The Official Thread For: Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix

[mclay18]

I love the fact that the British characters are played by Brit actors. It showcases what a wealth of talent we have over here. There might have been the possibility to show newer talents coming up in the industry if anyone could have played the characters.

You did say that Naomi Watts would be good as Narcissa Black when rumor was circulating that she was looking to have a role in HBP, even though she grew up in Australia. And Olympe Maxime was played by a British actress and not by a French actress, but that's nitpicking. It'd be great if Watts came on, if Rowling and the producers approved, but if they did, she looks too demure to pull off the snobbish side of Narcissa (she could really pull off the vulnerable side though).

I imagine some U.K. actress being cast as Narcissa, probably that lead actress in "Footballer's Wives" would be good (I see it occasionally on BBC America while flipping the channels) -- get rid of that tan and make a few makeup adjustments, and she'd be perfect. She has that snobby air about her, but also vulnerability. But another actress would probably do just as well.

 

[Mr. Socko]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=20549

The introduction of Dolores Umbridge!

I'm excited!

 

[Secret_Riddle]

http://mugglenet.com/app/news/full_story/911

6 new t.v spots..dont know if you guys have seen this already.

 

[OtepApe]

You did say that Naomi Watts would be good as Narcissa Black when rumor was circulating that she was looking to have a role in HBP, even though she grew up in Australia. And Olympe Maxime was played by a British actress and not by a French actress, but that's nitpicking. It'd be great if Watts came on, if Rowling and the producers approved, but if they did, she looks too demure to pull off the snobbish side of Narcissa (she could really pull off the vulnerable side though).

I imagine some U.K. actress being cast as Narcissa, probably that lead actress in "Footballer's Wives" would be good (I see it occasionally on BBC America while flipping the channels) -- get rid of that tan and make a few makeup adjustments, and she'd be perfect. She has that snobby air about her, but also vulnerability. But another actress would probably do just as well.

I said she was a fine actress. I also said that I thought Joely Richardson would make a great Narcissa. She would be my first choice. Watts is a fine actress, but I just don't see her as the person Narcissa is.

 

[chaseter]

bump...

 

[Dr. Fate]

So, have we discussed box office predictions yet?

 

[mclay18]

No, I don't think we have yet in this thread yet. Well, I have to say that Warner Brothers did pick out a perfect spot in the summer lineup for it -- a week before the release of the final book -- and two whole weeks without any major competition afterwards (even though the book's release on the second weekend might cause a drop, it'll still be on top). Even with the hype around the final book, OOTP will most certainly make less than GOF (which was released in November).

Here's my predictions:

Opening day: $38-$41 million
Opening weekend: $100-$105 million
Domestic Total Gross: $250-$270 million

 

[Mr. Socko]

Why would it make less? Cause of competition?

 

[Tempest19]

Hey, just wondering, does anybody think the game will be good? Considering buying it, but really on the fence about it.

 

[Ebil Gig]

Running time is 2 hours and 18 minutes. Shortest running time for the longest book....

 

[Spider-Fan]

I am shocked it is that short. I never read the book, but if it is the longest, then a lot must have been cut. I mean, the previous shortest was still like 2 and a half hours.

Still, it looks great from the trailers, though!

 

[mclay18]

Why would it make less? Cause of competition?

Yes and the fact that the HP films face less competition in the usual November timeslot, which accounts for their higher grosses (in the cases of SS/PS, COS and GOF, November is highly profitable compared to POA's June release). Who knows, perhaps OOTP will outdo some of the bigger tentpole franchises domestically (I can see it outdoing FF 2 and Transformers), but since there's so much competition I can't see it reaching PS/SS or GOF levels. SM-3 and POTC 3 will be the two biggest movies of 2007, box-office wise.

