News Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Historical Construction/Impressions

[dweezil78]

People like it because it's something new, fresh, and decent. I think the general public is beginning to tire of sequels, reboots, and repeated ideas. Hollywood has gotten real boring over the past number of years. Heck, I was a total cinefile. I'd see a movie every week...sometimes two a week in theaters. I easily watched 50-65 movies a year in the theaters. The past three years I've seen maybe an average of 5-6 movies a year in the theater. I've heard the same from numerous friends of mine.

Well, you're not wrong. Entertainment consumption has changed a lot -- the movie theater experience is more and more being focused on the big blockbusters, franchises, and sequels. Something that gives people a reason to leave home and pay $$$ to experience it. Those kind of things are never the same at home on a couch.

On the flipside though, more and more dollars are being shifted over to TV/streaming where companies are more willing to take a risk on smaller niche/indie films or stories that can be told via a serialized format that allows for deeper storytelling and character development.

 

[britain]

I'll take you a step further and say it flat out bombs.

Both Rogue One and The Force Awaken's budget were nearly $300 million so it's safe to assume Solo's budget will be the same. Now factor in they had to reshoot 90% of the movie. While that doesn't mean they had to create many (if any at all) new sets or models, that's still a lot of labor, time, and resources that are being exhausted. I think it's safe to say such extensive reshoots cost a minimum $50 million to $75 million. For argument sake, let's just say that totals to $350 million.

Usually an ad campaign for a movie costs double the initial production budget (not always, but it's a safe bet), so let's go ahead and say they put aside $250 million to advertise this movie. Well, now we have this controversy with the posters for Solo being direct rip offs of a French artist's work from a few years ago which will likely end up in new posters entirely causing just more problems. We'll just throw on $5 million to redo the posters, distribute the new ones, and remove the old ones as well as throw away the ones already produced. Already, the budget (I'm guessing) this movie is at is $605 million when all is said and done.

Let's talk about box office now, though. With all the negative press surrounding the movie's changing of directors, bad trailers, plagiarizing posters, etc., it's certainly going to hurt the box office. Also, coming off a divisive film with The Last Jedi could hurt it as well. Lastly, the movie's going to tank in China. At best, with all of this information, I see this movie making $750 million worldwide. Now, that doesn't seem like a bomb if it cost $605 to make, right? That is still some profit, right? Wrong. Remember, movie theaters get approximately 20% of the ticket sales. If it does make $750 world wide, that's $150 million being taken by the theaters leaving Lucasfilm/Disney with $600 million.

Of course none of these numbers are definitive or have any complete basis, this is all conjecture, and honestly it's entirely possible the film cost more than what I pegged it at here and it could also make more (though I see no way it could make over $1B WW).

I predict that Solo will be better than expected, and will actually do better than expected (ie. better than Rogue One), but because of this "Disney is milking the life out of Star Wars" narrative, it won't be able to escape the label of 'bomb'.

 

[Professortango1]

Fatigue of X-type movies is a myth.

• Fatigue of Superhero Movies: Unless it's just bad (Fant4stic Four), they make over $700 million each, often cracking the billion dollar mark.
• Fatigue of Sequels: Thor 3 - $800M; Despicable Me 3 - $1B; Guardians 2 - $830M; Fate of the Furious - $1.2B;
• Fatigue of Live Action Remakes: BatB - $1.3B; Jungle Book - $967M
• Fatigue of Star Wars: past 3 were each over $1B.

If they're not bad, they won't be fatiguing.

Not a myth as people do move on from tropes and genres. Westerns and Pirate movies were DOA for awhile, Westerns still are. I myself have reached my limit with superheroes. I haven't seen Black Panther, despite knowing that I will enjoy it. Why? I just don't have the drive to see yet another Superhero flick.

The masses will always gobble up popcorn flicks, good or bad. See Beauty and the Beast remake, 1.3 Billion for something incredibly mediocre and watered down from something we knew.

As for Star Wars, it is loosing the specialness to adults. Kids will still flock to see it, but the last one didn't do as well as TFA and I predict each will become more everyday in box office.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I'm seeing Solo because George Lucas helped direct a shot.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Not a myth as people do move on from tropes and genres. Westerns and Pirate movies were DOA for awhile, Westerns still are. I myself have reached my limit with superheroes. I haven't seen Black Panther, despite knowing that I will enjoy it. Why? I just don't have the drive to see yet another Superhero flick.

