JB33

Since I got threadbanned from the weekend thread, I'll post my weekend thought here: Well, as I kinda figured, I way overpredicted both Brightburn and Booksmart. I should have known, but I went for broke and figured the internal multipliers from their previews would be much better. As for Tuesday, the Aladdin number is showing the opening weekend could have been much bigger if marketing didn't throw people off. It's going to do well over the rest of the week and next weekend.

They should. Most people either just hate it or refuse to fork out the premium cost.

Hopefully those legs we were all hoping for are showing up!

I know it sounds cliche at this point but you wonder if there are just so many tickets that people can buy. Could SLOP2 decrease from SLOP on opening weekend by as much as 50%??? I don't think so, but the drop is still looking sizeable. As many have said, this is just too many tentpole family films bunched together.

There's "that one scene" in particular. Brutal. They did a good job in just having a few of those scenes so you still got the shock value and you don't feel like you're watching a full 2 hours or so of it either.

Thanks. Yeah I ended up seeing it and it had a few graphic scenes but that's it. It was just fine. The reviews seemed to really overstate the "gratuitous violence". Actually a fun movie. It doesn't disappoint in terms of turning the superhero tropes upside down.

So I have time for a movie at the theatre right by me so I'm seeing this. Before I do though, for those who've seen it, is the violence as gratuitous as I've heard? I can deal with seeing blood and vicious kills on screen but is the gore insanely disgusting? Asking because if it is then I won't see it. I can't handle Saw-like gore. It takes away from the movie.

He doesn't sound like one though.

I'm 31 and choose not to own a vehicle. I use public transportation and uber, a bicycle and my own two feet and watch others who own vehicles pay out the nose on monthly payments, insurance and gas. Everyone I know who owns a vehicle pays more in to their vehicle than their living expenses (rent + food + utilities). It's NUTS! I do miss driving in the country though. That's awesome. Other than that, it's too stressful, both the actual driving and the finances. I don't have much disposable income but I have more than everyone I know who owns a vehicle AND makes more money than I do. It's a nice feeling.

It came from people's reaction to me not agreeing with the tweet. With these things there's NEVER any agree to disagree. There's just not cool reactions and snark. That's most definitely a left thing. You either agree with or believe this or you're an outcast. It's a bigger thing that arose as the discussion went on. As far as the tweet goes, I just disagreed with including the political agenda unless it's PROVEN to be relevant in that context. She or I don't know what conclusion the studio will come to when they see the numbers so it's best just not to even go there. That is all I'm saying.

Yeah I'm done. I know how this always ends. All I know is I'm still excited to see Booksmart! Unfortunately I have to go to another end of town to see it (the modest theatre count is also an issue). I'll also just try to ignore Wilde's tweet, rather than boycott a perfectly good film (something the left does all the time when they don't agree with something: BOYCOTT!!!).

Lady Bird is also A24's highest grossing film ever (directed by Greta Gerwig, starring Saiorse Ronan). So there wasn't an issue then but there's an issue now? Maybe it's just *gasp* basic circumstances!!

Yep, the left is always right. No compromise. That's your guys' shtick. Fuck off.

No, she's just assuming executives will pin it on that. None of us know the truth in that regard, even though we know fucked up shit goes on, which leads me to the original point: just keep the politics out of it. It never does anyone any good since, luckily, most people see right through it. Trust me, I know. Our PM in Canada weaponizes it all the time. Manipulation and guilt tactics.

I know. Libs/lefties are allowed to have an opinion, but it's better for me not to post. Get out of here lol.

Bingo. This is what I meant when I said the marketing came off like it was a big indie film. We criticize assembly line-like, studio films but those are what sell because they're trusted brands. Now us movie buffs know that there's tons of quality coming out of the smaller studios but if the marketing isn't expansive enough, your movie isn't going to make a ton of money. This is another example of why the film is getting killed by the bigger movies this weekend, as Olivia Wilde pointed out. That's it. There's nothing to see here. If big studio executives want to play dumb and pretend that movies made by and starring women don't sell, well then that's a big problem. Hopefully it's something that will be dealt with by the old boys club in Hollywood dying off and getting better, smarter executives in to the industry.

She can point out the issues in the industry, but don't try to mix it with the circumstances surrounding her film. Like, come on. 99% of the time I agree with you Porthos. You're one of the best on this forum. But on this, we disagree. We don't need more. At least we don't need more of the needless "calls to arms" as it were. We need more calling out of stuff like the Weinstein affair, or equal pay in Hollywood (I digress, but pay equal pay in the workplace is something I actually do champion. I think it's disgusting when women are doing the same job, if not working harder, and get paid less, but we'll leave that for another day) etc. What I don't like is attaching the politics to EVERYTHING, where it's not applicable. Like I said, we're all pretty versed in box office. Please, let's not just throw out all that knowledge because it's hip to be a liberal. Nobody on this forum suggested misogyny when it came to the low numbers we were seeing for this movie. Nobody. Then the director comes out and says it and nobody wants to talk about the basics (ie. going up against a tentpole on Memorial Day weekend, comedies have been declining for awhile now etc.)? Give me a break.

But does she know for a fact that studio executives would pin its modest box office on the women issue? I think she's getting ahead of herself. Or, am I giving these execs way too much credit? Either way, I just felt the tweet would have been fine without the last part. Instead, it's just one more thing that has to be political when it probably isn't very political at all. I mean, we're all box office nerds. We know FULL WELL why the movie is doing modest numbers and it has nothing to do with the fact the director is a woman and the two stars are women.

I'm not saying that Hollywood isn't a clusterfuck of issues with women in the workplace. I'd be an idiot to suggest that. I meant in this specific instance. In other words, the movie isn't getting destroyed by Aladdin because it's a movie made by a woman about women. It's just getting clobbered by Aladdin, like anyone would expect. Don't take the square peg women issue in Hollywood and try to fit in the round hole that is Booksmart doing modest numbers. Please, just don't.

Agreed 100%. Marketing was putrid. That's why it comes off like just a big indie film, which is fine, but some may just shrug it off. The point being, there's no need to stoke the fire like that. It has ZERO to do it being a film about women. Now, if this is the conclusion that big studio executives come to and she's sort of calling them out, okay, I get that.

Agreed, but also don't pin your films problems on misogyny either.

This. These are the kinds of things that are the problem. I absolutely DESPISE when people go out of their way to try to make something about race or gender, especially in order to get attention and stoke the fire. These are very real issues but I'd rather focus on them wherever there is actually a problem!

Women aren't even the issue. Put men in a college comedy from a small studio and that won't make much money either, especially when it's going up against Aladdin. I agree with her trying to rally folks to see the film, as it looks amazing, but I really hope studios aren't stupid enough not to greenlight movies like that because its a movie about women. That's so far off base it's not even funny. I myself can't wait to see it but I can't until sometime this week.

I'm so happy that Aladdin has been a pleasant surprise. Legs for Memorial Day weekend openers are almost never the greatest but hopefully it legs it out as much as possible. Aladdin is doing stellar business at my theatre, by the way. Word of mouth from people I've spoken to who have seen it is great too.

That, and Memorial Day weekend Saturdays are more muted to begin with, as Sundays are usually 95% of Saturday to completely flat. EDIT: This may just apply to holdovers though. Not sure about openers. Either way, you're right.