Classic Conversation Thread

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

 

3 hours ago, dudalb said:

I like Nancy Meyer's work, but why would a romantic comedy cost that damn much?

Meyers' budgets started out normal...

• The Parent Trap (1998): $15m budget ($27.7m adjusted), $91m gross worldwide
• What Women Want (2000): $70m budget ($122.3m adjusted), $374.1m gross worldwide
• Something's Gotta Give (2003): $80m budget ($130.8m adjusted), $266.7m gross worldwide
• The Holiday (2006): $85m budget ($126.8m adjusted), $205.8m gross worldwide
• It's Complicated (2009): $75-85m budget ($105.7-$119.2m adjusted), $224.6m gross worldwide
• The Intern (2015): $35m budget ($44.4m adjusted) $194.6m gross worldwide

 

Huge time gap between It's Complicated and The Intern: I'm guessing the studios started nixing her huge budgets even back then, so she eventually had to make do with less under that system. Clearly, a dark time for her, as she just needs $150m to do a variation of America's Sweethearts (that Hallmark will promptly rip off with a version filmed in 12 days for $2m)...

 

I get it, Netflix spent years handing out big budgets to big stars, but that was before they realized they could get just as many eyeballs without breaking the bank (how is The Gray Man 2 coming along). Do you know how many docuseries, K-dramas, dating shows, cheesy Christmas movies and awards campaigns Netflix could pay for with $150m? The math is pretty easy on their side of things.

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by BoxOfficeFangrl

[Porthos]

6 hours ago, BoxOfficeFangrl said:

 

Meyers' budgets started out normal...

• The Parent Trap (1998): $15m budget ($27.7m adjusted), $91m gross worldwide
• What Women Want (2000): $70m budget ($122.3m adjusted), $374.1m gross worldwide
• Something's Gotta Give (2003): $80m budget ($130.8m adjusted), $266.7m gross worldwide
• The Holiday (2006): $85m budget ($126.8m adjusted), $205.8m gross worldwide
• It's Complicated (2009): $75-85m budget ($105.7-$119.2m adjusted), $224.6m gross worldwide
• The Intern (2015): $35m budget ($44.4m adjusted) $194.6m gross worldwide

 

Huge time gap between It's Complicated and The Intern: I'm guessing the studios started nixing her huge budgets even back then, so she eventually had to make do with less under that system. Clearly, a dark time for her, as she just needs $150m to do a variation of America's Sweethearts (that Hallmark will promptly rip off with a version filmed in 12 days for $2m)...

 

I get it, Netflix spent years handing out big budgets to big stars, but that was before they realized they could get just as many eyeballs without breaking the bank (how is The Gray Man 2 coming along). Do you know how many docuseries, K-dramas, dating shows, cheesy Christmas movies and awards campaigns Netflix could pay for with $150m? The math is pretty easy on their side of things.

 

 

This was an especially poor time to try to pull this move, IMO, given all of the belt-tightening talk going throughout the streaming entertainment landscape.  There might have been a time to go for a power move like this a year or two/three ago.  But now?  Not surprised in the least that this has apparently imploded.

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

5 hours ago, Porthos said:

 

This was an especially poor time to try to pull this move, IMO, given all of the belt-tightening talk going throughout the streaming entertainment landscape.  There might have been a time to go for a power move like this a year or two/three ago.  But now?  Not surprised in the least that this has apparently imploded.

Right? I see tweets saying this is sexism because they spent $200m on Red Notice and The Gray Man, but people said those cost way too much, too! The party's over; I'm amazed Netflix ever even entertained $130m with Meyers. Don't Look Up was also Netflix and $75m, with Leo, JLaw, Meryl and a bunch of other stars. She wanted twice that for a romcom?!

 

I mean, anytime I see a woman in showbiz being painted as "difficult" in the media, I have to consider that it might be biased spin and not the whole truth. OTOH, Nancy Meyers movies exist in a world of immense privilege, so her expectation of a massive budget for such a mundane premise is completely on brand.

