2012: A Monster Year? (box office predictions) - Part 4

[marvelman2006]

See thats the thing that people loved about batman begins when it debuted. It was as much about bruce as it was batman and if you ask me it made bruce alot more interesting in his quest for vengence which is something the older movies never explored. Like in the dark knight we actually see bruce as himself without the disguise of batman actually stopping people, like the joker crashing his party or the assasination attempt on the mayor or saving the reporter who had the bounty on his head from the joker. Its just interesting seeing bruce himself doing stuff that sometimes would be for batman only. That element and him as batman being more in the shadows taking people down are what I want to see in this movie.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

Because people are pretty dumb.

I remember when The Matrix came out, and I asked people what it was about, the most common answer I got was "I can't even explain it. It's so complex. You need to see it."

It's not ****ing complex at all! It's about our reality being nothing more than a computer simulation created by robots from the future. Simple!

...but yeah, people are idiotic.

Reminds me of this:

[YT]kygl3yMshQA[/YT]

 

[marvelman2006]

Inception was never that complex until the 4 dream stage ending. the whole narrative of the movie was fairly easy to follow if you just accepted it as a full on sci fi movie. Nolan and co felt the need to make it mind blowingly complex with the cliff hanger ending with the spinner which was uneccessary if you ask me.


I saw the matrix when I was 13 and I perfectly understood it and quickly went and bought it on dvd. I at 13 fully got the movie but yet my brothers friends who were all in there late 20's - mid 30's with B.A degrees couldnt get one bit of it......

 

[scifiwolf]

You thought the spinning top was unnecessary? Really?

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

That's not what he means. I totally understand what he means. I too still feel like the "ambiguous" ending was unnecessary and an effort to make the movie more complex, but to me there's not enough evidence in the movie for me to think he's still dreaming. He's home with his family, and to me there's an overwhelming amount of proof of that.

 

[marvelman2006]

That's not what he means. I totally understand what he means. I too still feel like the "ambiguous" ending was unnecessary and an effort to make the movie more complex, but to me there's not enough evidence in the movie for me to think he's still dreaming. He's home with his family, and to me there's an overwhelming amount of proof of that.

bingo, just didnt need the last minute attempt, the film was brilliant as it was. That part certainly didnt kill the movie for me.

 

[Iceman]

I also thought that it was to show that he stopped caring about & always being obsessed with whether he was still dreaming, the path to insanity. He was back with his family in some acceptable level of reality & that was enough to just leave it spinning without checking the outcome.

 

[Marvin]

The increasing number and very nature of the mixed reviews have me thinking TDKR won't simply wipe the floor with the subsequent competition. Especially if films like Bourne and TR get surprised/late summer hit reviews/responses.

Should be interesting.

 

[Superhero 101]

I don't think Bourne will be a surprise hit but it should do well at the box office i have heard mixed reviews about replacing Damon with Renner but personally i am looking forward to it

 

[DACrowe]

Is 85-90% reviews "mixed," now? Last I checked that was overwhelmingly positive and is still above the amount of positive reviews that Batman Begins got (something around 83-85% upon release).

If the movie delivers for audiences, as I think it will, the fact that it it didn't get 95% good reviews because some critics missed the Joker is going to be irrelevant. We'll know in a few days.

I do think it confirms that audiences probably won't respond as feverishly as they did to TDK (though it could still outgross TDK due to inflation and a rapidly growing foreign market). But it is still going to dominate the end of summer and be number 1 in the US for at least two, if not three, weeks.

"Mixed?" Do not know where that comes from.

 

[Shifty]

On pace to be a....Box Office Bomb ● Box Office Disappointment ● Box Office Success ● Blockbuster ● Not Released Yet

based on worldwide gross, budget, marketing costs and type of film (indie/blockbuster)

Dark Shadows ● Battleship ● What to Expect When You're Expecting ● Piranha 3DD ● Lola Versus ● Rock of Ages ● That's My Boy ● Girl in Progress ● Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter ● Seeking a Friend for the End of the World ● People Like Us ● Beasts of the Southern Wild ● Savages

The Dictator ● Hysteria ● Chernobyl Diaries ●

MIB3 ● Snow White and the Huntsman ● Prometheus ● Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted ● Moonrise Kingdom ● Brave ● Ted ● Magic Mike ● Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection ● The Amazing Spider-Man ● Katy Perry: Part of Me

The Avengers ● The Intouchables ● Ice Age: Continental Drift


Warner Bros.
Dark Shadows 5/11/12
Chernobyl Diaries 5/25/12
Rock of Ages 6/15/12
Magic Mike 6/29/12
The Dark Knight Rises 7/20/12
The Campaign 8/10/12
The Apparition 8/24/12

Buena Vista Pictures (Disney)
The Avengers 05/04/12
Brave 6/22/12
People Like Us 6/29/12
The Odd Life of Timothy Green 8/15/12

