Weekend Thread (12/10-12) | WSS 800K Previews

[infamous5445]

5 minutes ago, Eric Feels Pretty said:

Excluding the Disney remakes, Mamma Mia 2 grossed 400M. Mary Poppins Returns did 350M. A Star is Born, if you want to count it as a musical, made 436M. Greatest Showman did 435M. La La Land did almost 450M. Even stuff like Rocketman and Pitch Perfect 3 did 185-195M on about a 40M budget. Don't even try and act like musicals haven't been premier destinations.

 

The thing is that me and Clay and CJohn and everybody else complaining right now...know that theaters won't shut down. We know that Spider-Man's gonna make a bajillion dollars. We know that Spider-Man is going to be this juggernaut around the corner. But the big problem is that Marvel movies and other big tentpoles are the only things selling well right now. And that's a huge problem.

 

Everything else this year is struggling to survive in this current theatrical ecosystem. Original features, midbudget titles, awards hopefuls, indies, animated kids titles. All of them are failing to maintain an audience and that's an awful, terrible situation that we need to address, because that is a serious problem. It's bad because there's fewer options for people, less diversity in the movie landscape, turns away audiences uninterested in superhero fare (yes those people exist), and it drastically cheapens our overall culture. And for directors and filmmakers who don't want to be stuck in the Marvel industrial complex or have little interest in making these movies aren't getting a good platform or are forced into an industry that destroys any opportunities and hopes for them. That's really, really bad, and is a much bigger picture and way more important that a too big to fail Marvel title making a bajillion dollars. Because really, relying on just one franchise or genre to prop up all of theatrical exhibition...that shit is not healthy at all, especially if said genre starts to wane in popularity. And I'm still not convinced these Disney+ shows aren't oversaturating and diluting interest amongst people.

 

And yet. Every. Fucking. Time. Anybody dares to talk about this stuff, we're bombarded by Marvel stans that it's not a big deal. It all becomes a giant circlejerk about how Marvel is the greatest thing ever and how it's this amazing savior of cinema and that we should all just shut up and let there be a new superhero movie every week. Who cares if people get sick of it or that we're only stuck with the same bland choices for the rest of our lives? Who cares if diverse genres and filmmaking don't exist anymore? Since superhero movies make so much money, fuck all the other movies, right? We already dominate the conversation, but it's still not enough, right? Got to make sure that we talk about how huge and massive and popular Marvel movies are and how awesome they are, right? The boards have been doing this all year and it is beyond obnoxious and is only belittling people who care about movies and wants all types of films, including superhero titles, to succeed.

 

If you're not bothered by the fact that only Marvel and Marvel-type films are making money, good for you. But this does not invalidate my problems with the industry or anybody else's.

Tbf the current highest grossing Hollywood movie of the year is not a Marvel movie

[Cmasterclay]

1 minute ago, Torontofan said:

Lockdown may be needed but its America people not gonna lockdown again. 

You're probably correct on this, but cautious people will certainly go back to limiting their activities. In large part because infection numbers and vaccine immunity are very scary concepts, even though the data we currently have suggests that boosted people only get quite mild cases of Omicron, less than a normal cold.

[John Marston]

7 minutes ago, Eric Feels Pretty said:

Excluding the Disney remakes, Mamma Mia 2 grossed 400M. Mary Poppins Returns did 350M. A Star is Born, if you want to count it as a musical, made 436M. Greatest Showman did 435M. La La Land did almost 450M. Even stuff like Rocketman and Pitch Perfect 3 did 185-195M on about a 40M budget. Don't even try and act like musicals haven't been premier destinations.

 

The thing is that me and Clay and CJohn and everybody else complaining right now...know that theaters won't shut down. We know that Spider-Man's gonna make a bajillion dollars. We know that Spider-Man is going to be this juggernaut around the corner. But the big problem is that Marvel movies and other big tentpoles are the only things selling well right now. And that's a huge problem.

 

Everything else this year is struggling to survive in this current theatrical ecosystem. Original features, midbudget titles, awards hopefuls, indies, animated kids titles. All of them are failing to maintain an audience and that's an awful, terrible situation that we need to address, because that is a serious problem. It's bad because there's fewer options for people, less diversity in the movie landscape, turns away audiences uninterested in superhero fare (yes those people exist), and it drastically cheapens our overall culture. And for directors and filmmakers who don't want to be stuck in the Marvel industrial complex or have little interest in making these movies aren't getting a good platform or are forced into an industry that destroys any opportunities and hopes for them. That's really, really bad, and is a much bigger picture and way more important that a too big to fail Marvel title making a bajillion dollars. Because really, relying on just one franchise or genre to prop up all of theatrical exhibition...that shit is not healthy at all, especially if said genre starts to wane in popularity. And I'm still not convinced these Disney+ shows aren't oversaturating and diluting interest amongst people.