 

*

 

 

I feel like there's a raunchy comedy to be made out of this basic scenario called something like ""Performance Anxiety"... but is the main character:

 

1. A nerdy comedian suddenly overwhelmed by newfound media scrutiny and dates expecting the best night of their lives, or

 

2. The Hollywood hunk whose ex just told the world he's bad in bed, and wacky hijinks ensue as he tries to up his game? Or

 

3. You could also go for more of a comedy/drama on the fallout of oversharing in the digital age...

 

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by BoxOfficeFangrl

[filmlover]

I just can't get past that Netflix was willing to give her $130M but Meyers was like "nope, I need $150M and that's final." What's an extra $20M for a movie that was already ridiculously overpriced? Or was she just looking to save that money to fund her own Eat Pray Love-style world adventure lol.

 

I guess we'll see if someone rescues it. Wouldn't bet on that happening though.

[dudalb]

8 hours ago, filmlover said:

I just can't get past that Netflix was willing to give her $130M but Meyers was like "nope, I need $150M and that's final." What's an extra $20M for a movie that was already ridiculously overpriced? Or was she just looking to save that money to fund her own Eat Pray Love-style world adventure lol.

 

I guess we'll see if someone rescues it. Wouldn't bet on that happening though.

Unless you are hiring some reallly expensive stars, I am puzzled what the hell in a romcom could cost that much to film?

I doubt this will be picked up by any other studiio, unless Meyers really cuts the budget for this.

I can Netflix spending this much for one of theie realy big prestige productions the upcoming "Light We Cannot See" comes to mind A World War 2 drama based on a best selling Pulitizer Prize Winning Novel. l, but not on a routine production like a romcom.

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

38 minutes ago, dudalb said:

Unless you are hiring some reallly expensive stars, I am puzzled what the hell in a romcom could cost that much to film?

I doubt this will be picked up by any other studiio, unless Meyers really cuts the budget for this.

Based on a quick glance online at the production history, her movies take forever to film, considering what they are. The Parent Trap filmed from July-December 1997, The Holiday filmed from January-June 2006, and It's Complicated filmed from February-August 2009. The Intern started filming June 23, 2014 and on October 2, Meyers announced the movie had wrapped. So, that's the secret of it being half as expensive as usual by her standards-not having to pay the cast/crew for half a year.

 

In her own way, Meyers is just as meticulous about the aesthetic as Fincher. The cost of that sort of "perfectionism" in a director adds up, regardless of genre.

[filmlover]

3 hours ago, BoxOfficeFangrl said:

Based on a quick glance online at the production history, her movies take forever to film, considering what they are. The Parent Trap filmed from July-December 1997, The Holiday filmed from January-June 2006, and It's Complicated filmed from February-August 2009. The Intern started filming June 23, 2014 and on October 2, Meyers announced the movie had wrapped. So, that's the secret of it being half as expensive as usual by her standards-not having to pay the cast/crew for half a year.

 

In her own way, Meyers is just as meticulous about the aesthetic as Fincher. The cost of that sort of "perfectionism" in a director adds up, regardless of genre.

Fincher will also be a decade away from the multiplex in less than two years (and will have put out only two movies since) so it's probably no coincidence that they both have had to turn to the streaming companies to get find funding. Even back in 2010, $40M for a drama starring mostly (then) unknown young actors that takes place largely in college dorm rooms/areas/etc. and boardrooms was wild.

Edited March 16, 2023 by filmlover

[AJG]

 

[Porthos]

Injury to Edwin Diaz notwithstanding, I think I have to say that this is the year that the World Baseball Classic has truly arrived.  Won't even say it's "lived up to its potential" coz I get the sense there is even more 🔥 left to be found.

 

Just an incredible series of games lately.

 

No, it's no patch on the World Cup, and it was never meant to be.  But if it keeps up this trajectory it will indeed live up to its name as a World Baseball Classic.

