Weekly Box Office and Film Discussion Thread

[mr3urious]

The one thing I didn't realize until recently is how much effects studio Digital Domain invested in the film. That's the only reason why part of me hopes the film doesn't outright bomb.

Sadly, visual FX studios often go into bankruptcy after a film is released regardless of its success. This is because the studios usually force them to cover the costs after a certain amount of takes in order to save money, as Cracked so nicely puts it.

http://www.cracked.com/article_20440_5C2A0classic-movies-that-ruined-their-makers-careers.html

 

[Drtooth]

Thor looks solid. I'm not sure any denouement will help Agents of SHIELD. I'm a supporter of the program and I liked the pilot. Everyone aside from Agent Coulson is bland and forgettable. Bad casting and they're taking too long to develop the story. They need to get things moving. Tomorrow People on the CW is the superhero show to watch while SHIELD feels more like a duty. It's got some time to get better and a full season order to do it. My advice would be to kill off a couple of characters during sweeps and replace them with better ones.

If anything, I think there should be potential to subtly tie the show in with the films that Disney doesn't have the rights to. I'd absolutely love it if somehow they managed to get Coulson to mention the other team he usually works with. You know, the Ultimate Spider-Man team (Clark Gregg also reprises the character on that show, sadly making it the only link to Spidey and the MCU). Maybe give J Jonah Jameson a cameo. I do agree they're spending a little too much time building up to something. But my main point is, they're trying to tie all these films together. Apparently, the Thor director was none too happy about the second post credits sequence because It's an advertisement for Guardians of the Galaxy. But you got to admire that solid universe building. DC completely fails at it. I'm almost certain the reason that we're getting a Superman movie with Batman in it is because even they realize there's no way they'll get s JLA movie out there by then.

 

[jvcarroll]

If anything, I think there should be potential to subtly tie the show in with the films that Disney doesn't have the rights to. I'd absolutely love it if somehow they managed to get Coulson to mention the other team he usually works with. You know, the Ultimate Spider-Man team (Clark Gregg also reprises the character on that show, sadly making it the only link to Spidey and the MCU). Maybe give J Jonah Jameson a cameo. I do agree they're spending a little too much time building up to something. But my main point is, they're trying to tie all these films together. Apparently, the Thor director was none too happy about the second post credits sequence because It's an advertisement for Guardians of the Galaxy. But you got to admire that solid universe building. DC completely fails at it. I'm almost certain the reason that we're getting a Superman movie with Batman in it is because even they realize there's no way they'll get s JLA movie out there by then.

It took Joss Whedon's last television show, Dollhouse, until the 6th episode to become amazing. Unfortunately they had alienated too many people by then to bounce back. Fox only gave them a second season because the cast was still willing and they proved that cost could vastly be reduced without harming the quality of the program. So maybe SHIELD will be the same. The actors just don't have the same chemistry or charisma as any of Joss' previous shows (Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse).

Sony has the film (and presumably TV rights) to all the Spidey characters tied up until they tire of them. They're unlikely to ever let them go and Disney probably doesn't want to confuse the live action properties they don't own with the ones they do. Their universes are completely different. The cartoons are a different matter.

DC is just completely lost. The only important thing missing in Man of Steel was the absence of a heroic, patriotic moment for Superman. Supes should have gotten his second film to provide him with that among other things. They had the opportunity to do something brave and dramatic with Batman. I was hoping they'd give him a series of one-offs to tell the best stories they could without having to get bogged down in a larger continuity. They could still plug him into a JLA film and give him a cameo in a Supes movie. I just really would like to see them bring some moody, stylish elements back to Bats aside from the trademarked Nolan angst.

 

[Drtooth]

Sony has the film (and presumably TV rights) to all the Spidey characters tied up until they tire of them. They're unlikely to ever let them go and Disney probably doesn't want to confuse the live action properties they don't own with the ones they do. Their universes are completely different. The cartoons are a different matter.

Sony has lost the rights to Spidey as a cartoon series. Presumably that was part of the deal for their ability to keep the rights to the film. The new Marvel cartoons, Ultimate Spider-Man included, are all Disney made. I don't know if any characters are "Bat-Embargoed" here. Spidey was not allowed to be in Super Hero Squad back when Sony had the cartoon rights which they were absolutely sitting on since Kid's WB's destruction left Spectacular Spider-Man homeless and doomed to only be a 2 season series. Seems like everyone is available on their three shows (Avengers Assemble, Ultimate Spider-Man, Hulk and the Agents of Smash). Even Howard the Duck! I haven't seen any of the Fantastic Four other than The Thing, though. I wonder if there's a loophole in SHIELD to mention but not show the other characters they don't have the rights to.

