"Before Sunrise" was ground breaking in not the concept (two people spending an entire day together talking about life), but the actual SUBSTANCE and the things the characters said in terms of the world around them:
They (Celine and Jesse) predicted the rise of "reality TV"; they touched on how a lot of Generation X and Y feel isolated and like they are ghosts in this world "practicing" for their "real lives" in another one; They embodied the feeling of defining ones life based on who you want to be and not what has come before, I.E. parental wishes; They touched on the universal fears of never really "growing up" internally or even worse, wasting one's entire life in the vain pursuit of "happiness", etc, etc.
Other films have tried to say what Before Sunrise did... But never did it in such a universal or "matter of fact" way, and/or never done it with the dignity that Before Sunrise's explorations did (films about Gen X/Y tend to always be superficial and de-evolve into thinly disguised and predictable romantic comedies, I.E. Reality Bites; Dazed and Confused; etc).
However, the problem is, as Ethan Hawke so eloquently stated, that's NOT what a majority of people go to the movies for (internal exploration of one's self and the world they live in)...
And I will add, especially the summer blockbusters that are geared toward more escapist and fanciful stories like "Spider Man II" and "The Day After Tomorrow".
So...
I doubt Before Sunset is going to break the top 5 and if it does, the later part of the top five (number five to be exact) and disappear about a week later...
But that's just fine with me
I think some movies are MEANT for DVD -- And I am wondering if those involved in this film originally planned for a direct-to-DVD release instead of a theatrical run -- And this is where it will gain its cult following and make MORE money than it doe its entire run -- Which is how movies are considered hits now even if they bomb at the boxoffice.