 

Just an incredible tourney so far.

 

@4815162342 @MrPink @TwoMisfits @Inceptionzq @Deep Wang @Webslinger and various other BOT Baseball Mafia I'm forgetting at the mo.

[filmlover]

We may not be getting a stage adaptation of Room this spring as originally planned but we are getting this instead:

 

 

[MrPink]

23 minutes ago, Porthos said:

Injury to Edwin Diaz notwithstanding, I think I have to say that this is the year that the World Baseball Classic has truly arrived.  Won't even say it's "lived up to its potential" coz I get the sense there is even more 🔥 left to be found.

 

Just an incredible series of games lately.

 

No, it's no patch on the World Cup, and it was never meant to be.  But if it keeps up this trajectory it will indeed live up to its name as a World Baseball Classic.

 

Just an incredible tourney so far.

 

@4815162342 @MrPink @TwoMisfits @Inceptionzq @Deep Wang @Webslinger and various other BOT Baseball Mafia I'm forgetting at the mo.

 

This game fucking owned.

 

But also, cancel the WBC 

 

Spoiler

For killing Altuve

 

[Porthos]

39 minutes ago, MrPink said:

 

This game fucking owned.

 

But also, cancel the WBC 

 

  Hide contents

For killing Altuve

 

 

It's all good; fates are just giving the rest of the AL West a fighting chance as Altuve will be back soon enough for the majority of the season. 

Edited March 21, 2023 by Porthos

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

4 hours ago, filmlover said:

We may not be getting a stage adaptation of Room this spring as originally planned but we are getting this instead:

 

 

Apparently, it's a play with songs, not a musical, and an adaptation of the short story (vs the movie). This is different than the opera in 2014 (who knew?):

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brokeback_Mountain_(opera)

[grim22]

9 hours ago, filmlover said:

We may not be getting a stage adaptation of Room this spring as originally planned 

 

If they want to mint money, they need to make a musical of The Room

[filmlover]

1 hour ago, BoxOfficeFangrl said:

Apparently, it's a play with songs, not a musical, and an adaptation of the short story (vs the movie). This is different than the opera in 2014 (who knew?):

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brokeback_Mountain_(opera)

We also have that Thelma & Louise musical with Amanda Seyfried and Evan Rachel Wood reportedly on the way. I'm curious to see how that La La Land adaptation works out (that's probably only happening because Chazelle's likely to be in Director Jail for a while post-Babylon) because a major part of the movie's charm is its tributes to classic cinema musicals that would be difficult to translate to the stage.

[Porthos]

Just gonna say, Shohei is kinda a decent baseball player.

[grim22]

10 hours ago, Porthos said:

Just gonna say, Shohei is kinda a decent baseball player.

 

[filmlover]

Watch this sweep the Tonys in two years followed by a flop movie adaptation another two after that lol.

 

 

[grim22]

40 minutes ago, filmlover said:

Watch this sweep the Tonys in two years followed by a flop movie adaptation another two after that lol.

 

 

 

I remember when the show was airing, there were plans to make a musical out of the fake musical in the show. IIRC, it was about Marilyn Monroe. And then they had a fake Rent in the show as well.

[filmlover]

52 minutes ago, grim22 said:

 

I remember when the show was airing, there were plans to make a musical out of the fake musical in the show. IIRC, it was about Marilyn Monroe. And then they had a fake Rent in the show as well.

It was. Kind of astounding that they're still trying to milk this bomb for all it's worth but I also feel like the show has lived on due to the fact it tried to position itself as a wannabe prestige show that went to some truly weird places at times (the first season at least, I didn't bother with the second after word got out that it just sucked and wasn't even fun to laugh at).

 

The implosion of the music-driven TV show from late 2000s/early-to-mid 2010s is truly quite something. Glee, Smash, Nashville, Empire...all began as certified hits before seeing big drops in quality (and ratings) in no time.

Edited March 22, 2023 by filmlover