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

[Phroobar]

Lisa Frankenstein looks interesting. It reminds me of Heathers and Warm Bodies. Poor Things is beyond my comfort rating zone with it's graphic nudity and gore.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I work with AI, so when someone posts in complete sentences with no grammar or spelling errors, correct syntax, and no discernible dialect, it calls my attention as possibly being a chatbot.

For example, I just asked:

“Why were Star Wars fans so upset by the depiction of Luke Skywalker in the Last Jedi?”

Response:

“The portrayal of Luke Skywalker in "The Last Jedi" sparked mixed reactions among Star Wars fans. Some were upset because they felt the character's depiction differed from their expectations and the established heroics of Luke in the original trilogy. The film presented Luke as a conflicted, disillusioned hermit, which deviated from the more optimistic and heroic image fans had of him.

Additionally, the decision to have Luke contemplate killing his nephew, Ben Solo, due to a fear of his potential darkness, contradicted the traditional Jedi values. Fans found this departure from Luke's character arc disheartening, as they anticipated a more conventional hero's journey.

Overall, the variance in character development, combined with unexpected choices, led to a polarized response among fans, with some embracing the fresh take on the character and others feeling it diverged too much from their expectations.”

At first I didn’t really buy what you were saying. After reading the results you posted, it almost seems like another poster did the same thing and then just edited it a bit before posting. Wild.

 

[LittleBuford]

At first I didn’t really buy what you were saying. After reading the results you posted, it almost seems like another poster did the same thing and then just edited it a bit before posting. Wild.

It’s a very disheartening time to be an educator. How does one grade a paper that may or may not have been written by a robot?

 

[Tony the Tigger]

This does not compute. I actually collect a few things myself, some for display and some for bragging rights but also for my enjoyment. OK they are all for my enjoyment, but if vinyl was something I collected, I would want to enjoy hearing it. Music is a huge part of my life. I marched in DCI. I played in a band for many years. Can you explain the rationale? My father has a ton of vinyl but think 50's, 60's, gospel stuff. He has a full house system I put in years ago, but I integrated a USB turntable into it maybe 8 years ago. For years he told me it was the best gift I ever gave him. Until last year. I got him blue tooth headphones for his phone. He is 90 and has cancer. He spends a lot of time in the hospital or getting treatments outpatient. Now his music goes with him. There is no doubt where my love of music came from.

First, so sorry to hear about your dad. I hope he does well with the treatments.

To answer your question there are so many different kinds of people who buy vinyl for so many different reasons. (That’s good for me for stability of sales.)

There are some people who are just fans of an artist, and want everything they ever put out. If Taylor Swift comes out with an exclusive record, and someone doesn’t have a record player, they don’t care. They just want it. Or they are nostalgia buyers: they have the Kiss Destroyer album from when it first came out (and play it) but they want the new anniversary edition on red & yellow vinyl to keep.

We sell a lot of Disney picture discs. Some people buy those just for decorations.

And then you have more hard-core people who either buy two copies, and use one to play and one to keep because they know they can go out of print at any time, or they listen to it on streaming and just keep the record new for perceived preservation of value.

There are people who hoard and wait, knowing full well something is limited (almost all records are limited, really) and they can sell it on Amazon eventually for higher prices (a la Disney popcorn buckets.)

Finally, you have the “I’m going to get a turntable eventually” people.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

So, we can’t handle complex storylines because we frowned at Luke’s gloomy turn in “The Last Jedi”? That’s

That, and the whole, “omg Ariel is black and Buzzy has two mommies” stuff.

They don’t have to see it. They don’t have to crusade against it - or pretend victimhood, either.

 

[celluloid]

Lisa Frankenstein looks interesting. It reminds me of Heathers and Warm Bodies. Poor Things is beyond my comfort rating zone with it's graphic nudity and gore.

