Disney (and others) at the Box Office - Current State of Affairs

Phroobar

Well-Known Member
The two 1970s films mentioned were also based on top-selling novels. So many people went to see them after reading the books. The same with The Godfather and many other popular movies of that decade.

Some were good, others disappointing.
Jaws is the rare case of the movie being better than the book. The book's characters are so despicable that you are rooting for the shark to eat everyone on that island. I'm glad Spielberg didn't add the Mafia hitmen to the movie.
 

celluloid

Well-Known Member
Jaws is the rare case of the movie being better than the book. The book's characters are so despicable that you are rooting for the shark to eat everyone on that island. I'm glad Spielberg didn't add the Mafia hitmen to the movie.

The Spielberg effect. I put JP in this realm as well for similar as well as different reasons. Spielberg took what was cinematic high concept while still somehow remaining a great story about the people of Amity, and for sure, without the loan...sharks or adultery of Hooper.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
The two 1970s films mentioned were also based on top-selling novels. So many people went to see them after reading the books. The same with The Godfather and many other popular movies of that decade.

Some were good, others disappointing.

I was the same way with Arthur Hailey's Airport, and I'd read the book at least twice before the movie came out that we all went to immediately. Which brings up the point in 2025... Are there still big budget movies being made based off books?

I can think of 2010's stuff like the Harry Potter movies, or Lord of the Rings. But lately? I'm drawing a total blank on anything recently that was based on popular new book.

The family we lived across the street from, years ago, in No Cal (San Jose) had a nice in ground pool. After the husband and wife saw Jaws she wouldn’t even go into their perfectly clear pool for 6 months…!!!!! :hilarious:

I was in that category too. I didn't get near water at all that summer. Not in a pool, or a lake, or Puget Sound. All because of Jaws. There has to be some human psychology studies of how that movie did that to so many of us.

And it's ridiculous when you consider I grew up swimming and boating in Puget Sound, where giant Orca "killer whales" would breach and jump, often in pods, not far from you or your boat with regularity. But suddenly a movie about a lone shark 3,000 miles away in New England made the Seattle summer swimming season totally off limits. Stupid! :banghead:🤣

The Seattle skyline has changed a lot since '75, but those killer whale pods are the same!

Orcas--scaled.jpg
 

Agent H

Well-Known Member
Jaws is the rare case of the movie being better than the book. The book's characters are so despicable that you are rooting for the shark to eat everyone on that island. I'm glad Spielberg didn't add the Mafia hitmen to the movie.
Spielberg had a tendency to make characters more likable. See the difference between John Hammond in the Jurassic Park book and John Hammond in the Jurassic park movie.
 

Phroobar

Well-Known Member
I was the same way with Arthur Hailey's Airport, and I'd read the book at least twice before the movie came out that we all went to immediately. Which brings up the point in 2025... Are there still big budget movies being made based off books?

I can think of 2010's stuff like the Harry Potter movies, or Lord of the Rings. But lately? I'm drawing a total blank on anything recently that was based on popular new book.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes staring our favorite actress Rachel Zegler.
 

brideck

Well-Known Member
I can think of 2010's stuff like the Harry Potter movies, or Lord of the Rings. But lately? I'm drawing a total blank on anything recently that was based on popular new book.

Most of the more popular books (and series) have migrated from movies to short-form series, which makes a lot of sense. You have to cut out way less of a book when you're moving it to a 6-10 hour story than when you have to hone it down to 2-3 hours. Movies are much better for short story adaptations.
 

Disney Irish

Premium Member
I was the same way with Arthur Hailey's Airport, and I'd read the book at least twice before the movie came out that we all went to immediately. Which brings up the point in 2025... Are there still big budget movies being made based off books?

I can think of 2010's stuff like the Harry Potter movies, or Lord of the Rings. But lately? I'm drawing a total blank on anything recently that was based on popular new book.
List of recent movies based on books (this doesn't even mention all the streaming movies/shows based on books) -

It Ends with Us
Dune Part 1 and 2
Mickey 17
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Wicked
Nightb*tch
Dog Man
Hunger Games: The Balled of Songbirds & Snakes (as was mentioned)

IMDB has a whole list dedicated to this topic -

 
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Phroobar

Well-Known Member
Most of the more popular books (and series) have migrated from movies to short-form series, which makes a lot of sense. You have to cut out way less of a book when you're moving it to a 6-10 hour story than when you have to hone it down to 2-3 hours. Movies are much better for short story adaptations.
Case in point of that would Amazon's Wheel of Time show. It seems each season is a book and half. Also NetFlix's Three Body Problem was a book.
 

donaldtoo

Well-Known Member
I was in that category too. I didn't get near water at all that summer. Not in a pool, or a lake, or Puget Sound. All because of Jaws. There has to be some human psychology studies of how that movie did that to so many of us.

And it's ridiculous when you consider I grew up swimming and boating in Puget Sound, where giant Orca "killer whales" would breach and jump, often in pods, not far from you or your boat with regularity. But suddenly a movie about a lone shark 3,000 miles away in New England made the Seattle summer swimming season totally off limits. Stupid! :banghead:🤣

The Seattle skyline has changed a lot since '75, but those killer whale pods are the same!

Orcas--scaled.jpg

I was 12 when I saw “Jaws” in the theater in the summer of ‘75.
Fortunately, I had no issues with water after that.
We lived in No Cal at the time, which I posted earlier. We had a local pool complex at our Oak Grove High School that was open to the public. There was also the lake where we swam and water skied, and we also went over the mountains to many beaches like at Santa Cruz, Seacliff Beach, Sunset Beach, etc.
only problem I ever had had with California beaches is the water was always so damn cold…even in the middle of summer.
Here in Texas, the Gulf water is like bath water in the middle of summer…!!!!! :hilarious:
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
It's currently predicted to have a $40 million 3-day opening weekend and has received good audience reviews (A CinemaScore, 96% audience rating on RT etc).

It cost $90 million to make, but I don't expect it to drop so sharply in its next weekend like most horror movies do.

Sinners ended up with $48 million for the weekend and $64 million as of yesterday

Looks to be a genuine word-of-mouth hit that's overperforming (both in terms of box office and critical/audience reaction) for an original R-rated horror movie.
 

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member
I like Jaws 2 better now than I did when it first came out. I can definitely watch it repeatedly.

Jaws 3 I can watch once every 5 to 10 years, same as Jaws 4. They’re still better than almost every other shark movie ever made.
 

Disney Irish

Premium Member
Sinners ended up with $48 million for the weekend and $64 million as of yesterday

Looks to be a genuine word-of-mouth hit that's overperforming (both in terms of box office and critical/audience reaction) for an original R-rated horror movie.
Its a bit more expensive than other recent horror movies at $90M. Its not doing particularly well overseas at only $15M. So it'll have to do well this weekend otherwise it'll be harder to hit breakeven at ~$225M.
 

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