Are Studios Committing Movie Suicide?

[MadVillainy]

Most people have noticed early-mid Summer 2011...

...and cluttered it seems. With most of the already announced movies having near 100 million dollar budgets it seems like there all going to have trouble reaching the numbers that they could if they weren't so surrounded


And also (this was brought to my attention in the TRON:Legacy thread) the holiday movie season this year is pretty clustered too
TRON:Legacy
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Yogi Bear
Gulliver's Travels

And its not like one of them is a kid's film so it would probably be the big winner. All of them are most likely be PG/family friendly (Tron is still PG but will probably be the darkest out of all of them). I know what I'm doing seeing Tron none of the other films really interest me, but casual movie goers might not be so decisive this far ahead

And to top that all off theyre all going to be in 3D. Theaters are trying to expand to make more 3D theaters, but they can only work so fast. Similar thing with 2011. Most of the films that early-mid summer are 3D too.

And if you look at holiday 2012. Mission Impossible IV, Alvin and the Chipmunks 3D and Sherlock Holmes 2 are being released the same day, with Tintin coming the week after. And 3/4 of them will be 3D

It's not a new thing for studios to release alot of movies close together (look at holiday 2008) but why do you think its becoming more common and "worse"? All these films so close together AND in 3D can only hurt ticket sales

 

[Electrix]

As a movie goer summer 2011 will probably be one of the most exciting in a long while.

For studios it will be a case of 'survival of the fittest'. Transformers, Potter and Pirates should be huge no matter what. X-Men is a proven franchise so it should do similar numbers to the trilogy.

Thor, Captain America and Green Lantern should do well, but those are the films with most uncertainty involved. They are hardly the most popular superheroes and Captain America may not do that well internationally for obvious reasons.

Releasing so many films within the space of a few months will only cause them to eat into each others profits. One of the factors for Avatar's success was that it had hardly any competition for weeks and weeks, however Sherlock Holmes somehow managed to make $500 million despite going up against the highest grossing film of all time.

If the movies look good people will see them.

 

[Laderlappen]

Looks like next summer might even be worse than this one

 

[8wid]

Ya know I actually think for once the abundant remakes and sequels being out out in such vast numbers next year will finally financially knock Hollywood out of it, at least a little. It's going to be like Prince Caspian in 2007, month after month after month, then the studios will wonder "what happened?" as if they didn't know.

 

[GhostPoet]

Next summer is going to be a geek dream.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

I wish there were more Inglourious Basterds, District 9's, Inceptions and Avatars than comic movies and remakes/reboots.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Next summer is stacked because movie studios are preparing for the end of the world in December 2012, so they want to get all of those movies out of the way a year and a half early.

 

[BestGirl]

I really wish the studios would move some of these movies to the spring and fall.

 

[Figs]

As a movie goer summer 2011 will probably be one of the most exciting in a long while.

For studios it will be a case of 'survival of the fittest'. Transformers, Potter and Pirates should be huge no matter what. X-Men is a proven franchise so it should do similar numbers to the trilogy.

Hahaha! Just because the third film made a good amount of money doesn't mean people liked it in the end. Right now i've made up my mind for the most part to rent that one since it's still under Fox. I wish Marvel had the rights back to do that franchise justice.

Thor, Captain America and Green Lantern should do well, but those are the films with most uncertainty involved. They are hardly the most popular superheroes and Captain America may not do that well internationally for obvious reasons.

So long as the trailers look good and have plenty of action people will go to those films. I agree that Captain America might not do so well only because of the overseas factor.

 

[Judge Holden]

I think Thor has the best slot of the comic book movies there. There isn't really anything rivaling it for a couple of weeks.

The summer is way too packed though. I too think the studios should start releasing more "event" films in the winter. I mean, if it's cold outside and crap weather... why not go to the cinema? I don't see how the summer is so big for movies. If the weather is nice and hot the last thing i wanna be doing is sitting inside a cinema watching a movie.

 

[Figs]

I think Thor has the best slot of the comic book movies there. There isn't really anything rivaling it for a couple of weeks.

