Eric Lasagna

Spider-Man: No Way Home Greater Philadelphia Area Seat Report T-6 and Counting Sellouts Showings Seats Sold Total Seats Perct Sold TOTALS 11 221 19,007 39,892 47.65% Total Shows Added Today: 16 Total Seats Added Today: 2,191 Total Sellouts Added Today: 5 Total Seats Sold Today: 646 Comp 2.503x of Black Widow's Final Count (33.04M) 3.629x of Venom 2's Final Count (42.09M) Adjusted Comp 1.285x of Star Wars: TROS T-6 (51.39M)

Just letting you all know I'm getting 10-6 up tomorrow. My lips are sealed, but this is when we get to the really, really good stuff.

Morbius is a Marvel movie. When people see “Marvel” they turn into robots and automatically go to it. It’ll make bajillions and we all know it

I do honestly take pleasure in all this as a form of justice to the Feig movie. It was legit a cute, pleasant time and it’s a pity the reappraisal after all the discourse was “it’s meh I guess”. Deserves better than that honestly

Then maybe we should change the forum’s name to Artistic Quality Theory. Sounds way cooler to me

Well I already named MPR, Mamma Mia 2, A Star is Born, La La Land, and Greatest Showman as big musicals from the last five years. What’s their excuse?

And honestly for what it’s worth, despite my big ol’ rant, I do think dramas, awards hopefuls, indies, and kids movies will still survive. The big difference is that they will probably be hybrid releases. See it in theaters or on PVOD the same day. There is a streaming market for these kinds of movies, and while this does have its own negative repercussions, at least these kinds of movies are getting made somehow

Excluding the Disney remakes, Mamma Mia 2 grossed 400M. Mary Poppins Returns did 350M. A Star is Born, if you want to count it as a musical, made 436M. Greatest Showman did 435M. La La Land did almost 450M. Even stuff like Rocketman and Pitch Perfect 3 did 185-195M on about a 40M budget. Don't even try and act like musicals haven't been premier destinations. The thing is that me and Clay and CJohn and everybody else complaining right now...know that theaters won't shut down. We know that Spider-Man's gonna make a bajillion dollars. We know that Spider-Man is going to be this juggernaut around the corner. But the big problem is that Marvel movies and other big tentpoles are the only things selling well right now. And that's a huge problem. Everything else this year is struggling to survive in this current theatrical ecosystem. Original features, midbudget titles, awards hopefuls, indies, animated kids titles. All of them are failing to maintain an audience and that's an awful, terrible situation that we need to address, because that is a serious problem. It's bad because there's fewer options for people, less diversity in the movie landscape, turns away audiences uninterested in superhero fare (yes those people exist), and it drastically cheapens our overall culture. And for directors and filmmakers who don't want to be stuck in the Marvel industrial complex or have little interest in making these movies aren't getting a good platform or are forced into an industry that destroys any opportunities and hopes for them. That's really, really bad, and is a much bigger picture and way more important that a too big to fail Marvel title making a bajillion dollars. Because really, relying on just one franchise or genre to prop up all of theatrical exhibition...that shit is not healthy at all, especially if said genre starts to wane in popularity. And I'm still not convinced these Disney+ shows aren't oversaturating and diluting interest amongst people. And yet. Every. Fucking. Time. Anybody dares to talk about this stuff, we're bombarded by Marvel stans that it's not a big deal. It all becomes a giant circlejerk about how Marvel is the greatest thing ever and how it's this amazing savior of cinema and that we should all just shut up and let there be a new superhero movie every week. Who cares if people get sick of it or that we're only stuck with the same bland choices for the rest of our lives? Who cares if diverse genres and filmmaking don't exist anymore? Since superhero movies make so much money, fuck all the other movies, right? We already dominate the conversation, but it's still not enough, right? Got to make sure that we talk about how huge and massive and popular Marvel movies are and how awesome they are, right? The boards have been doing this all year and it is beyond obnoxious and is only belittling people who care about movies and wants all types of films, including superhero titles, to succeed. If you're not bothered by the fact that only Marvel and Marvel-type films are making money, good for you. But this does not invalidate my problems with the industry or anybody else's.

This applies to you too bucko.

Guys, this stuff is not helping. Just stop.

