Why hasn't a recent Superhero movie been tried for a Novemeber release ?

[BT18]

For whatever reason November seems to be the month outside of May-to-July when a movie can rake in the most money. The Harry Potter is coming out in July next year. The only Nov 07 slated so far, according to this handy website are:
November 2
Bee Movie Jerry Seinfeld's attempt to break into unnecessary paycheck movies after nearly a decade of semi-retirement
Enchanted an B-lister (Amy Adams) lead animation from a director who's last flick was 102 Dalmatians
November 16
Beowulf certainly has nice credentials but there is plenty of flop-buzz and regardless it doesn't overlap FF's target audience THAT much.
His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass this movie has all kinds of uphill battles and it's going for the same release date as Beowulf in addition?

Anyway, if I were Fox I'd movie FF2 to November 9th (the second week of November) where there's currently no movie scheduled we know of, right now. There's nothing that says FF has to be a Summer movie, they're trying to move away from the negative Stigma of what hurt the first movie. They started off the right way with the intriguing name and the plotline it introduces. A great way to add onto that fresh feeling would be putting it out of summer Blockbuster season and into fall blockbuster season.

 

[TheDarkestAngel]

Actually I have wondered that myself. What about moving FF2 to the day before Thanksgiving and that way it would have a 5 day run while all the kids are out of school.

 

[Casius--J]

Im not sure exactly but i think cause in november people are more concerned with xmas shoppin than goin to see movies. But personally i'd like to see a comic movie a bit later on in the year, instead of all this rushin!!

 

[liesse00]

Not this talk again, fantasy season not action season

 

[Malus]

This (or variations on it) get brought up all the time.
They're obviously not going to change to a Fall date if they chose to move it up by several weeks. They're set on FF being their Summer tentpole movie every couple of years, and considering how incredibly well last year's half-baked FF1 did at the box office worldwide, I can't say that I blame them.
Just make a good movie, Fox.

 

[BT18]

Not this talk again, fantasy season not action season

There's no such frigging thing as "fantasy season".

 

[Retroman]

Thats a good question.I think they studios should give the November/December holiday period a try.

The first Fantastic Four movie was going to be released in December, 2004 so obviously its in the thoughts of the 'powers that be'.


http://www.superherohype.com/news/x-mennews.php?id=372
http://www.superherohype.com/news/x-mennews.php?id=449

 

[liesse00]

There's no such frigging thing as "fantasy season".

Compare Spring/Summer with Fall/Winter from the last few years, you'll see what I mean.

 

[Warhammer]

Also, Christmas movies (Family/Comedy) are released, then.
It would be nice to have a superhero movie or action movie during that time, because Fall/Winter movie season really sucks.

 

[Iron Maiden]

The studios usually save their Oscar contenders for the fall when they figure the serious movie goers will turn out no matter what. It also keeps the film fresh in minds of the voters in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts. For example, Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy's film debut wrapped a while ago but since the studio feels strongly about the film's Oscar chances, it will not be released until October.

 

[DACrowe]

They also release counterprogramming to all the prestiege Oscar pieces every year now. Sure LOTR started as one of them but also this is when the Bond movies come out starting with Goldeneye, this is when most of the Harry Potter movies come out. This is when Narnia sells, this is when King Kong came out (it underperformed because it was too long and went head to head with another piece of counterprogramming that was considerably lighter and slightly shorter) and so on.

I think summer is a mistake. Most people agree FF sucked and put it at the bottom of superhero movies. This is not the time to release it off the hot trails of SM3 (which is likely to be the biggest superhero movie....since....well Spider-Man 2) and sandwiched right before POTC3 (the biggest movie of the 2007 summer season....sans SM3) and right before Harry Potter 5. If you think WOTW and Charlie were bad on it, this is when people thought it was new and POTC is much bigger than Charlie or WOTW and so is Harry Potter.

And did I mention SM3 is coming out the same summer?

I say steal the Thanksgiving release and be the biggest movie of the Christmas season in terms of box office as more time will have passed from FF1 and the choices will be far more limited for families than they will be July 4th next year though.

 

[Iron Maiden]

Until "Jaws", the summer months were considered just "B" flick territory and the big budget movies came out in the fall. More of the action/comedy/horror flicks came out during these months and the prestige releases came in the fall. Most summer movies today tend to be in that category but only now the budgets are astronomical. The movie industry has to stay viable year round because nothing stays in general release anymore, at least not since Titanic. I can remember a time when a film like "Lawrence of Arabia" stayed at a Chicago theater for about a year!

