Halloween Weekend Thread (10/28-30) | Weekend Estimates: Adam 27.7, Paradise 10, Devil 7, Smile 5, Ends 3.8

[grim22]

27 minutes ago, Ericstein's Monster said:

Honestly I'm the opposite. A good dark and sad movie is like catharsis. Really gives me a chance to express my emotions on any issues I'm facing from the real world. Distracting it with a goofy comedy or upbeat film doesn't distract me at all, because I'm still thinking about how sad and frustrated I am and end up not getting anything out of the Bob's Burgers episodes I typically laugh at.

 

Obviously not trying to discredit the other side, because they deserve entertainment that makes them feel good, but I really hope the current world affairs doesn't mean "dark" or "depressing" movies will go away forever. Because honestly, trying to force optimism in everything would have some real bad repercussions.

It's contextual for sure, for example Get Out comes out in February 2017 just as a presidential regime is starting and instead of the ending we have now, it has the original ending.

 

Still just as well made, still with all the characters and twists we like, but it's a cop at the end and the hero goes to prison. That's not a movie anyone would ever want to watch, sometimes you need that win at the end of a movie. Get Out with that one scene changed probably crashes 80% in the second weekend instead of becoming a phenomenon.

 

As an example of the opposite, the YA genre died in 2016 onwards. The idea of one chosen young person toppling an authoritarian regime just seemed way too outlandish for current times even with an happy ending.

 

Sometimes you just need that happy ending, you need the hero running in just as the heroine is about to be wrongly executed via gas chamber for a crime she didn't commit and apologize for being late because he was stuck in traffic while carrying her out and credits roll.

Edited October 31, 2022 by grim22

[Cooper Legion]

8 minutes ago, excel1 said:

The Help, 13 Years A Slave, Selma, The Butler, Hidden Figures, Green Book, Harriet, Loving, Fences, Just Mercy, Beale Street, Django,  etc etc. Even Black Panther

Like half of these of these movies got an A+. Maybe more.

[Cooper Legion]

11 minutes ago, excel1 said:

FIFY  

I already think the world is a great place so I don’t need to log off, checkmate hatters  

[excel1]

27 minutes ago, Ericstein's Monster said:

Honestly I'm the opposite. A good dark and sad movie is like catharsis. Really gives me a chance to express my emotions on any issues I'm facing from the real world. Distracting it with a goofy comedy or upbeat film doesn't distract me at all, because I'm still thinking about how sad and frustrated I am and end up not getting anything out of the Bob's Burgers episodes I typically laugh at.

 

idk how old you are and you may not fall into this bucket, but I suspect movie young adult movie buffs go through this phase. They usually reach a point where they look for something more upbeat, which is where the romcom phase takes over.  

[excel1]

8 minutes ago, Legion By Night said:

Like half of these of these movies got an A+. Maybe more.

 

I know, but how many people went to see them? To casual moviegoer, many of them are blending together and too depressing to justify spending the time or money to see. 

 

It's like war movies. Eventually, average moviegoer reaches a point where it's like "I get it, war sucks".

Edited October 31, 2022 by excel1

[Cmasterclay]

CJohn is bang on with this. Power of the Dog got million of viewers, for Christ's sake. People are watching these movies, they're just watching them at home. We can't keep pretending like things haven't just moved permanently to streaming. People will show up for big budget special effect movies and horror movies, that's it.

 

The guy responding to me talking about how people enjoy these movies I don't like may be right, but there's plenty of evidence that the kind of movies I like ALSO used to make money. It's not mutually exclusive. Many of the best movies and best runs are mid-budget adult films, and those are about to be out of theaters by 2025.

 

I'm not talking about depressing movies like Till, either. True Grit made 171m in 2010. It would make 10m today. No Country for Old Men made a solid 75m. It would barely make 5m today. Slumdog Millionaire, which is a huge crowdpleaser, made 141 m back in the day. It would be a miracle if it hit double digits total now. That's my point. It's not just Till or Tar. It's all of these movies, across all genres and degrees of crowdpleasing.

Edited October 31, 2022 by Cmasterclay

[Pinacolada]

2 hours ago, filmlover said:

The weekend after the post-Thanksgiving weekend spot and right before the Christmas releases begin charging through has been an odd one for a while because anything put there runs the risk of being gone by Christmas when the rush of releases force theaters to drop stuff. Looking at the schedule, there's actually a good chance Black Panther is #1 up until Avatar comes out, unless Violent Night overperforms.