Universal
Battleship 5/18/12
Snow White and the Huntsman 6/1/12
Ted 6/29/12
Savages 7/6/12
The Bourne Legacy 8/10/12

20th Century Fox
Prometheus 6/8/12
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter 6/22/12
Ice Age: Continental Drift 7/13/12
The Watch 7/27/12
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days 8/3/12

Columbia Pictures / TriStar
MIB 3 5/25/12
That's My Boy 6/15/12
The Amazing Spider-Man 7/3/12
Total Recall 8/3/12
Hope Springs 8/10/12
Sparkle 8/17/12
Premium Rush 8/24/12

Paramount Pictures / Dreamworks Animation
The Dictator 5/16/12
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted 6/8/12
Katy Perry: Part of Me 7/5/12

Weinstein / Dimension Films
The Intouchables 5/25/12
Piranha 3DD 6/1/12
Easy Money 7/27/12
Lawless 8/31/12

Lionsgate
Girl in Progress 5/11/12
What to Expect When You're Expecting 5/18/12
Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection 6/29/12
The Expendables 2 8/17/12
The Possession 8/31/12

Focus Features
Moonrise Kingdom 5/25/12
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World 6/22/12
ParaNorman 8/17/12
For a Good Time, Call... 8/31/12

Fox Searchlight
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 5/4/12
Lola Versus 6/8/12
Beasts of the Southern Wild 6/27/12
Ruby Sparks 7/25/12

Sony Pictures Classics
Hysteria 5/18/12
To Rome with Love 6/22/12
Searching for Sugar Man 7/27/12
Celeste and Jesse Forever 8/3/12

Summit Entertainment
Step Up Revolution 7/27/12

Open Road Films
Hit & Run 8/24/12

 

[CConn]

That's not what he means. I totally understand what he means. I too still feel like the "ambiguous" ending was unnecessary and an effort to make the movie more complex, but to me there's not enough evidence in the movie for me to think he's still dreaming. He's home with his family, and to me there's an overwhelming amount of proof of that.

No, you people are just trying to dumb it down too much.

The ending was integral. None of the movie was real. It was all a dream. It's nearly implicitly staged like 20 times throughout the film.

And the whole point of the movie is that perception is more important than reality.

 

[Marvin]

Is 85-90% reviews "mixed," now? Last I checked that was overwhelmingly positive and is still above the amount of positive reviews that Batman Begins got (something around 83-85% upon release).

If the movie delivers for audiences, as I think it will, the fact that it it didn't get 95% good reviews because some critics missed the Joker is going to be irrelevant. We'll know in a few days.

I do think it confirms that audiences probably won't respond as feverishly as they did to TDK (though it could still outgross TDK due to inflation and a rapidly growing foreign market). But it is still going to dominate the end of summer and be number 1 in the US for at least two, if not three, weeks.

"Mixed?" Do not know where that comes from.

I said the increasing(we're early in the game yet) and more importantly the nature of the (negative to) mixed reviews I've encountered...are telling me this won't be competition proof the way the last one was. Especially given that this one will have comp.

Devins take for example. He's a biased dude but even had appreciated TDK more than what he's got for TDKR.

There is one written review and two reaction reviews over at slash film, I would call "mixed" at best. But either way very different than this time 3 years ago.

So I repeat, the increasing and very nature of the reviews coming out tell me that this might actually have to deal with the comp this year, especially if they prove to be late summer hits.(which every summer has)

 

[DACrowe]

There are mixed reviews, but I guarantee you that the movie won't drop below 80 percent positive reviews--i.e. one of the better reviewed mainstream movies of the year.

Yes you can point to negative reviews like AP, Urban Cinefile, or Devin--who to be fair knocked on TDK to put up IM1 in 2008, looked to take the piss out of the Nolan films and their fans again this May when his "best superhero movie ever," The Avengers came out by running a story about how it makes TDK (and therefore TDKR) obsolete, and spent so many months promising TASM would suck that he even would turn reviews for Prometheus into bashing TASM before giving one of its not-so-many bad reviews....

But they are still in the minority. My point is when it averages that 4 out of every 5 critics either like the movie (EW, NYTimes, etc.) or love it (Time, WSJ, Hollywood Reporter, HitFix, Total Film, etc.), it's not really mixed. I agree it probably won't be as unanimously received as TDK (or probably TA), but it looks like it will be massive. It is set to make $500 million domestic, IMO. The reviews have not changed that perception from what I can tell.

 

[Bruce Malone]

No, you people are just trying to dumb it down too much.

The ending was integral. None of the movie was real. It was all a dream. It's nearly implicitly staged like 20 times throughout the film.

And the whole point of the movie is that perception is more important than reality.

If you're saying the ending was also a dream i beleive most people associated with the film have said it is in reality at that point.

Either way there's no right or wrong answer a good film is up to interpretation to the viewer.

