Weekend Thread - 3/17-19 | Weekend Est. - Shazam II $30.5M, Scream VI $17.5M, Creed III $15.4M, LXV $5.8M, #AintMan $4.1M

[kestrel]

Tickets for EEAAO were only $5 at many locations, making that gross extra impressive. 

[MightyDargon]

Is there a way we can calculate EEAO's Amazon sales of DVD and Blu-Ray? I think that would be the real windfall for that film at this point.

[BestPicturePlutoNash]

4 hours ago, Johnny Tran said:

By the way, if these CBM flops do force studios to get a little more creative and we see more straight action movies like Top Gun: Maverick then I am all for it..  

 

Most comic book movies are using a very tired formula.  I only get interested now if it's a comic book movie that is aspiring to be another genre (see: The Batman ) 

how can you say comic book movies are using a very tired formula while arguing for more "creative" (contradictory) movies like Top Gun and "straight action movies"? Top Gun Maverick was a hit because it was a sequel to a hit and very old-fashioned and formulaic? 

[PlatnumRoyce]

12 hours ago, ClarkZuckerberg said:

and more actual analyzing the data,

If you haven't seen them, the tracking threads are fun in that regards, provides stuff that's really hard to find elsewhere and there's even more effort placed to deter fandom war stuff from clogging up feeds. Doesn't cover everything, but it's a fun somewhat more "pure" data analyzing thread.  

[PlatnumRoyce]

2 hours ago, Eric Batson said:

Gotta be honest, over the past few years, I've realized they really just should have ended these movies after Endgame. Not saying it was a perfect finale, but it still left the whole series on a good high note and everybody was happy and you didn't have to worry about topping pigs with pigs immediatley after. Then you had the whole "absence makes the heart grow fonder" thing where when you do come back, people are excited and ready for new adventures. Oh well. Guess Papa Feige learned the hard way from all this.

Thoughts on Jurassic World's pretty emphatic "this is over" pitch (while it being just as obvious Universal has no interest in letting Jurassic franchise sit idle)? 

[MightyDargon]

2 minutes ago, PlatnumRoyce said:

Thoughts on Jurassic World's pretty emphatic "this is over" pitch (while it being just as obvious Universal has no interest in letting Jurassic franchise sit idle)? 

It is over for about 5-10 years IMO. Certainly Neill's last one, sadly. Won't get that boost again.

[BestPicturePlutoNash]

We'll all keep spinning wheels and going in circles over this discussion BUT..

 

I loved Endgame, it's my favorite MCU and one of my favorite superhero/comic book movies. I agree it probably should have been the (fitting) finale. That was it for me. 

 

I liked NWH, too. It's a step-down obviously but that's when it REALLY should have ended IMO. Cute epilogue, novelty factor.. and they really lucked out production wise with COVID. 

 

I think it's just clear Endgame was the peak of the genre for audiences. Their investment paid off. There's just nothing left to do. The extension into TV damaged the brand by diminishing the event factor with fatigue and losing itself in the sauce.

 

Spiderverse and Everything Everywhere are further changing expectations for multiverse stories. They can't keep milking nostalgia-- that contributed to Dr. Strange 2 flopping (in addition to being a messy production). The Tobey card worked because he never had a fitting conclusion and those movies were beloved and only continue to build in esteem. The last Wolverine appearance was just in 2017 which audiences loved (I didn't like AS much, but I'd be a liar if I argued it wasn't a perfect conclusion for Hugh Jackman). And they clearly haven't firmly established their multiverse storytelling compared to how accessible and thrillingly tight the Infinity Saga was. It was a well-oiled machine and perhaps the most impressive logistic productions in Hollywood's modern era. The multiverse saga so far has clearly been directionless and convoluted. (Why release a black Widow movie for example? Why do another Thor movie that both fails to follow-through on what's established in Endgame as well as any multiverse ties, etc). Whichever remaining fans there are, Guardians 3 might truly be IT for them. The final farewell. And that doesn't include multiverse stuff either!

 

Maybe they should have cut ties to the Avengers for good. No Black Widow. No Thor 4. No Hulk in She-Hulk. And just move on with a mutant saga and Fantastic 4? Less movies per year, no TV... Then again, Eternals flopped while Shang-Chi hit so their consistency with introducing new characters is put to the test. 

