Dolittle | Jan 17 2020 | Universal | 16% RT | Winner of the Kids Choice Award!

[dudalb]

The San Francisco Chronical reviewer might sum up the basic fatal error made with this film:

 

Quote

If the idea was to make the film some kind of delightfully bizarre, loopy trip, perhaps Gaghan, the screenwriter of "Traffic" and "Syriana," was not the best choice.

I have enormous respect for "Traffic" and think Syriana was interesting if flawed, but Gaghan is just about the last person on earth I would have picker to helm a film like Dolittle.

Edited January 15, 2020 by dudalb

[Krissykins]

13% now and it has a consensus:

 

---

DOLITTLE

Critics Consensus

Dolittle may be enough to entertain very young viewers, but they deserve better than this rote adaptation's jumbled story and stale humor.

[Nova]

Zero stars 😭😭😭

 

 

[dudalb]

4 minutes ago, Krissykins said:

13% now and it has a consensus:

 

---

DOLITTLE

Critics Consensus

Dolittle may be enough to entertain very young viewers, but they deserve better than this rote adaptation's jumbled story and stale humor.

And you just don't spend 175 Million (and probably more if what we are now hearing about the reshoots is true) on a film aimed primarily at kids and with a writer and director whose previous films as both writer and director have been heavy, dark very adult dramas.

Edited January 15, 2020 by dudalb

[aladdino]

28 minutes ago, dudalb said:

A.I think you are wrong and

B, Even if you are right Dolittle cost over twice as much as Cats. It is going to lose a lot more then Cats did.

 

17 minutes ago, Nova said:

Unless it’s getting help from OS that’s not happening cause the domestic tracking thread for it look really bad 

oh i read days ago that it'd open to 30m LOL, but RDJ is a pretty big name WW

13 minutes ago, dudalb said:

And even if it does 200 Million...and I think it won't come close to that....given it's 175 plus budget it will still lose over 100 Million ...a lot more then what "Cats" is going to lose.

I love it when people ignore a film budget's in these discussions...…

I think Universal execs are going to have some explaining to do at the next stockholders meeting...….

 

12 minutes ago, Krissykins said:

Um, that would mean it would lose a lot more money than Cats. 

how? cats didnt evn make 70m WW

Edited January 15, 2020 by aladdino

[SLAM!]

This is NOT the way Robert Downey Jr. wanted to begin his post-Tony-Stark acting career.

[dudalb]

11 minutes ago, aladdino said:

 

oh i read days ago that it'd open to 30m LOL, but RDJ is a pretty big name WW

 

how? cats didnt evn make 70m WW

But it cost only 90 Million.  Dolittle cost twice that much. Most Cats can lose is 110 Million.

Even if Dolittle  makes 200 Millon, it will still lose quite a bit lmore then Cats did.with a 350 million plus break even point. Budgets do matter, you know.

RDJ is a big name, yes, but I name you lots of huge flops where a big name did not save it.

And I see you are not aware that the roof fell in on the film with the incredibly bad reviews it is getting. 13% at RT.

Edited January 15, 2020 by dudalb

[aladdino]

cats = budget 95m / gross 70m = loss 25m

doolittle = buget 175m / gross 200m = wins 25m

 

i know it doesnt work like that but it should??

[dudalb]

5 minutes ago, aladdino said:

cats = budget 95m / gross 70m = loss 25m

doolittle = buget 175m / gross 200m = wins 25m

 

i know it doesnt work like that but it should??

God, I though everybody here was aware that a film has to make at least twice it's budget to just break even?

The exact figures vary, but overall studios only get around 50% of the box office take. You don't think theaters show the films for free,do you,not to mention other overhead expenses.

 

Edited January 15, 2020 by dudalb

[dudalb]

26 minutes ago, SLAM! said:

This is NOT the way Robert Downey Jr. wanted to begin his post-Tony-Stark acting career.

What makes this bad for Downey..whom I really like as an actor...is that his performance is being blasted as one of the biggest things wrong with the film.  It's one thing to be in a bad film but not singled out, another for your performance to be cited as a major reason the film is bad,and that is what is happening to RDJ.

