Weekly Box Office and Film Discussion Thread

[mr3urious]

Zootopia is number one for the 3rd week in a row, and was strong enough to take down Allegiant, whose opening is nowhere near the numbers of the previous installments in the Divergent series!

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2016&wknd=12&p=.htm

 

[Drtooth]

Well, one's a surprisingly deep and thought provoking film set in a world of deconstructing funny animal tropes and the other is essentially bad Hunger Games fan fiction crossed with the description on the back of a Cliffnotes for Ayn Rand's Anthem. You do the math.

I'd say this franchise is far from the massive hit the fanbase makes it out to be. The first one opened as a modest, sleeper hit, sure. But the next two follow ups did poorer and poorer and there's still one more of these films to go. I saw like dozens of whatever the heck the main character's name is Hallmark Ornaments at a close out store going under with steep discounts on their already discounted prices. It really seems like this series was the heir apparent, apparently, to Hunger Games. Except that Hunger Games has a level of charm to it, and the fact that the first movie came out well before the final HG film did. So if it was supposed to fill in the void left by the books as a novel, it's one thing. But it certainly looks like a pale imitation of the Hunger Games films, and in more ways than one, as it just looks dreary and unappealing visually.

To add to that, the numerous massive failures of these tween lit movies has outweighed the successes . The Mortal Instruments? Bomb. Vampire Academy? Bomb. I am Number Four? The Fifth Wave? Also bombed. The Giver and Ender's Game? Both repurposed to be these sorts of movies and both bombed. And they're just going to keep greenlighting these when only 2 franchises were actually successful, being Twilight and Hunger Games. I'm not counting that they turned Mortal Instruments into a TV show.

 

[mr3urious]

As expected, Batman v Superman swept the box office this weekend, though Zootopia and Greek Wedding 2 picked up the slack, the latter even opening up bigger than its predecessor as it had a much wider release.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2016&wknd=13&p=.htm

 

[Drtooth]

Something tells me Batman VS Superman is still going to wind up missing the mark in the long run. The reviews, as expected, aren't good, though far more negative than I would have imagined (I'd think a 50-something percent). I didn't see it yet, and I'll only go during a Tuesday bargain matinee provided the theater that does that has the film there (it should, but I didn't check). Though I have heard even the negative reviews liked Gal Godot's Wonder Woman. It just sounds like DC is trying too hard to do what Marvel does with it's carefully considered film universe they've been working on for years.

And overall, Suicide Squad looks like a better film.

Great to know Zootopia is still going strong. I have a feeling come a year's time we'll all be sick of it, even the ones that love it like I do, but hopefully this dethrones Frozen. Not so much that I dislike that film, but it needs to be pushed back a peg. Zootopia had a lot more cross gender appeal without having to pander one way or the other. You know, like why Tangled only did so so.

 

[D'Snowth]

This is the first time I've ever seen a movie trailer actually mention its Rotten Tomatoes rating.

But this movie looks so horrible, how does it have such a good rating from RT?

 

[Drtooth]

This is one of those movies they make every 10 years to be the coming of age film for each generation. I see nothing outrageous or majorly out of left field with this one. They're all essentially the same, just updated to make them relevant with those who were 10 year olds the last time one of these came out. It's just not for me.

So I saw Batman VS Superman, and while I don't quite agree that it's a bad movie, it could have been much better. It certainly doesn't deserve a low Rotten Tomatoes score, maybe a 50%, not Transformers film territory. I think the problem is that they're trying too hard to make them gritty when Marvel's films are serious, but manage to keep things from being maudlin most of the time. Like how Suicide Squad looks. That looks fun and upbeat.

But overall, the problem for me was they were trying to do too much at some points, and not enough at others. Like, there's this random scene that's a dream of Batman's that didn't need to be there, and only winds up setting up something down the line. The battle that the film title was based on was pretty short. While I liked the concept of Superman going after Batman for his vigilante justice being highly questionable and Bats going after Supes for being a being of unlimited power, the reason they wind up fighting each other kinda... there was a stronger way to go about it, but that winds up involving my main problem with the film.

Lex Luthor.

He didn't need to be in the film, his casting choice was poor. If it was a gamble, it did NOT pay off. It's not that I hate Jessie Eisenberg, he just was...off. Way off. It's like, I like Mathew Broderick, just not as Inspector Gadget. Jessie would have made a fantastic Riddler, maybe. Just as Lex, he's crazy, awkward, and creepy. And he feels shoehorned in, and the reason he wants Bats and Supes to go at it is because he's nuts. Feels like he should have been introduced into the film series sure, but to me, the film would have been much better if the one causing them to fight was someone in the government, maybe a higher up in the army. But Lex... Full disclosure, I never really cared for Gene Hackman's Lex in the 70's movie series. Maybe I'm too close to Clancy Brown animated Lex. But he felt (to quote Lemongrab) too young.

So I didn't dislike it. It has its moments, and it shouldn't be like Fantastic Four levels of bad reviews. But it could have been a stronger film with sharper writing, focused objectives, better casting of Lex (but for the sake of comparison, Jeremy Irons was a spectacular Alfred and Gal Godot makes me excited for a Wonder Woman movie and I don't even like WW), and better editing. So, Deadpool it ain't, but it's far from the worst comic book movie. And it's still a million times better than Superman 3.

Though I also have to question the big decision at the end...

Spoiler

They shoved in something that really should have been in another film, something Lex would fit in nicely with, Doomsday and the death of Superman. Though there were some nice emotional moments out of it, that's something that felt crammed in. I'd rather they just made the fight between Batman and Superman and maybe just starting to found the Justice League instead and saved Death of Superman for another film

Oh, and Ben Affleck as Batman was decent considering what they did with the character. He didn't need his voice altered in the Batsuit (though I'm sure there's a comic with that in there). He was no Christian Bale (and I'm going by non-animated movie or TV originating Bats), but he sure did a MUCH better job than Clooney. And yes, I like Clooney but darn sure I don't like him as Batman.

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

Zootopia hasn't even been out a month and it's already made over $59 million more than Big Hero 6.
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=disney2016.htm

 

[Drtooth]

Really hope it eclipses Frozen in time. I mean, I want us to be completely sick of Zootopia a year from now. I mean, Frozen's alright. Olaf's pretty fun. But Judy and Nick have become my favorite Disney characters in short time. Not to mention Flash Flash Hundred yard Dash.

As for Batman V Superman... well...

Spoiler

I really really hope that Lex Luthor creepily sliding a Jolly Rancher candy into a guy's mouth becomes an internet meme. That was the most unintentionally hilarious moment of the film. I've done my part on my Deviant Art page. I could go onto the "What were they thinking" with Lex Luthor essentially being part Penguin from Gotham and part L from the Japanese live action Death Note movie from a few years back, but that scene with the Jolly Ranchers...

Ugh.

I hope that it becomes the meme "BATMAN DOES NOT EAT NACHOS" was

 

[mr3urious]

Zootopia hasn't even been out a month and it's already made over $59 million more than Big Hero 6.
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=disney2016.htm

Either way, this large return shows that a Disney movie doesn't need princesses to be a success.

 

[Mynameisdean]

Batman V Superman will take the #1 spot with ease this weekend, considering the only New Wide releases are Gods Not Dead 2 and Meet The Blacks, which aren't really as wide as BvS anyway.