That is a good description. It is funny because when I saw the trailer I said Heathers meets Frankenstein and Me(90s Ryan Gosling movie)

I think it looks a little better than warm bodies. I am a sucker for camp and will probably see it. You bring up another good point that it has the right kind of PG13 attract that can attract a large spectrum.

 

[celluloid]

It is still technically in limited release at 800 theaters… usually wide release is considered to be over 1000… although it is surprising that there is not At least 1 theater near you giving this at least a couple of screenings… I suspect Poor Things will be playing everywhere come the Oscar Nominations

I have a mid sized AMC and Regal as my larger options and it is playing at neither. Maybe award season, but I figured it would be as it is it has been considered in wise release since the 22nd. I will keep checking.

 

[_caleb]

It’s a very disheartening time to be an educator. How does one grade a paper that may or may not have been written by a robot?

We use robots to tell us whether students' papers were written by robots!

ETA: Since this is a thread about box office, I'm finding more and more movie articles (not so much reviews, as pre-view articles) written by AI. Believe it or not, there are a variety of cheap/easy ways to use AI to write movie blog posts and spoiler-free articles about movies.

These tools are being used more and more, and to optimize them for clicks, they're framing previews/reviews in polemical/ideological terms.

I believe this is one of the factors at play in certain films being labeled as "having an agenda" or being problematic well before the film is even released. Some movies aren't ever going to have a chance at the box office if people (or robots) write intentionally negative takes on the films just to get clicks for blog posts and vlogs.

 

[Phroobar]

That is a good description. It is funny because when I saw the trailer I said Heathers meets Frankenstein and Me(90s Ryan Gosling movie)

I think it looks a little better than warm bodies. I am a sucker for camp and will probably see it. You bring up another good point that it has the right kind of PG13 attract that can attract a large spectrum.

I haven't seen Frankenstein and Me. I'll see if it is streaming somewhere.

 

[CinematicFusion]

That, and the whole, “omg Ariel is black and Buzzy has two mommies” stuff.

They don’t have to see it. They don’t have to crusade against it - or pretend victimhood, either.

The world of fiction is a grand feast with endless courses. Why worry about the dishes you don’t savor when there’s a whole menu to explore? And as for the crusades and the cries of victimhood, remember, in the vast library of stories, each book is an invitation, not an obligation. Choose your adventure and let others choose theirs!

In “Wonka,” the character Noodle, played by Calah Lane, brings a fresh and natural element to the story. As a key figure in Willy Wonka’s journey to becoming a legendary chocolatier, Noodle’s role is an example of how new characters can enrich a pre-existing universe. This casting choice is seen as a genuine contribution to the narrative, demonstrating how modern storytelling can be enhanced through diverse and thoughtful casting.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I'm waiting for Poor Things to come to Disney+ before watching it.

(it will be on the service outside the USA, like The Favourite)

 

[BuddyThomas]

I'd love to see the play someday. Isn't it about time for another revival?

It’s under option for the West End at the moment. The last Broadway revival of the play by Roundabout Theatre Company is available for viewing on YouTube- just search “The Women Roundabout” and it comes right up. All star cast.

 

[MrPromey]

I thought Poor Things was a great movie, but it's not going to be making blockbuster-levels amount of money. It's a very weird and extremely sexual movie, which will make the movie more polarizing for general audiences. I think cinephiles will generally love it, but it may be too much for the average moviegoer. And that's okay. It's not a bad thing for niche films to exist. But it won't reverse Disney's fortunes.

I will say, I think it's the best performance of Emma Stone's career.

Agreed across the board.

This kind of movie is the closest thing to non-commercial art that can be said to still exist in major studios.

It's a prestige film for all involved tackling certain subject matter regarding women that will make many uncomfortable despite being done in the Star Trek way of mixing things up and putting it into a scifi/fantasy story to avoid directly pointing fingers at anyone...

Still, if we thought it was bad for Shape of Water when people looked past everything that movie was about to call it "sex with a sea creature", with that allegory going innocently or by overt choice, over many, many people's heads, this one absolutely doesn't stand a chance in the limelight.