The summer is way too packed though. I too think the studios should start releasing more "event" films in the winter. I mean, if it's cold outside and crap weather... why not go to the cinema? I don't see how the summer is so big for movies. If the weather is nice and hot the last thing i wanna be doing is sitting inside a cinema watching a movie.

You have those two backwards. Most people would rather stay home when their is crap weather like snow and or rain. When it comes to really hot weather, the theatre is a perfect escape...unless your theatre is owned by savages who are too cheap for AC, which all modern theatres should have. Plus a movie is usually an hour and a half to two hours long, it doesn't take away your whole day. People catch a movie and then go do something else when it's summertime.

 

[Judge Holden]

Fair points. But still, I think these "event" films should be spread out a little bit more.

 

[TNC9852002]

Cluttered?

You mean, not cluttered ENOUGH?

Bring it on!!! I love the chaos.

 

[dark_b]

its not like every movie will be good and its nto like everyone here will like every movie.

 

[Timstuff]

What's the worst that could happen? As long as Thor, Captain America, and Green Lantern are a success I probably couldn't care less if all the sequels / reboots / spinoffs / remakes next year flop. It's going to be a really sucky year for movies next year for the most part (unless you are a fan of the aforementioned superheroes), but if next year is a downer for the industry I think it will be good for everyone. The only big-budget movies coming next year that look particularly interesting, although they are superhero adaptations are not sequels (well, except for Sherlock 2, and maybe the second half of the last Harry Potter movie).

If next year is a huge dud for the industry outside of a couple tentpoles, it could be a big wakeup call for the industry that they need new ideas. The schedules is getting increasingly crowded with rehashes, and there's only so far that rehashing can go before the audience stops caring and just stays home to play video games and watch their DVD collection. I'm not the kind of guy who likes to root against movies (well, except for Resident Evil, Twilight, and anything by Uwe Boll), but if we have a couple high-profile flops next year then it just might force the industry to save itself.

 

[jmc]

I'm gonna put money on something on that list crashing and burning big time, and I get the felling it will be one of the superhero films.

 

[Timstuff]

^ Hopefully it's X-Men: First Class. Fox has already destroyed the X-Men franchise and I think it needs to go bye-bye for a while.

 

[jmc]

Yeah that franchise needs to take a back seat for a few years.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

^ Hopefully it's X-Men: First Class. Fox has already destroyed the X-Men franchise and I think it needs to go bye-bye for a while.

Good chance. The franchise has had two straight unpopular films and this one is missing its biggest draw (Hugh Jackman).

 

[chaseter]

It can't take a back seat for a few years. If Fox doesn't put X-Men movies in development every 3 years I think it is, then the rights revert back to Marvel. You are going to be seeing an X-Men movie at least every 3 years until it stops making money for Fox. Same with Sony and Spider-Man.

 

[Octoberist]

Good chance. The franchise has had two straight unpopular films and this one is missing its biggest draw (Hugh Jackman).

X-Men is going to be filmed in September. I can't see it making the June release regardless if it's not as FX savy as Green Lantern or the like. Unless a miracle can happen with the film, it might lack polish.

 

[redhawk23]

i have nothing against new comic adaptations ( green lantern, thor ,captain america, priest, cowboys and indians) but the number of sequels next summer is a little rediculous. also at the rate they would have to work on it to make its listed release date I have zero faith in rise of the apes

 

[Octoberist]

by the end of the decade, I'm predicting a change in Hollywood. THis is only a transition.

 

[Octoberist]

Looks like next summer might even be worse than this one

are you talking about quality? because Summer 2010 is the probably the weakest Summer in a while. Even 2009 had District 9, Moon, and 500 Days of Summer and so far, we haven't gotten that yet (in 2010)

 

[Figs]

^ Hopefully it's X-Men: First Class. Fox has already destroyed the X-Men franchise and I think it needs to go bye-bye for a while.

I hope so!

Green Lantern, Thor and Captain America deserve some time to shine on the big screen for their first films(I don't count that ****** Cap America movie that was made a few decades back). Fox and X-men have had plenty of films and it's gotten old and they should give that franchise a break. As Kahran Ramsus pointed out, this will be the first one without Jackman/Wolverine who was in fact the big and main draw of these films.