Passengers | Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence | Dec 21, 2016 | Trailer pg 70

[AniNate]

I think this is going to need obscenely glowing reviews to find an audience. The sci-fi junkies will all be flocking to Rogue One and the adult audience will have MBTS and La La Land, leaving this in no-man's land if it can't look like worthy competition.

[ezme]

5 minutes ago, tribefan695 said:

I think this is going to need obscenely glowing reviews to find an audience. The sci-fi junkies will all be flocking to Rogue One and the adult audience will have MBTS and La La Land, leaving this in no-man's land if it can't look like worthy competition.

lol, MBTS and La La Land? 

[babz06]

14 minutes ago, tribefan695 said:

I think this is going to need obscenely glowing reviews to find an audience. The sci-fi junkies will all be flocking to Rogue One and the adult audience will have MBTS and La La Land, leaving this in no-man's land if it can't look like worthy competition.

Manchester By the Sea(drama) and La La Land(musical romance) aren't general audience type movies. It'll be for older adults and musical lovers. They aren't huge threats, Rogue One is though. A casual movie-goer will either watch Rogue One or Passengers or Sing (if they have children) this Christmas. At any rate, there is room for all of these films to succeed. 

Manchester By the Sea and La La Land  are more likely to affect the straight dramas  like Collateral Beauty , A Monster Calls, etc. They've already taken away audience from Loving and Miss Sloane. 

Edited December 15, 2016 by babz06

[AniNate]

Yes, MBTS and La La Land.

 

Though granted I thought La La was going wide next week when it actually isn't. Still, if this is even just "okay" I don't think it'll be able to stand out

[Cochofles]

1 hour ago, filmlover said:

Welp. I've tried being optimistic to the end, but it's becoming increasingly clear the writing is on the wall.

 

 

 

When Passengers opens with the kind of reviews it clearly will, the stanning and the spinning will be glorious.

 

[Captain H]

18 minutes ago, Cochofles said:

 

When Passengers opens with the kind of reviews it clearly will, the stanning and the spinning will be glorious.

 

Meh. Nothing will top a certain CBM fanbase meltdown earlier this year. (No matter which one you're thinking about, there's really no wrong answer, imo)

[ezme]

2 hours ago, filmlover said:

Welp. I've tried being optimistic to the end, but it's becoming increasingly clear the writing is on the wall.

 

 

well... he is not talking about Passengers. But i still think this will get mixed reviews.

 

 

[straggler]

2 hours ago, filmlover said:

Welp. I've tried being optimistic to the end, but it's becoming increasingly clear the writing is on the wall.

 

 

He wasn't talking about Passengers. This thread is an exercise in pessimism, just scouring the internet for anything seemingly negative. For what I gather there is something controversial in the film. Interesting. 

[JennaJ]

Now I'm curious what movie he was actually talking about.

[ezme]

15 minutes ago, JennaJ said:

Now I'm curious what movie he was actually talking about.

 

Maybe it's Collateral Beauty or Live by Night

[JennaJ]

1 hour ago, straggler said:

For what I gather there is something controversial in the film. Interesting. 

 

I think I know what that is based on the original pitch, but apperently they made some changes to the ending and something about this new ending requires serious suspension of disbelief.

That might not be a major issue, but if it is a major issue in the reviews, It'll confirm my fear that Tom Rothman and Sony took a great pitch and messed it up by meddling and micro-managing it.

 

but until we actually start getting real reviews and a better idea where this is going, I choose to believe that this will still be a crowd pleaser and find its audience. And if not.... Sony will be the main casualty, which would be pretty well justified.

 

If anyone wants some spoilers, there's a long set visit interview with Pratt in Buzzfeed, where they describe a few scenes and seem to give away a lot more details about a twist. I stopped reading halfway through because I don't want to be spoiled anymore than I am already, but if you're into it, it's there.

[Hatebox]

When are reviews actually coming out for this?

[Shaldun]

3 hours ago, babz06 said:

 A casual movie-goer will either watch Rogue One or Passengers or Sing (if they have children) this Christmas. At any rate, there is room for all of these films to succeed. 

