Will Fanboys Ever Learn?

[MessiahDecoy123]

Also look out for Super by James Gunn. It's a dark comedy with superheroes.

It probably do pretty small numbers then again it probably has a modest budget.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Oh, okay, any films nerds are interested in are nerd movies, I guess.

No, if it mostly appeals to nerds rather than the mainstream.

LOTR and TDK don't apply because they have major mainstream appeal.

That's what I gather from reading this thread anyway.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I think it's pathetic and sad that some people follow a film months before pre-production, watch all the behind-the-scenes footage, analyze every detail of a trailer, and then ***** and moan when their film doesn't measure up to a dozen viewings.

I tip my hat to Jon Favreau and other filmmakers who realize how much they're up against, and strive to top the impossible expectations. They understand a large portion of the target demographic is a bunch of analytical ass-hats, and they move forward anyway. The Comic Con appearances, the viral marketing, the set visits on AICN, it's all a part of coaxing the most cynical of *****es to give a film a chance, because hey, the trailer isn't enough.

In a perfect world, we wouldn't have fanboys, and people would realize that watching a movie TWICE must mean there was something worthwhile about it to merit a second viewing. In a perfect world...

What does Favs have to do with this situation? I don't remember bringing up the 600million dollar Iron Man 2 in this thread??? What a strange rant.

Anyway, I agree with you Jamie, I see Sucker-Punch tanking but I still want to see it.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I still don't think Kick-Ass bombed.

It made 96 million worldwide with a 30 million budget (according to boxofficemojo).

I'd think they made their money back once the dvd was released.

 

[FilmNerdJamie]

I guess people aren't factoring in a massive snowstorm over half the country.

Eh, I don't buy that argument personally. Didn't stop True Grit from kicking ass this weekend (and it was on less screens than Tron) or Narnia from continuing to hold well. Although with the latter, it's over regarding more sequels.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I didn't say it bombed, I said it disappointed and it did. Hell, I'm not even calling Tron a bomb.

Eh, I don't buy that argument personally. Didn't stop True Grit from kicking ass this weekend (and it was on less screens than Tron) or Narnia from continuing to hold well. Although with the latter, it's over regarding more sequels.

You explained it better than I was willing too because sometimes I'm not in the mood to explain boxoffice numbers to people. I agree though, wouldn't that Storm have hurt True Grit too? And yet it made 10 million more than predicted.

 

[Tron Bonne]

No, if it mostly appeals to nerds rather than the mainstream.

LOTR and TDK don't apply because they have major mainstream appeal.

That's what I gather from reading this thread anyway.

You gather that from reading this thread? Well, you and I gather far different things from reading all this..um, 'stuff' in here previously.

I just think it's silly to give it that label when I doubt Disney made it as a 'nerd' movie. It's just a special effects sci-fi blockbuster that's super flashy. I can see that for some of the other stuff talked about in here before, but eh, not that, at least not in an inherit sense.

 

[C. Lee]

Eh, I don't buy that argument personally. Didn't stop True Grit from kicking ass this weekend (and it was on less screens than Tron) or Narnia from continuing to hold well. Although with the latter, it's over regarding more sequels.

I don't spend all my time studying boxoffice reports....just see a headline and read the story behind it now and then. I read earlier today that the projected BO of all the movies were down this week and some people felt it was because of the storm. I know that personally (with temps in the mid 20's with windchills 10-20 degrees lower in my area) we didn't go out for anything this weekend.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Studios always lie about cost - what they really spend to make a movie is never info they'll publicly divulge. There is no way Sucker Punch cost under $100 million, bud.

We're three months away from release and due for another trailer and the real marketing to commence soon. That said, I'm in the category who thinks it'll flop. All power to Snyder on Superman (I think he's a great fit the more I think about it), but he's hit-and-miss with his filmography. And this honestly looks like a hyperactive fanboy's wet dream on screen. Not a compliment.

Green screen movies are cheaper to make. Predators (2010) had a budget of 40 million.

But I wouldn't underestimate a visual piece by Snyder. No one expected "300" to make 450 million worldwide, but it did.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

The weather didn't cause Tron to not make 25-30mil this weekend. The reaction to the movie did.

 

[FilmNerdJamie]

I don't spend all my time studying boxoffice reports....just see a headline and read the story behind it now and then. I read earlier today that the projected BO of all the movies were down this week and some people felt it was because of the storm. I know that personally (with temps in the mid 20's with windchills 10-20 degrees lower in my area) we didn't go out for anything this weekend.

Neither do I nor was my remark meant as a slight against you. I read those headlines too, and found them...amusing when you factor in how great True Grit did. AKA executives are covering their asses and finding any defense to lay the blame off them.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Didn't Avatar also face similar weather its second week? Yet it fell by a stunning 2%.

 

[C. Lee]

Neither do I nor was my remark meant as a slight against you. I read those headlines too, and found them...amusing when you factor in how great True Grit did. AKA executives are covering their asses and finding any defense to lay the blame off them.

I didn't take it as a slight nor meant my post to be a slight against anyone. I meant that I know some people here keep a tighter look at things like that...I don't. I flip around and read headlines here and there and occasionaly the story behind it. I read a story (can't remember who it was by) this morning that was saying the box office for everything over the weekend wasn't as high as expected. I know that I wanted to go see both TRUE Grit and TRon this weekend...but the weather kept me home.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Didn't Avatar also face similar weather its second week? Yet it fell by a stunning 2%.