There weren't any Early Access shows. The closest thing was a free IMAX event a la Shang-Chi

And cue them to start in 3...2...1...

https://deadline.com/2021/12/west-side-story-opening-weekend-1234888675/

Sing 2 Greater Philadelphia Area Seat Report T-13 and Counting Sellouts Showings Seats Sold Total Seats Perct Sold TOTALS 1 61 1626 10811 15.04% Total Seats Sold Today: 40 Total Seats WITHOUT EARLY ACCESS: 218 Comp (WITHOUT Early Access) 4.739x of Jungle Cruise T-13 (12.8M)

The Matrix: Resurrections Greater Philadelphia Area Seat Report T-13 and Counting Sellouts Showings Seats Sold Total Seats Perct Sold TOTALS 0 55 905 9574 9.45% Total Seats Sold Today: 96 Comp 0.938x of Godzilla vs. Kong T-13 (9.1M) 3.291x of The Suicide Squad T-13 (13.49M) 1.343x of Dune T-13 (6.85M)

Spider-Man: No Way Home Greater Philadelphia Area Seat Report T-7 and Counting Sellouts Showings Seats Sold Total Seats Perct Sold TOTALS 6 205 18,361 37,701 48.70% Total Seats Sold Today: 517 Comp 2.418x of Black Widow's Final Count (31.92M) 3.505x of Venom 2's Final Count (40.66M) Adjusted Comp 1.269x of Star Wars: TROS T-7 (50.76M)

If only I had a game console period.

Oh ho ho, I would have KILLED for a game like this as a kid. If only I had a Playstation

The Oprah joke is pure cringe tho. This feels like a line a bad kids film from 2005 would do.

Ehhh, fine? I'm a Sonic diehard, and this is tickling my "dumb fanboy" side of my brain more than the first film's marketing, so I guess I'll end up liking it.

#11 Shutter Island (2010) 106 pts, 19 lists "Which would be worse - to live as a monster, or to die as a good man?" Top 5 placements: 1 Top 10 placements: 10 Box Office: $294.8 million Rotten Tomatoes: 68% Metacritic: 63 Awards: In Competition at Berlin International Film Festival, Top 10 Films by National Board of Review Roger Ebert’s Review: "You may read reviews of "Shutter Island" complaining that the ending blindsides you. The uncertainty it causes prevents the film from feeling perfect on first viewing. I have a feeling it might improve on second. Some may believe it doesn't make sense. Or that, if it does, then the movie leading up to it doesn't. I asked myself: OK, then, how should it end? What would be more satisfactory? Why can't I be one of those critics who informs the director what he should have done instead?" BOT User Review: "Everything, the striking visuals, the haunting Herrmann-ish score, the spectacular Dicaprio performance and Scorsese sure-handed direction all comes together perfectly to make this his most atmospheric and involving movie yet." - @Goffe Its Legacy: Martin Scorsese's highest-grossing film until The Wolf of Wall Street. Biggest opening for a Martin Scorsese film. A PC video game was later released. An HBO series was in development. Gave Jackie Earle Hayley a paycheck. Commentary: So this is the placement that took me by surprise if I’m being honest here. Not because Shutter Island is a bad film, but it isn’t really considered one of Scorsese’s best. Depending on who you ask, this is probably considered the weakest Martin-Leo collaboration. So this movie just shy of reaching the top 10 is pretty fascinating, especially going ahead of films like Hugo or Last Temptation or even Mean Streets. Regardless, there’s a good reason why people like this film so much here. This Hitchock-style thriller is one of the few instances of Martin Scorsese dipping his toe into both noir and horror. It’s gothic, it’s suspenseful, and it's shocking all in one, while also being a bit of a mind-bender. Some will argue this is a film that works best on a rewatch, as learning what happens before allows you to pick up more on clues and hints in the beginning of the film, allowing you to better understand what Leonardo DiCaprio’s Teddy Daniels goes through and appreciate it more, potentially as one of Scorsese's finest titles. And that’s probably why it ranked so highly on this countdown. Off the back of Leo, this became Martin Scorsese’s highest-grossing film until Wolf of Wall Street three years later. And with the film being a constant fixture on places like HBO and Netflix, it’s readily available to rewatch again and again with little charge, allowing viewers to treat this film like a fine wine and give an already-liked film some still needed reappraisal.

