More proof that the bloggers have power, but don’t really represent the masses. Snakes on a Plane had a tough opening, despite the major publicity the movie received in the blogosphere. A much bigger crowd had been expected, due the online interest:

But filmmaking-by-Internet committee has its limits. Industry surveys in recent weeks indicated only modest interest among the moviegoing masses. New Line found itself both playing up the film’s unusual backstory and playing down its sales expectations. It did not screen the movie in advance for critics, a common tactic when a studio fears the reviews will be less than complimentary.

This isn’t definitive proof that bloggers don’t have the pull they think they do, but it sort of gives us a clue. What’s important to people in the blogosphere isn’t always important to the people on Main Street.