 

[Bruce Malone]

As for TDKR reviews regardless of what they are (and they aren't bad in the 1st place) a film like this is imo sort of critics proof. It has a huge built in audience from the last film and the hype right now is huge regardless of any reviews.

I myself am actually ignoring most reviews just so i can go into the film with an open mind and not have any nagging spoilers pop up. I know i'm not alone on that.

 

[Marvin]

I'm inclined to agree, however it's that unanimous factor that TDK had that's missing here. That's the factor that let's it sit pretty in the face of comp. When I here people say it's not as strong TDK, then I start to worry what happens if TR and Bourne happen to get the same critical score as said film.

 

[EternalMaster]

TDKR is definitely going to break $1 billion worldwide and will generally be loved by audiences. I don't need it to be loved by EVERYONE and break every box office record in order to personally enjoy it.

 

[Marvin]

TDKR is definitely going to break $1 billion worldwide and will generally be loved by audiences. I don't need it to be loved by EVERYONE and break every box office record in order to personally enjoy it.

It's these films with the most potential to be hated. Not just by the agenda spewing bloggers but also by the anitip levels. It's these things that push the hatred for the star wars prequels and Matrix well beyond what they actually deserve.

I do thing TDKR actually survived this potential, but people are going in expecting heath part two and such things. My point is that one one side it's a sure thing on the other side it's got a lot to live up too.

 

[Infinity9999x]

No, you people are just trying to dumb it down too much.

The ending was integral. None of the movie was real. It was all a dream. It's nearly implicitly staged like 20 times throughout the film.

And the whole point of the movie is that perception is more important than reality.

The bolded is what really matters. I've seen equally good arguments for BOTH dream and reality.

And I believe that's the point. I personally think the end was real, but it doesn't matter. Cobb had finally come to peace.

 

[DACrowe]

I'm inclined to agree, however it's that unanimous factor that TDK had that's missing here. That's the factor that let's it sit pretty in the face of comp. When I here people say it's not as strong TDK, then I start to worry what happens if TR and Bourne happen to get the same critical score as said film.

I won't worry about TDKR box office. I personally think it will gross more than TDK, but will probably be considered not as good simply because the Joker, and especially the way Heath Ledger played him, is so iconic. Still, it looks like a true crowd pleaser. $500+ million unless it really disappoints seems inevitable. Will it catch TA? Probably not, but I don't really care that much.

As for TR and Bourne? Bourne has an uphill battle in that it's a soft-reboot of a series that is even more strongly regarded by the GA than Spider-Man and all associate Matt Damon with that role. I know Renner is playing a different (but very similar) character....but, eh? We'll see. Also, TR has bomb,both critical and commercial, written all over it. And I like both Ferrel and Beckinsale. They're really underrated actors. But that movie is gobbling to me.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I said ages ago that I thought that TDKR wouldn't be as good as TDK, specifically because I think that TDK is about the best the Batman character is capable of. There really isn't any room above that to be better. How often has there been a film as good as TDK that has been followed up by a sequel just as good or better? There are very few in the entire history of cinema. For me there are four: Godfather I & II, Star Wars/The Empire Strikes Back, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and Frankenstein/Bride of Frankenstein. That's it in over 100 years of motion pictures. It is exceedingly rare.

That said, it won't affect the box office or GA approval ratings. It will just lead to a bunch of complaining from the usual suspects on the internet.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I haven't see any advertising for the new Bourne movie anywhere. I can't imagine it being successful if people don't even know about it.

 

[Bim]

Bourne has an uphill battle in that it's a soft-reboot of a series that is even more strongly regarded by the GA than Spider-Man and all associate Matt Damon with that role. I know Renner is playing a different (but very similar) character....but, eh? We'll see.

I think Bourne *could* benefit a bit from the exposure Renner got as Hawkeye in TA. Will it though? i dunno. I suck at predicting box office numbers and trying to predict people's behavior lol. Should be interesting to see what happens with this when the marketing kicks in for the final push closer to the release date, cause let's face it, right now it's all about TDKR.

 

[craigdbfan]

I said ages ago that I thought that TDKR wouldn't be as good as TDK, specifically because I think that TDK is about the best the Batman character is capable of. There really isn't any room above that to be better. How often has there been a film as good as TDK that has been followed up by a sequel just as good or better? There are very few in the entire history of cinema. For me there are four: Godfather I & II, Star Wars/The Empire Strikes Back, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and Frankenstein/Bride of Frankenstein. That's it in over 100 years of motion pictures. It is exceedingly rare.

That said, it won't affect the box office or GA approval ratings. It will just lead to a bunch of complaining from the usual suspects on the internet.

Can't believe you forgot to mention the Dollars trilogy.

That trilogy was the closest thing to perfection. While I enjoy the first two a bit more history tends to call the The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly the best of the bunch.

So that's one the few where the third movie outshines the others in reception and popularity despite the other two being amazing.