Will Fanboys Ever Learn?

[Mrs. Sawyer]

Well, true for Scott Pilgrim vs The World (despite what anyone says, the majority of stuff I heard from fans or place familiar with the source had tepid expectations), but I did see a lot of people throwing around some bigger numbers for Kick-Ass, since a lot of them assumed it would do at least as well as Wanted did. Hardly a surprise, though, since the studio was apparently seeing a Wanted repeat in the mix, as well.

One key problem I saw with Kick-ass is that they were marketing it as a teen film with a teenage main character but it was rated R. On top of that rated R superhero films haven't been proven to be popular.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I always got the feeling from the previews and commercials they were trying to market it more as an over the top superhero comedy, but I only saw a few of them. I wasn't expecting Spidey or Batman numbers or anything (as I doubt anyone was), but I kind of thought it would have done better.

 

[Catman]

G.I. Joe and Transformers have little to nothing in common outside both being long running toy franchises

...and being `80s cartoons. So, in that effect, Transformers and G.I. Joe had more in common, from a marketing POV, than Wanted and Kick-Ass. The problem with G.I. Joe wasn't the marketing. It was the movie itself.

One key problem I saw with Kick-ass is that they were marketing it as a teen film

The key problem was that they marketed it as a comedy, so people thought it would be like 2008's Superhero Movie. Both characters even dress in green.

 

[Leenie]

^My brain weeps at the thought of people comparing Kick-Ass to THAT crappy movie.

But hey, it was marketed as such. What a shame.

 

[lespaul59]

...and being `80s cartoons. So, in that effect, Transformers and G.I. Joe had more in common, from a marketing POV, than Wanted and Kick-Ass. The problem with G.I. Joe wasn't the marketing. It was the movie itself.



The key problem was that they marketed it as a comedy, so people thought it would be like 2008's Superhero Movie. Both characters even dress in green.

G.I. Joe is a case of ticking the fan boys off for make a bunch of changes. I think some of the complaints about changes are right. But some of the complaints are just stupid and others are just complaints because it's different than the original. G.I. Joe and Transformers both had comic books out at the same time as the cartoon. And both have had comic put out by different companys after Marvel. In fact the G.I. Joe comic put out by Marvel lasted 12yrs. Personaly as a G.I. Joe fanboy I wanted to see it crush Transformers but I also expected it do to about the same as it did at the box office because of the complaints. The GA might not care about the characters like fanboys but I think if the fan boys are loud enough I guess you could say and it will have an effect on the GA. I've been the fanboy that just knew that a movie I was pumped about was gonna crush everybody in it's path when the movie actually it was a bomb and made less than 1/3 it's budget back. For those wondering the movie is Detroit Rock City.

 

[Heretic]

GI Joe is my all time number 1 geek out property...and nothing else even comes remotely close. Heck, it probably means more to me than just about every other geek property combined.

That said, I haven't seen the movie and never will.

 

[Octoberist]

GI Joe was 'stupid, stupid fun' when it should have been 'stupid fun.'

 

[baerrtt]

The problem I see is this "Of course people will show up! It's a new Spider-Man movie!" mentality from some - expecting business in the same ball-park as the Raimi/Maguire films and $300 million domestic box-office.

That's the exact same problem WB had with their marketing on Batman Begins, Superman Returns and Terminator: Salvation. Just slap on the logo on a one-sheet with a release-date and just start printing that money. "Of course people will show up! It's a new _______ movie!" All three of those flicks fell way below projections with Batman being the only success story because of its amazing legs/reviews/word-of-mouth. But even that under-performed in its opening weekend.

History shows that frame of mind isn't wise/logical for a franchise that's been away from the public conscious for awhile and/or when the last movie was overwhelmingly disliked by both the masses and nerds.

Not to mention, Spider-Man's competition will be high-profile sequels to very popular mega-hits (Star Trek 2 and Batman 3).

