America Shows Strange Lack of Interest in Whaling, Flesh-Eating Chris Hemsworth

Ron Howard’s In the Heart of the Sea, based on the supposed inspiration for Moby Dick, hit theaters this weekend. It didn’t do so hot, failing to oust Mockingjay, Part 2 from the number-one spot it’s occupied for four weeks. Maybe the movie could’ve used more dildos?

The LA Times reports the movie made $11 million this weekend, falling short of a projected $12 million. (It cost almost $100 million to make.) But hey, it’s okay:

“It’s really a marathon and not a sprint with a film like this,” said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. executive vice president of distribution. “When you have an older-skewing audience, like this film, they don’t come out during opening week. You need some time for the audience to hear about it.”

The Times added that Goldstein is confident “the film will perform well in the long term once word of mouth spreads among its audience, which was mostly male (54%) and older than 35 (68%).”

Of course the movie also contains what the Boston Globe describes as “bouts of PG-13 rated cannibalism,” with practical Hemsworth practically deciding that “No right-minded sailor discards what might yet save him.” Weird how nobody’s in the mood for a little light gnawing of human flesh in mid-December?