Snakes on a Plane: What were they expecting, exactly?

According to USA Today, executives at New Line are scratching their heads over the comparatively little opening weekend take for Snakes on a Plane.

Exactly what were they expecting? The title is easily one of the top two best in the history of American cinema, but only people like me -people who use phrases like "history of American cinema"- are going to get it on that level. For your average moviegoer, if indeed such an animal still exists, it's going to have less appeal.

Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo is quoted in the article as saying that studios have bloated expectations of online fans. This is an understatement. As one of these online fans I actually feel vaguely insulted that they expected some kind of queue-around-the-block Star Wars cash cow that would single-handedly reverse Hollywood's downturn. They have completely missed the point of internet communities as niche audiences who -and this cannot be stressed enough- want a niche/community feel to their media or any other products they buy into. The Snakes fans feel a sense of ownership over the product... They didn't help out New Line to make them rich. It was co-creation.

Dustin Rowles is also quoted in the article. He says the best thing they (New Line) can do is to wait for DVD and make their money there. Agreed. If the fans feel a sense of ownership they will likely want to own the film. I know I will.

The fans aren't wrong. The film isn't wrong. The business model is wrong. Don't hate the player, as they say.