Mac Tonight
Well-Known Member
Indeed!
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The Miscellaneous Thought Thread
- Thread starter mickEblu
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TP2000
Well-Known Member
Industrial fire in Orange generates huge flames, explosion
The fire broke out after midnight in the 2000 block of Batavia Streetwww.ocregister.com
Thank you!
It turns out it was an industrial foam factory north of the Stadium Theaters and they had giant pallets of huge foam rolls that all caught fire and then engulfed nearby buildings. Which explains the very bright flames and the massive plume of pitch-black smoke; it was mountains of burning plastic.
I'd have to imagine it smells pretty bad over there and in eastern Anaheim today, maybe even at Disneyland. We had light Santa Anas blowing out to the west/northwest last night, so we didn't get any of the smoke or smell here.
But it was really quite a sight.
Hats off to Orange Fire Captain Ryan O'Connor. If that's not an Irishman to be proud of, I don't know who is!
Massive fire rips through foam business in Orange County, sending large plume of smoke into air
A massive fire ripped through an industrial complex in the city of Orange overnight, sending a thick cloud of smoke into the sky and prompting a large firefighter response.
abc7.com
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TP2000
Well-Known Member
My gosh, it's hot! 88 degrees here at the thermometer under my lemon trees. The Ohio tourists arriving in SoCal for the Super Bowl are going to love it! They can finally let the frozen slush between their toes thaw out. Who is dey, exactly?
In movie news, I saw that Disney has one of the movies nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars this year. But my Gawd, the list is full of one semi-bomb scifi flick you probably have to smoke a funny cigarette without a filter tip to enjoy, and then a long list of box office bombs and weirdo TV movies that no one except Theater Arts sophomores at Berkeley actually saw. What the heck happened to the Oscars?!?
2022 Oscar Best Picture Nominees (TV Movies Noted in RED) and their US box office totals:
Dune - $107 Million US Box Office, Warner Bros.
West Side Story - $36 Million US Box Office, Disney (a giant money disaster and flop o' the decade!)
King Richard - $32 Million US Box Office, Warner Bros.
Licorice Pizza - $12 Million US Box Office, MGM (the typical film everyone talks about but very few actually sees)
Nightmare Alley - $11 Million US Box Office, Searchlight Pictures
Belfast - $7 Million US Box Office, Universal
CODA - $1 Million US Box Office, Apple+
Drive My Car - $944,000 US Box Office, Culture Entertainment (Japanese indie film)
Don't Look Up - $765,000 US Box Office, Netflix
The Power Of The Dog - $54,000 US Box Office, Netflix
There were 11 movies in 2021 that grossed over $100 Million at the US box office. Dune is the only one of those 11 nominated for Best Picture. There were 34 movies in 2021 that grossed more than West Side Story in the US, and Dune is the only one of that 34 to be nominated. Quite a few of the Top 30 box office draws in '21 were from Disney.
The Top 5 grossing movies for US box office receipts in 2021 are:
1. Spider-Man: Who's That Twink? - $751 Million, Sony
2. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - $224 Million, Disney
3. Venom: Let There Be Carnage - $213 Million, Sony (who comes up with these titles?!)
4. Black Widow - $184 Million, Disney
5. F9: The Fast Saga - $173 Million, Universal
Interestingly, Disney's Encanto hasn't yet hit $100 Million even though it's been in theaters since Thanksgiving. It's currently at $97 Million, but might squeak over $100 Million before it glows away forever at the end of this month.
In movie news, I saw that Disney has one of the movies nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars this year. But my Gawd, the list is full of one semi-bomb scifi flick you probably have to smoke a funny cigarette without a filter tip to enjoy, and then a long list of box office bombs and weirdo TV movies that no one except Theater Arts sophomores at Berkeley actually saw. What the heck happened to the Oscars?!?
2022 Oscar Best Picture Nominees (TV Movies Noted in RED) and their US box office totals:
Dune - $107 Million US Box Office, Warner Bros.
West Side Story - $36 Million US Box Office, Disney (a giant money disaster and flop o' the decade!)
King Richard - $32 Million US Box Office, Warner Bros.
Licorice Pizza - $12 Million US Box Office, MGM (the typical film everyone talks about but very few actually sees)
Nightmare Alley - $11 Million US Box Office, Searchlight Pictures
Belfast - $7 Million US Box Office, Universal
CODA - $1 Million US Box Office, Apple+
Drive My Car - $944,000 US Box Office, Culture Entertainment (Japanese indie film)
Don't Look Up - $765,000 US Box Office, Netflix
The Power Of The Dog - $54,000 US Box Office, Netflix
There were 11 movies in 2021 that grossed over $100 Million at the US box office. Dune is the only one of those 11 nominated for Best Picture. There were 34 movies in 2021 that grossed more than West Side Story in the US, and Dune is the only one of that 34 to be nominated. Quite a few of the Top 30 box office draws in '21 were from Disney.
