So, Episode I had a monstrous drop and will likely not even clear $4 million this weekend. The holiday will be a godsend, but only another million or so. And then that's it. It's gone. And it will have made barely--just barely--a little over $30 million.

Egads. I overestimated the film but I never thought that this thing would only make $30 million. Twice that, sure, but $30 million? That's even worse than Clone Wars!

It makes it pretty clear what was driving the sales of the blu-ray box set. And it wasn't anything with Jar Jar Binks in it.

People say Episode I suffered because of the hype. It was "the new Star Wars film" and everyone expected the moon. In fact, that was the only thing it had going for it. Episode I without the hype gives you a box-office flop. People today realize how awful it was and can't be bothered to even see it once. Is this going to be the new excuse? "People will realize Episode I's greatness if only they could watch it again." What a disaster. I actually think Episode I deserves better than $30 million, but then again: I still haven't seen the re-release, and don't plan to, so what does that tell you about how I really feel?