The Last Jedi (SPOILERS) What role does LucasFilm symbolically play in the divided fanbase? (SPOILE

[MessiahDecoy123]

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Question: what position does LucasFilm play in the divided fanbase?

The laughing yoda burning down the jedi doctrine with lightning.

Or Kylo Ren killing Snoke and wanting a fresh start with the past behind them.

Or both?

And based on the events of the movie what is LucasFilm trying to convey to the fans regarding sticking to rules and staying connected to the past?

 

[TheVileOne]

Lucasfilm wants your money.

At the end of the day, you're never going to please everyone. All Lucasfilm has to do is keep providing Star Wars content. The appetite is never going to wane completely.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Lucasfilm wants your money.

At the end of the day, you're never going to please everyone. All Lucasfilm has to do is keep providing Star Wars content. The appetite is never going to wane completely.

Businesses want to make money.

This is a shocker.

But I think there other messages being conveyed in the film by the artists (not the execs).

 

[Sithborg]

I mean sure, you could take an interpretation of it being an attack on the BBL group. But, I don't think the movie people have enough experience with their harassment to really think about putting such a message in their movie.

 

[Brother Jack]

I'm curious to know if Lucasfilm and Johnson himself anticipated this kind of division in the fanbase. On the one hand it would seem to be obvious considering what the film does, but I don't think anyone actually predicted there would be such a zealous split. I know I didn't, even though I knew instinctively this would be different kind of Star Wars movie just for the fact that Johnson was "auteuring" it. Maybe that was part of Lucasfilm's design. Get Abrams to make a safe, familiar reintroduction and then get Johnson to break the mold.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I'm curious to know if Lucasfilm and Johnson himself anticipated this kind of division in the fanbase. On the one hand it would seem to be obvious considering what the film does, but I don't think anyone actually predicted there would be such a zealous split. I know I didn't, even though I knew instinctively this would be different kind of Star Wars movie just for the fact that Johnson was "auteuring" it. Maybe that was part of Lucasfilm's design. Get Abrams to make a safe, familiar reintroduction and then get Johnson to break the mold.

Looking back at the BTS stuff released they talk a lot about what Johnson was going to do, of the film going into unexpected directions, heck Mark's own words that got out long before the film's premiere were out there for all to see. In hindsight some of that feels like they were preparing the audience and fans for it but no... I don't think anyone in Hollywood right now can anticipate the level of screeching fans do on the Internet.

 

[Frodo]

Ultimately they're in it to make money. However I think we'd have to be kidding ourselves to think Disney and Lucas film likes that the divisions and criticisms the film has evoked in addition to some of the media coverage over it.

No, they can't and won't please everyone, but at the same time, they aren't telling fans who didn't like it to "pound sand" or "deal with it". They aren't dogmatic the way fanboys are, and they aren't willing to kiss off a section of people who didn't like it for the sake of winning an argument.

They want every dollar possible on the table because, guess what, studios can never have or earn too much money. They're always gonna want more. That's the reality. What that means going forward , time will tell.

The role Lucasfilm, will play , symbolically at least , is that of a uniter which paints itself as protecting the SW legacy, and ensuring it continues for generations to come.

 

[writer0327]

Both.
Lucasfilm is ostensibly saying..."Look, we're not going to sit here and just repeat the same themes and story beats from the OT forever and ever and ever. We know you love it and we love it too, but what's the point of that?"

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I'm curious to know if Lucasfilm and Johnson himself anticipated this kind of division in the fanbase. On the one hand it would seem to be obvious considering what the film does, but I don't think anyone actually predicted there would be such a zealous split. I know I didn't, even though I knew instinctively this would be different kind of Star Wars movie just for the fact that Johnson was "auteuring" it. Maybe that was part of Lucasfilm's design. Get Abrams to make a safe, familiar reintroduction and then get Johnson to break the mold.

Oh I agree, and I think the contrast between safe and divisive films was very much intentional.

 

[Aximili86]

Honestly, I do think Lucasfilm probably likes the division. Or at least is willing to live with it. It's pretty clear with hiring Rian in the first place they wanted this one to be more out-there, weirder, more cerebral and risky,

So long as the movie's making the megabucks, which is clearly is, they're not going to give a crap about a vocal segment of the fanbase hating it with a passion. The other half, three quarters of fans are into it, the casual moviegoers are eating it up, the critics are hailing it.

The negative camp, while entitled to it, aren't going to have d*ck-all effect on the company's evaluation of their movie.