[Yandereprime101189]

Well, Dolittle looks like Citizen Kane compared to whatever the hell Cats was. Even the craziest things I've heard about Dolittle pale in comparison to the horrors I've heard and SEEN from Cats.

 

I despise that movie's existence.

 

Also RDJ will be fine if this bombs. He probably has a continent made of money right now. I'm sure he'll rest easy.

Edited January 16, 2020 by Yandereprime101189

[cdsacken]

Maybe he'll go to marvel stuff? Anthony Stark AI Iron Man voice over!!

[dudalb]

11 minutes ago, Yandereprime101189 said:

Well, Dolittle looks like Citizen Kane compared to whatever the hell Cats was. Even the craziest things I've heard about Dolittle pale in comparison to the horrors I've heard and SEEN from Cats.

 

I despise that movie's existence.

 

Also RDJ will be fine if this bombs. He probably has a continent made of money right now. I'm sure he'll rest easy.

RDJ is worth around 300 Million.He is set up very comfortably for life thanks to Tony Stark.

I think it's a blow more to RDJ's pride then his bank account. He is going to have to be more careful about choosing his projects in the future though.

I wonder if he accepted this role without seeing the final script. You will be amazed how ofter big actors accept roles without actually seeing a script.

Edited January 16, 2020 by dudalb

[dudalb]

6 minutes ago, cdsacken said:

Maybe he'll go to marvel stuff? Anthony Stark AI Iron Man voice over!!

Jokes aside, he will be fine. Guy is an incredible actor,and if he could survive his drug problems, he can survive a critical panning.

But I would recommend that he forget about the franchise roles...Iron Man made him a very rich man.no need to do paycheck roles ...and do some more serious films.

I still think his best performance was as Charlie CHaplin in "Chaplin". 

But this is an embarrassment for him, no doubt.

Edited January 16, 2020 by dudalb

[snarkmachine]

what's tragic about these reviews is it's not just 'robert downey jr is good in a bad movie' or 'rdj tries hard to save a bad movie' - it's straight up 'rdj is bad in a bad movie.'

[Zakiyyah6]

I'm not surprised that RDJ performance is being criticized. He looks like he went full Johnny Depp in Dolittle.

[Nova]

Why would RDJ or any actor for the matter be affected by a box office bomb that currently has a 13% on RT? If this movie was getting great reviews and still bombed I’d understand questioning an actor/actress’s future and even then so much goes into that like marketing, trailers etc But when a movie is getting critically panned, I can’t blame the cast for the movie bombing. People aren’t going to waste money buying tickets to bad movies. 

[dudalb]

7 minutes ago, Zakiyyah6 said:

I'm not surprised that RDJ performance is being criticized. He looks like he went full Johnny Depp in Dolittle.

Quite a few of the critics are saying exactly that...in almost those exact words. Many comparasions to Depp at his self indulgent worst.

Edited January 16, 2020 by dudalb

[dudalb]

2 minutes ago, Nova said:

Why would RDJ or any actor for the matter be affected by a box office bomb that currently has a 13% on RT? If this movie was getting great reviews and still bombed I’d understand questioning an actor/actress’s future and even then so much goes into that like marketing, trailers etc But when a movie is getting critically panned, I can’t blame the cast for the movie bombing. People aren’t going to waste money buying tickets to bad movies. 

If you go in and read the reviews, RDJ performance is being singled out for a reason why the film is so bad. 

But, yeah, this is embarrassing for RDJ but not a career breaker.

I repeat:he needs to step away from the big flashy roles and do some really serious roles. It's not like he is not set up for life as far as money goes.

[dudalb]

7 minutes ago, snarkmachine said:

what's tragic about these reviews is it's not just 'robert downey jr is good in a bad movie' or 'rdj tries hard to save a bad movie' - it's straight up 'rdj is bad in a bad movie.'

This. 

 

Edited January 16, 2020 by dudalb