Han Solo - A Star Wars Story

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I stopped trying to figure out fandom years ago. I always kept coming back to the same conclusion that some people are just not happy unless they are miserable and they tell everyone why they are miserable. Right now I feel like that segment of Star Wars fandom is becoming toxic and seems hell bent on destroying the franchise.

The volume of new material being produced now is like a dream come true. I love the fact that we now have multiple great comic book series released every month, and either a saga film or a story film on deck for every year as well as a new animated series and live action series on deck. I will not even go into how happy I was to finally see a Star Wars land in a theme park being constructed.

I remember the 70's where we were actually thrilled to see the holiday special because that is all we had.

I think you’re overlooking the obvious: they aren’t embracing why star wars was huge in the first place and it’s been a series of unfortunate events. George AND Disney.

But my take has also changed a lot over the years.

The one angle...and I can’t state this more clearly: I think they should just make movies for the “NATO” crowd and not chase global aspirations. Who the movies were made for contributed a lot to the mythos...and that character actually broadened the appeal in a strange way. They’ve lost that...it doesn’t have to be for only under age 8, and it doesn’t have to be for a progressive March crowd on Taiwan...

But that’s another story...

If you look at the history...since roughly the credits rolled on attack of the clones....each movie is now “paying it forward”. The box office is directly tied to the perceptions of the previous. That’s what we have if solo underachieves. Which disproves all the shouters from last year.

Fascinating...nonetheless

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I have always maintained that number of tickets sold should be metric used.

Dollars, no matter how you attempt to adjust for inflation, different formats, etc is nebulous at best for gauging how many eyeballs are in front of the screen.

Dollars are however what the studios care about so we are pretty much stuck with this near meaningless metric.

But that’s what these kids do....pull a useless chart bloated with $22 tickets on 200 nationwide imax screens within the first 14 days of release...

...as opposed to 300 people paying $2 in a delapidated, single screen in Dolby mono with a sticky floor watching jedi in August 1983

Legacies are built by the latter.

 

[Master Yoda]

I think you’re overlooking the obvious: they aren’t embracing why star wars was huge in the first place and it’s been a series of unfortunate events. George AND Disney.

But my take has also changed a lot over the years.

The one angle...and I can’t state this more clearly: I think they should just make movies for the “NATO” crowd and not chase global aspirations. Who the movies were made for contributed a lot to the mythos...and that character actually broadened the appeal in a strange way. They’ve lost that...it doesn’t have to be for only under age 8, and it doesn’t have to be for a progressive March crowd on Taiwan...

But that’s another story...

If you look at the history...since roughly the credits rolled on attack of the clones....each movie is now “paying it forward”. The box office is directly tied to the perceptions of the previous. That’s what we have if solo underachieves. Which disproves all the shouters from last year.

Fascinating...nonetheless

This is where you run into what I call the art paradox.

IMHO you have 2 kinds of art. Art done solely for the artist (pure art) and art done with the intention of being commercially viable (paid art).

When pure art becomes a financial success, it rarely stays pure art as the desire to continue that financial success alters the direction of the artist transforming it into paid art.

 

[21stamps]

This is where you run into what I call the art paradox.

IMHO you have 2 kinds of art. Art done solely for the artist (pure art) and art done with the intention of being commercially viable (paid art).

When pure art becomes a financial success, it rarely stays pure art as the desire to continue that financial success alters the direction of the artist transforming it into paid art.

i.e.- the majority of ‘90s grunge bands.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

i.e.- the majority of ‘90s grunge bands.

I can’t agree more emphatically....
Vs and Vitalogy were so disappointing

 

[TeddyinMO]

But that’s what these kids do....pull a useless chart bloated with $22 tickets on 200 nationwide imax screens within the first 14 days of release...

...as opposed to 300 people paying $2 in a delapidated, single screen in Dolby mono with a sticky floor watching jedi in August 1983

Legacies are built by the latter.

Well, I appreciate you calling me kid as I'm old enough to say that I saw every Star Wars movie in the theater during its original run, but you are mistaking the value of Memorial Day weekend as a money maker. The fact of the matter is that the first 6 Star Wars movies did open on Memorial Day weekend, which gave it its reputation. But even when you adjust for inflation, they did very little on that weekend. They made their money over long summers (and falls and winters) of staying hits.

Today's movies (Black Panther being an exception) make their money over 1-3 weekends and that's it. So, you need to compare them to today. But, just for fun, using inflation adjusted numbers, did you know Star Wars opened on Memorial Day weekend in 1977 at $6.3 million. That's right. It made less on the opening Memorial Day weekend than Solo will make in Thursday screenings. And, the other movies you cited as "cementing" Memorial Day weekend's blockbuster status, Jaws and ET, did not even open on Memorial Day weekend.

Jaws opened June 20, 1975, and ET opened June 11, 1982.

Now, do you want to challenge me on my "historical perspective" again?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Well, I appreciate you calling me kid as I'm old enough to say that I saw every Star Wars movie in the theater during its original run, but you are mistaking the value of Memorial Day weekend as a money maker. The fact of the matter is that the first 6 Star Wars movies did open on Memorial Day weekend, which gave it its reputation. But even when you adjust for inflation, they did very little on that weekend. They made their money over long summers (and falls and winters) of staying hits.

Today's movies (Black Panther being an exception) make their money over 1-3 weekends and that's it. So, you need to compare them to today. But, just for fun, using inflation adjusted numbers, did you know Star Wars opened on Memorial Day weekend in 1977 at $6.3 million. That's right. It made less on the opening Memorial Day weekend than Solo will make in Thursday screenings. And, the other movies you cited as "cementing" Memorial Day weekend's blockbuster status, Jaws and ET, did not even open on Memorial Day weekend.

