This Weekend @ The BoxOffice: 2016_Apr.03
Kramodlog
Naked and living in a barrel
Word of mouth did its work on BvS. I've read that the film needs to make 800 millions, if not 1 billion, to break even. With toys, various crap and DVDs I doesn't look like it will lose money and it serves its missions as the start of the DCCU.
Suicide Squad is doing reshoots to add comedy, supposedly. Interesting timing. http://io9.gizmodo.com/suicide-squad-may-be-doing-reshoots-to-add-more-humor-1768284534
Suicide Squad is doing reshoots to add comedy, supposedly. Interesting timing. http://io9.gizmodo.com/suicide-squad-may-be-doing-reshoots-to-add-more-humor-1768284534
Eltab
Lord of the Hidden Layer
I saw some ads for 'Gods Not Dead 2' and thought it was going to be a TV event, not a theater showing.
They need to fix that, because the concept (reasonable person gets persecuted by powerful snobs who should know better*) has staying power.
* all Matt Damon's "Bourne" movies, for instance
They need to fix that, because the concept (reasonable person gets persecuted by powerful snobs who should know better*) has staying power.
* all Matt Damon's "Bourne" movies, for instance
MechaPilot
Explorer
Hopefully they don't overreact and ruin it with too much comedy. It would really suck if they compromise their vision because people expect all superhero films to be the quip-fest Marvel films are, and then end up with a negative response anyway. If you're going to bastardize your creative work for greater mass appeal, it better at least have that appeal.
Jester David
Hero
You can have humour and moments of levity and joy without descending into quips. While Marvel examples, Daredevil and Jessica Jones were darker and more serious than Batman vs Superman but still had moments of happiness.
Ditto the Nolan Batman films.
MechaPilot
Explorer
I agree. And I enjoyed the example of that which BvS provided.
Daredevil and Jessica Jones don't seem like material that makes for appropriate comparisons. A 2-3 hour film is a different animal than a multi-episode program. Every joke inserted in a a 2-3 hour film becomes a more substantial part of the film's presence and runtime than the same joke inserted in one multi-episode season of a multi-season series.
Apart from the first one, BvS felt just as "light" and "joyous" to me as the Nolan Batman films. I'd even go as far to say that BvS tops Rises for humor and joy.
Kramodlog
Naked and living in a barrel
Their vision is to make cash. This is about mass appeal. It isn't the work of one artist. Many screen writers went over this script. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. SS had a good trailer, we'll see if the film is good.
Jester David
Hero
Such as?
I think I remember Alfred making a joke. But that could have been Jeremy Irons delivering a line written serious with some humour.
And the only people to smile other than Luthor were Wayne (while pretending to be drunk) and Wonder Woman. The rest of the time it was just grim seriousness.
But you can compare 2-3 episodes to a movie.
The Nolan movies had moments of triumph. Even the darkest, like The Dark Knight Rises had moments like the return of Batman and the two cops' reaction. The doctor interacting with Wayne. And Lucius Fox being all, well, Morgan Freemany.
The best way to make a movie serious isn't to remove the joy and fun. Just like the best way to make a movie adult isn't to make it inappropriate for children. A bloody, violent, and foul mouthed film can be incredibly juvenile. There's a time for serious superhero films. Watchmen was a good example, as it managed to retain the questions and themes of the source comic. The complexity.
And if a filmmaker can't manage themes and subtext, they need to admit they're not "adult", drop the faux seriousness and grimmness, and add some joy. Some triumph. Some celebration. And make a movie people want to go see.
Also, people go to superhero movies for dump action flick light entertainment. They go to serious dramatic Oscar-worthy pictures for drama. Packaging a popcorn flick as serious drama and pretending superheroes are more than dumb action is disingenuous. Pretentious even. Unless you're making a genre or superhero film that is actually Oscar worthy (The Dark Knight) you can't get away with that. It'd be like going to an uber-serious Terminator film (going with T2+, which were action movies, unlike T1 which was more horror).
People wanted to go see Batman v Superman because it was Batman fighting Superman. But Suicide Squad doesn't have that same impetus. It needs to sell itself more. A little like Guardians of the Galaxy, which had to justify it's existence. It can't get away with the same pretentious taking itself super serious that the Nolan Batfilms can, or even BvS. Because it needs to cast a broader net, get more views, and potentially even get kids in.
Kids are a big factor. I totally took my 5yo son to see Episode VII and he's going to Civil War. But there's no way in eff I'm taking him to Batman v Superman. He'd be bored and squirming and un-fun after 10 minutes. He's going to be 10+ before he sees that. And if I can't take my son, my wife and I are less likely to go to a movie, since sitters are expensive.
MechaPilot
Explorer
BvS didn't have moments of triumph?
Mark CMG
Creative Mountain Games
Oh, I think Alfred was purposefully written as comic relief for BvS. That wasn't just Irons take on the character but rather a scripted, sarcastic curmudgeon played well and directed well. Except for a bit of exposition, Alfred was all about that and probably because they knew it would be tough to slip any comedy in many other places. But for Batman's expletive, there wasn't a lot else.
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