 

And yet. Every. Fucking. Time. Anybody dares to talk about this stuff, we're bombarded by Marvel stans that it's not a big deal. It all becomes a giant circlejerk about how Marvel is the greatest thing ever and how it's this amazing savior of cinema and that we should all just shut up and let there be a new superhero movie every week. Who cares if people get sick of it or that we're only stuck with the same bland choices for the rest of our lives? Who cares if diverse genres and filmmaking don't exist anymore? Since superhero movies make so much money, fuck all the other movies, right? We already dominate the conversation, but it's still not enough, right? Got to make sure that we talk about how huge and massive and popular Marvel movies are and how awesome they are, right? The boards have been doing this all year and it is beyond obnoxious and is only belittling people who care about movies and wants all types of films, including superhero titles, to succeed.

 

If you're not bothered by the fact that only Marvel and Marvel-type films are making money, good for you. But this does not invalidate my problems with the industry or anybody else's.

 

How many of those movies were remakes of a movie already considered good? In the eyes of the public this is just a pointless remake 

[filmlover]

I always thought even hitting $100M, even if barely so, would be a win for this. It's the second adaptation of perhaps the most famous musical ever (anyone who goes into this not knowing it's a musical would probably go into Spider-Man unaware it's a superhero movie) with almost no starpower behind it other than the iconic director, and the genre can be pretty hit-or-miss (when musicals miss, they really miss). Given how much prestige fare has struggled at the box office in the COVID era, it's at least looking to be among the bigger movies that wasn't a major cinematic IP. And on the plus side, it's likely taking home a bunch of awards these next few months.

[john2000]

5 minutes ago, Eric Feels Pretty said:

Excluding the Disney remakes, Mamma Mia 2 grossed 400M. Mary Poppins Returns did 350M. A Star is Born, if you want to count it as a musical, made 436M. Greatest Showman did 435M. La La Land did almost 450M. Even stuff like Rocketman and Pitch Perfect 3 did 185-195M on about a 40M budget. Don't even try and act like musicals haven't been premier destinations.

 

The thing is that me and Clay and CJohn and everybody else complaining right now...know that theaters won't shut down. We know that Spider-Man's gonna make a bajillion dollars. We know that Spider-Man is going to be this juggernaut around the corner. But the big problem is that Marvel movies and other big tentpoles are the only things selling well right now. And that's a huge problem.

 

Everything else this year is struggling to survive in this current theatrical ecosystem. Original features, midbudget titles, awards hopefuls, indies, animated kids titles. All of them are failing to maintain an audience and that's an awful, terrible situation that we need to address, because that is a serious problem. It's bad because there's fewer options for people, less diversity in the movie landscape, turns away audiences uninterested in superhero fare (yes those people exist), and it drastically cheapens our overall culture. And for directors and filmmakers who don't want to be stuck in the Marvel industrial complex or have little interest in making these movies aren't getting a good platform or are forced into an industry that destroys any opportunities and hopes for them. That's really, really bad, and is a much bigger picture and way more important that a too big to fail Marvel title making a bajillion dollars. Because really, relying on just one franchise or genre to prop up all of theatrical exhibition...that shit is not healthy at all, especially if said genre starts to wane in popularity. And I'm still not convinced these Disney+ shows aren't oversaturating and diluting interest amongst people.

 

And yet. Every. Fucking. Time. Anybody dares to talk about this stuff, we're bombarded by Marvel stans that it's not a big deal. It all becomes a giant circlejerk about how Marvel is the greatest thing ever and how it's this amazing savior of cinema and that we should all just shut up and let there be a new superhero movie every week. Who cares if people get sick of it or that we're only stuck with the same bland choices for the rest of our lives? Who cares if diverse genres and filmmaking don't exist anymore? Since superhero movies make so much money, fuck all the other movies, right? We already dominate the conversation, but it's still not enough, right? Got to make sure that we talk about how huge and massive and popular Marvel movies are and how awesome they are, right? The boards have been doing this all year and it is beyond obnoxious and is only belittling people who care about movies and wants all types of films, including superhero titles, to succeed.

 

If you're not bothered by the fact that only Marvel and Marvel-type films are making money, good for you. But this does not invalidate my problems with the industry or anybody else's.