I know I said I agreed across the board but just want to doubly agree about Emma Stone. Such a difficult role on so many levels and knowing going in what so many people will reduce some of those scenes to and still choosing to dive fully in.

 

[MrPromey]

This baffles me. I have a lovely little Sony Hi-Fi setup in my family room with a new Sony turntable and receiver and speakers I bought last year. It has Bluetooth to hook it into the kitchen speaker setup when I'm cooking, and in to the living and dining rooms when I'm entertaining. I have many of the records I bought in the 60's, 70's and 80's, plus some newer ones, and a bunch of fabulous old records I grabbed from relatives homes when they started passing away in the 70's and 80's.

But you are telling me that the kids today are buying records again but they have no turntable to play them on?!? How? Why?

What on earth do they do with them? Just display them, and then play the iTunes version of that same record? I'm baffled.

I'm sure there are some "kids", especially with the Taylor stuff where her new album sold with 4 different covers and vinyl colors (5 if you count the Target Exclusive).

I know her site was even selling a clock wall mount kit because the backs have numbers that align to make a clock out of them all so I'm sure there are plenty who bought four copies and will probably never find out if any of them were cracked when they got them but I also imagine a lot being butchered on cheap suitcase players, too.

That said, beyond the occasional wall art, I'm sure a lot of these "collectors" are the same kind of folks who make their family stand in a line for three hours to buy four Figment popcorn buckets.

 

[Andrew C]

Randomly, my daughters have been on a Lightyear kick this week. Don't know why. The other day as they watched, I started to say that the movie was awful, but my wife caught me mid-sentence and told me off. Rightly so. They like what they like...I don't need to rain on their parade.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Do you still watch cable all that much… we rarely find anything interesting at all to watch on cable anymore… we do watch an abundance of streaming(Max, Prime, Apple +, Disney +, Hulu)I have been debating cutting the cord… but their are still some live events I look forward to… The Academy Awards (yes I am one who still watches) are one of things I still look forward to most each year

Yes, we do watch it a lot. We especially like their local PBS channel which has high quality shows. I like their nature shows and local shows too. Our favorite is "All Creatures Great and Small". I'd say we watch cable 50% of the time. Netflix is our favorite streaming service, but Amazon is great too. It works for us.

 

[celluloid]

I haven't seen Frankenstein and Me. I'll see if it is streaming somewhere.

It is not great and super hard to find, but if you are or were a monster kid(term for monster movie fandom for those who don't know) it resonates a good bit.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Even live events can be seen without cable. There are Roku live local channels. I have an antenna setup to the Roku's Tablo DVR for watch Svengoolie on MeTV. I can record the Academy Awards and the Rose parade without cable.

I was disappointed that our cable stations including the networks did not carry the Rose Bowl this year!!! It was on streaming, but I didn't have that service. I think they are taking too much away from cable that has been free to most people for years. This is the first time in years I have not watched the Rose Bowl

 

[MrPromey]

I would say that your estimate of $15M is a bit high for the marketing budget of Poor Things. It really hasn't had any marketing at all, outside some basic marketing like a small trailer distribution, so its probably under $10M.

Also as stated many times before, these type of movies aren't there to make huge amounts of money at the theater. They are award contenders, that is there intent. That is the exact reason why they are usually limited release in only a small number of theaters. This is a common practice, its not unique to Disney. They aren't expected to make their budgets back in the theaters.

Definitely a variety of reasons studios choose to make these kinds of movies that are still entirely selfish and business-minded but not directly tied to the financial performance of the films, themselves.

It's a very different model to a tent-pole that is, in fact, all about the direct dollar.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

We watch our cable all the time. I watch TCM, TLC, Lifetime and a variety of news stations. Once the new seasons start, I watch a bunch of prime time dramas. My husband watches a lot of sports.

Yes, us too. We love to watch our local news and all the channels you mentioned, plus the NFL games. I should have mentioned this but there are so many that we watch on cable.