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

[Farerb]

Film review: Disney's Snow White has a major 'identity crisis'

With its creepy CGI dwarfs and muddled tone, Disney's latest live-action remake is "not calamitous" but is a "a mind-boggling mash-up".

www.bbc.com

Fair film review for ‘Snow White’.
Two films for the price of one….interesting take.

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Pretty sure the reason it feels like two different movies combined into one is because it originally was supposed to be the "Marxist/Communist Manifesto" that they are describing and then changed it / added some of the "old time fairytale" elements back after the backlash. That's my theory at least.

 

[Farerb]

Pretty sure the reason it feels like two different movies combined into one is because it originally was supposed to be the "Marxist/Communist Manifesto" that they are describing and then changed it / added some of the "old time fairytale" elements back after the backlash. That's my theory at least.

Wanted to add to my post is that now that I'm thinking about it, that's exactly what Wish was and I remember back then when news were coming out about the Snow White remake that I thought it was exactly like Wish. Maybe Wish flopping also gave them a fright. The announcement of the year long delay came right after Wish flopped.

 

[Chi84]

Pretty sure the reason it feels like two different movies combined into one is because it originally was supposed to be the "Marxist/Communist Manifesto" that they are describing and then changed it / added some of the "old time fairytale" elements back after the backlash. That's my theory at least.

I’m not sure. It should be easier to discern after seeing it.

My theory is that the original is so outdated that doing significant homage to it was difficult.

 

[AdventureHasAName]

I still can't get over that all they had to do was:

1. Cast seven human dwarf actors,
2. Stick as closely to the original animated film as possible, and
3. Not have the lead actress criticize the source material ...

... and this film would have printed money. But nope, they royally screwed it all up.

 

[Chi84]

I still can't get over that all they had to do was:

1. Cast seven human dwarf actors,
2. Stick as closely to the original animated film as possible, and
3. Not have the lead actress criticize the source material ...

... and this film would have printed money. But nope, they royally screwed it all up.

The first would have been difficult; even Martin Klebba acknowledged that in an interview.

The second would have bored everyone to tears.

The third happened largely in people’s imaginations.

 

[Baloo124]

There hasn't been a good live action adaptation of Snow White.

Snow White: A Tale Of Terror with Sigourney Weaver as the wicked queen was surprisingly creepy. I remember way back when I first heard they were combining the Snow White story with horror, and thought it would be a silly cheese fest. How on earth could those two genres mix and actually be good? Was pleasantly surprised with it. Good atmosphere and suspense. Don't mess with magic mirrors.

 

[AdventureHasAName]

These are just some of the posts (most of them by men in their 40s or older) that, to my mind at least, represent a rather extreme reaction to what Zegler said. No film is worth getting that worked up over.

Wait a second ... are you saying men in their 40s (or older!) had opinions?!?! Did anyone tell them that we don't accept opinions from men in their 40s (or older!)?

 

[AdventureHasAName]

The first would have been difficult; even Martin Klebba acknowledged that in an interview.

The second would have bored everyone to tears.

The third happened largely in people’s imaginations.

... it may have bored everyone to tears but it would have printed money and not lost $100+ million.

 

[Chi84]

Wait a second ... are you saying men in their 40s (or older!) had opinions?!?! Did anyone tell them that we don't accept opinions from men in their 40s (or older!)?

That’s what you took away from his post?

 

[Chi84]

... it may have bored everyone to tears but it would have printed money and not lost $100+ million.

If it printed money maybe but not if it relied on money from people actually going to see it.

 

[AdventureHasAName]

That’s what you took away from his post?

Yes, that line gave away the game. It translated to: This laundry list of opinions should be discounted because they are largely offered from old men, and old men are problematic and should be ignored.

 

[Trauma]

I still can't get over that all they had to do was:

1. Cast seven human dwarf actors,
2. Stick as closely to the original animated film as possible, and
3. Not have the lead actress criticize the source material ...

... and this film would have printed money. But nope, they royally screwed it all up.

All they had to do was leave Splash alone.

It seems a certain way of thinking within the company destroys all it touches.

 

[Chi84]

Yes, that line gave away the game. It translated to: This laundry list of opinions should be discounted because they are largely offered from old men, and old men are problematic and should be ignored.

You missed the point by several miles.

 

[TP2000]

The hate campaign started years before she made any comments about the election.