The Top 5 grossing movies for US box office receipts in 2021 are:
1. Spider-Man: Who's That Twink? - $751 Million, Sony
2. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - $224 Million, Disney
3. Venom: Let There Be Carnage - $213 Million, Sony (who comes up with these titles?!)
4. Black Widow - $184 Million, Disney
5. F9: The Fast Saga - $173 Million, Universal
Interestingly, Disney's Encanto hasn't yet hit $100 Million even though it's been in theaters since Thanksgiving. It's currently at $97 Million, but might squeak over $100 Million before it glows away forever at the end of this month.
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Phroobar
Well-Known Member
You do know that Oscar nominations have nothing to do with quality or popularity of the movie. It has to do with what the studio wants to market as "award winning" after the awards are handed out. The same goes for actors/actresses in various categories. It's all a PR thing and behind the scenes politics. The dresses on the red carpet might was well have corporate sponsor logos taped to their butts.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
1. The disconnect between movies with high box office grosses and movies that receive Oscar nominations is hardly a new phenomenon.
2. Releasing movies to streaming services either simultaneously or shortly thereafter clearly is having an effect on box office grosses for several films. Rather than go to a theater, I (and clearly many others) waited a month until I could see Encanto for free at home. If the movies are released only a month later on streaming, or instantly as was the case for several movies released to HBO, what incentive do I have to go to a theater? It's not like most movie theaters are actually providing a quality experience these days, with overpriced concessions and rude audience members who think they're on their living room couch and talk and text throughout the whole film with reckless abandon being the rule and not the exception, at least by me. Incidentally, Encanto may not be hurting as much from lack of box office numbers as many here have posited- Chapek certainly seems to view the property as a success. The previous theatrical-only model appears to be changing. See: https://www.thewrap.com/encanto-disney-theaters-streaming/
3. Despite the exuberant, enthusiastic, and theatrical denial of many on and off these boards, there is still a global pandemic going on that just might be affecting box office grosses a tad. Particularly if films don't have longstanding superhero franchise IP attached.
2. Releasing movies to streaming services either simultaneously or shortly thereafter clearly is having an effect on box office grosses for several films. Rather than go to a theater, I (and clearly many others) waited a month until I could see Encanto for free at home. If the movies are released only a month later on streaming, or instantly as was the case for several movies released to HBO, what incentive do I have to go to a theater? It's not like most movie theaters are actually providing a quality experience these days, with overpriced concessions and rude audience members who think they're on their living room couch and talk and text throughout the whole film with reckless abandon being the rule and not the exception, at least by me. Incidentally, Encanto may not be hurting as much from lack of box office numbers as many here have posited- Chapek certainly seems to view the property as a success. The previous theatrical-only model appears to be changing. See: https://www.thewrap.com/encanto-disney-theaters-streaming/
3. Despite the exuberant, enthusiastic, and theatrical denial of many on and off these boards, there is still a global pandemic going on that just might be affecting box office grosses a tad. Particularly if films don't have longstanding superhero franchise IP attached.
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
At this point Grand is for:
- DVC owners/renters (which is why more rooms are getting converted)
- Wedding groups, thanks to the on-site pavilion
- People nostalgic for late 80s/early 90s Disney who have stayed/visited before
Not sure anyone paying rack rate or room only discounts who's never been to WDW before would think it's worth the price
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
Dune seems to be the one to buck the trend. Its made over $100 million domestically so far, despite being free to watch on HBO MAX.
A large part of that is due to its strong performance in IMAX theaters. It's kind of movie that people don't just want to watch at home.
waltography
Well-Known Member
This was confirmed too after the quarterly earnings call this afternoon—Encanto sounded like a runaway success for them from the franchising opportunities, merchandising, and general "synergy machine" it can become despite the lukewarm box office.
My biggest concern is how this affects public perception of the family animation genre. I totally get we're still in a pandemic and so I understand the hesitation of going out to the movies with kids in tow. However, I have a small worry that the shorter theatrical windows and general deferring of movies to Disney+ will mean that animation will be seen more and more as a streaming genre. We can say all we want that Pixar being considered a tentpole release on Disney+ is actually a compliment given the immense subscriber boosts Luca and Soul were for the platform, but the price point comparisons suggest otherwise.
D.Silentu
Well-Known Member
Funny, I was just having a conversation with my brother in law on this topic who claimed the same. I have only ever read the first book and he advised me that it was a great stopping point.
