Devil worship as a brand

[Hussar]

Outside of Lord of the Rings, which is an exception to just about every rule, and Game of Thrones, which is really more middle fantasy and is a very adult-oriented cable series, what high fantasy movies can you name over the past decade that have done well at the box office, in Hollywood terms of "success?"

Frozen isn't high fantasy per se - it's a fairy tale. It's also a children's movie and a Disney movie.

Spider Man 2 is popular because it's a Spider-man movie. The character is what drives the sales of it.

In the end, they have to convince studios and distributors to pick up the movie. As with mainstream publishers, those entities tend to have very strong opinions about what will "sell" and what won't, and those opinions run according to various fads and cycles. Right now, they are more likely to take a serious look at a vampire or zombie movie than a werewolf one. They are more likely to take a look at a gritty or children's fantasy movie than a standard high fantasy one. They are more likely to take a look at an espionage movie that features a lot of action than one that is more low-key. There was a time when they were gung-ho about high fantasy movies, but that's not the case today. That isn't to say that none are being produced - it's just harder to get producers, distributors, and the non-fan public to buy into them. Certain things help, though - having a compelling setting, recognizable characters, etc.

Ok, before we go forward on this, we're going to have to define terms. What do you mean by "high fantasy"? To me, high fantasy is defined as epic fantasy - grand, sweeping tales with large casts of characters where the fate of the setting is at stake. Low fantasy is local - Conan being probably the best example of this.

What do you mean by High Fantasy? Do the Narnia movies count? They were very successful. What about this new Malificent? Noah has done pretty well. What about 300? I'd call that pretty solid fantasy. The Immortals movie (2011) cleared about 200 million according to Wikipedia. Does that qualify as high fantasy for you?

 

[gamerprinter]

I kind of agree with Hussar, here, Game of Thrones is quite high fantasy - the fate of Westeros is in the hands of the cast, and even we as readers don't know who will win the throne, what of Dany and her dragons, what of the invasion by the white walkers. Its very much a high fantasy epic tale.

High fantasy doesn't mean lots of magic, although it can be. If the fate of the world is at stake, its high fantasy.

Conan and Red Sonja are the kind of tales that fit low fantasy.

Edit: on the other hand, if you focus on say the TV show's extended relationship between Arya and the Hound and only focus on their story - that could be considered low fantasy. But as a whole with all characters and all plots - its definitely high fantasy.

 

[Cyberen]

I am not a fan of the graphic violence and pornography angle, neither for a series nor a RPG. But one "metal" thing GoT/aSoIaF have made popular is making a TPK look glamorous ! This feelings (seeing action unfold, suffering and defying significant danger tied to YOUR OWN DECISIONS) is really what RPG are about, so there must be something to do with it being trendy.

 

[gamerprinter]

I am not a fan of the graphic violence and pornography angle, neither for a series nor a RPG. But one "metal" thing GoT/aSoIaF have made popular is making a TPK look glamorous ! This feelings (seeing action unfold, suffering and defying significant danger tied to YOUR OWN DECISIONS) is really what RPG are about, so there must be something to do with it being trendy.

While the majority of parties encountering TPKs is more than likely bad luck/bad GM/bad rolls and thus not very glamorous. Quite a few PC deaths among the players in my games involve PCs knowing their actions will probably kill them, but are sacraficing themselves to save the party, save the world, though that doesn't usually mean everyone dies, so not TPK.