Well! If you don't have the drive, then it's certainly game over for all superhero movies. Let me call Marvel and Sony and DC and tell them to stop all production because @Professortango1 is tired of them.

 

[Professortango1]

I'm shocked by the amount of people that say Rogue One is their favorite of the new three. In regards to theatrically released Star Wars films it's only beaten out by The Clone Wars and Attack of the Clones for being the worst one imo. While the film has wonderful cinematography and beautiful art direction, the entire 2/3rds of the movie drag as you're stuck with characters you feel nothing for and the third act of the movie is completely pointless. Then you get the completely out of place and tone-deaf Vader scene as well as the awful CGI Leia at the end to make things worse.

Amen, Rogue One is one of my least favorite Star Wars Films. The first act jumps around too much, the characters are stock characters with little depth or personality, and the whole thing feels like an excuse to make a Star Wars film rather than to tell a compelling story. The Vader scene was from a completely different film and the clunky writing makes Leia into one of the dumbest liars at the opening of Episode 4.

 

[Professortango1]

Well! If you don't have the drive, then it's certainly game over for all superhero movies. Let me call Marvel and Sony and DC and tell them to stop all production because @Professortango1 is tired of them.

No, but I'm an avid movie goer. And many others out there share my views. I'm not saying Superhero flicks are dead, but the blush is certainly off the rose for the most part. Event movies are no longer events when they happen 5-6 times per year.

 

[Professortango1]

Last Jedi was literally the second film in a new trilogy and you're already blaming this on fatigue? The interest in Force Awakens was off the chart insane so people came out in droves for it. The first movie is almost always going to do better with a huge event movie like that. Same thing happened with the prequels. Phantom Menace pulled in $474 million (US) / $1 Billion (Global) compared to $310 million (US) / $649 million (Global) with Attack of the Clones. It's not fatigue, it's just a natural weeding out of people who aren't interested in going along for the ride.

You also have Rogue One. And then the upcoming TV show, and Episode 10, and Solo, and....Having a Star Wars movie booked for years and years seems like they are just trying to pump out product, not being inspired to tell stories. Eventually, audiences begin to catch on. See Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

And despite the constant Prequel bashing and everyone now claiming Episode II is the worst one (AICN raved about it, Empire gave it five stars, everyone was saying it was better than Episode I and the best one since ESB circa 2002!), that flick has some awesome stuff such as the Tatooine segment, the arena fight with the monsters and Nute Gunray hamming it up gloriously.

Rogue One is a boring pointless piece of poodoo.

 

[TROR]

Return of the Jedi is the best Star Wars movie. The Phantom Menace is the best prequel. The Last Jedi is the best sequel.

 

[smile]

The Vader scene was from a completely different film and the clunky writing makes Leia into one of the dumbest liars at the opening of Episode 4.

what does that even mean?

 

[smile]

Return of the Jedi is the best Star Wars movie. The Phantom Menace is the best prequel. The Last Jedi is the best sequel.

wrong. wrong. who cares.

 

[Professortango1]

what does that even mean?

The Vader scene didn't fit the movie or the franchise at all. It was fan service. Plus, the opening of New Hope has Leia's ship being pursued by the Empire. She claims she was on a diplomatic mission and had nothing to do with the Rebellion. But Vader just literally saw the plans get handed into her ship and fly away minutes earlier. That's like catching a kid spray painting, chasing them around the block, and they are like "no, I wasn't spray painting. I actually was at school and just left school." Please, I just saw you.

 

[smile]

The Vader scene didn't fit the movie or the franchise at all. It was fan service. Plus, the opening of New Hope has Leia's ship being pursued by the Empire. She claims she was on a diplomatic mission and had nothing to do with the Rebellion. But Vader just literally saw the plans get handed into her ship and fly away minutes earlier. That's like catching a kid spray painting, chasing them around the block, and they are like "no, I wasn't spray painting. I actually was at school and just left school." Please, I just saw you.

may have been fan service, but it certainly fit the franchise as after years of inferred power, it was finally demonstrated

that was not leia's ship flying away from vader... the way it's edited may appear so, but she is being handed the plans immediately before vader arrives from ep IV - the officer even references that the plans had just been recieved via transmission, which vader soon refers to

 

[D.Silentu]

I'm shocked by the amount of people that say Rogue One is their favorite of the new three. In regards to theatrically released Star Wars films it's only beaten out by The Clone Wars and Attack of the Clones for being the worst one imo. While the film has wonderful cinematography and beautiful art direction, the entire 2/3rds of the movie drag as you're stuck with characters you feel nothing for and the third act of the movie is completely pointless. Then you get the completely out of place and tone-deaf Vader scene as well as the awful CGI Leia at the end to make things worse.

