Weekend Actuals (Page 77): It 60.1M | American Assassin 14.8M | JLaw's Original Sin 7.5M

[FantasticBeasts]

32 minutes ago, Sal said:

 

"I'm different, I'm strong, I'm going to follow my own path" IS common in storytelling but newsflash, that's not PC or pro-diversity storytelling if the main character is a straight white guy like in 90% of the films with that plot.

It is getting a message across which speaks to minorities or can be interpreted this way most of the times.

Just like Elsa being a straight white girl and "letting it go"...

As I said, I value the importance of those messages but they have been terribly overused.

[dxmatrixdt]

I need to make a comment on the budget of these action movies this year.

 

American Assassin - $33

The Hitman's Bodyguard - $30

Logan Lucky - $29

Baby Driver - $34

Atomic Blonde - $30

Kidnap - $21

 

.......

The Space Between Us - $30

Resident Evil - $40

Underworld - $35

John Wick 2 - $40

Collide - $21.5

 

I feel like this year is setting some kind of record for bringing the budget down, yet keeping the action high.

[CJohn]

13 minutes ago, Matrix4You said:

I need to make a comment on the budget of these action movies this year.

 

American Assassin - $33

The Hitman's Bodyguard - $30

Logan Lucky - $29

Baby Driver - $34

Atomic Blonde - $30

Kidnap - $21

 

.......

The Space Between Us - $30

Resident Evil - $40

Underworld - $35

John Wick 2 - $40

Collide - $21.5

 

I feel like this year is setting some kind of record for bringing the budget down, yet keeping the action high.

Renegades cost 66M, tho

[Jason]

44 minutes ago, FantasticBeasts said:

It is getting a message across which speaks to minorities or can be interpreted this way most of the times.

Just like Elsa being a straight white girl and "letting it go"...

As I said, I value the importance of those messages but they have been terribly overused.

 

The vast, vast majority of films celebrating individualism ("I'm different, I'm strong, I'm going to follow my own path") can't be interpreted to be directed towards minorities in any way.

 

I have no idea what films you are watching (mostly just Disney animation?) to lead you to conclude that the aforementioned message can be interpreted to speak to minorities "most of the time".

 

Overall, it's a small minority of films that are making an effort to be pro-diversity, and yet you consider pro-diversity messages to be "terribly overused".

 

Edit: Honestly, in an ideal world a film like Moana with minority characters and about a different culture would be entirely unremarkable. The fact that we make such a big deal about it (including those of us who are supportive) is proof that there aren't enough such films.

Edited September 17, 2017 by Jason

[FantasticBeasts]

2 minutes ago, Jason said:

 

The vast, vast majority of films celebrating individualism ("I'm different, I'm strong, I'm going to follow my own path") can't be interpreted to be directed towards minorities in any way.

 

I have no idea what films you are watching (mostly just Disney animation?) to lead you to conclude that the aforementioned message can be interpreted to speak to minorities "most of the time".

 

Overall, it's a small minority of films that are making an effort to be pro-diversity, and yet you consider pro-diversity messages to be "terribly overused".

Let's just agree to disagree because I have currently neither the energy nor the will to continue this..

 

[narniadis]

Huh, not often I make a comment that actually slurs discussion...🤔

 

As for Moana and my PC comment it has more to do with the pre-release "omg this movie is important because" (fill in the blank) instead of letting the film ride on its own merits. It was extremely hard to have a legitimate conversation about it here on the board especially because the moment we said we didn't like it for whatever reason we were jumped on for not being on the right side of the PC issue. Never mind the fact my complaints with the film had nothing to do with race, etc. 

 

Moana is a completely rote, by the numbers Disney film that like BATB, feels like it was created around a board room table and as a result feels completely soulless with the exception of the final few minutes. Like some other films it tries to describe itself as important and instead is very average. But no I can't critique it without being labeled something I am not. 

 

Alas this thread isn't for this kind of discussion so I will go back on topic. 

 

*********

 

Fantastic overseas numbers this weekend. Too bad that Apes can't make up the difference from the last one. 

[junkshop36]

1 hour ago, Slicknickshady said:

Leap! Now over 100 million worldwide! Solid hold. 

I saw mother! Friday and American Assasain yesterday. Going to a 4:05 showing of Wind River today. 

 

My movie pass card getting a work out! 