One thing those other films you mention have going for is the huge built in audience Harry Potter, LOTR, James Bond and the Disney brand have to start out with. Even among current comic book fans, the FF isn't even in the top 10 sellers the last time I checked, hovering at around the 50,000 range. They did get a sell out with recent Doom/Thor/Civil War tie-in but that is more the exception than the rule. I really am concerned about the opening date for the FF but maybe by coming after Spider-Man and before POTC 3, they just might luck out. I think the FF tracks to more of a "summer" audience.

 

[DACrowe]

Ah but the smart blockbuster goes where it won't be squashed (right after SM3 and Shrek 3 which will HAVE HUGE LEGS and before both POTC3 and HP5) and considering the general conensus was that Fntastic Four was not very good (even among general moviegoers) to release the sequel amid such competition is suicide and is likely to pulla Tomb Raider or Charlie's Angels sequel syndrome.

While in November there is NO competition. Also, Narnia doesn't have as huge a fanbase as some make out, it was just a good (not great) family film with epic visuals reminacent of LOTR which was huge in that time slot and kids doing battle with a Christ-like figure in a lion (you'd think that would have had some kind of effect on poor Superman?).

And I'll throw out another movie, take National Treasure in 2004. An all around crappy movie that distorts history in its attempt to cash in on nThe Da Vinci Code for children but had no competition (excuse me if you want to call Alexander two weeks later competition) and opens huge and makes over $200 million easy.

Fantastic Four (alone) SHOULD be able to do better business than National Treasure (unless this movie really blows and knowing Story, that is quite possible).

 

[i-n-z-a-n-e]

The dvd's are usually released around November.

 

[Retroman]

They could switch that, have it come out in November (Thanksgiving) and then release the dvd in July.

 

[Advanced Dark]

Except the week after Thanksgiving is generally the worse box office week historically.

 

[el brujo138]

Next summer seems like suicide for FF2 with all the heavy hitters being released and the first FF movie was hardly a huge sucess and the DVD sales were not that great either so it´s not like Pirates were the movie has picked up a bigger fan base since the first one. The first movie was marketed towards families and it could do well in late november/early december

 

[Excel]

i said htis long ago-take december! call out december 14th 2007 right now!thats where you get the legs and opening big cause its a sequel and sequels open big. with a december opening, ff2 will do 200 million domestic.

 

[antariksh]

i said htis long ago-take december! call out december 14th 2007 right now!thats where you get the legs and opening big cause its a sequel and sequels open big. with a december opening, ff2 will do 200 million domestic.

Ya i said the same BUT i guess FOX wants to prove they can make F4-2 a big hit in the middle of summer (june) even with all the BIG movies coming in the early summer (may) aka SM3, Shrek 3, POTC 3 and then Transformers, HP 5 in late summer (July).

I hope F4-2 can do enough to be considered a HIT at boxoffice but i will be really happy of it beats $200 million mark.


Ya if it comes out in December it is a guaranteed boxoffice smash hit-$200 million will be easy to reach BUT summer can be hard unless it gets an opening weekend between $70-80 million

 

[SpideyLad]

They could switch that, have it come out in November (Thanksgiving) and then release the dvd in July.

Having the DVD come out in November makes more sense, cause alot of people will want it for Christmas, and you'd make more profit than you would in July.

 

[Fantastic-Boy]

No,summer is more guaranted!

 

[The Apatow Crew]

No,summer is more guaranted!

Yes i agree with that.

 

[el brujo138]

No,summer is more guaranted!

Maybe, but next summer has got bigger and badder competition than ever, Pirates 3, SM3, Harry Potter (and the last HP book coming out), Shreck 3, Transformers. I don´t see how FF can survive with that level of competition.

 

[The Apatow Crew]

Yes SM3 Shrek 3 POTC3 come out in May

Fantastic Four 2 Comes out June

Than HP5 and TF comes out in July

that leaves a few weeks alone in June

 

[el brujo138]

Yes SM3 Shrek 3 POTC3 come out in May

Fantastic Four 2 Comes out June

Than HP5 and TF comes out in July

that leaves a few weeks alone in June

Yeah but considering that FF is probably the least expected movie for next summer (although that could change with a couple of kick ass trailers) I still don´t see it doing any kind of big numbers.

Considering that both Shreck and Pirates has proved to have pretty good legs with the first two movies and the third movies in the series will probably have legs as well they are going to affect FF2`s box office. A couple of weeks in june might not be enough for FF.