Jaws opened June 20, 1975, and ET opened June 11, 1982.

Now, do you want to challenge me on my "historical perspective" again?

I didn’t realize the open dates...you got me
There...now i’m Gonna do the googling.

So you’re not a kid...but you do see how using recent box office results are not really representative?

And I wasn’t specifically talking to YOU...but your point did only show the recent one month flash in the pan blockbuster type movie...my bad.

But I’m looking at this list:

https://m.ranker.com/list/best-movies-released-memorial-day-weekend/ranker-film

And there are quite a few biggies...notably franchise/sequel movies.

I’ll redact “memorial day” and say “summer movies” are big...still nullifying the argument that solo is in a dead spot for sales...it certainly is not. So the Memorial Day-June 15 ish block - 3 weeks - is the strong point, with notably upticks around July 4 and stronger that average numbers to Labor Day. Generally speaking, of course. Not 100% assured.

 

[Phroobar]

Who has their tickets for tonight?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Who has their tickets for tonight?

I’ll pass and wait awhile for shakeout. Saw empire (I’m told...I was little), jedi, the phantom awful, attack of the george, force awakens, rogue one and the last Johnson all first showing...

...they’ve broken my spirit

 

[Master Yoda]

Who has their tickets for tonight?

 

[WhatJaneSays]

Who has their tickets for tonight?

 

[tribbleorlfl]

Just got home from the opening night Fan Event. Wow that was so much fun! My son and I were grinning from ear-to-ear the whole movie.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Just got home from the opening night Fan Event. Wow that was so much fun! My son and I were grinning from ear-to-ear the whole movie.

Yeah...but is it actually any good??

...unfortunately we’ve been down this road before...

This is the tenth movie and none have ever been bad opening night...which is 50-60% accurate at best.

 

[TeddyinMO]

Yeah...but is it actually any good??

...unfortunately we’ve been down this road before...

This is the tenth movie and none have ever been bad opening night...which is 50-60% accurate at best.

Just got home... Had a smile on my face from beginning to end.

It’s just a good, entertaining movie that makes for a fun night out. There’s enough fan service for the geeks like me, but I think you can enjoy this movie without ever having seen a Star Wars movie.

No one is going to claim it is a classic, and I doubt anyone says it is their “favorite Star Wars” movie. But it’s entertaining and a lot of fun. And Alden E. did a fine job as young Han. He made the role his own, but kept the essence of the original character.

I’ll be seeing it again with my kids Sunday.

 

[Master Yoda]

Just got home... Had a smile on my face from beginning to end.

It’s just a good, entertaining movie that makes for a fun night out. There’s enough fan service for the geeks like me, but I think you can enjoy this movie without ever having seen a Star Wars movie.

No one is going to claim it is a classic, and I doubt anyone says it is their “favorite Star Wars” movie. But it’s entertaining and a lot of fun. And Alden E. did a fine job as young Han. He made the role his own, but kept the essence of the original character.

I’ll be seeing it again with my kids Sunday.

This ^^^

It was exactly what a Story film should be.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and did not leave the theater slightly depressed like I did with R1 or TLJ.

Alden Ehrenreich could have done a little better job mirroring Harrison Ford, but Donald Glover was spot on.

 

[DisneyFreak]

But it’s entertaining and a lot of fun.

This is all I ask for in a Star Wars movie. Looking forward to seeing it tomorrow.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

This ^^^

It was exactly what a Story film should be.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and did not leave the theater slightly depressed like I did with R1 or TLJ.

Alden Ehrenreich could have done a little better job mirroring Harrison Ford, but Donald Glover was spot on.

Very encouraging...

Though we differ in that I think all
Star Wars movies that matter have a bit of melancholy in them. Rogue one - even with the awful speeches and the poorly developed daddy issues - had a touch of that and that’s why it’s better than 7 or 8...which we’re just devoid of anything that sticks (to me)...

“Rogue one, may the force be with you...” was enough.
Jedi had as much sad as it did teddy bears and fist pumps.

But I do respect your opinion...so fandango here I come.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

This is all I ask for in a Star Wars movie. Looking forward to seeing it tomorrow.

...that’s all I ask for in a despicable me movie...different strokes, I guess

 

[Princess Leia]

I really wish Rotten Tomatoes would figure out an algorithm to take out the trolls. I scrolled through a lot of the audience reviews, and most hadn't seen it (clearly stating why- not liking TLJ, not liking the fact that there's a Solo film, not liking Donald Glover [which I take offense to as a Donald Glover/Childish Gambino fan], not liking Kathleen Kennedy and Disney, etc., etc.), but were still ranking it 1/2 or 1 star... It's at 70% on the critical side, audience score is 55%. While that's not like what happened on TLJ (and it did happen, the person even tried to tank Black Panther), it's still something that needs to be addressed. While it would be a hassle, sites like RT should require proof of purchase to review, at least for the first 4 weeks of the film's release.

 

[Master Yoda]

Very encouraging...

Though we differ in that I think all
Star Wars movies that matter have a bit of melancholy in them. Rogue one - even with the awful speeches and the poorly developed daddy issues - had a touch of that and that’s why it’s better than 7 or 8...which we’re just devoid of anything that sticks (to me)...

“Rogue one, may the force be with you...” was enough.
Jedi had as much sad as it did teddy bears and fist pumps.

But I do respect your opinion...so fandango here I come.

Might I suggest getting an AMC Stubs Premium Membership...providing you have a decent AMC close buy of course.

It is $15 a year and it waves all online ticket fees through AMC. It also give out rewards at a fairly decent rate.

So far I have purchased a total of 8 tickets since I signed up and we have saved about $20 in fees and received $10 in rewards.