Why 'Scott Pilgrim' Flopped: Blame the Recession?

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the Michael Cera movie based on a popular comic book series, is officially a flop: the $60 million movie made just $10 million in its opening weekend and $5 million the following week. This despite positive Internet buzz and good reviews from critics. The Wrap lists five reasons for the movie's failure, including "genre confusion" and "at this stage, Michael Cera couldn't open an envelope" (yikes).

But the most interesting theory for why the movie failed: the recession has made us inable to relate to the movie's main character, a sweet slacker type. In other words:

Despite the fantastical elements and efforts to sell its superhero elements, the film's downtrodden protagonist may have hit a little too close to home: Pilgrim lacks a steady job, sleeps in his gay best friend's bed and seems perfectly content with his dead-end prospects in a bad economy.

"In recessionary time, who wants to see a movie about 20-year-old slacker do-nothings who are in a band? You'd rather slap them than go watch them in a movie," a film marketing executive told TheWrap.

Read the full story at The Wrap.