You clearly didnt understand a single thing about what i said so let me clarify it for you.It is unfortutane the fact that many kinds of movies dont perform well,my point however is the fact that you and some other users blame covid for that while completly ignore the fact that many movies this year have done very well.Product matters right or wrong people just dont care about this kinds of movies anymore and that was a trend that we knew about and had seen.

 

[titanic2187]

6 minutes ago, Cmasterclay said:

Couldn't have said it better myself. I literally could not give a fuck if Spider-Man opened to 400m next weekend. It says nothing about the health of movies, culture, economy, or public health.

Pathetic that the industry only focus on racial diversity but not product diversity. We are just seeing different races playing the same type of character in the same type of premises over and over again. How is this a diversity?  

[Eric Atreides]

And honestly for what it’s worth, despite my big ol’ rant, I do think dramas, awards hopefuls, indies, and kids movies will still survive. The big difference is that they will probably be hybrid releases. See it in theaters or on PVOD the same day. There is a streaming market for these kinds of movies, and while this does have its own negative repercussions, at least these kinds of movies are getting made somehow

[Momori]

[Legion Again]

Musicals don’t have that V.F.X.
 

Therefore, to much of the GA, they’re home movies more than go out in your car movies. This was a secular trend even before/without covid and the comparison to a 2014 release like Into the woods is pretty meaningless imo. 2014 was before the streaming era and 2021 is well in the middle of it.    

[john2000]

Covid just accelerated a trend that was ALREADY in place.Simple.I will prefer to give my money to matrix or spidey than this and i am not alone in that regard.This movie may be fantastic but its not screaming cinematic experience...

Edited December 10, 2021 by john2000

[Cmasterclay]

Just now, john2000 said:

Covid just accelerated a trend that was ALREADY in place.

Correct. And that's bad. And we should be doing everything we can to stop it?

[Eric Atreides]

1 minute ago, Product Driven Legion said:

Musicals don’t have that V.F.X.
 

Therefore, to much of the GA, they’re home movies more than go out in your car movies. This was a secular trend even before/without covid and the comparison to a 2014 release like Into the woods is pretty meaningless imo. 2014 was before the streaming era and 2021 is well in the middle of it.    

Well I already named MPR, Mamma Mia 2, A Star is Born, La La Land, and Greatest Showman as big musicals from the last five years. What’s their excuse?

[john2000]

3 minutes ago, Cmasterclay said:

Correct. And that's bad. And we should be doing everything we can to stop it?

What i am saying is that you shouldnt blame this fact solely to covid either something that some users here do....

Edited December 10, 2021 by john2000

[Cmasterclay]

Funny thing is, the big narrative before COVID was "star power is dead", and now based on House of Gucci's success it appears star power is going to be what saves mid-sized movies.

[Cmasterclay]

Just now, john2000 said:

No but you shouldnt blame this fact solely to covid either something that some users here do....

I guarantee you'd rather hear my explanation be COVID than the other ones I have, lol.

[John Marston]

It’s not like Oscar hopeful movies have always exploded at the box office. 

[EmpireCity]

1 hour ago, Cmasterclay said:

I don't see any reason for studios to release films in theaters anymore outside of Spider-Man types. Audiences are not coming back and we are about to have a worse COVID wave than ever. Lockdowns are incoming and with them the final death of theaters.

 

What incredible nonsense.  Complete and total nonsense that will proven out hilariously wrong.  

[4815162342]

1 hour ago, Product Driven Legion said:

 

Anyway no need to meltdown about this adult singy movie with low numbers when we have a real cinematic event lined up in 7 days.  

 

Matrix doesn't come out on the 17th.

 

 

And Berg unleashing his powers on a musical that's getting raves is far more a cinematic event than spider movie #15 that has messy marketing with kinda ugly visuals.

[Legion Again]

4 minutes ago, Cmasterclay said:

Correct. And that's bad. And we should be doing everything we can to stop it?

Like… what? Serious question — what is to be done? Posting about how you wish less vfx/CBMish movies were still successful theatrical exclusives to a degree they have been in the past isn’t going to magic the GA into wanting to see them again. The streaming genie isn’t going back in its bottle, home tech is only going to get better and cheaper.

[EmpireCity]

1 hour ago, Cmasterclay said:

Can't wait for the usual "nothing is wrong" suspects to tell people to stop freaking out (despite scientific evidence showing why we may well need another lockdown), and the usual "actually, only superhero movies are good anyway" movies to talk about nothing but Spider-Man for next two months.

 

A lockdown where?  In the United States?  

 

It isn't happening again.  Ever.