Discuss

#12 Hugo (2011) 105 pts, 22 lists "If you've ever wondered where your dreams come from, you look around...this is where they're made." Top 5 placements: 1 Top 10 placements: 8 Box Office: $185.8 million Rotten Tomatoes: 93% Metacritic: 83 Awards: 5 Academy Awards and 6 nominations, 2 National Board of Review Awards, 2 BAFTAs and 6 nominations, 1 Critics Choice Award and 9 nominations, 1 Golden Globe and 2 nominations, 1 Grammy Award nomination, 1 Hugo Award nomination, 1 Ray Bradbury Award nomination Roger Ebert’s Review: ""Hugo" celebrates the birth of the cinema and dramatizes Scorsese's personal pet cause, the preservation of old films. In one heartbreaking scene, we learn that Melies, convinced his time had passed and his work had been forgotten, melted down countless films so that their celluloid could be used to manufacture the heels of women's shoes. But they weren't all melted, and at the end of "Hugo, " we see that thanks to this boy, they never will be. Now there's a happy ending for you." BOT User Review: "Immersive, beautiful, touching, exciting. The best movie of 2011." - @Ezen Baklattan Its Legacy: Scorsese's first (and last) film shot in 3D. Serves as many children's introductory point to Martin Scorsese. Kickstarted the acting careers of Asa Butterfield and Chloe Grace Moretz. Selected for the Royal Film Performance. Frequently hailed as one of 2011's best. Gave Sacha Baron Cohen a paycheck. Commentary: After several decades of films about religious guilt, the grimy underworld of New York City, and foul language aplenty, 2011’s Hugo was when Martin Scorsese did the unthinkable: make a movie for kids. But hilariously enough, this supposed kids movie focuses on the silent films of George Melies, a subject no child would ever find interesting. Truly Martin Scorsese is a chad amongst men. In all seriousness, there is something truly delightful and awe-inspiring about Martin making a film for younger generations specifically about how wonderful movies truly are. How you get lost within their world and create a connection with others who find themselves transfixed by that silver screen. How the artistry and innovations created from the all-time masters can hook you into a grand adventure and allow you to have a greater understanding of the world and yourself. The film is also a call to arms against viewers, young and old, to preserve film history. To respect what came before and make sure it stays alive. To see what came before, so you can understand what makes your favorites so good in the first place. In a time when artistically creative feature films are struggling to find their place in a world where Disney dreck pollutes the multiplex and audiences have an increasing disinterest in what makes movies so magical and powerful aside from an entertaining enough thrill ride, Hugo is a film that is needed now more than ever. Alongside that message, the film is an absolutely lavish visual splendor, showcasing stunning 3D technology that still has yet to be matched and still serves as a compelling adventure outside of its “magic of the movies” subtext. For some, this will be the introductory piece to a legendary auteur, and it’s a good starting point for sure.

#13 The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) 103 pts, 17 lists "If I was a woodcutter, I'd cut. If I was a fire, I'd burn. But I'm a heart and I love. That's the only thing I can do." #2 placements: 1 #3 placements: 1 Top 5 placements: 4 Top 10 placements: 7 Box Office: $8.9 million Rotten Tomatoes: 81% Metacritic: 80 Awards: Screened at the Venice International Film Festival, winning the Filmcritica "Bastione Bianco" Award. 5th Place at the National Board of Review Awards, 1 Academy Award nomination, 2 Golden Globe nominations, 1 Grammy Award nomination, 1 Golden Raspberry nomination. Roger Ebert’s Review: "What makes “The Last Temptation of Christ” one of his great films is not that it is true about Jesus but that it is true about Scorsese. Like countless others, he has found aspects of the Christ story that speak to him." BOT User Review: "Probably the best "Jesus movie" out there." - @ShouldIBeHere Its Legacy: Became a heavy source of controversy. Resulted in Martin Scorsese protected by bodyguards for a few years. Terrorist attack at French cinema emerged. Appeared in The Criterion Collection in 1997. Censored and banned in several countries. First film in Scorsese's "Faith Trilogy". Gave David Bowie a paycheck. Commentary: If you guys want to talk about controversial films, this is perhaps the craziest one ever. The original novel it was based on, which dared to humanize Jesus Christ as he struggles with temptation, is considered one of the most heretical, blasphemous texts to ever hit bookshelves, and is still targeted by extreme right-wing groups and Evangelicals to this day. Scorsese’s film adaptation was no different. Despite getting some positive attention from religious leaders, the film’s departure from the standard gospel narratives led to immense backlash and hatred towards the film and even Scorsese, despite being a devout Catholic. A cinema in Paris was burned down after playing the film, protests emerged at MCA, Universal’s parent company at the time, resulting in some theater chains not playing the movie at all, and even Scorsese getting death threats and requiring bodyguards wherever he went. It’s kind of disappointing the film would end up as a box office failure. If I can speak personally, though I’ll fully admit that I left Catholicism ages ago, that this is one depiction that arguably strengthens the ideals of Jesus Christ. As portrayed beautifully by Willem DaFoe, this depiction of Jesus triumphs because despite the temptation being forced into a role that calls for his own death, he is willing to go through and take part in his religious duties solely to do what is right. It’s a tough, yet relatable concept and something that, at least for my atheist mindset, makes me appreciate why people follow such a belief. But of course, I don’t want to speak on everybody’s behalf, especially our Catholic members. Either way, there’s definitely many people here who struck a chord with the film, with a few notable placements in the top 5 on a couple lists. That’s gotta count for something.