goldenstate5

Yeah I don't see Feig being allowed to carry a huge tentpole if this flops but I highly doubt he won't be able to do more of his signature comedies.

Yes. I am aware. The film was a cheesy musical comedy with a cheesy animated dragon. I am not satisified with how they are remaking it.

Honestly I have no idea. People are really digging the trailers but to me it looks like your average E.T. ripoff. "Boy and mystical creature share friendship; asshole goverment/police douchebags try to fuck it up because they don't understand it". Super cliche stuff. Bryce Dallas Howard tho...

http://pagesix.com/2016/07/07/ghostbusters-toys-are-already-on-the-clearance-rack/

So if we talk about GB will we become a ghost in this thread? I am already happy with Dory taking the record away from that damn ogre. I don't care if it hits 500m, honestly. Pets can suck it.

Throwing the reboot/remake aspect into it changes things heavily. WOM works much differently in these situations.

If it does that it would juuuuuust be barely enough for Sony to greenlight a sequel. They REALLY want this.

A person who can not act mature wherein discussion of films he is unhealthily obsessed with recieves opposing critical reception. He was unhealthily obssesed with GB 2016. Not much else to say there!

Yup. Just what I expected. Ok numbers juuuuust like the movie itself.

Ads don't bother me and I give to enough Paetron accounts and Kickstarters that more likes isn't of huge bother to me. However if the forum was struggling then yea I would...

I have so few likes left, those first few pages wiped me. They really should up the number of free likes to 50.

Just going off what others are saying ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Not everyone knows everybody, especially on a number watch that has more people on pins and needles than usual.

So Bishop does this all the time and still remains unbanned? Why?

Ah sheesh.

Source?

Between 3 and 4.

I've seen more prayers than actual chaos in this thread so far ...then again, numbers have yet to occur. It's just the safe times for now. May we remember these hours like the soldiers remember peace on Christmas Day in wartime.

GB - $40 million

Was that in response to my post because I think I hit all those points?

FWIW: Wasn't a huge fan. Comedy was very hit/miss despite a great cast. Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon especially steal the show whenever they can. Special effects weren't as bad as I feared but not great, 3D was surprisingly good. Film was clumsily edited, the script was bloated and many scenes were overlong, the cameos were especially unnecessary. It would've faired better if it was closer to 90 min than 2 hours. Barely an audience in theater, nobody liked it in mine. I think I actually liked it more than they did. Agreed with @Baumer that the first scene gave me higher hopes. However I know some people who really liked it, and nobody I know outright hated it. Reactions go from "meh" to "really enjoyed" seems like the only ones who will really hate it are the dumb internet trolls... and they probably won't bother seeing it. Thinking $3.5 mil previews; $40 to 45 mil OW; $100 to $105 total. I base this on the fact that many ppl I talked to outside of the Internet initially said, "Oh Ghostbusters? I heard that's supposed to be bad." I'm not sure WOM will be strong enough to turn the tide around. I think this will just end up being a turkey, hate to say.

Fuck that Louis CK dog ...okay actually that WAS fun.

Same drop as Minions ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'd be willing to cut SLoP slack for just trying to make people laugh if they didn't have a half-hearted attempt at a heartstring-pulling scene in the film itself, and if it had likable lead characters. At least Gru is likable. Are they the "next Pixar"? I dunno, their 2nd film was a flop whereas it took Pixar 20 years to garner one. They aren't very critically acclaimed and don't have much award power. They now have two franchises, and these franchises have made them a good deal of money but that's all. It's too early to tell. What I can say is that as of this current moment it has become easily the contender for Disney's biggest competition for both their companies. That's for sure.