 

Oh I'm not disagreeing, I'm just not sure it's possible given the windows that studios have placed upon movies in this day and age. Before the pandemic, a movie like TAR might have been some time to take advantage of awards buzz as much as it could (something difficult to do with an October release unless you're a heavily-promoted major studio release). But now? It'll more likely than not be streaming on Peacock by Christmas. Ditto Banshees and Hulu.

I may have missed it as I'm catching up on the weekend thread, but do we know when Banshees will go to Hulu/Hbo Max?

 

I thought it's a matter of how many theaters it's in. Like  the number t-45 days until it goes on streaming only starts once its in "WIDE" release

[filmlover]

Just now, Cmasterclay said:

CJohn is bang on with this. Power of the Dog got million of viewers, for Christ's sake. People are watching these movies, they're just watching them at home. We can't keep pretending like things haven't just moved permanently to streaming. People will show up for big budget special effect movies and horror movies, that's it.

 

The guy responding to me talking about how people enjoy these movies I don't like may be right, but there's plenty of evidence that the kind of movies I like ALSO used to make money. It's not mutually exclusive. Many of the best movies and best runs are mid-budget adult films, and those are about to be out of theaters by 2025.

They'll keep making those as long they're successful, and there's been plenty of signs of life for the non-tentpole this year. Ticket to Paradise right now is proving that too. I suspect I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Babylon, and (once it goes wide in January) A Man Called Otto will do just fine as well.

[filmlover]

4 minutes ago, Pinacolada said:

I may have missed it as I'm catching up on the weekend thread, but do we know when Banshees will go to Hulu/Hbo Max?

 

I thought it's a matter of how many theaters it's in. Like  the number t-45 days until it goes on streaming only starts once its in "WIDE" release

It's apparently hitting 600-800 theaters this upcoming weekend (everyone wants to make their cash before Black Panther arrives to consume most of the theater space), so it should be streaming by middle of December if that's anything to go on.

[Cmasterclay]

2 minutes ago, filmlover said:

They'll keep making those as long they're successful, and there's been plenty of signs of life for the non-tentpole this year. Ticket to Paradise right now is proving that too. I suspect I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Babylon, and (once it goes wide in January) A Man Called Otto will do just fine as well.

Babylon and A Man Called Otto are going to struggle to get to 20 million. I Wanna Dance With Somebody is going to make huge bank, but I consider those musical biopics closer to a superhero movie than the movies I'm talking about tbh. Ticket To Paradise is doing pretty good and will make like 60m but we used to get like four romcoms a year that did 120+, so that's less "great" and more people lowering the bar.

 

I'm always the voice of bleakness on these boards I feel like, but since 2016 whether movies or politics I have been right often. Far too often, sadly. Shit ain't good in the world, whether art or politics or public health or anything. I admire the person who said they have an upbeat perspective, but it's hard for me to feel that way.

[Pinacolada]

19 minutes ago, filmlover said:

It's apparently hitting 600-800 theaters this upcoming weekend (everyone wants to make their cash before Black Panther arrives to consume most of the theater space), so it should be streaming by middle of December if that's anything to go on.

That'd be so fucking lame. Play it exactly like Three Billboards! At least wait until after Oscar Nominations. Is 600 theaters WIDE tho? 

 

Searchlight were fools for giving Empire of Light that December spot instead of Banshees (though at the same time, it's nice to have a top Oscar contender in October/Early November. I just mean for going-to-streaming purposes)

Edited October 31, 2022 by Pinacolada

[Torontofan]

14 minutes ago, Cmasterclay said:

CJohn is bang on with this. Power of the Dog got million of viewers, for Christ's sake. People are watching these movies, they're just watching them at home. We can't keep pretending like things haven't just moved permanently to streaming. People will show up for big budget special effect movies and horror movies, that's it.

 

The guy responding to me talking about how people enjoy these movies I don't like may be right, but there's plenty of evidence that the kind of movies I like ALSO used to make money. It's not mutually exclusive. Many of the best movies and best runs are mid-budget adult films, and those are about to be out of theaters by 2025.

 

I'm not talking about depressing movies like Till, either. True Grit made 171m in 2010. It would make 10m today. No Country for Old Men made a solid 75m. It would barely make 5m today. Slumdog Millionaire, which is a huge crowdpleaser, made 141 m back in the day. It would be a miracle if it hit double digits total now. That's my point. It's not just Till or Tar. It's all of these movies, across all genres and degrees of crowdpleasing.

