Weekend Thread (6/24-26) | Actuals: Elvis 31.2, TGM 29.6, JWD 26.7, Black Phone 23.6, Lightyear 18.1

[M37]

41 minutes ago, Eric Presley said:

Not gonna speak for others, but my argument for this movie wasn't that Elvis was unknown or irrelevant, nor that he doesn't have fans, but that young people don't really care about him in the same way. This is obviously anecdotal, but I'm 24 and I don't see people my age talk about or treat Elvis in this revered light compared to Queen or even The Beatles. If anything, my main exposure to Elvis growing up were parodies and goofy jokes about him on kids shows. I think every Disney sitcom I watched growing up had a joke about Elvis or a character dressing up like Elvis. Not really something to be proud of.

 

It's different from the NWA or Queen movies, which brought in a lot of young people, because people like Ice Cube and Dr. Dre are still active in the business, Queen still tours with Adam Lambert, and Freddie Mercury is still a legend to my LGBT friends. Queen and NWA are still big with younger viewers, which allowed those movies to open so much higher compared to most music biopics. That's why Rocketman opened so much lower, because Elton, who is one of my favorite people ever, doesn't really matter to your average 20something, unless you're really into music. And honestly, while its ~35M opening is an objectively strong result, way better than Rocketman's, and shows Elvis' reach and power, it's still not near the Bohemian/Compton level opening that showed those movies as 4-quad hits.

Good breakdown of the limitations. Summing up: to the majority of the audience, it’s a story about a historical figure, no longer a relevant pop culture icon, at least not in more than name only, not event

 

Like The Last Dance vs a docu-series about Russell’s Celtics, where one you can recall where you were as the events depicted unfolded, vs leaning what happened in detail for the first time

[BestPicturePlutoNash]

I knew Elvis would be a struggle with young audiences and we know luring old audiences to theaters currently is a challenge (especially with Top Gun competing for them) which is why I initially had like a final 100m dom total and 32ish OW. But the good presales and Cannes buzz had me thinking it could maybe hit 40. I truly wasn't anticipating frontloadedness. 

 

I just really want more of these films to do well. It's saddening losing the theatrical experience for big adult movies since that's where my love of film deepened 

[Brainbug]

6 minutes ago, keysersoze123 said:

Sub 50% drop coming out of long weekend while losing more IMAX/PLF shows?

 

I should have made the "hoping" part in Caps i guess

 

I think i can have dreams until the hard numbers crush me!

[wildphantom]

6 minutes ago, grey ghost said:

The Elvis Challenge.

 

Ask anyone under 30 to name three Elvis songs.

embarrassing if they can’t tbf

[Cooper Legion]

I played 32 for JWD 

[Jonwo]

I do wonder how the Bee Gees biopic will do when it eventually gets made, it's a similar generation to the audience who saw and liked Bohemian Rhapsody.

 

It's unlikely to happen but I think an ABBA biopic would do very solid business.

[RichWS]

5 minutes ago, wildphantom said:

embarrassing if they can’t tbf

 

I have a co-worker ten years younger than myself and it's absolutely astounding how little they know about ANY pop culture before 2000. It's like it never existed. Feel like when I was young, I was always interested in what came before me but suppose I was a strange child. 

[ringedmortality]

2 minutes ago, Jonwo said:

It's unlikely to happen but I think an ABBA biopic would do very solid business.

Isn’t that just Mamma Mia?

[Jonwo]

Just now, ringedmortality said:

Isn’t that just Mamma Mia?

Mamma Mia! is a musical. 

 

 

[XXRDJisDoctorDoom]

3 minutes ago, Jonwo said:

I do wonder how the Bee Gees biopic will do when it eventually gets made, it's a similar generation to the audience who saw and liked Bohemian Rhapsody.

 

It's unlikely to happen but I think an ABBA biopic would do very solid business.

 

The Bee Gees haven't held nearly as well as Queen has (which is mainly due to the cult of personality around Freddie Mercury).

As for ABBA, that would do great in Europe but not nearly as well in the US. 

[BestPicturePlutoNash]

1 minute ago, RichWS said:

 

I have a co-worker ten years younger than myself and it's absolutely astounding how little they know about ANY pop culture before 2000. It's like it never existed. Feel like when I was young, I was always interested in what came before me but suppose I was a strange child. 

Yeah you can't even quote a random movie anymore because people won't understand the reference, while like 15 years ago we only communicated via Hangover and Anchorman quotes and "Run Forrest Run" was still in the popular lexicon

[CJohn]

So we are looking at a 10M Friday for Elvis? Horrendous. Is this opening below Rocketman?

[grim22]

1 minute ago, CJohn said:

So we are looking at a 10M Friday for Elvis? Horrendous. Is this opening below Rocketman?

I have a feeling this entire weekend gets really depressed at the box office but news channels get their best ratings in a long long time.

 

Most people won't even feel like going to the movies for entertainment.

[JohnnyGossamer]

Wait, what? Has Charlie or EC given an early Elvis number of only 10M with the 3.5M from Thursday included in said number?

[Ronin46]

10 minutes ago, Jonwo said:

I do wonder how the Bee Gees biopic will do when it eventually gets made, it's a similar generation to the audience who saw and liked Bohemian Rhapsody.

 

It's unlikely to happen but I think an ABBA biopic would do very solid business.

 

Whitney Houston, Madonna and Bob Marley music bipoics are coming in the next few years. 

[Ronin46]

1 minute ago, JohnnyGossamer said:

Wait, what? Has Charlie or EC given an early Elvis number of only 10M with the 3.5M from Thursday included in said number?

 

No its just a projection from a smaller chain. There are reasons that smaller chain is under performing.  

[Brainbug]

2 minutes ago, grim22 said:

I have a feeling this entire weekend gets really depressed at the box office but news channels get their best ratings in a long long time.

 

Most people won't even feel like going to the movies for entertainment.

 

But couldnt the opposite effect be possible as well? As in going to a movie theater for 3 hours of escapism from the dark political reality?

[John Marston]

2 minutes ago, JohnnyGossamer said:

Wait, what? Has Charlie or EC given an early Elvis number of only 10M with the 3.5M from Thursday included in said number?

 

 

no

[grim22]

6 minutes ago, Brainbug the Dinosaur said:

 

But couldnt the opposite effect be possible as well? As in going to a movie theater for 3 hours of escapism from the dark political reality?

Not to dive into theaters versus streaming, but when you feel fully defeated and deflated, you aren't in any mind space to put on your clothes, get in your car and drive to a theater. The much easier way is to drop down in your sofa, doomscroll and watch something on streaming.

[M37]

15 minutes ago, BestPicturePlutoNash said:

Yeah you can't even quote a random movie anymore because people won't understand the reference, while like 15 years ago we only communicated via Hangover and Anchorman quotes and "Run Forrest Run" was still in the popular lexicon

I mean, you can still quote them, but often people just stare at you with a blank look 

 

My kids now know so many quotes from movies they have not even seen (and may not never)