 

Waiting for mine to arrive. Can't wait to get it. 

[Sal]

1 hour ago, FantasticBeasts said:

What I see is potentially the most brilliant studio out there. If they can make as much or even more than the others with half the budget they do a very good job and there is no need to change their formula.

 

But they don't really use half the budget.  They just take half the budget they would have used for animation and instead use it to spam people with their marketing campaign.  Also you treat Illumination like it's some tiny studio when in fact it is owned by Comcast and Comcast's method has always been to spam the hell out of their marketing.  If you want an example of a studio that makes great films with a relatively low budget, look at Laika instead of Comcast.  

 

Not to mention Illumination fails on coherent storytelling.  Part of their problem is that there's plenty of good potential story in their stuff, but their method is to just throw everything at the wall and hope it sticks with someone.  Take Sing.  It had way too many feature characters for any particular character's storyline to get any real focus.  I look at it and think about how Buster could have been a much more powerful lead if they'd just buckled down, dropped like two or three of the other character's 'main cast' storylines and focused on one or two instead.  They could have easily made him way more likeable and his scenes with his sheep friend and with the old woman working for him were among the best parts of the movie.  It would have been really rewarding to see them tie the elephant girl's plotline in with his a bit more instead of having it just feeling like they introduced the potential early on and then remembered it was there near the ending.  The frustrating thing about Sing is how much potential it had and how it lost a lot of the cohesiveness by throwing their net too wide.

 

Likewise, with SLoP, Illumination drops the ball on making Max a likeable character.  I honestly hated that character.  The best character in the movie was Jenny Slate's character who was likeable and charismatic.  Illumination failed to even throw in the most basic 'save the cat' moment to make the character sympathetic before showing him being a total dick, so he just comes across as a total dick.  Those lines near the end of the movie where they're like "remember that time Max helped you with such and such thing?"  That was something they should have SHOWN at the beginning, not tried tacking on at the end to make use like the character when the movie's already over.

 

Also, to the person who was saying that Illumination is making a point about how assholes sometimes succeed in real life.  While true, is that a really a point we need to make in a kids movie?  It's in a lot of movies for adults and in real life all the time.  In fact, showing kids that it's okay to be an asshole, you can do crappy stuff to people and still be rewarded is part of the reason there's so many people who feel perfectly comfortable being assholes and racists nowadays, because they've been told over and over again that behaving that way is okay and it'll get you rewarded.

 

And just as a note, I've torn Disney and Pixar holes for pulling stuff similar to this (I hate Incredibles with a passion and TGD and Cars2 should never have been made.  Even Brave was mostly forgettable.  Frozen rode high on Idina's song but was a victim of lazy story structure.)  And I won't even get started on Dreamworks because they've put out some great movies but also a lot of dreck.  I am not a one studio fan.  

Edited September 17, 2017 by Sal

[MCKillswitch123]

@Sal Good post there, though I do think Sing was.... okay. I agree that it was overcluttered, but it did have a genuine heart and soul that other Illumination movies sorely need. I liked it more than Pets and especially Minions. Despicable Me 1 is still the untouched king of their portfolio, though. Oh, and VERY hot take on The Incredibles. I think you're the 1st person I've ever seen say that hates that movie.

[baumer]

I love lamp.

[YM!]

27 minutes ago, MCKillswitch123 said:

I think you're the 1st person I've ever seen say that hates that movie.

@Stutterng baumer Denbrough

[YM!]

Any thoughts on Ninjago and Kingsman OW?

Thinking:

KTGC: $45M

Ninjago: $35M

[That One Girl]

25 minutes ago, Stutterng baumer Denbrough said:

I love lamp.

 

do you really love the lamp, or are you just saying it cause you saw it?

[m3racer123]

4 hours ago, Fancyarcher said:

First director to have four films hit $500m ww, that aren't part of the same franchise. Hail!

Not the first, that would be Spielberg

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?id=stevenspielberg.htm

[MJL]

A rare post for me and then back to the depths of lurking.  I just find it funny that people arguing against Disney films for being PC are the same ones saying we should be politically correct and discuss the accomplishments of illumination studio and more specifically DM3...even if it's just a small part of the forum community that actively follows these films.  Now, I personally have nothing against the DM franchise (I like a few of their films.  Sure, they generally are less thought provoking than many other studios...but they are still fun nonetheless), but I feel it's useless to gloat about accomplishments of a film if a majority just doesn't care.  Instead, create a new topic on the forum discussing this accomplishment where others who share those views could discuss it instead of trying to persuade others it's a top box office story this year.

