How to crush LotR and SW Trilogies!

[hrafnagud]

I'd love to see a company like HBO do a Fafhrd and Grey Mouser series.

I'd happily spend my entire annual movie budget to see this made into a film series. I generally detest the serialized feel of HBO productions, but for F&GM it would be wholly appropriate.

 

[hrafnagud]

Many many films fail to make any money at all. And most of them are NOT films that were expected to be losers. In fact, suits expect ALL films to make money, with very few exceptions. They are not, after all, a charity. They are in it as a business. The notion that they predict the profit of most films down to a few percentage points is pure studio suit fantasy.

This seems like a reasonable assertion, but it's all speculation until we see some figures. I'd be curious to see which films have failed to measure up to studio predictions and by how much, versus which film were spot on.

 

[jgbrowning]

This seems like a reasonable assertion, but it's all speculation until we see some figures. I'd be curious to see which films have failed to measure up to studio predictions and by how much, versus which film were spot on.

Any movie that failed to generate more money than it cost to make would be an example of one that failed to measure up to studio predictions.

Here's a wiki list and I'm sure it's far from exhaustive http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_office_bomb

joe b.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

I'll say the suits aren't always right. Or not ... completely right.

That folk/folks who axed Firefly, The Tick, and Family Guy ... all mistakes in my mind, but I'm sure by making room profit percents rose a little. And to them, that's what's important. Right now.

I could go into a huge discussion about where TV is going, but I digress.

I think a DL movie would best be done in a foreign animation studio somewhere and released to DVD and the Sci-Fi channel. I'm pretty sure it would DIE as a live action feature film.

And as far as GRRMartin's draging angst-epic ... I'd rather bleed from the eyes. They'd have to absolutely gut that thing, use the meat to feed the tribe, and make a movie out of the hide.

EDIT: Good thing I'm not an exec. Looking through that list of "bombs", quite a few of them were films I actually LIKED ... like the Final Fantasy movie (thought it was fun, different, a little weird, but a style I'd like to see again) and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow ... which I LOVED. I also notice the D&D movie was on there (no surprise) and our own Jonrog1's "The Core", which I actually liked in spite of itself (and I like to credit to his pithy writing and ear for dialogue).

--fje

 

[Herobizkit]

I'd counter argue with the Sci-Fi channel's Earthsea.

I loved Earthsea. It gave me a feeling like it was something that should have been done using the Blue Rose ruleset.

 

[hrafnagud]

Good thing I'm not an exec. Looking through that list of "bombs", quite a few of them were films I actually LIKED ...

No kidding. 13th Warrior is one of my all-time favorite films - also one of the all-time biggest bombs. I'd have never guessed...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Sci-Fi's Earthsea was fine if you don't like U.K. LeGuin's version.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

I kind of liked Earthsea. It could have been closer to the books, but at the same time, I don't think that would have worked out to even a miniseries. It was quite compressed as it was.

I didn't like 13th Warrior on a fundamental level (ooo, ancient celts are Grendel!), though some of it I found quite entertaining. I was surprised to see it up there in the range of biggest bombs. 130mil in losses, wasn't it? Woooo.

--fje

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Sci-Fi's version of Earthsea's problem wasn't its compression of the storyline- it was the changing of things that didn't need to be changed.

They reversed which name was the TrueName and which was the Use name.

The School on Roke Island was all of a sudden co-ed (like in Harry Potter) when in the books it was male only (at least at the time of the first storyline). This completely evaporated the tension and symbology between male only Roke Island and the Matriarchy from which Ged rescued the young lady...

His buddy is instrumental in the battle against the dark version of himself- not so in the books. It is HIS task and his alone. It is a mark of his coming into his full powers and wisdom.

I could go on, but why bother?

 

[Kristivas]

You have hit that 'Noo' thing a lot. I think everyone gets it now. You think one line (heck one word) ruined the entire 2 hour movie.

Yeah, my friends are annoyed by me doing that too. They all thing RotS was the best movie ever (except for Empire Strikes Back) and want to hang on Lucas' behind for the rest of eternity.

However, hear me out.. There's a reason this killed it for me.

Like the DAY BEFORE I saw RotS, I was bored out of my mind and it was late, and I found a movie starring the Wayans brothers called.. Blankman.

If you've ever seen Blankman, then me reminding you of it probably makes you want to shred your own eyeballs (and mine too, for bringing it up). If you haven't, please god.. don't.

Anyway, at the end of Blankman, when he stuffs all the C-4 into his robot named J-5 (a 'robot' made out of an old washing machine) and it explodes.. Blankman kneels down beside J-5 and is all crying.. "J-5, speak to me! Oh, don't die, J-5! Please don't die!" Then, of course, the robot dies... so, what comes next??.......

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"


So, the very next day, Mr. Geeky sci-fi fan goes to see RotS and.. well.. you can guess what happened next....

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"


(but yeah, my friends hate it too lol.. "damnit, dude.. get over it already!")