Don't forget Assassin's Creed too. It hits this same style of blockbusters with stars and a normally good director but in a movie with kind of doubt and bad marketing around it. But it has the advantage to not be a space movie against Rogue One at least. Sing has the advantage of family films and since Rogue One looks like a Star Wars "less for children", it'll probably be the one succeding the most (after Rogue One of course). Passengers and Assassin's Creed will probably be quite close to each other IMO.

Edited December 15, 2016 by Shaldun

[Hatebox]

Ass Creed will crash and burn. Passengers will do better, but Rouge 1 has the 'adults with a kid in tow' market firmly sown up.

[straggler]

30 minutes ago, JennaJ said:

 

I think I know what that is based on the original pitch, but apperently they made some changes to the ending and something about this new ending requires serious suspension of disbelief.

That might not be a major issue, but if it is a major issue in the reviews, It'll confirm my fear that Tom Rothman and Sony took a great pitch and messed it up by meddling and micro-managing it.

 

but until we actually start getting real reviews and a better idea where this is going, I choose to believe that this will still be a crowd pleaser and find its audience. And if not.... Sony will be the main casualty, which would be pretty well justified.

 

If anyone wants some spoilers, there's a long set visit interview with Pratt in Buzzfeed, where they describe a few scenes and seem to give away a lot more details about a twist. I stopped reading halfway through because I don't want to be spoiled anymore than I am already, but if you're into it, it's there.

Personally I think suspending disbelief and sci fi movies sort of go together. Ditto for romance. I thought suspending disbelief was partly the point, just to go with it. This film is intriguing the hell out of me. I actually want some divisiveness in a sci fi film.   

[ezme]

18 minutes ago, Hatebox said:

When are reviews actually coming out for this?

 

December 15 6am PT?

[JennaJ]

What Passengers has over Assassin's Creed is likable movie stars as leads. I like Fassy a lot, but he's regarded as box office poison by more than a few people.

 

Rogue One will obviously be in a league of its own. Hopefully Passengers can do well enough for its budget and not get completely drowned out. I guess a lot will rely on WOM since Sony definitely didn't do their best job marketing upfront. 

[JennaJ]

7 minutes ago, straggler said:

Personally I think suspending disbelief and sci fi movies sort of go together. Ditto for romance. I thought suspending disbelief was partly the point, just to go with it. This film is intriguing the hell out of me. I actually want some divisiveness in a sci fi film.   

 

I won't know until I watch it, but a good ending means a lot. I haven't read the script but I was worried all along that they might change it for the worst. I just hope that's not the case because there's nothing I hate more than good movies ruined by bad executive calls.

 

But let's be clear here - I have no real evidence right now that this is what happened here. I'm just airing out my worries, which if you followed this thread I've had since day one because I just don't trust Sony and Rothman. I'm rooting for this movie, and I'm pretty sure based on what I've heard that I'm gonna love it. It would be great if it's also well received by general audiences and makes enough to be considered a success.

 

 

Edited December 15, 2016 by JennaJ

[Cochofles]

In all seriousness, why or how did the marketing team come to the conclusion that a ghastly poster such as the one they are using was the best way to present this film? Here you have two charismatic, funny, beautiful movie stars attempting to sell a movie, and the poster manages to erase all traces of warmth from them. If the trailers are partly selling this as a romance, could they not at least have the stars convey a modicum of joy or romantic longing or energy in that poster? Conversely, the poster does not capture the action/adventure vibe that seems to be the other aspect of the film. Basically, it's just the two stars looking at the camera sternly...or kind of vacantly, I am not sure. I am not saying that they should be laughing necessarily or wielding generic action poses ala an old-school Star Wars poster, but damn...make them do something that is more...engaging to the casual viewer.

Edited December 15, 2016 by Cochofles

[Captain H]

Echoing the above sentiment, if they are really that lazy, the least they can do is make Chris and Jen stare at each other in the posters. Like, try to make it actually looks like a romantic film. They can even rip a page out of Titanic and make them hug each other with the spaceship in the background and it will be a much better poster than the one thag we get.