This is a wholly disposable film where you can feel just the bare minimum being put into the story, characters and animation. (well, for a major animation studio) However, Illumination at the same time seems set out to prove that they can embody the Pixar style. A similar setup is added that not only draws comparisons to Toy Story, but unfavorably so. Max and Duke despise each other, but the motivations created to get the two lost are nonsensical compared with the barebones backstory they give off. The characters don't bond as much as they just go through some shit, and the film rushes in a Pixarian notion of some depth and heart about pets and their relationships with owners but it never, ever fully connects. The filmmakers seem terrified to actually confront any actual exploration of these questions, and constantly opt to quite literally run away screaming from them with action chase scenes and cutesy moments. The ending is a charming montage in concept, especially if you are a pet owner (like me) but it feels completely unearned and rather disconnected. It seems to leave you puzzled wondering, "What the hell was any of this really about?" Toy Story and its films explored themes such as existentialism, the nature of change, the meaning of true friendship, the fear of mortality and the power of forgiveness. These themes are fully explored in depth, giving an idea towards the humanity of this world that must hide in secret and requires validation via subservience. SLoP is a perfect mirror in concept but it feels like the lines connecting the dots were erased slightly, in fear of anything that can be construed as weighty. However since the film lacks any punch to any percieved theme, the entire affair is forgettable and disposable. It'll be hard for much of this to leave an impression, which is sad considering how much the marketing campaign caught the zeitgeist of America's pet crazy population. It is mildly amusing at points, and is energetic at least. Illumination never stoops to cynicism, but never rises above any sort of subversiveness. The Flushed Pets scene does give the writers an opportunity to engage in some Looney Tunes-ish, cartoony concepts that are fast, quick and sometimes genuinely hilarious. (for one, I caught myself cracking up at "Ricky") Kevin Hart may be irritating to some, but he is giving his all and the fun he is having is somewhat infectious at points. The subplot with Gidget and the animals searching for Max and Duke is also more enjoyable for many reasons. Not only is the score (which I'll get to in a minute) more consistently enjoyable, but it's freed of the seeming unwanted emotional restraints (and the fumbling that comes with it) that beleaguers the Max and Duke storyline. The story of Gidget is carefree, played 100% for humor and is unapologetic to the point of its payoff being somewhat shrugged aside. It's also one of the few times it uses the realism of their species limitations to deliver a somewhat subversive idea. In other words: this feels clever, potent with possible thought. It's too bad that this is also accompanied by a terribly restrained Albert Brooks, who after his first legitimately enjoyable scene fades instantly in the background in favor of an irritating Dana Carvey. While Carvey does get a decent line at the end of the film, for most of it he is hamming up a performance that mostly requires him to say lines solely designed to make little kids giggle. In short: poop humor. So much poop humor. I can't address much of the rest of the cast. Jenny Slate gives a fun, energetic performance that would be better without the shadow of her much more interesting turn in Zootopia. Louis CK's voice is a good fit for his character but the idea is bizarre and rarely does it come up that this edgy and thought-provoking comedian lends his actual self to this rather doldrum script. I hope the paycheck was good and it probably funded his online series so who am I to judge on that? Everyone else does a fairly fine, unmemorable job. Fans of Ellie Kemper should take note that she only has one, insignificant scene that isn't in the trailer. For the owner and the person truly responsible for setting all these events in motion, she is in it surprisingly little. That may strike a point, but it's not felt. Onto the true positives: Alexandre Desplat's score is a surprising delight. Taking inspiration from Gershwin and accenting the New York setting. It helps to give the film orchestral pep that isn't the same bland action score of Illumination's past and certainly not overfilled with pop music. (although a Taylor Swift song does open the film) He combines this easy-going, fun jazz with some nice cartoonish zany beats for chase sequences... it feels right, and it almost feels like it deserves some better accompaniment in the quality department. In addition, this is matched by the enjoyable visual design of New York: a city full of towering brick apartments that provide a carpet for an even larger onset of glistening blue skyscrapers. It's smart that their stymied budget was helped by a neat stylization of seeing Manhattan from a dog's point-of-view and creating a surprising iconic look. If the sequel takes place anywhere but New York, it would be understandable but unfortunate because they did create a nice-looking world. However these elements are hard to separate from the actual film itself, which is ultimately the effort that Illumination is trying to prove that Despicable Me was not a fluke. Certainly the opening weekend box office is proving that there is an appeal towards this film but I can't see how it'll retain its legacy. DM had Gru, the girls and yes, the minions who are sharp and stand out as iconic characters. In SLoP, the closest characters who do aren't the main characters and is maybe tangential (Snowball and Gidget), while the other characters go from boring to outright repulsive. Max and Duke especially are two characters I can't care for... they're boring. God I hope a sequel fleshes them out but with Illumination behind the wheel they seem more likely to take the shortest route instead of the scenic route. C- (what can I say? I was bored at work)