Is Super 8 Too Secret-y for Its Own Good?

J.J. Abrams is keep a tight lid on his new flick. But is the secrecy worth it?

Do you know what the surprise is in Super 8? I'm leery of surprise endings ever since M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening. Could this kind of secret-keeping backfire?
—C.C, via the inbox

I'd be leery of surprise endings, too, if I'd paid 13 bucks only to learn that the villain was a bunch of furious trees. But could the big Super 8 reveal really be that lame? I found out for you (spoiler-free, too):

I don't think you need to worry so much about this one.

"He already pulled this trick off once before with Cloverfield, ERC box office analyst Jeff Bock says of Super 8 director J.J. Abrams. "So it's no real surprise he's attempting to use his sleight of hand again."

Besides, this actually isn't much of a gamble for Paramount, Bock points out.

"This film is relatively low risk for [Abrams's shingle] Bad Robot and the studio, as the budget, $50 million, is basically a third of what most major summer blockbusters cost."

All that sexy secrecy, and a bargain, too! Analysts like Bock say the flick should bring in at least "the mid-$20 millions to mid-$30 millions" in its opening weekend, likely more. It's unlikely that investors won't be happy at the end of the day.

But you also asked what the surprise is. I found someone who has seen the movie. I browbeat this person, Tim League of the Alamo Draft House, for quite a while, but he insisted he was sworn to secrecy. Perhaps Abrams threatened to beat League to death with his heavy-looking super-cool hipster glasses; League wouldn't say.

But here's what he can tell me: The surprise is not lame.

"I thought the movie was the whole package," says League, who plans to screen the film in his restaurant/theaters. "I liked the first half of the movie better, when it was more of a Stand By Me, 1980s, sweet, coming-of-age-type story, but the second half is great too. I think people will be satisfied with what they find out. Audiences are safe with this one."

Need more dish on Super 8 and everything else going on in entertainment right now? Well, good, because all here in the latest podcast!