Studios getting cocky?

[Gusto]

Last year, Marvel began planting 3 dates in a year, Fox did so last month and WB specified that Batman and Superman films could drop in any of their [2] film plan.

Is there a line to draw somewhere?

Fox hasn't really attempted anything like this since 2005. And even then it was only two films. Awful ones might I add.

Marvel and WB are really going at it. And is that what it'll become? A "Who can produce more films in a year?" thing? I know they're smarter than I perceive with this topic, but a glimpse at the upcoming CBM slate? Can't help but ask/worry.

No, this is not asking if the superhero genre is getting too crowded. Could studios with CBMs under they're belt eventually and unknowingly take up the quantity > quality example that so many of us are already concerned with?

 

[Mikelus]

You know the saying: "Too much of a good thing"...

With so many movies and tv shows, people will get tired of it sooner or later, after watching many origin stories that feel the same, similar villains or the same villains several times, very similar plots, destruction, same tropes and clichés... is just human nature, it has happened before with other genres and will happen again with comic book movies, the general public will decide when they want less of it.

 

[OcStat]

Movie studios have always come off as cocky entities to me.

 

[Flint Marko]

It's not cockiness I'm worried about, it's studios trying to throw whatever they can at the wall to see what sticks in an effort to copy Marvel. That's the only concern I have.

 

[Doctor Octopus]

Marvel can afford to be cocky. Fox cannot.

 

[CyclopsWasRight]

I think the whole slate thing is rather cocky and unecessary, to announce years in advance that is

 

[kedrell]

Marvel have slowly built up to being able to handle 3 films a year. I see no cockiness there. Just a deliberate strategy.

FOX and WB/DC on the other hand seem to be putting the cart before the horse somewhat. I think they should slow down and make sure they don't make some huge mistakes instead of barreling forward in an effort to catch up to Marvel Studios. Just look what happened to SONY. They had all these grand schemes as well but it was just foolishness. On the other hand, the only way MS will likely ever get FF and the X-Men back is if FOX goes through a disasterous round of films due to them being rushed so...GO FOX GO!

But seriously WB/DC slow it down and think things through carefully. Get one critical hit under your belt with this new DCCU before taking off like a rocket. You can't do this stuff without audience goodwill at your backs and that is something slowly earned and built up over time.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I think studios are getting less cocky. Many producers used to have the attitude that once they had a certain license or actor, they didn't really have to put in the effort to make a great film and people would show up just because it is a Batman movie or Arnold Schwarzenegger is in it. A series of high-profile bombs in the late 90s and 2000s has largely changed that mindset, and as a result most people realize that you can't just slap a comic book character on the poster anymore and expect fans to show up unless the film is good. There are still exceptions that cling to the old mindset of 'They'll see it anyway,' but that number is in decline as it has been proven many times that they won't 'just see it anyway.' There is just too much competition now for entertainment dollars, and the studios know it or at least have gotten a lot wiser to it than they used to be.

 

[Klank]

I think studios are getting less cocky. Many producers used to have the attitude that once they had a certain license or actor, they didn't really have to put in the effort to make a great film and people would show up just because it is a Batman movie or Arnold Schwarzenegger is in it. A series of high-profile bombs in the late 90s and 2000s has largely changed that mindset, and as a result most people realize that you can't just slap a comic book character on the poster anymore and expect fans to show up unless the film is good. There are still exceptions that cling to the old mindset of 'They'll see it anyway,' but that number is in decline as it has been proven many times that they won't 'just see it anyway.' There is just too much competition now for entertainment dollars, and the studios know it or at least have gotten a lot wiser to it than they used to be.

I think studios still have that.

The Transformers and now the new TMNT movies rely specifically on that. We even have people involved like Bay and Fox publically gloating about it.

I agree that this attitude is in decline but it's still very much there.

 

[Gusto]

I do think DC/WB are... And I'll get burned if I say this anywhere else; "rushing" in a sense. Their first film didnt click so well with many yet they've set out a very ballsy slate in return. Then you hear that they may up to 3 a year? When BvS has yet to drop? I'm not sure what their contingency plan is should one film fall to the audience/critics. They've trapped themselves.

 

[kedrell]

^I agree. They seem to have gone from stuck in the mud to full speed all at once and while it's possible it can work for them since while MoS wasn't any great critical or audience WOM hit it still made a sizable amount of $, it's also possible that this all blows up in their faces. At this point now that Sony has fixed itself somewhat by hitching it's wagon to Marvel Studios's star and Fox seems to be more or less headed in the right direction(or at least not a dangerously bad direction that they used to be on) and of course MS is still leading the pack; I'd have to conclude that WB/DC are currently in the most vulnerable position of all the studios currently in this genre.

 

[Lord]

Well, studios used to be worse, since 2011, Fox seems to have been relying more on the creators and asking for less Producer mandates, the revival of X-Men and Planet of the Apes are prime examples of that, Prometheus is a film that did not fail due to them interfering, it was the creative side's entire misstep. This strategy of releasing so many x-men related films may end up dooming their franchise again, i think they needed in least another great movie to build good will, but we'll see how everything turns out.

While some studios still cling to the old idea that you don't need to care much for the writing of a major budgeted film, i think they're slowly disappearing, i remember the likes of Michael Bay almost being the norm 15 years ago, but his strategy, while still somewhat working, is getting tired. TMNT made much less than it could have, had it gotten better reception and more interest from the fan community.

