Poker Movies Tank at Theater

When poker players sit down to play their game they look for something called Positive Expectation when making a decision. This means that they expect a good move to make them money over time; when Hollywood execs make a movie they look for something similar. But when they put poker and movies together it does not seem to work. The latest example is "The Deal" with Burt Reynolds, which opened in 50 theaters and made less than forty grand the first weekend. Gambling does not seem to be the issue, as the blackjack based movie "21" has made $80 million over six weeks or so.