It's not an action film, it's not a comedy. Dramas are not hot right now, and no one wants to see a dramatic superhero movie. It's inherent in the material.

"I was kind of surprised by how excited everyone was getting at the time of release, because I always knew the movie was particular. I knew there were [only] certain people who would say 'This is awesome.'"

He said the problem was that the public perceived Watchmen as a traditional superhero blockbuster: "It is R-rated and it's almost three hours long. There's no version of a three-hour R-rated movie about troubled superheroes that is a summer blockbuster. I don't see that happening."

For more on the DVD/Blu-ray release of Watchmen, and plans to re-release the film on the big screen in the UK and USA, see my earlier article here.