[MightyDargon]

Dr. Strange 2 didn't flop at all. Quantumania, on the other hand....

 

[Mr Roark]

Strange benefited from NWH’s success way beyond the movie merits, to be fair. How things change.

[excel1]

2 hours ago, baumer said:

I was 17 in 1989 and I don't mean to pull rank on people here but unless you were actually alive and going to the movies in the summer of 1989 you have no idea the impact that Batman had on the landscape of movies. It was omnipotent. You think Heath Ledger got a lot of press and a lot of praise? You have no idea what the casting of Jack Nicholson did as the joker. It absolutely blew people away. So to think that the dark Knight had a bigger impact on whatever metric you want to use you're sorely mistaken. The dark Knight is incredible and one of my favorite movies of all time. I didn't even necessarily care for the original Batman and I hated Batman returns. But that doesn't mean that you can look at it any other way, the original Batman in 1989 basically started the superhero craze. Yes Superman came out about a decade before but I don't think that was even as big as batman.

 

And this is coming from an Indiana Jones looney. I thought Indiana Jones would dominate the summer but not only did it not win but it came in around 50 million less than what Batman made. Michael keaton, Jack nicholson, Prince and the bat dance, and of course Tim Burton all became the talk of the movie world. I think it's easy to try to overlook what a movie did when it came out more than 30 years ago. But again I was there in the summer of 89 and I can tell you that Batman was enormous.

 

This. The movie basically became the blueprint for the 1990s onward for blockbuster film marketing and merchandising. 

 

TDK without question had a more serious impact from a critical acclaim perspective (the best picture nominees were changed because of it infamous and widely mocked snubbing), and is in the third tier of historically hyped films along side Avengers, Spider-man 1, 2, and 3, Transformers 2, Matrix Reloaded, Pirates 2, Potter 1 and 8 and Infinity War. As one who remembers 2008 vividly, TDK was widely expected to open to $95-100m as 2008 began. Ledger's horrific death exploded awareness and buzz, and when the reviews broke in late June, everyone was thinking that a Pirates 2 sized $135m massive haul could be realistic. NOBODY was thinking it would top Spidey 3 and reach $158m. The film being such a high-quality product give it insane WOM which ultimately propelled its total grosses to insane heights that NOBODY would have ever predicted. TDK doing $200m more than Spider-man 3 did the year prior? 

 

Batman 1989 is on the bubble of tier 2 (Episode 1, ID4, The Dark Knight Rises, and Da Force Awakens) and tier 1 (Endgame & Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi occupy tier 1 of EVERYONE ON EARTH GOES TO SEE). Ghostbusters 2 set the opening weekend 7 days prior to Batmans opening with $29.8m. Batman opens 7 days later with $42.5m. An unimaginable increase in such a short period of time. The quality was obvious not as impressive as TDK and that likely skews long-term sentiment in a heads-up match up vs TDK but no doubt Batman's place in pop culture of 1989 was greater than in 2008.

Edited March 19, 2023 by excel1

[Eric the Fall Guy]

1 hour ago, PlatnumRoyce said:

Thoughts on Jurassic World's pretty emphatic "this is over" pitch (while it being just as obvious Universal has no interest in letting Jurassic franchise sit idle)? 

I hate all the Jurassic Park sequels and I think Jurassic World in particualr is one of the worst movies ever made. So I would say they should have ended this crap in 1993. 🤣

[Brainbug]

11 minutes ago, Eric Batson said:

I hate all the Jurassic Park sequels and I think Jurassic World in particualr is one of the worst movies ever made. So I would say they should have ended this crap in 1993. 🤣

 

I respect your opinion, but i personally disagree with it.

[Eric the Fall Guy]

3 minutes ago, Brainbug said:

 

I respect your opinion, but i personally disagree with it.

👍🏻 

[John Marston]

3 hours ago, baumer said:

I was 17 in 1989 and I don't mean to pull rank on people here but unless you were actually alive and going to the movies in the summer of 1989 you have no idea the impact that Batman had on the landscape of movies. It was omnipotent. You think Heath Ledger got a lot of press and a lot of praise? You have no idea what the casting of Jack Nicholson did as the joker. It absolutely blew people away. So to think that the dark Knight had a bigger impact on whatever metric you want to use you're sorely mistaken. The dark Knight is incredible and one of my favorite movies of all time. I didn't even necessarily care for the original Batman and I hated Batman returns. But that doesn't mean that you can look at it any other way, the original Batman in 1989 basically started the superhero craze. Yes Superman came out about a decade before but I don't think that was even as big as batman.