STAR TREK had been away from the public conscious for awhile with the last entries, ST:NEMESIS, ENTERPRISE on tv, not exactly being popular...with well anyone (fans, casual audience) and yet despite the fears that it was a dead brand name Abrams movie last year did what it did. Studios will continue to hedge their bets thanks to the aformentioned success when it comes to, however simple, believing that ppl are going to show up en masse to franchises that have been 'away' for sometime.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Jamie is dead on; to think that a Spider-Man reboot has 300mil in the bag is ridiculous. Yes the Spider-Man brand is popular but that mode of thinking didn't help Superman Returns or Batman Begins gross 300mil. I think that a Spider-Man reboot with 2012 3D ticket prices has a good chance of cracking 200mil but 300? Nah, it doesn't matter how good it is. It's too soon for a reboot and the ticket sales will show as much.

 

[:eek:]

About the Spider-Man reboot it feels it really depends on what they're doing with it. It might scare a lot of people away if they make the (in my opinion) crazy decision to have the bigger part of the movie focus on the origin story once again, how Peter gets his powers and so on. I really, really hope they don't do that. It would be so insanely boring to have to go through all that stuff again

 

[Infinity9999x]

And, yet, Batman Forever was a big hit despite it following Batman Returns which was considered enough of a disappointment for WB to fire Tim Burton. People like comparisons because it'll make more sense, but in reality each film is a success or failure on its own merits. Batman Begins underperformed because kids didn't like it. It's as simple as that. Fans tend to forget, these days anyway, that the bread and butter of these superhero movies are children. That's why the Spider-Man series is so successful. Kids think he's cool and has a colorful costume. As for Watchmen, Kick-Ass, and Scott Pilgrim these were niche films. It's as simple as that. The general public doesn't like comic books. They just like Batman and Spider-Man because they grew up watching the cartoons...or in some cases...the live-action shows. In 1989, do you think people were hyped for Batman because they were huge comic book fans? No. They simply grew up on the Adam West show and were now awaiting an adaptation with a cool `80s make-over. So, really, this thread shouldn't be about fanboys learning. It should be about them accepting that only the franchises with a rich history beyond comics will bring in the big bucks. Sure, there will be exceptions, like Iron Man, but let's just accept exceptions as just that - exceptions.

I'm sorry, but to say that B&R didn't effect BB isn't accurate, at least in my opinion.

And comparing that situation to BR and BF is completley off base. BR was pretty successful it only made 20mil less then BF. The main reason Burton was outed was because there was a huge outcry from the soccer mom brigade about the darkness of the movie.

B&R was a very, very, very bad movie. Everyone new this. People who weren't even comic nerds joked about how bad the movie was. And it didn't help the BB was still being called a prequel to the original series on newstations and such.

 

[Evil Twin]

I think a large part of how Spider-Man reboot performs is going to depend on the scope of the picture. It will open, regardless, but if it's perceived as "too small" in regards to the standards set by the predecessors, then I think it's going to struggle a lot to have legs. I can't see a Spider-Man movie opening to less than $80 to $90 million though, so that probably makes it a $200 million domestic grosser almost automatically.

I think that's probably going to be the biggest issue with Thor, rather than the fantasy element. You have to convince the audience that it's a big picture, something to run out and see in the theater. Thor in jeans and a t-shirt kind of works against that.

Spectacle is an easy sell for a studio. Lesser known properties that don't deliver that, really have to be on top of their game to break through otherwise.

 

[C. Lee]

It wasn't just "soccer moms" that objected to the darkness of Batman Returns....there was a lot of people turned off by the bizarrness of it.....and there are and were many fans of Batman and Robin...it gets bad press from the majority of the comic elite...but many non regular comic fans like it.

 

[Punisher_MAX]

to be honest i dont get people, Watchmen was like watching the comic unfold on screen and people gave it **** for sticking to close to the graphic novel and not doing its own thing.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I liked Watchmen and don't understand the hate from comicbook fans. I do however, understand the hate from the average moviegoer. Norms just aren't going to like something like Watchmen.

 

[C. Lee]

to be honest i dont get people, Watchmen was like watching the comic unfold on screen and people gave it **** for sticking to close to the graphic novel and not doing its own thing.