 

[Brother Jack]

Looking back at the BTS stuff released they talk a lot about what Johnson was going to do, of the film going into unexpected directions, heck Mark's own words that got out long before the film's premiere were out there for all to see. In hindsight some of that feels like they were preparing the audience and fans for it but no... I don't think anyone in Hollywood right now can anticipate the level of screeching fans do on the Internet.

The next Star Wars Celebration is going to be really interesting. The fan division may or may not still exist to the degree it does now, but Kathleen Kennedy and the other suits will ostensibly have to bridge the gap regardless and find a way to cater to fans of every disposition towards TLJ, especially once the push for IX begins.

 

[Aximili86]

Why do they have to "bridge the gap", though? The gap is way overstated. All-in-all, even division taken into account, the movie's firing on all cylinders as far as a positive reaction.

If this gets to, say, 1.5 billion in ticket stubs, that's not on single viewings. People are going to be going back to check this thing out again. People don't do that en-masse if they're not into it.

 

[writer0327]

Honestly, I do think Lucasfilm probably likes the division. Or at least is willing to live with it. It's pretty clear with hiring Rian in the first place they wanted this one to be more out-there, weirder, more cerebral and risky,

So long as the movie's making the megabucks, which is clearly is, they're not going to give a crap about a vocal segment of the fanbase hating it with a passion. The other half, three quarters of fans are into it, the casual moviegoers are eating it up, the critics are hailing it.

The negative camp, while entitled to it, aren't going to have d*ck-all effect on the company's evaluation of their movie.

A lot of fans who hate it I bet are going back to rewatch it again and again, probably so they can pick it apart some more. However, I have a feeling they'll start liking it the more they watch.

 

[Brother Jack]

Why do they have to "bridge the gap", though? The gap is way overstated. All-in-all, even division taken into account, the movie's firing on all cylinders as far as a positive reaction.

If this gets to, say, 1.5 billion in ticket stubs, that's not on single viewings. People are going to be going back to check this thing out again. People don't do that en-masse if they're not into it.

That's certainly true, but you have to keep in mind the kind of people that attend Celebration. We're talking the hardest of hardcore fans; the kinds of fans that are very vocal when they feel SW is going astray. Yes this is a (vast) minority compared to the total audience, but I think Lucasfilm wants to try to appeal to everyone, as futile as that might be, and may be wary of some kind of fan backlash. That's why I'd like to know if they expected this response from the outset, and how they'll respond to it.

 

[Aximili86]

I really get the sense the types that would go to Celebration, by and large, are probably in the positive camp.

And those who'd pay money to go to it, just to whine? At a certain point you've gotta shrug your shoulders and say "**** 'em", if you're Kennedy & Co.

 

[spiderman2]

Both.
Lucasfilm is ostensibly saying..."Look, we're not going to sit here and just repeat the same themes and story beats from the OT forever and ever and ever. We know you love it and we love it too, but what's the point of that?"

Its hard to say on one hand having this gets people talking about star wars but on the other hand people love star wars so they are going to talk about it any way. On the other hand yeah if you don't change things enough it is going to start to hurt your box office performance at least some what. On the other hand I think star wars is kind of critic/fan prof. On the other hand I think this moving dividing the fans is going to hurt its boxoffice legs and could impact episode 9 going forward to has I think they have lost some fans at least for episode 9 and I think with any franchise if the last movie in the franchise fans where not really happy with it is going to have at least a small negative impact with the next one and a positive impact with the next one if fans are happy and for this movie I think worse legs has the reception is much worse then TFA so like less people are seeing the movie 2+ times and less people who are not really fans seeing it because some one said they should like with TFA. This movie may be at a 92% on RT but fan reception is much more like a 62 really you would think its RT score was if you just listend to fans reception and had not looked at its RT before. I know the movie is still going to make a lot of money but if it goes down to like 1.5 billion after TFA made 2 that is a pretty large drop. I know people have said that this movie was not going to make has much has TFA something I didn't agree with but even if true a 500 million dollar drop is a lot and what if the next movie drops of even more to like 1.2 billion or something? I know 1.5 is still far more then a movie needs to make to get to the point where you have to worry but of course Disney is not going to want to see the movie drop the more money it makes of course the better for them.

 

[spiderman2]

A lot of fans who hate it I bet are going back to rewatch it again and again, probably so they can pick it apart some more. However, I have a feeling they'll start liking it the more they watch.

I don't get this why watch a movie if you don't like it? I have never watched a movie and not liked it and then saw it again and liked it. I have seen movies I liked and then saw again and liked even more but never watched a movie hated it and then seen it again and not hated it. Why waste money seeing something again when you could spend money on another movie or something else? And its not like going to the movies is cheap either. Heck where I live just this year along movie tickets have went up like 2.7 So yeah I don't get it if I go to the movies 2 times it tends to be a movie I like and 3 times is the most I have ever seen a movie and heck when it comes to tickets and prices and going to the movie you don't even have to wait that long any more to like red box a movie has it is only like 4 months or so from theater to dvd compared to when it used to be like a year + or even a lot longer back in like the days when the first star war movies came out.