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Mac Tonight
Well-Known Member
Of course Disney is planning to turn Encanto into a franchise. They just can’t suckle enough at the Lin Manuel teat.
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BuzzedPotatoHead89
Well-Known Member
Amen to this.
I’m not saying Godzilla vs Kong or F9 should be nominated for best picture but the list of nominees is undoubtedly an indictment on Hollywood, too. And @TP2000 does raise a decent point that this illustrates a growing disconnect between the audience and the bourgeoisie/contemporary class. It wasn’t that long ago that there wasn’t a huge delta between Academy nominated/winning films and B.O. success (Titanic, Bravehart, LoTR, Forrest Gump, The Godfather, etc.)
Don’t Look Up is probably the best example of pandering to the studio and also hoping to get “A list” actors butts in seats since it is at best an interesting satirical political/allegorical film if you’re not fond of subtle messaging.
In terms of emotional depth it doesn’t hold the weight of Tick, Tick, Boom or (gosh forbid) that dastardly menace Spiderman. “Comic book movies! Yuck, I can smell the general public from here…”
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Sure, it's been a version of that since the 1970's. But this is getting ridiculous. Drive My Car? The Power Of The Dog?
I remember about five years ago when a gaggle of actresses got all snotty about the media making such a big deal about who they were wearing instead of what they were thinking. The actresses claimed they were professional busineswomen at an industry event, and thus any question about their hair/dress/look was sexist and barbaric.
And I'm thinking... "Ladies, if you want to present yourself as 'business professionals', then wear a professional business suit to this event instead of a backless/strapless/breast baring/thigh revealing $25,000 couture gown with 5 inch stilettos and hair piled to the heavens and four days of grooming done in advance."
If the ladies attending the Oscars don't want people to ask them "Who are you wearing?!?", they should stop dressing like this...
And instead wear something like this to the Oscars as a "professional" attending an "industry business event"...
Disney Irish
Premium Member
He was also Aquaman's dad.....
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Valid point. These types of artsy-fartsy nominations started in the late 1970's, but they always included other movies that had actual success with actual paying audiences, and those were what mostly won. But this years slate has been taken to a wild extreme of cultural irrelevance and box office failure.
This is another valid point. The entertainment technology available to middle-class Americans in 2022 is wildly more advanced than that available in 1978 or 1998. But movies still do big business, if the audience likes them. See my list above of the Top 5 box office winners during the pandemic year of 2021.
That point gets blown out of the water just by Spiderman doing almost a Billion dollars in business, not to mention the top 10 movies right behind it that packed theaters since last summer. The pandemic is over for 90% of Americans and most states. People still buy tickets to movies they want to see, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars per film.
Apparently no one wanted to pay to see Drive My Car or Belfast. And yet they're nominated for Best Picture.
Anyone want to see my home movies from a 1984 family reunion???... I didn't think so.
It's almost as if the Academy of Motion Pictures wants to make itself and it's flagship Oscars ceremony completely irrelevant to 98.5% of Americans. That's just dumb and really weird, in my opinion.
Would it have killed them to merely nominate Spiderman? At least in 1977 they had the sense to nominate Star Wars for Best Picture, even though they ultimately gave the award to Annie Hall.
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Disney Irish
Premium Member
This has been the case for many years, during a normal year the Oscars are only really viewed by about 10% of the population. Raking in only about 29.6M viewers in 2019, 23.6M in 2020, and a measly 9.85M in 2021.
In the last 20 years its only ever been as high as 46.33M viewers. Compare that to the Super Bowl which has averaged 100M viewers for the past 15 years, with a high of 114.4M viewers during that same time period.
Oscars just aren't a thing that most Americans care about outside of Hollywood.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
My only experience with Dune is in a movie theater in 1984, but....
You're saying that things get weirder than that? Dune seems just so way out there. I really am surprised they remade it 35+ years later.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Not in the last five years or so. Not since the celebs starting preaching and talking down on live TV to the flyover state Americans who buy tickets to their movies, and not since the Academy started nominating weird Japanese arthouse films no one has ever heard of like Drive My Car for Best Picture.
The Oscars were for decades and into the early 21st century Must See TV that caused viewing parties and mega ratings. No longer.
With this year's slate of Best Picture nominees, the Academy is apparently trying to push as many TV viewers away as possible. Don't watch our show! We think you are a loser and you've never seen any of these movies!
That's just weird.
Oscars American TV Viewership
2000 = 46.3 Million
2010 = 41.7 Million
2018 = 26.5 Million
2021 = 9.8 Million
2022 = ???
Disney Irish
Premium Member
This has been going on longer than the last 5 years. Viewership on average has declined for the last 2 decades. And the largest reason appears to be increased cord cutting due to streaming rather than anything Hollywood celebs are saying or not saying.