 

And this is coming from an Indiana Jones looney. I thought Indiana Jones would dominate the summer but not only did it not win but it came in around 50 million less than what Batman made. Michael keaton, Jack nicholson, Prince and the bat dance, and of course Tim Burton all became the talk of the movie world. I think it's easy to try to overlook what a movie did when it came out more than 30 years ago. But again I was there in the summer of 89 and I can tell you that Batman was enormous.

 

 

there is no doubt it was huge in 1989 however that doesn't mean it means anything to people day. TDK not only ended up beating Batman 89 even when adjusted for inflation but got incredible reviews and WOM with some saying it is one of the best films ever made. It was also the fourth film to ever break a billion and was the first Batman film to really take off overseas. So overall TDK I would say made the bigger impact 

Edited March 20, 2023 by John Marston

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

4 hours ago, Eric Batson said:

This is legit impressive to me. I don't know what other people's theaters are looking like, but these movies are only playing 1-2 showtimes a day at my local theater. They gave this more showtimes for some bizarre reason. Even using the "the award winners are now at home", this is just silly.

 

 

A Snowy Day in Oakland seems to have a nice message and I've heard of most of those actors, but it looks so cheap. Not Boogievision* cheap, but still...

 

 

 

*In case you missed last year's Unfavorable Odds, directed by the auteur Boogievision. This got released in nearly 450 theaters last September:

 

 

Stunningly, not a box office hit:

 

 

Theatrical Performance
Domestic Box Office	$86,203

[kayumanggi]

6 hours ago, Kyriacos said:

Do we have international update for Scream VI?

 

 

[Eric the Fall Guy]

12 minutes ago, BoxOfficeFangrl said:

A Snowy Day in Oakland seems to have a nice message and I've heard of most of those actors, but it looks so cheap. Not Boogievision* cheap, but still...

 

 

 

*In case you missed last year's Unfavorable Odds, directed by the auteur Boogievision. This got released in nearly 450 theaters last September:

 

 

Stunningly, not a box office hit:

 

 

Theatrical Performance
Domestic Box Office	$86,203

Pretty sure that played at my theater too lol. My local has 22 screens, so they've been getting a lot of these cheap-o craps that nobody has ever heard of. Lot of the time it's horror stuff that I doubt even Bloody Disgusting isn't aware of. Which like...I know they're doing this because they need to play something and there's the mindset of "new product brings people in", but like...I'm pretty sure letting Operation Fortune play a little bit longer makes more business sense.

[Welcbr12]

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/box-office-shazam-2-opening-weekend-stumbles-1235558787/

 

 

 

“Shazam: Fury of the Gods” opened to No. 1 in North America, but the Warner Bros. and DC Comics sequel fell short of expectations with its disappointing $30.5 million debut from 4,071 theaters. Heading into the weekend, the film was expected to collect $35 million to $40 million, which already wasn’t all that spectacular since it cost north of $110 million to make and another $100 million to market.

 

 

 

This movie is a disaster 

[Mulder]

6 minutes ago, Welcbr12 said:

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/box-office-shazam-2-opening-weekend-stumbles-1235558787/

 

 

 

“Shazam: Fury of the Gods” opened to No. 1 in North America, but the Warner Bros. and DC Comics sequel fell short of expectations with its disappointing $30.5 million debut from 4,071 theaters. Heading into the weekend, the film was expected to collect $35 million to $40 million, which already wasn’t all that spectacular since it cost north of $110 million to make and another $100 million to market.

 

 

 

This movie is a disaster 

So about like 210-225 in total? Yeesh.

[Firepower]

2 hours ago, BestPicturePlutoNash said:

The Tobey card worked because he never had a fitting conclusion

Idk, SM3 had a pretty definitive conclusion, there was no cliffhanger or unresolved conflicts. Andrew on the other hand ended on a big cliffhanger that was never resolved.

Edited March 20, 2023 by Firepower