antovolk

Literally a few posts above you but here we go: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010704046009

Based on Proyas' FB posts - Lionsgate are relaunching the whole campaign - completely new character posters and trailer

Trailer apparently lands today

For what it's worth, McQuarrie returning was apparently Cruise's idea and he even had to remind Cruise it's always a different director.... look who else is back http://www.showbiz411.com/2015/12/08/mission-accomplished-rebecca-ferguson-first-tom-cruise-leading-lady-doing-a-second-mi

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-revenant-leonardo-dicaprio-bear-rape-director-20151204-story.html

The screenplay (not leaked) http://screenplays15.universalpictures.com/stevejobs/Steve_Jobs_Screenplay.pdf

SPECTRE Sat, November 28, Empire Leicester Sq IMAX, London (Holy shit IMAX Laser is gorgeous) 50% full? Trailers: Batman v Superman Trailer 2 (SDCC Cutdown) Deadpool Trailer 1 Green Band (few laughs at the end) Star Wars TFA Trailer 3 Reactions: some laughs at right moments but nowhere near as epic as opening week audiences.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2015/11/27/exclusive-lionsgate-responds-to-gods-of-egypt-whitewashing-controversy/

On Peeta moping - that's a result of what ended up actually being Collins' idea to have P1 focus on bringing Peeta back. If they haven't split it in two it would've been like the book in that sense, with Katniss like in P2, blaming it all on her own actions. Although Lionsgate's unneeded tween pandering (which is also likely a cause if that 'moping' - using objective of P1 to change Katniss' characterisation) is another issue to discuss entirely. They can't seem to let go what the cast and creative team already let go, which is that HG is apparently a " YA/teen" franchise. I think they only really let that go in the context of marketing and public reception with this film. I was talking to someone who was at the UK premiere of the first film where press weren't allowed to ask anything regarding Twilight and that fans have apparently been asked to get rid of the "Team" banners to avoid Twilight similarities, which is a bit hypocritical in the sense of them replicating almost beat for beat the Twilight playbook for the first film's promotion. There's a WSJ article talking about that I think...

Soundtrack: I honestly don't think that'd have helped the film, it's just ancillary revenue for the studio cashing in on the brand with unrelated stuff. In fact the one decision this year I'm over the moon about is having a score-based soundtrack as opposed to one of those pop albums where none of the songs are in the film. It should've been done that way from the start. The pop soundtracks' audience is already pretty much aware of the film coming out - since it's mostly big fans of the franchise and the featured artists - which skews younger and female, more so than the films themselves. They improved from P1 with trailer release timing and theatrical placements, but apart from the theatrical, they could've been done better. There were definitely less TV spot variants and airings domestically than at this point for Part 1. Let's not even talk about IMAX because that's a complete fuckup on the studio's part. Which bring me to posters - even though I really really like them, I think what someone earlier (@AJG?) said about the poster campaign, it's that they tried to make it too unified, especially the theatrical one-sheets. I think in an interview or something they mentioned that they wanted to promote HG as "an 8 hour movie" to minimise costs and not make it as exhausting having a different look for each film - although they did differentiate with the red suit which didn't appear in the film, of course. (that's not a spoiler, come on) So I guess the question is - what if they, especially in the trailer campaign, were more representative of the film - a more slow paced character driven war film as opposed to all out action? Possibly, but Hunger Games isn't the type of property for it. Question is - will the increase in GA and GA WOM and possibly critical reception offset the drop in fans going to see the film, repeat viewings from fans, and negative WOM coming from them, as they're no doubt going to be pissed about a total departure. Not sure if there are updated figures for the full OW but for opening day and previews I think Deadline mentioned 67% were fans.

What's not bullshit though is that this doesn't have the "games" or visceral action excitement that GA showed up for with HG and CF, closest we get to that is the sewer set piece which has been getting pretty much universal acclaim from critics. That "lack of action" comment or words to that effect is something I have been hearing a lot from more GA people. Anyway here's a well thought out and expressed version of some of the thoughts that gave been echoed in this and the main MJ2 threads http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2015/11/22/box-office-why-a-101m-weekend-for-hunger-games-mockingjay-2-may-be-cause-for-despair/