Directors who are involved with a bad movie are also starting to get a harder time later on, i mean, 3 years ago, Marc Webb was the kind of new talent Disney would hire for a Star Wars Spin-off, now, his career in mainstream Hollywood may be pretty much burned.

Planning so many films of this genre ahead without having strong good will towards it may end up disappointing a few studios, i don't think all of these franchises will survive when all is said and done.

 

[Flint Marko]

^I agree. They seem to have gone from stuck in the mud to full speed all at once and while it's possible it can work for them since while MoS wasn't any great critical or audience WOM hit it still made a sizable amount of $, it's also possible that this all blows up in their faces. At this point now that Sony has fixed itself somewhat by hitching it's wagon to Marvel Studios's star and Fox seems to be more or less headed in the right direction(or at least not a dangerously bad direction that they used to be on) and of course MS is still leading the pack; I'd have to conclude that WB/DC are currently in the most vulnerable position of all the studios currently in this genre.

Yeah I agree. WB is the one big remaining question mark, and their slate is pretty dominant throughout the next couple years.

 

[CyclopsWasRight]

Well, studios used to be worse, since 2011, Fox seems to have been relying more on the creators and asking for less Producer mandates, the revival of X-Men and Planet of the Apes are prime examples of that, Prometheus is a film that did not fail due to them interfering, it was the creative side's entire misstep. This strategy of releasing so many x-men related films may end up dooming their franchise again, i think they needed in least another great movie to build good will, but we'll see how everything turns out.

Good post.

But If three solid movies doesn't earn them the goodwill to expand then nothing ever will.

I do think DC/WB are... And I'll get burned if I say this anywhere else; "rushing" in a sense. Their first film didnt click so well with many yet they've set out a very ballsy slate in return. Then you hear that they may up to 3 a year? When BvS has yet to drop? I'm not sure what their contingency plan is should one film fall to the audience/critics. They've trapped themselves.

I think they'll move ahead even if one or two underperforms. That would be taking a hit for the long run.

They must realise that Marvel is succeeding despite the occasional mediocre movie due to the ever continuing universe marching onward and the hype and anticipating that builds.

DC/WB should be prepared to take a hit in the pursuit of establishing that same overarching universe of movies that gets audiences pulled in.

Those hits would ideally come later once audiences are already committed and not in the run up.

If Batman v Superman is a big hit and establishes that the story will continue in the next DCCU movie that could secure them that audience as well as avengers did

 

[kedrell]

I'd say Fox has only ever made 2 consecutive, non-sucky X-Men movies(or Marvel movies in general for that matter) once and that was X1 & X2. So I don't think TW earned them any extra points at all really. Especially since most simply ignored that movie in North America. At best it ended up a wash neither hurting nor helping the greater franchise, so in that respect it's at least superior to X3 & XO:W(not that that 's saying much).

 

[CyclopsWasRight]

Well its rated 69% fresh on RT with a 70% audience rating and a 4/5 rating on the DVDS on Amazon and with it tripling its budget financially that would seem to spell success.

So that would make it three non-sucky in a row. More than enough for good will.

 

[kedrell]

Except #'s say it was pretty well ignored stateside when it came out so I don't see how it makes much hay positively or negatively when the GA thinks about this series. Now if they have 3 films in a row that the GA responds to like DoFP then I could see some expansion for the brand. But let's not kid ourselves that TW added much to the expansion conversation at all because it didn't, even if it technically isn't rotten on RT.

 

[Flint Marko]

Except #'s say it was pretty well ignored stateside when it came out so I don't see how it makes much hay positively or negatively when the GA thinks about this series. Now if they have 3 films in a row that the GA responds to like DoFP then I could see some expansion for the brand. But let's not kid ourselves that TW added much to the expansion conversation at all because it didn't, even if it technically isn't rotten on RT.

First Class made a small impact as well stateside, it's budget was 160 but it only made back 146 domestic. Clearly throwing everything they had into DOFP was the only way general audiences, especially in America, would really tune in to an X-men film, and even then it didn't outgross X3 domestically. If it wasn't for the booming worldwide market there very well might not be any more X-men films, and truth be told, they can't rely on foreign box office receipts forever.

 

[Jason Kane]

I do think DC/WB are... And I'll get burned if I say this anywhere else; "rushing" in a sense. Their first film didnt click so well with many yet they've set out a very ballsy slate in return. Then you hear that they may up to 3 a year? When BvS has yet to drop? I'm not sure what their contingency plan is should one film fall to the audience/critics. They've trapped themselves.

I don't think they have one. They're just keeping up with the Joneses or in this case, the Marvels

 

[kedrell]

First Class made a small impact as well stateside, it's budget was 160 but it only made back 146 domestic. Clearly throwing everything they had into DOFP was the only way general audiences, especially in America, would really tune in to an X-men film, and even then it didn't outgross X3 domestically. If it wasn't for the booming worldwide market there very well might not be any more X-men films, and truth be told, they can't rely on foreign box office receipts forever.

Well this may be anecdotal but from what I saw I'd say XM:FC generated far more pop cultural buzz than TW ever did, far in excess of the small bit that it did better than TW $-wise in North America and I believe TW won that $ contest WW when all was said and done. Yet TW had hardly a pop cultural footprint at all, for good or ill. It's the cinematic equivalent of in one ear and out the other. I'd say DoFP owes it's success far more to XM:FC's legacy than anything TW ever did for it. It does sort of mirror the last 3 Bond movies in that sense. People only really talk about CR & Skyfall. QoS falls by the wayside in the conversation.