And yes. DC just can't win anyone. Everyone hated MOS for some reason. They tried to hire that poisonous kook to write a Superman story, they threw away Young Justice and Green Lantern (though GL was Wal*Mart's fault for not wanting to carry an animated series toy line), they put one of the show's they cancelled those shows for on hiatus (Beware the Batman), and force the other inferior show down everyone's throats because kids like it and it's cheaper to produce (Teen Titans Go). I have zero faith in Fox's Gotham series. They already tried a Batman-less Batman show before... didn't do well.

 

[Drtooth]

Coming to DVD soon.

Which really brings up an interesting question Jamie posted earlier today. Planes opened up with a relatively weak BOX opening and barely made back its budget due to the school vacation time. Disney's calling it a win, but the word is the second film will be DTV as the first one originally was meant to be. I'm not sure what the plot was supposed to be, but it HAS to be fresher than "anthro planes go on a race."

Its home video release and sales will put the franchise to the test. I really wish this thing flopped harder. Much as I gave the business to Turbo, it was a fun movie. Not great not really good, but it was fun. Planes just looked like a generic Cars knockoff made by Disney. Technically it is an expanded universe, but it comes off as Goober and the Ghost Chasers to Cars's Scooby-Doo.

Meanwhile, I'm intrigued by Turbo's animated series plans. Sounds like the race team aspect has been put aside for something more Superheroic (which would have made a better movie, frankly)... and, unlike Dreamworks's other cartoons based on their movies, this cartoon will be 2-D animated. Too bad it's stuck up on Netflix. That market is growing, but I think Turbo would work better as a cartoon series rather than a movie.

 

[jvcarroll]

Sony has lost the rights to Spidey as a cartoon series. Presumably that was part of the deal for their ability to keep the rights to the film. The new Marvel cartoons, Ultimate Spider-Man included, are all Disney made. I don't know if any characters are "Bat-Embargoed" here. Spidey was not allowed to be in Super Hero Squad back when Sony had the cartoon rights which they were absolutely sitting on since Kid's WB's destruction left Spectacular Spider-Man homeless and doomed to only be a 2 season series. Seems like everyone is available on their three shows (Avengers Assemble, Ultimate Spider-Man, Hulk and the Agents of Smash). Even Howard the Duck! I haven't seen any of the Fantastic Four other than The Thing, though. I wonder if there's a loophole in SHIELD to mention but not show the other characters they don't have the rights to.

And yes. DC just can't win anyone. Everyone hated MOS for some reason. They tried to hire that poisonous kook to write a Superman story, they threw away Young Justice and Green Lantern (though GL was Wal*Mart's fault for not wanting to carry an animated series toy line), they put one of the show's they cancelled those shows for on hiatus (Beware the Batman), and force the other inferior show down everyone's throats because kids like it and it's cheaper to produce (Teen Titans Go). I have zero faith in Fox's Gotham series. They already tried a Batman-less Batman show before... didn't do well.

I think the Marvel sale to Disney canceled Spidey's animated rights to Sony. I could be mistaken, but I believe those were not a part of the motion picture deal and Sony was just renewing it to help flame their film property. Either way, I don't think Disney is interested injecting a conflicting movie universe into its films. Spidey's New York is a different New York and the same goes for the X-Men universe and probably the new Fantastic Four.

How I feel about Batman minus Batman:

​

 

[Drtooth]

The sort of sad, sort of cool thing is, Hugh Jackman actually called for Fox and Sony to co-opperate with Disney and combine the scattered MCU's into one, even if for just one movie. That was well over the summer, and I can't find that article now. Now, there's no way any of that will happen, but even Wolverine himself wants to see it happen.

Meanwhile, DC still refuses to make every character available in case there's a project that won't happen. They refused to put Sinestro in the Green Lantern cartoon (until near the end) because of the second GL movie that was never made. JLU couldn't have Aquaman in its cartoon at one point due to a failed TV pilot (hilariously having to repurpose an obvious Aquaman episode with Wonder Woman), and they wouldn't even put PlasticMan in the show for some vague project that never even went to the conceptual period. They used Elongated Man who actually whined about how underused he was compared to Plastic Man, the character who was never seen in the show ever even in a crowd shot. Of course, they at least got to mention him. I still think SHIELD can get off with a one off mention.

 

[Drtooth]

To those who wanted Ender's Game to bomb badly...

BOOYAH!!!

Thor's relatively big opening is no surprise. But Ender's Game got spanked. It fell all the way down to fifth place behind Last Vegas and Free Birds. WOW! Just... just WOW! I guess we don't have to worry about a Lionsgate Orson Scott Card franchise. Unless it pulls a Happily Ne'er After or Alpha and Omega and makes a crappy DTV sequel.

 

[mr3urious]

Bad Grandpa is still #2, unfortunately for you. Though even if it did perform poorly, its budget is small enough to score a decent profit, just like with those Madea movies.

 

[Muppet fan 123]

Whoopeee!! I'm so happy!

Wait..Bad Grandpa is in second? You mean people are actually paying money for THAT? Great. Here comes the sequel.