It might just be because I live in the Southwest USA, where a lot of folks are of Hispanic descent, but she looks mostly white to me. She reminds me of a Kardashian (in both looks and 'tude!), who are Armenian and definitely white. And the surname Zegler sounds.... Germanic, maybe Ashkanazi Jewish. It doesn't sound like a name you'd find regularly in El Paso or Mazatlan.

I dunno, I remember when the first kerfuffle came up that the new Snow White wasn't actually white. But in the 2020's, when there are so many mixed race folks now, she certainly appears generally white to me.

Again, perhaps if you were from Duluth, Minnesota and didn't have a lot of Hispanics in your life you'd think differently, but she looks more vampy, pouty Kardashian to me.

But what do I know, I'm out of it, maybe Kardashian is now considered a race and a protected class?

 

[TP2000]

I can't imagine there's much demand for the Thursday "preview" showings versus the weekend.

Thursday crowds I imagine are more for the big established franchises, like Marvel or Star Wars where people really really want to see it first in part because they're more prone to spoilers.

We'll know what the Thursday preview box office was like, and how it compares to previous Disney live action Princess remakes, by Friday afternoon.

Stay tuned!

 

[Farerb]

It might just be because I live in the Southwest USA, where a lot of folks are of Hispanic descent, but she looks mostly white to me. She reminds me of a Kardashian (in both looks and 'tude!), who are Armenian and definitely white. And the surname Zegler sounds.... Germanic Jewish.

I dunno, I remember when the first kerfuffle came up that the new Snow White wasn't actually white. But in the 2020's, when there are so many mixed race folks now, she certainly appears generally white to me.

Again, perhaps if you were from Duluth, Minnesota and didn't have a lot of Hispanics in your life you'd think differently, but she looks more vampy, pouty Kardashian to me.

I remember the other side complained that she was too white to play Maria, the same ones who are complaining about Nani's actress in Lilo and Stitch. They also complained about Naomi Scott in Aladdin.

 

[Agent H]

It might just be because I live in the Southwest USA, where a lot of folks are of Hispanic descent, but she looks mostly white to me. She reminds me of a Kardashian (in both looks and 'tude!), who are Armenian and definitely white. And the surname Zegler sounds.... Germanic Jewish.

I dunno, I remember when the first kerfuffle came up that the new Snow White wasn't actually white. But in the 2020's, when there are so many mixed race folks now, she certainly appears generally white to me.

Again, perhaps if you were from Duluth, Minnesota and didn't have a lot of Hispanics in your life you'd think differently, but she looks more vampy, pouty Kardashian to me.

But what do I know, I'm out of it, maybe Kardashian is now considered a race and a protected class?

Please don’t compare her to a kardashian. They are so annoying.

 

[TP2000]

I remember the other side complained that she was too white to play Maria, the same ones who are complaining about Nani's actress in Lilo and Stitch. They also complained about Naomi Scott in Aladdin.

Yeah, I can see the point, she doesn't look quite Puerto Rican either. Certainly not a circa 1960 First Generation Puerto Rican immigrant a la' West Side Story.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but... the poor girl, she's damned if she does and damned if she doesn't.

Random Late Nite Hot Take: The Supremes have perhaps the best cover ever recorded of "Somewhere There's A Place For Us". Look it up if you're a West Side Story fan!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

You know, as someone who found her comments somewhat angering, it really doesn't have anything to do with her. Her comments making fun of the original film and saying how little she valued it pushed my buttons. Why? Because, as Iger informed us, the modern Walt Disney Company exists to be in the IP "mining" business. Iger/Chapek's Walt Disney Company is possibly too risk averse, lacking in creativity, or too incompetent to create new stories. Fine. If they want to cynically continue to go on "mining" IP it's their right as the owners of the business. The only thing audiences expected in return was for The Walt Disney Company to treat the intellectual property with respect.

In a way, Zegler's flippant comments seemed to show Disney couldn't even bother to do that bare minimum. They couldn't be bothered to pretend that they respected the original artists who created the very thing they were about to cynically exploit. And it was not only the original artists that were being exploited, no, it was the legions of fans who had grown to love it.

If you're going to cynically do some IP "mining," I expect you to put in that minimum effort.


Good quote! Who said that?


No one sane wants her to face harassment or danger.

Show me the quotes, or that’s all made up in your head.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Both Rachel and Gal said in early interviews at D23 2022 that she wasn't going to be saved by the prince. I guess it's kind of still true cause the guy isn't a prince anymore.

Uh, spoiler alert.