 

[Frodo]

Both.
Lucasfilm is ostensibly saying..."Look, we're not going to sit here and just repeat the same themes and story beats from the OT forever and ever and ever. We know you love it and we love it too, but what's the point of that?"

I think that's much more the position of the filmmakers like Rian and JJ than it is Lucasfilm and Disney. They used some of the same story beats and themes in TFA and TLJ so its not as if they're unwilling to repeat themes in the saga films.

They're film slate includes Rogue one, Han Solo,and Obi Wan development. That's not a sign of a studio willing to make a strong break from the OT. Its a studio that knows that, like it or not, The GA is drawn to, and is most familiar with,the characters from the OT. So to an extent they're more than willing to go back to the OT well because its been profitable.

They're not gonna straight up remake the OT but they aren't making the hard break from the break from the past that Johnson attempted to make with TJL.

 

[Frodo]

Honestly, I do think Lucasfilm probably likes the division. Or at least is willing to live with it. It's pretty clear with hiring Rian in the first place they wanted this one to be more out-there, weirder, more cerebral and risky,

So long as the movie's making the megabucks, which is clearly is, they're not going to give a crap about a vocal segment of the fanbase hating it with a passion. The other half, three quarters of fans are into it, the casual moviegoers are eating it up, the critics are hailing it.

The negative camp, while entitled to it, aren't going to have d*ck-all effect on the company's evaluation of their movie.

That's more of a fan pov than the view of execs thinking long term about the franchise.

 

[Aximili86]

Of course it's not. Say you're...not even Kennedy, but say Bob Iger and the Disney execs, the people not involved wih the creative side of things but purely the financial.

You've got a 93% RT average. You've got 500 million bucks made in a week, the movie overall probably tracking for 1.5 billion or so. Even if the total comes in at less than The Force Awakens (which was a huge movie, the type of thing that comes along once a decade or even less frequently, in terms of earnings), you're still running an extremely successful venture, you have a major, major hit on your hands.

Look, if the total earnings came in at under a billion, and the critics by-and-large were rating it a 7/10, then the fan backlash would count, it would be an indicator of the movie being a mis-step.

It's not, though. You have half the fans loving it (more? I don't know), you have the critics rating it a 9/10 for the most part, you have half a billion smackaroos in the bank in a mere 8 days. Doesn't matter at this point how much some fans hate it - because the other half doesn't, the movie's tracking to make the money it's supposed to, and the la-di-da critics agree with the half of the fans who're into it.

All of that taken into account - regarding the segment of the community who loathes it - why should Lucasfilm or Disney give a ****? They're a minority, all said and done.

 

[Sithborg]

I mean, if they were THAT concerned with fan backlash, the wouldn't have trashed the old EU.

 

[Delwin]

So long as the movie's making the megabucks, which is clearly is, they're not going to give a crap about a vocal segment of the fanbase hating it with a passion.

That's correct. There is however single problem with Star Wars: it was not a typical blockbuster movie until now. A significant part of the hype and earnings (multiscreening anyone) is created by fanatic (I admit) fanbase. SW movies may still earn a lot of money (MCU is clear evidence) but it may easily slip below MCU in the longer term. Of course it might have been already presumed and expected but I am not sure whether the backslash would be so unimportant...

 

[jaqua99]

I don't get this why watch a movie if you don't like it? I have never watched a movie and not liked it and then saw it again and liked it. I have seen movies I liked and then saw again and liked even more but never watched a movie hated it and then seen it again and not hated it. Why waste money seeing something again when you could spend money on another movie or something else? And its not like going to the movies is cheap either. Heck where I live just this year along movie tickets have went up like 2.7 So yeah I don't get it if I go to the movies 2 times it tends to be a movie I like and 3 times is the most I have ever seen a movie and heck when it comes to tickets and prices and going to the movie you don't even have to wait that long any more to like red box a movie has it is only like 4 months or so from theater to dvd compared to when it used to be like a year + or even a lot longer back in like the days when the first star war movies came out.

They don't. People are just trying find excuses for those who didn't like it. I didn't love it. But I certainly am not spending more money on it. Everyone I know who didnt like isnt gonna see it again either

 

[Consona]

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[TheVileOne]

I mean, if they were THAT concerned with fan backlash, the wouldn't have trashed the old EU.

How can you keep the old EU when making new sequels?