I must admit that I was entertained by Rogue One, but its popularity is no mystery. It's a troubled film; obviously re-plotted at the eleventh hour, with numerous reshoots, and paper doll characters to begin with. But the bits of merit I find in the movie are within the aesthetic. It looks like the original trilogy and, if unable to capture the spirit, it brings the original films to mind. It's the imitation crab of the Star Wars world, and I believe that's why so many find the movie palatable.

By now Star Wars is simply a nostalgia engine anyway. The prequels were just as derided as The Last Jedi seems to be, but there's an eight year old who just walked out of the theater beaming from ear to ear. I don't care for the prequels, yet they now have their fans as well, and I've even heard the term "The Original Six" tossed around. Kids will keep seeing them, loving them despite their plot competency, and claiming each as their generation's story.

 

[dweezil78]

You also have Rogue One. And then the upcoming TV show, and Episode 10, and Solo, and....Having a Star Wars movie booked for years and years seems like they are just trying to pump out product, not being inspired to tell stories. Eventually, audiences begin to catch on. See Pirates of the Caribbean.

Yeah, so what? Sorry, but I think you are being awfully short sighted and thinking too much of Star Wars as an isolated story and not as a brand/entertainment franchise. Pirates, even with its new villains and side characters has always been The Jack Sparrow show and that show got really old fast. It's not at all comparable to a media behemoth like Star Wars. Like all things Star Wars, audiences will choose to see/consume the content they want and pass on the content they don't. I don't watch the cartoons or read the books, but hey, others love that stuff.

The sooner they can shake the Skywalkers, the better off Star Wars can be and begin to shape what the brand looks like moving forward. I think the biggest misstep in the current triology is that they dragged Luke & Friends along past Force Awakens. By Last Jedi they should have had a clean start with all-new characters moving towards something new and exciting. Instead, we spent 2/3 of the new triology getting past it and only have one movie left to do something interesting.

 

[Professortango1]

may have been fan service, but it certainly fit the franchise as after years of inferred power, it was finally demonstrated

that was not leia's ship flying away from vader... the way it's edited may appear so, but she is being handed the plans immediately before vader arrives from ep IV - the officer even references that the plans had just been recieved via transmission, which vader soon refers to

Its clearly the same ship.

And Vader has a completely different fighting style and character in Episode 4 and

Yeah, so what? Sorry, but I think you are being awfully short sighted and thinking too much of Star Wars as an isolated story and not as a brand/entertainment franchise. Pirates, even with its new villains and side characters has always been The Jack Sparrow show and that show got really old fast. It's not at all comparable to a media behemoth like Star Wars. Like all things Star Wars, audiences will choose to see/consume the content they want and pass on the content they don't. I don't watch the cartoons or read the books, but hey, others love that stuff.

The sooner they can shake the Skywalkers, the better off Star Wars can be and begin to shape what the brand looks like moving forward. I think the biggest misstep in the current triology is that they dragged Luke & Friends along past Force Awakens. By Last Jedi they should have had a clean start with all-new characters moving towards something new and exciting. Instead, we spent 2/3 of the new triology getting past it and only have one movie left to do something interesting.

I have no problem with Star Wars not being Skywalker-centric. I have a problem with 1-2 Star Wars films per year scheduled before they even before they have story ideas.

 

[Curious Constance]

No, but I'm an avid movie goer. And many others out there share my views.

I'm not saying this is 100% guaranteed, but I think there is a real good chance that no one else in the entire world shares your views.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone who not only polarizing entire groups of people with their opinions, but entire planets. <):-<

 

[Curious Constance]

And Superhero movies will never be totally dead so long as there are tight superhero costumes left in the world to outfit on attractive men.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Women objectify men just as much as the other way around. You didn't hear that from me.

 

[Professortango1]

I'm not saying this is 100% guaranteed, but I think there is a real good chance that no one else in the entire world shares your views.
<

Haha, well, I'm pretty sure people do agree as we talk about it on a podcast. Not only do the other hosts share the same sentiment of fatigue, but many listeners do as well. Not saying this anecdotal evidence is emphatic proof of a certainty, but I can say that many many folks agree about movie fatigue.