The current state of Hollywood blockbusters (aka "franchises")

[publicist 4,643]

Opening weekend according to IMDB was around $77,025,481.

[Brónach 1,301]

Ah. Was that actually good or bad box office? I don't know my numbers for this.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

The Joe Don Baker movie?

yes, it was huge here, but then Tennessee is right next door and it's about the south and rednecks loved it. It was also a very violent film.

[mrbellamy 6,272]

Ah. Was that actually good or bad box office? I don't know my numbers for this.

That's a great opening, especially considering it was not an adaptation or sequel and had no massive, box-office drawing actors.

The only thing about those numbers is they aren't record-breaking, so they're not really an obvious indicator that it would turn out to be the biggest movie of all-time. Avatar is at the back end of the top 50 opening weekends ever, which -- as Maurizio said -- shows public interest was definitely there from the get-go, and it's true that it was a highly publicized movie, but ultimately, it needed the word-of-mouth to sustain it the way it did.

So the question is, if it hadn't had those opening numbers, would it still have generated enough momentum and been allowed to stay in theaters long enough for that amazing WOM to spread?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

That $77 million wasn't great because the film cost half a billion dollars. What was great is that it kept that $50-70 million weekend after weekend. At the theater where I worked 10am showings were selling out.

[publicist 4,643]

Cameron seems to be the only filmmaker who can do that repeatedly. The lame screenplays aside, i have an enormous respect for his capability to stun his audience. There was not one of his films that didn't wow me at first encounter (maybe THE ABYSS).

[Alejandro 26]

Are u referring to Theatres or studios? Theatre chains get to keep larger percentages as the weeks go by.

No their share of the ticket price just goes up the longer the movie performs.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Yes that's what I meant.

[Brónach 1,301]

Cameron seems to be the only filmmaker who can do that repeatedly. The lame screenplays aside, i have an enormous respect for his capability to stun his audience. There was not one of his films that didn't wow me at first encounter (maybe THE ABYSS).

For me it'd be True Lies and Avatar.

[Ollie 1,059]

Titanic did have some positive word before it's premier from studio execs who were excited by some of the footage they saw.

There was some buzz that hinted the film might be a successful one, not a huge hit like it became.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Cameron seems to be the only filmmaker who can do that repeatedly. The lame screenplays aside, i have an enormous respect for his capability to stun his audience. There was not one of his films that didn't wow me at first encounter (maybe THE ABYSS).

For me it'd be True Lies and Avatar.

considering some of the crap that does impress you that is surprising.

[Ollie 1,059]

I want a proper DVD presentation of True Lies, damnit!

[JoeinAR 1,949]

2014 Mark.

[Brónach 1,301]

Cameron seems to be the only filmmaker who can do that repeatedly. The lame screenplays aside, i have an enormous respect for his capability to stun his audience. There was not one of his films that didn't wow me at first encounter (maybe THE ABYSS).

For me it'd be True Lies and Avatar.

considering some of the crap that does impress you that is surprising.

Surprising?

These two not only lack wow effect for me, they're his two most boring films. At least Titanic has the sinking,

[JoeinAR 1,949]

you praise that crap South Korean director.......who hasn't made anything anywhere near as interesting. Go figure.

[Brónach 1,301]

Mmh. I know several Korean directors. Which one do you mean?

I think Bong Joon-ho was the last I mentioned. In his case, some of his films are better than Avatar or True Lies. But he doesn't have a lot in common with James Cameron.

[A24 4,327]

It's funny that Lucas should echo Spielberg's sentiments. There's no room for creativity anymore?! The way I see it is that these two directors helped create this whole blockbuster and franchise culture. I admit Spielberg went out in different directions and made many different types of movies during his career, but ever since Star Wars, Lucas has been playing the typical Hollywood movie mogul, building his empire on milking out film franchises. Put your money where your mouth is and start making those experimental movies you always said you will make, Lucas! And while you're at it, make sure it's science fiction, will ya!

Alex

[filmmusic 1,823]

I want a proper DVD presentation of True Lies, damnit!

DVD?

We live in 2013!

"Bluray" is the word!

[A24 4,327]

Blu-ray? People download in 2013!

[filmmusic 1,823]

Blu-ray? People download in 2013!

I hope we don't get to that, where there will be no physical media...

[TownerFan 4,983]

As sad as it may sound, physical support is going to be abandoned in the next 5-10 years. Studios will push their contents through VOD platforms or subscription services like Netflix. Maybe they will continue to produce physical formats as well, but it's likely to be something pricey aimed at hi-end collectors (much like Laserdisc in its heydays).

[Richard Penna 3,676]

Much of Titanic's success was built on word-of-mouth, with people genuinely falling in love and awe with the movie, almost to the point of seeing it an absurd number of times on the big screen. I still remember very well that the film arrived in theaters with a very bad reputation among film journalists and insiders, which were all quite sure the film would bomb badly, mainly because of the many horror stories about the problems during shooting and Cameron's megalomaniac approach.

It's probably the last time a movie built its own success and audience the old-fashioned way, with masses of people going again and again to the theater for a quite long period of time.

I enjoyed Titanic much more than Avatar, and for all its flaws, I find it incredibly effective at communicating the real story behind it.

I guess it became fashionable to hate it, what with the love story, and the stories you mentioned of shooting/post production problems. But if it really wasn't any good, then it wouldn't have made the money it did.

