The Avengers The Official 'Hulk in Avengers' thread. - Part 9

[Boom]

According to cherokeesam, in the most recent issue of Empire Magazine.

 

[Fifthchild]

That's so not true. Ang's Hulk failed because it was a terrible movie and got bad word of mouth. It had good opening weekend number. It's just that when people saw it they started telling other not to go see it. I personally didn't even go to see the Hulk in theaters on that Saturday. My friend saw it on Friday and told me not to go see it because its was boring. I didn't see Hulk until it was on HBO/Showtime. (Did the same thing with Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance)

Not true. The negative impression for this movie started back in Jan/Feb of 2003 with the superbowl trailer. It made 60 someting million it's first weekend which is very meh, compared to what Spider-Man made just a year earlier. Let's not forget that Hulk is Marvels second biggest character after Spider-Man. The prediction for Hulks opening weekend was sopposed to be around 80 million.

You actaully just helped my point by stating that bad WOM killed it, so the b.o was NOT good.

It was NOT a bad movie, it was just a bad Hulk movie and deceived the general public with it's advertising.

Kind of agree and disagree with both of you. The suberbowl stuff did lead to negative buzz that did leak into the mainstream. I remember Conan did a joke about the Hulk CGI looking like crap. However the movie was by no means doomed at that point. It opened to $62 million with a strong $24 million Friday and then fell pretty sharply from day to day (basically poor word of mouth was apparent even within that opening weekend). Hulk's opening weekend would adjust to something like $80 to $90 million today with inflation accounted for, without considering something like 3D pricing. And from there on the drops were horrible. 70% drop on second weekend. It barely made any money from that point onwards. But you can hardly say something had a meh opening weekend by comparing it to a movie like Spider-Man which had just shattered the previous opening record.

I will disagree with Smashlilman in that i dont think its a terrible movie at all and with a few reservations i really like it (and i think there was quite a bit that i think was done better in Hulk than in The Avengers). However it was a terrible movie to try and launch a blockbuster franchise from and it was a terrible movie to most of the general public. It was an oddity with niche appeal launched as a mass consumer product. A $130 million arthouse film about a giant green monster.

 

[Gamma Ra]

Kind of agree and disagree with both of you. The suberbowl stuff did lead to negative buzz that did leak into the mainstream. I remember Conan did a joke about the Hulk CGI looking like crap. However the movie was by no means doomed at that point. It opened to $62 million with a strong $24 million Friday and then fell pretty sharply from day to day (basically poor word of mouth was apparent even within that opening weekend). Hulk's opening weekend would adjust to something like $80 to $90 million today with inflation accounted for, without considering something like 3D pricing. And from there on the drops were horrible. 70% drop on second weekend. It barely made any money from that point onwards. But you can hardly say something had a meh opening weekend by comparing it to a movie like Spider-Man which had just shattered the previous opening record.

I will disagree with Smashlilman in that i dont think its a terrible movie at all and with a few reservations i really like it (and i think there was quite a bit that i think was done better in Hulk than in The Avengers). However it was a terrible movie to try and launch a blockbuster franchise from and it was a terrible movie to most of the general public. It was an oddity with niche appeal launched as a mass consumer product. A $130 million arthouse film about a giant green monster.

Though I love the film...This was the biggest problem I had with Ang's Hulk...the characters had many characteristics similar to the Hulk and Banner...but at the end of the day, it was a movie about a guy who turns into an ever growing giant green monster known as ---Angry-Man.

 

[Dark Raven]

Yeah, Ang Lee seemed ashamed to even use the name "Hulk" as if it sounded too silly. And yet, how does Angry Man sound that much different to names like Superman, Spider-Man or Iron Man when you think about it?

 

[Gamma Ra]

Too true.

Ang's Hulk and Leterrier's TIH are the reasons why I'm glad Marvel Studios holds a tighter reign over their characters when it comes to artistic freedom.

 

[Fifthchild]

I think its hard to work the name Hulk in there though. Its just not a common word. I dont think its the first thing you'd think of if you saw a big green angry man/monster/thing. Whereas Spider-Man, Batman, Superman etc all seem pretty natural. I can definitely see the difficulty in coming up with an "origin story" for the name, or at least one that doesnt seem contrived. Now though we can just assume the name stuck somewhere in the past.

 

[Gamma Ra]

I can't say I agree. The two college students sold it well to the media in TIH.

I wish Hulk was more in line with his comic origin where either a soldier called him that or Hulk being the name of Banner's imaginary friend from a PAD re-imagining story. Though not so common a word, it could still be worked in with ease. In my Hulk script, a Jack McGee style journalist terms him Hulk.