That's the way of the fanboy (not to be confused with the fanboy or fanboy)....if it is there, complain about it (or if it isn't there complain about it too). The boards are full of it.

Like the great new one....mentioning SHIELD is ruining the Marvel movies.....give me a break.

 

[Punisher_MAX]

I liked Watchmen and don't understand the hate from comicbook fans. I do however, understand the hate from the average moviegoer. Norms just aren't going to like something like Watchmen.

oh i understand that the GA wouldnt like it, the number of stupid remarks from the GA about the movie is ridiculous. I read the comic before the movie and i loved it, i saw the movie and was blown away at seeing it all come the life. the DC cut of the movie adds a good bit and i cant wait to see the version with Tales of the Black Freighter

 

[danoyse]

It wasn't just "soccer moms" that objected to the darkness of Batman Returns....there was a lot of people turned off by the bizarrness of it.....and there are and were many fans of Batman and Robin...it gets bad press from the majority of the comic elite...but many non regular comic fans like it.

This is true. I saw with a bunch of friends when it first came out, and nearly everyone hated it. They just thought it was weird. I didn't like it much either.

The mom complaints happened, but at that point the movie was already out and the reaction to it in general was that it wasn't very good.

 

[Daredevil]

I havent read Watchmen and watched the movie. I didnt like it.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

This is true. I saw with a bunch of friends when it first came out, and nearly everyone hated it. They just thought it was weird. I didn't like it much either.

The mom complaints happened, but at that point the movie was already out and the reaction to it in general was that it wasn't very good.

My parents had heard so much bad stuff about the film that they wouldn't let me or my siblings watch the flick until after they did. And the funny thing is, they let us watch R rated fair such as Robocop and T2 without batting an eyelash.

 

[FilmNerdJamie]

Batman Returns freaked the living **** outta plenty of folks, but it was by no means in the same category of Batman & Robin. While falling below projections, it was still the top money-maker that summer and #3 for the overall year. Even after the damage done, the franchise was still viable and a top priority for WB. Hence the shuffling of Burton from the planned third installment.

B&R flat out killed the franchise. The studio knew there was nothing they could do at that juncture to repair the series after that fourth movie.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I liked Watchmen and don't understand the hate from comicbook fans. I do however, understand the hate from the average moviegoer. Norms just aren't going to like something like Watchmen.

I figure the reason most fans didn't like it is the same reason I wasn't fond of it. It was an ill-conceived concept pretty much from the beginning, there was way too much story and background to adapt into a 2 hour film, hell, to adapt in a 4 hour movie; I see it as the evaluate of trying to adapt all 7 Potter books into two movies and keep as much content and faithfulness as possible. And then there was the little changes (not the climax), that really shouldn't have been made. Not to mention there was some seriously bad miscasting and acting in that movie. And, really, I'm not even that huge a fan of the comic.

I don't really hate it or anything, it's alright, but I've always felt people give it too much of pass because it's Watchmen and Snyder 'did the best he could' (though I personally think he could have done better). I haven't seen the Director's or Ultimate Cut, though.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Jamie is dead on; to think that a Spider-Man reboot has 300mil in the bag is ridiculous. Yes the Spider-Man brand is popular but that mode of thinking didn't help Superman Returns or Batman Begins gross 300mil. I think that a Spider-Man reboot with 2012 3D ticket prices has a good chance of cracking 200mil but 300? Nah, it doesn't matter how good it is. It's too soon for a reboot and the ticket sales will show as much.

Yeah, I think the reboot will make BB numbers. But it all depends on how good this movie is. If great WOM spreads than it could do more but once Batman 3 breaks in, it will be like a black hole.

 

[dark_b]

so it will make less money then BB since the reboot will be in 3D?

 

[TheDarkKnight08]

it became wrong when fanboys think that a movie will make money because they like the movie.

Of course someone's going to think a movie they like will make money. I mean, massive numbers are sometimes out of the question, but if someone, not just a fan, watches a film and they enjoy it, they're obviously going to hope people watch it enough to make some bank. It's arrogant to judge someone for that, let alone makes a threat for it, on a website that is full of them.