[Alejandro 26]

I didn't quite embrace Avatar. All that effort for a tree.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Much of Titanic's success was built on word-of-mouth, with people genuinely falling in love and awe with the movie, almost to the point of seeing it an absurd number of times on the big screen. I still remember very well that the film arrived in theaters with a very bad reputation among film journalists and insiders, which were all quite sure the film would bomb badly, mainly because of the many horror stories about the problems during shooting and Cameron's megalomaniac approach.

It's probably the last time a movie built its own success and audience the old-fashioned way, with masses of people going again and again to the theater for a quite long period of time.

I enjoyed Titanic much more than Avatar, and for all its flaws, I find it incredibly effective at communicating the real story behind it.

I guess it became fashionable to hate it, what with the love story, and the stories you mentioned of shooting/post production problems. But if it really wasn't any good, then it wouldn't have made the money it did.

Hello, Transformers 2.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

But if it really wasn't any good, then it wouldn't have made the money it did.

If Hans Zimmer really wasn't any good, then he wouldn't have all the fans that he does.

[publicist 4,643]

I didn't quite embrace Avatar. All that effort for a tree.

John Williams is disappointed in you.

But if it really wasn't any good, then it wouldn't have made the money it did.

If Hans Zimmer really wasn't any good, then he wouldn't have all the fans that he does.

If Lindsay Lohan/Adolf Hitler et al....

It's a pointless argument.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

it's not pointless it's just unfathomable.

Man of Steel IMHO is a poorly made film, but it's better than Transformers 2 by a large margin. Yet Trans. 2 has made far more money then MoS will.

being good and being popular sometimes meet, sometimes they don't. When something average becomes so popular, say in the case of the Avengers, you struggle to figure it out(it all comes back to RDJr). When something bad becomes popular like Trans. 2 it's even harder to understand.

[publicist 4,643]

When something bad becomes popular like Trans. 2 it's even harder to understand.

Because nobody told people?

[JoeinAR 1,949]

sometimes to me its even more baffling that a quality film fails to find an audience.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I didn't quite embrace Avatar. All that effort for a tree.

John Williams is disappointed in you.

But if it really wasn't any good, then it wouldn't have made the money it did.

If Hans Zimmer really wasn't any good, then he wouldn't have all the fans that he does.

If Lindsay Lohan/Adolf Hitler et al....

It's a pointless argument.

That was my point. Mass appeal doesn't mean anything in terms of quality. Quality is entirely subjective to the person consuming the product.

[publicist 4,643]

"Quality"? You mean affection. Most people do not want to face the fact they're liking crap, though.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

Yeah, you're one of them.

[publicist 4,643]

Clown alert, Blumenkohl is at it again. Surely waiting with sweating hands for his shiny STID steelbook.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

Most people do not want to face the fact they're liking crap, though.

Clown alert, Blumenkohl is at it again.

Case in point!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

sometimes to me its even more baffling that a quality film fails to find an audience.

Like Man Of Steel!

People are not giving it it's due!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[JoeinAR 1,949]

sometimes to me its even more baffling that a quality film fails to find an audience.

Like Man Of Steel!

People are not giving it it's due!

you're on the edge of becoming morlock.

[King Mark 3,626]

The problem is that current blockbuster movies have NO LASTING IMPACT. You can enjoy them as you watch them (I still do) but you can forget them as fast as your can.

When you had movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones, these movies were special and magical. You'd watch them over and over to know every scene by heart, learn the dialogue lines, be fascinated by the "behind the scenes" stuff and how they made the effects and even buy books about the films...

Really, who wants to watch Man of Steel or Iron Man 3 several times to see every nuance they might have missed?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

That's just an age thing.

[chuck 154]

Age is relative.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

No

[chuck 154]

Yes

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Sigh...

Nope!

[chuck 154]

Grunt...

Yep!!!

[King Mark 3,626]

That's just an age thing.

I think it's more of a CGI looks the same in all movies thing and there's hardly anymore iconic performances by actors

even the new Star Trek movie had to carbon copy scenes from the 1982 film

And most of the flim music is shit too now

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Yeah I listened to Marco Beltrami's A Good Day to Die Hard and I had to switch it off because it tested my tolerance for bland, generic action music. I'd say this was even worse than Zimmer. At least even Djawadi's Pacific Rim had some character to it. Why can't Goldsmith's protege do better?

I also grew bored with JNH's After Earth. It's the kind of score that probably sits well with the film, but it's a dust collector that makes me yearn for more scores like War Horse and Lincoln (scores that were heavily accused of "noodling" or being "derivative") because they had those things called "emotions", which are too risky to put in films because audiences don't like being "manipulated". You often see these people blast Spielberg for being "too manipulative" but I keep asking why this is supposedly a bad thing.

This reminds me of what Roger Ebert told Gene Siskel about film criticism that a reviewer should be an honest responder and although he's referring directly to professional film critic writers, I think this also strongly relates to present day general audiences and what producers think they want by playing it as safe as possible:

"A lot of critics are very shy to admit that they've had any kind of emotional reaction. If you laughed, say you laughed. If you cried, say you cried. If you were bored, say how bored you were. But don't indicate in any way that you were kind of this aloof Olympian figure standing above the groundlings in the audience and observing with amusement their pathetic little reactions because you were there and the review should indicate what you thought".

[Ollie 1,059]

There are still films being made to watch over and over again. I'm grabbing 5 films from this summer when the are released on DVD.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

There are still films being made to watch over and over again. I'm grabbing 5 films from this summer when the are released on DVD.

and what would those be?

[Ollie 1,059]

Pacific Rim

Iron Man 3

Star Trek

Despicable Me 2 (love the Minions)

Monsters Inc

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Pacific Rim screams rental to me. I'll watch Iron Man 3 again. I'll probably own Into Darkness at one point.