 

My opinion is that it's not for a few reasons:

 

1. It was expected:  Everyone knew DM3 was going to be big worldwide.  Box office stories for a year aren't generally about doing slightly more than what's already projected to happen.

 

2.  The way it attained that gross wasn't extraordinary: It's all about legs.  The drops weekend to weekend were comparable to other films we have seen.  It would have definitely been a story if it had legs like Frozen, or if it had a dramatic shift in where it grossed what it did.  This brings me to #3

 

3. OS really DOESN'T matter as much as Domestic:  There's a reason why people focus more on the gross in the US and Canada and less on OS markets.  It's because it actually does matter more for a studios bottom line.  A higher domestic gross is much more profitable for a studio than a high OS gross (Revenue sharing with US theaters aren't hit with the import tax levies and other fees that OS is hit with.  Plus, this is even more dramatic if a large part of the OS gross comes from China).  It also doesn't hurt that most individuals focus on what happens where they live versus other countries (And a majority of forum members are from North America last I checked).

[Fancyarcher]

2 minutes ago, m3racer123 said:

Not the first, that would be Spielberg

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?id=stevenspielberg.htm

Yes of course, how silly for me to forget about Spielberg. Still in this day and age 5 500m+ hits that aren't almost all part of the same franchise is a very rare and impressive feat, nonetheless. 

[grim22]

3 minutes ago, m3racer123 said:

Not the first, that would be Spielberg

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?id=stevenspielberg.htm

 

First to have 5 consecutive movies hit 500M though. Of course, inflation does play into it, but 3 of those movies were not part of any franchise.

[La Binoche]

angelina jolie's new movie which premiered on netflix on friday is getting surprisingly good reviews 

 

critics are finally warming up to her as a director https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/first_they_killed_my_father

 

still, she needs to get back in front of the camera. her huge starpower is being wasted 

[Maxmoser3]

IT having the 2nd best weekend for a R-rated film is nice right next to American Sniper. American Assassin got hit on Sunday, but still a nice start no matter what for an action film that doesn't cost big. Mother! Was the next Paramount casuality that had strange marketing similar to A Cure For Wellness or Crimson Peak, but should maybe find a small audience years from now. Home Again having a wholesome hold much better than Hot Pursuit. 

 

Other holdovers have been holding on strong, and with a big potential next weekend. September could match 2015's record-breaking $626.3 million. 

[John Marston]

19 minutes ago, MJL said:

A rare post for me and then back to the depths of lurking.  I just find it funny that people arguing against Disney films for being PC are the same ones saying we should be politically correct and discuss the accomplishments of illumination studio and more specifically DM3...even if it's just a small part of the forum community that actively follows these films.  Now, I personally have nothing against the DM franchise (I like a few of their films.  Sure, they generally are less thought provoking than many other studios...but they are still fun nonetheless), but I feel it's useless to gloat about accomplishments of a film if a majority just doesn't care.  Instead, create a new topic on the forum discussing this accomplishment where others who share those views could discuss it instead of trying to persuade others it's a top box office story this year.

 

My opinion is that it's not for a few reasons:

 

1. It was expected:  Everyone knew DM3 was going to be big worldwide.  Box office stories for a year aren't generally about doing slightly more than what's already projected to happen.

 

2.  The way it attained that gross wasn't extraordinary: It's all about legs.  The drops weekend to weekend were comparable to other films we have seen.  It would have definitely been a story if it had legs like Frozen, or if it had a dramatic shift in where it grossed what it did.  This brings me to #3

 

3. OS really DOESN'T matter as much as Domestic:  There's a reason why people focus more on the gross in the US and Canada and less on OS markets.  It's because it actually does matter more for a studios bottom line.  A higher domestic gross is much more profitable for a studio than a high OS gross (Revenue sharing with US theaters aren't hit with the import tax levies and other fees that OS is hit with.  Plus, this is even more dramatic if a large part of the OS gross comes from China).  It also doesn't hurt that most individuals focus on what happens where they live versus other countries (And a majority of forum members are from North America last I checked).

lol