I don't know if it was quite as bad but the weather was not sunshine and flowers when Avatar came out. Nobody expected a 2% drop from Tron and to be fair it was hurt on Chrismas Eve but all the movies rebounded over the weekend so that doesn't account for that 56% drop. Disney better be glad that the Winter break and New Years are still to come because the film would be a flat out disaster without those factors. It should still do over 300mil worldwide so it's not some mega bomb (nor have I ever claimed it to be one) but those are not good numbers for a movie of this ilk.

 

[FilmNerdJamie]

I didn't take it as a slight nor meant my post to be a slight against anyone. I meant that I know some people here keep a tighter look at things like that...I don't. I flip around and read headlines here and there and occasionaly the story behind it. I read a story (can't remember who it was by) this morning that was saying the box office for everything over the weekend wasn't as high as expected. I know that I wanted to go see both TRUE Grit and TRon this weekend...but the weather kept me home.

Little Fockers also under-performed. But that was because, apparently, audiences wised and smelled the poop from its trailers. Color me shocked. Figured it would do around $60-$70 million in its 5-day. Although I'm not surprised True Grit out-grossed Tron: Legacy and made a big mark this weekend.

If you have to choose, pick True Grit. If you don't have to, still just see True Grit. Probably my favorite movie of 2010 although I can't decide between that, The Social Network and Toy Story 3.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I can't understand why anyone would dislike True Grit. It's a great movie that old and young alike can enjoy. I honestly can't think of a more entertaining time at the Theater this year. See it everybody and see it now.

 

[jmc]

Without doubt it's the Western factor.

On the catering to fanboy topic, as soon as one of the massive $150 million+ movies tanks is the moment when studios will apply the brakes on appeasing the minions, at the moment it's only low budget flicks that are suffering, although Tron's probably the exception but really what brain dead Disney exec thought that film would be big in the first place? Mark my words, one massive flop is all it's gonna take before the fan bases become an after thought entirely. All the 'buzz' about these film comes from the conventions, and really it's only preaching to the choir.

 

[Jack Napier]

What does Favs have to do with this situation? I don't remember bringing up the 600million dollar Iron Man 2 in this thread??? What a strange rant.

Okay...

Matthew Vaughn and Edgar Wright thought the fanboy minority would generate enough word of mouth to make their movies ("Kickass" and "Scott Pilgrim") "the next big thing", and that failed. I appreciate what they're trying to do, and what Favs does, i.e. reach out to the most jaded of filmgoers and assure them, "This really is a cut above your everyday film", but they shouldn't. In the end, it's so much effort, and for what? People are only going to embrace so many films.
Fanboys are roughly 10% of the audience. Filmmakers should let their films speak for themselves.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Okay...

Matthew Vaughn and Edgar Wright thought the fanboy minority would generate enough word of mouth to make their movies ("Kickass" and "Scott Pilgrim") "the next big thing", and that failed. I appreciate what they're trying to do, and what Favs does, i.e. reach out to the most jaded of filmgoers and assure them, "This really is a cut above your everyday film", but they shouldn't. In the end, it's so much effort, and for what? People are only going to embrace so many films.
Fanboys are roughly 10% of the audience. Filmmakers should let their films speak for themselves.

No, they didn't. Vaugh, like Lionsgate and others, thought Kickass would pull a Wanted, which was an unexpected hit based on a previous Millar work. I doubt Wright ever expected any film he did to become the 'next big thing', at least theatrically. Hell, he was kind of thrilled a movie of his was even in the Top 5 BO, despite the actual numbers.. Are you familiar with the kind of numbers his other films did in the cinema?

And I don't even know what you mean by that last statement. Just because those films ended up not striking a cord with mainstream audiences they didn't 'speak for themselves'?

 

[Drizzle]

Didn't Avatar also face similar weather its second week? Yet it fell by a stunning 2%.

No, that was its first weekend. The east coast was hit by a big snowstorm. I remember because it prevented me from seeing the movie until a few days after it came out.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

The fact is, it faced bad weather and didn't drop 56% or open with 44mil after a year long in your face campaign.

I will change my tune if after this weekend Tron comes back and makes 200mil domestically. I mean I still won't be calling it a "hit" but I definately won't be as hard on it. As a rule I usually wait three or four weeks before calling a more a hit or a flop, unless it opens with just a pathetic amount. Which Tron didn't.

And to interject on a convo between Tron and Jack for a moment:

A director would be a fool to read these kind of messageboards. If the director is happy with his or her film that should be all that matters.

 

[terry78]

All the noise about weather and what not causing low box office is just an excuse people make. If the movie is something people want to see, they'll go in a ****ing ****storm if they can catch the matinee.

 

[Jack Napier]

Are you familiar with the kind of numbers his other films did in the cinema?
Just because those films ended up not striking a cord with mainstream audiences they didn't 'speak for themselves'?

"Layer Cake" is one of my favorite films, and it had about a $4 million budget. "Stardust" had a slightly bigger budget, and "Kick-Ass" had an even bigger budget. I'm sure Lionsgate had hopes that if Vaughn paraded the movie around, giving sneak peek audiences a taste of the film, that it would entice fanboys to enough to market the film on word-of-mouth alone. They were wrong.

I'm fine with the fact they didn't strike a chord with the mainstream audiences. The studio took a risk, and lost. I don't have a dog in that fight. I just think it's foolish they thought the fanboys would carry it alone.

 

[Jack Napier]

A director would be a fool to read these kind of messageboards. If the director is happy with his or her film that should be all that matters.

Agreed.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

All the noise about weather and what not causing low box office is just an excuse people make. If the movie is something people want to see, they'll go in a ****ing ****storm if they can catch the matinee.

Leave it to you to tell it like it is. You are right ofcourse, studios use that excuse all the time and it never pans out for the rest of a movie's run.

I'm just entertaining the idea because I like to cover all of my bases.