I'm a bit iffy about the relatively short runtime for OOTP, but considering that the book consisted mainly of extraneous detail and omittable subplots, a 2 hour movie could be pretty manageable (no filler and get us into the story proper is a big plus). Still, I feel that even with numerous omissions for movie time, a 2 1/2 hour timeslot would be beneficial to help tell OOTP's story properly. But we'll see how Yates does with the 138 minute version of OOTP and judge for ourselves...

Official runtimes:

PS/SS: 152 minutes
COS: 161 minutes
POA: 142 minutes
GOF: 157 minutes
OOTP: 138 minutes

 

[The Kid]

This either means the movie's so good it briskly tells what story it needs to tell in that time, or It'll be a jumbled mess with barely any character development or slow poignant moments.

 

[04nbod]

This either means the movie's so good it briskly tells what story it needs to tell in that time, or It'll be a jumbled mess with barely any character development or slow poignant moments.

so sort of like X3. Its a gamble but hopefully it pays off this time

 

[The Kid]

Indeed.

 

[mclay18]

This either means the movie's so good it briskly tells what story it needs to tell in that time, or It'll be a jumbled mess with barely any character development or slow poignant moments.

I think there's a trend going on with the HP films. The odd-numbered ones (1, 3) seem to be best received, while the even-numbered ones (2, 4) also get critically acclaimed but oftentimes have the most trouble with pacing and/or cramming too much story in a narrow timeframe. And the odd-numbered ones are the shortest movies.

I'm hoping OOTP will follow the trend set by PS/SS and POA, and not just in the shortest films category. And we'll get some poignant moments of OOTP -- I hope most of those aren't sacrificed for the sake of time. Such as the little moments between Harry and Sirius, and that bit with Harry and Luna at the end.

 

[Dr. Fate]

I think there's a trend going on with the HP films. The odd-numbered ones (1, 3) seem to be best received, while the even-numbered ones (2, 4) also get critically acclaimed but oftentimes have the most trouble with pacing and/or cramming too much story in a narrow timeframe. And the odd-numbered ones are the shortest movies.

Kind of like Star Trek movies in reverse, eh?

 

[The Dude]

Running time is 2 hours and 18 minutes. Shortest running time for the longest book....

Yeah... I'm not entirely sure what to think of that. as was said, it could be a thrill ride or a total mess. I'm hoping the first because theis was easily my favorite of the books.

 

[The Kid]

I think there's a trend going on with the HP films. The odd-numbered ones (1, 3) seem to be best received, while the even-numbered ones (2, 4) also get critically acclaimed but oftentimes have the most trouble with pacing and/or cramming too much story in a narrow timeframe. And the odd-numbered ones are the shortest movies.

I'm hoping OOTP will follow the trend set by PS/SS and POA, and not just in the shortest films category. And we'll get some poignant moments of OOTP -- I hope most of those aren't sacrificed for the sake of time. Such as the little moments between Harry and Sirius, and that bit with Harry and Luna at the end.

Yeah I'm noticing that trend too. What I hope is that when it's all finished and we can step back and look at the whole thing as one big story, it at least works in that respect.

 

[mclay18]

Yeah, I hope so too.

 

[Galactus]

It might be short, but the novel was also way too long in my opinion. And I don't think anything really important has been cut out. I think J.K. Rowling herself is making sure of that.

 

[chaseter]

^Yea there is a lot of trivial stuff that happens in this book. They spent what...2 or 3 whole chapters at Grimmauld's place? There aren't a ton of subplots in this book so I think all the major points will be hit on.

 

[Gonking]

Running time is 2 hours and 18 minutes. Shortest running time for the longest book....

crap

 

[chaseter]

I think 2:18 will be just fine...

 

[04nbod]

^Yea there is a lot of trivial stuff that happens in this book. They spent what...2 or 3 whole chapters at Grimmauld's place? There aren't a ton of subplots in this book so I think all the major points will be hit on.

i love things like that- it really creates her world and characters in normal life before hell breaks loose- the film doesn't have that luxury