 

[Fifthchild]

Eh not for me. Thats the exact kind of forced moment that comes to mind for me when thinking about someone naming the Hulk. Its just not the sort of word that i think would first come to mind for anyone who didnt step straight off the set of Deadwood let alone a couple of college kids. Having a couple of crappy extras deliver the lines didnt help sell me on it either. I'm probably a bit over sensitive to stuff like this however.

I do like the imaginary friend idea or otherwise connecting it to childhood though.

 

[Gamma Ra]

True, but it would make more sense for a soldier to coin it, considering it means a hull of a ship or a large clumsy looking person.

The Imaginary friend angle is my favorite as well, as it gives credence to why Hulk would refer to himself as Hulk.

Glad you caught up on the Hulk reading and I agree with 99% of what you wrote.

 

[Golgo-13]

I like the imaginary friend idea also. Even in the tv series Banner rarely refers to his alter ego as the Hulk; calling him "the creature' 95% of the time. In the Avengers though, from Hill to Cap , they all sounded pretty natural referring to Hulk as Hulk, so i think it's a moot point...at this point.

 

[Gamma Ra]

I like the imaginary friend idea also. Even in the tv series Banner rarely refers to his alter ego as the Hulk; calling him "the creature' 95% of the time. In the Avengers though, from Hill to Cap , they all sounded pretty natural referring to Hulk as Hulk, so i think it's a moot point...at this point.

In the television show Jack McGee was the one that referred to him as Hulk...which is why I gave the nod to him in my script and that was the only television nod.

Yeah, everyone referring to him as Hulk seemed fine to me.

 

[Gamma Ra]

duplicate

 

[Pink Ranger]

I think we can safely infer that from the time of TIH to TA, the word "Hulk" had become a catchphrase started by the witnesses at the university. It's believable, considering how quickly these days a media-spawned catchphrase can become widely adopted.

It makes even more sense for Banner to rarely, if ever, use that term (vs. "the other guy"), but since the Hulk often is an expression of Banner's subconscious, it makes sense for him to refer to himself as "Hulk" as a term he's likely heard on TV hundreds of times.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Does anyone have a still of the moment when Banner Hulks out right before taking down the giant snake-monster?

 

[Chris Wallace]

 

[terry78]

That grin always cracked me up because beforehand when Cap was dishing out orders Hulk was just looking around in shock and almost wonderment at all the Chitauri, like he didn't know what to do and ignoring everyone else on the team, then when he hears Cap call his name he's like, "what the ****?"

 

[Gamma Ra]

I think we can safely infer that from the time of TIH to TA, the word "Hulk" had become a catchphrase started by the witnesses at the university. It's believable, considering how quickly these days a media-spawned catchphrase can become widely adopted.

It makes even more sense for Banner to rarely, if ever, use that term (vs. "the other guy"), but since the Hulk often is an expression of Banner's subconscious, it makes sense for him to refer to himself as "Hulk" as a term he's likely heard on TV hundreds of times.

Well said and I totally agree. This makes absolute sense and can work towards the movies logic.

The first time Banner read or heard the news report from TIH calling his other self "Hulk", maybe his Hulk self picked it up on a subconscious level thus..."Hulk Smash" Abomination.

 

[Chris Wallace]

 

[Golgo-13]

Well said and I totally agree. This makes absolute sense and can work towards the movies logic.

The first time Banner read or heard the news report from TIH calling his other self "Hulk", maybe his Hulk self picked it up on a subconscious level thus..."Hulk Smash" Abomination.

I buy the name being spread via the media. Even the soldier in the NY battle radios Ross on the chopper says "The Hulk is attacking downtown"..or something to that nature, when referring to the first sightings of Abomination.

Love the texture of Hulks skin in those two above shots. Still hate Ruffalos voice "Puny God'. It doesn't match the Hulk's demeanor.

 

[terry78]

They definitely got the eyes right. The number one complaint has always been that CG eyes look too dead, but the above is probably one of the best examples of them being on point.

 

[Golgo-13]

I also found the glowing eyes of TIH makes him look too cartoony. I don't mind the eyes glowing at the beginning of the transformation, kinda like a switch being turned on, but after that they should have toned down the green.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Well I'm excited about Ruffalo's Hulk returning someday. Hopefully with his own solo film. They have to take advantage of that attention and love he received in Avengers.

 

[jadejaws]

Great gifs! Well done.

 

[Boom]

God, The Avengers' Hulk is disgustingly perfect.

God bless you, Whedon/ILM .

 

[Doctor Jones]

Yeah they pretty much nailed everything about the Hulk in this film. Personality and look. And especially that Ruffalo makes the best Banner.