 

slumdog millionaire likely get cancelled by indians if it released today 

[Pinacolada]

5 minutes ago, Cmasterclay said:

Babylon and A Man Called Otto are going to struggle to get to 20 million. I Wanna Dance With Somebody is going to make huge bank, but I consider those musical biopics closer to a superhero movie than the movies I'm talking about tbh. Ticket To Paradise is doing pretty good and will make like 60m but we used to get like four romcoms a year that did 120+, so that's less "great" and more people lowering the bar.

 

I'm always the voice of bleakness on these boards I feel like, but since 2016 whether movies or politics I have been right often. Far too often, sadly. Shit ain't good in the world, whether art or politics or public health or anything. I admire the person who said they have an upbeat perspective, but it's hard for me to feel that way.

Man Called Otto is definitely DOA, but with Paramount presumably allowing Babylon to remain in theaters exclusively for a long run, I think buzz and awards noms can carry it well past that

[grim22]

1 minute ago, Torontofan said:

 

slumdog millionaire likely get cancelled by indians if it released today 

It was cancelled by Indians in 2008.

[Cmasterclay]

Slumdog Millionaire should be cancelled for making people believe that Dev Patel was awkward looking and gangly.

[filmlover]

I think the main issue here is "the art house audience just isn't what it used to be" and that's a fair assessment. No way would movies like The Grand Budapest Hotel or American Sniper or La La Land be posting those insane averages they saw (that fueled their mainstream buzz) in the current environment. Take The Fabelmans, for example? Pre-COVID, it would easily post a $100K+ PTA with sellouts across those big LA chains that would take movies to such heights. But now? When it's going to have to compete with Black Panther at its four theaters for auditorium space, and losing that fight (NYC/LA crowds see Marvel movies too, ya know)? $40-50K, maybe.

[Cmasterclay]

2 minutes ago, Pinacolada said:

Man Called Otto is definitely DOA, but with Paramount presumably allowing Babylon to remain in theaters exclusively for a long run, I think buzz and awards noms can carry it well past that

Having read the script and hearing loosely about the Brad Pitt stuff (haven't followed closely), color me skeptical on Babylon's award chances. Weirdly it might be the one big adult drama I actually skip in theaters - hearing Margot Robbie do the yelling Harley Quinn Brooklyn voice for three hours and eight minutes might kill me.

[grim22]

Just now, filmlover said:

I think the main issue here is "the art house audience just isn't what it used to be" and that's a fair assessment. No way would movies like The Grand Budapest Hotel or American Sniper or La La Land be posting those insane averages they saw (that fueled their mainstream buzz) in the current environment. Take The Fabelmans, for example? Pre-COVID, it would easily post a $100K+ PTA with sellouts across those big LA chains that would take movies to such heights. But now? When it's going to have to compete with Black Panther at its four theaters for auditorium space, and losing that fight (NYC/LA crowds see Marvel movies too, ya know)? $40-50K, maybe.

 

A lot of arthouse theaters have closed down during the pandemic as well. 3 major arthouse theaters in OC closed in the last 6 months and the Landmark in LA which was a major arthouse hub shut down as well. The smaller movies now have to go into the broader engagement theaters.

[Cmasterclay]

It would have taken me until like Thanksgiving week to get Banshees under 2019 rules, and that would have been in the Gateway Fort Lauderdale (arthouse). Now I am getting it next week in a large Regal theater. Feels fucking weird, man.

[Eric Prime]

4 minutes ago, Cmasterclay said:

I'm always the voice of bleakness on these boards I feel like, but since 2016 whether movies or politics I have been right often. Far too often, sadly. Shit ain't good in the world, whether art or politics or public health or anything. I admire the person who said they have an upbeat perspective, but it's hard for me to feel that way.

This right here is why "dark" movies do so much more for me emotionally. People will try to say things will get better and to stop focusing on the cruelties of the world, but it all rings as hollow attempts to distract from the fact that global warming is killing us and fascism is still on the rise, with so much progress that was once made completely tarnished and thrown away by a growing disdain against intellectuals and scientists (congrats to Brazil though for waking up from all that trash, though who knows for how long). Trying to create movies that exist to give happy thoughts, that try to tell us things will get better because Tom Cruise will save the day, isn't close to reality. It's all a lie that doesn't make me feel better over the fact that the world is set to collapse before I even retire. With a sad movie, I may be bummed, but it at least lets me think about what's going on in real life. That's so much more rewarding than a farce with a smiley face on it