2012: A Monster Year? (box office predictions) - Part 2

[marvelman2006]

I think the problems is that when you say that it's in the vein of Transformers, it means different things to different people. Same with calling it Big Dumb fun. I must admit that comparing it to movies like Transformers and Battleship is a bit of a disservice to the Avengers since it's a much better made movie than it.

I've explained why I personally wouldn't compare the two movies and others are free to do what they want obviously. There was a story that drove the action and I there was more subtext than what was believed to be, but as Morningstar said, this movie is great balance of people that want to look deeper, and great for people who want just escapism.

It was a well made movie especially from the effects part and even acting from hiddleston and jr but in terms of style over substance this is right there with transformers and other past summer popcorn flicks. Big dumb is a bit harsh I guess but what else would I call it? Im saving mindless fun for transformers or even battleship. I dont want to disservice the Avengers at all but they clearly went the full action route and the story played second fiddle.


As far as deeper all we got were glimpses of caps inner struggle and the scene where they all bickered and coulsons death which tallied about 20 - 25 minutes of screen time in a 2 and half hour movie. The escapism clearly dominated but I still loved the movie for the action though. Still Marvels best attempt yet outside of Ironman at a big scale movie but I would like to see a different directors take if there is a sequel.

 

[OB12]

It was a well made movie especially from the effects part and even acting from hiddleston and jr but in terms of style over substance this is right there with transformers and other past summer popcorn flicks. Big dumb is a bit harsh I guess but what else would I call it? Im saving mindless fun for transformers or even battleship. I dont want to disservice the Avengers at all but they clearly went the full action route and the story played second fiddle.

I don't think the story played second fiddle. It was just simple and to the point, with really no pretense that it was trying to be complicated or deep. The SFX and the action certainly played a huge role, but it was the characterization that sold and is continuing to sell The Avengers. The interactions between all of these larger than life personalities is just great.

 

[The Morningstar]

Again, plot and story are completely different things. The plot is simple, like ALL genre movies. Bad guy wants to win, good guys have to stop him/them. That's the plot.

The story is the details, the things that make up the plot. Like the characterisation, the events (not necessarily talking action scenes), the twists. I mean, did anyone else see it coming that SHIELD were in fact using the Tesseract for nuclear proliferation? And for a lot of people, the character moments, the interactions, are their favourite parts. Not the action scenes.

Let me be clear, you could have the most spectacular, well choreographed and shot action scene ever put on film... but it does not mean a damn thing if you don't care about the characters involved. What separates Avengers from Transformers and it's ilk is that it actually has characters, they are not just flat archetypes like Josh Duhammels Colonel Cliche or Sam Witwicky's ADHD suffering cliche of a man child or Tyrese Gibson's bad ass hood mutha****a. Avengers features superheroes, with amazing powers, but the focus is on them as humans, as real people. That's why we, and evidently, pretty much the entire planet, cares about them.

Also like i said in another thread, the technical aspects of Avengers, in particular the editing and scene transitioning, is just sooooo good. It makes the Transformer films look like they were cut together by some amateur using Windows Movie Maker.

Oh, and The Town is a really good film. But without the character of Jem and Renner's performance it'd fall flat. It needs that character to inject some life and tension into what is a really dreary and slow paced action film.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Do you think we'll get a bond film that grosses 200 million domestic? I'm surprised that casino royale didn't?

I don't see why the bourne and M:I franchises have some 200 million domestic films but not bond?

That's because Bond's best days were in the 60s. Thunderball's adjusted domestic gross is $592,416,000.

 

[Liam_H]

Quantum of Solace would've gotten $200 million domestic or at least gotten pretty close to it if it didn't have worse WOM than Casino Royale. QoS had a pretty poor multiplier especially compared to CR.

 

[The Morningstar]

Isn't the trailer revealed in a couple of days? Looking forward to it.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Quantum of Solace would've gotten $200 million domestic or at least gotten pretty close to it if it didn't have worse WOM than Casino Royale. QoS had a pretty poor multiplier especially compared to CR.

And that is why the series hasn't had a $200 million grosser. They haven't been able to put together two great back to back films since You Only Live Twice/On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

 

[Raiden]

And that is why the series hasn't had a $200 million grosser. They haven't been able to put together two great back to back films since You Only Live Twice/On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Are you talking about recently? Because Dr. No/FRWL/Goldfinger was an amazing streak of Bond films.

 

[Iceman]

Battleship made less than Dark Shadows and John Carter in midnights haha.

 

[The Morningstar]

Good. Garbage deserves to sink.

 

[terry78]

Was anybody really looking forward to a Battleship movie though? It's not like Transformers or G.I. Joe where you have iconic characters.

 

[CConn]

Are you talking about recently? Because Dr. No/FRWL/Goldfinger was an amazing streak of Bond films.

Yeah. He said since OHMSS.

Dr. No, etc. we're all before OHMSS.

 

[Raiden]

Battleship made less than Dark Shadows and John Carter in midnights haha.

LOL. I want to see the headline: "Avengers sank Battleship."

 

[The Morningstar]

Ehhh Battleship was dead in the water anyway.

 

[terry78]

Though if there are any blatant ass shots of Rihanna or Decker I may be persuaded to get a matinee in.

 

[Raiden]

Yeah. He said since OHMSS.

Dr. No, etc. we're all before OHMSS.

Okay, I guess I missed that part.

 

[Raiden]

Though if there are any blatant ass shots of Rihanna or Decker I may be persuaded to get a matinee in.

I think Decker is in bikini, but that didn't save that Adam Sandler movie either.

 

[danoyse]

LOL. I want to see the headline: "Avengers sank Battleship."

Rest assured, we will be seeing some variation of that headline all weekend.

 

[Iceman]

In reality Battleship sank Battleship & even Rihanna's ass couldn't keep it afloat.

 

[The Morningstar]

I'm sure all that cocaine she provides will keep them high though...

 

[chaseter]

I can think of a porno spoof title that would be more interesting than this movie with Brooklyn and Rihanna in it.

 

[DACrowe]

Battleship made less than Dark Shadows and John Carter in midnights haha.

Good. Dark Shadows was mediocre, but at least it wasn't a Transformers-knock-off. I'd feel bad for Taylor Kitsch, but if this opened at less than $30 million, I'd laugh so hard.

I'm still predicting a $40-$55 million weekend, though.

 

[Marvin]

I'm still curious to see what a Bayless ILM TF like film can do without Bay.

Men lie, women lie, numbers won't.

 

[Iceman]

Thursday estimates:

Thursday's top movies: 1. THE AVENGERS $6.2M ($402M), 2. THE DICTATOR $2.8M ($7M), 3. DARK SHADOWS $1.7M ($38M)


https://***********/#!/ERCboxoffice/status/203489985440124928


Looks like Dictator could struggle this weekend too.

Good. Dark Shadows was mediocre, but at least it wasn't a Transformers-knock-off. I'd feel bad for Taylor Kitsch, but if this opened at less than $30 million, I'd laugh so hard.

I'm still predicting a $40-$55 million weekend, though.

Yeah, poor guy could have 2 huge bombs in one year!

 

[The Morningstar]

It's not really his fault, but Hollywood should stop pushing these pretty ex models who don't have screen presence. If he'd grown into the role of leading man, gaining experience in cool supporting roles, maybe he would have had a chance. But now it seems he'll be the face of two bombs. Whether it's his fault or not is irrelevant, he's the face, that's all people will remember.