Will Soft 'Solo' Box Office Cause Disney to Rethink 'Star Wars' Strategy?

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The intial article is competlely inaccurate.

Only young twits could believe this is “franchise fatigue”. This is Star Wars...that concept would never be spoken if somebody had the audacity to make a good Star Wars movie again.

But Hollywood is afraid to embrace what made it good in the first place.

 

[ppete1975]

The issue is a lot of the bad reviews are from people who haven't seen the movie... they are trying to get Kathleen fired or are boycotting. I didn't like episode 8 and I'm a huge Disney nerd.. I had no expectations for solo.. or rogue one for that matter. I loved them both.
And what Disney has done right is the standalone movies feel like separate movies with a different feel. Star wars movies have a feel, rogue one was different (no crawl is not an accident) it was a war movie., solo also no crawl (and no end credits so you don't have to wait for the marvelesque gags.. youre welcome) and it feels totally different but strangely familiar. Think of these as the books that flesh out the movies.
Don't let the bad reviews keep you away, it is a great movie.

 

[SeanWM48]

generally people who attend seem to enjoy it. not to the point where it's life-changing but not like they hated it so much that they'd stray others from seeing it with a seething review. its current 70% rotten tomato rating seems to convey that.

so overall i just don't think there was enough demand for such an expensive spinoff film. it isn't even bad; people just weren't hungry for it. sometimes it's that simple. i can say i've really liked the films disney has done with star wars so far and i had zero interest in this.

spoiler alert - we know the end of han solo now. how badly do i want to go back in time and learn about his beginning? i just don't. and apparently not enough others did either.

 

[ppete1975]

I agree. When I heard the next spin off movie was Solo I could have cared less, when all of the on set issues and story issues occurred.. I could care even less, after episode 8 I said screw star wars. But I went to see it with an open mind and honestly no expectations. Luckily I was blown away.. the last time that's happened was the last Jurassic park movie. Loved 1... 2 and 3 were so so.. I was fine with it going away forever. I got dragged to Jurassic world... and LOVED it.
I still think it was an odd choice.. but I think they are using it as a springboard to the obi wan, boba fett, or many others movies... see it and youll understand why I feel that way.
That being said..
Old republic
Darth vader
yoda
mace windu
boba fett
bounty hunters
obi wan
many others
probably would have had people much more excited.. I know it would have me.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The issue is a lot of the bad reviews are from people who haven't seen the movie... they are trying to get Kathleen fired or are boycotting. I didn't like episode 8 and I'm a huge Disney nerd.. I had no expectations for solo.. or rogue one for that matter. I loved them both.
And what Disney has done right is the standalone movies feel like separate movies with a different feel. Star wars movies have a feel, rogue one was different (no crawl is not an accident) it was a war movie., solo also no crawl (and no end credits so you don't have to wait for the marvelesque gags.. youre welcome) and it feels totally different but strangely familiar. Think of these as the books that flesh out the movies.
Don't let the bad reviews keep you away, it is a great movie.

You are wayyyyyy overestimating what Internet crusaders can accomplish.

This movie underperformed by 50 mil just in North America...and most who were expected to go wouldn’t read or wouldn’t be deterred by reviews. They are not that powerful.

I - like everyone - am awaiting what the truth here is...and it will come out over time. And I believe it’s a very predictable truth. But we shall see...just like we have seen with other things on this topic and many others.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I agree. When I heard the next spin off movie was Solo I could have cared less, when all of the on set issues and story issues occurred.. I could care even less, after episode 8 I said screw star wars. But I went to see it with an open mind and honestly no expectations. Luckily I was blown away.. the last time that's happened was the last Jurassic park movie. Loved 1... 2 and 3 were so so.. I was fine with it going away forever. I got dragged to Jurassic world... and LOVED it.
I still think it was an odd choice.. but I think they are using it as a springboard to the obi wan, boba fett, or many others movies... see it and youll understand why I feel that way.
That being said..
Old republic
Darth vader
yoda
mace windu
boba fett
bounty hunters
obi wan
many others
probably would have had people much more excited.. I know it would have me.

I think I mostly agree with you...

However you got ALOT of prequel stuff on that list...and that’s where this problem started - nothing has really changed.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Movie starting in a few moments...complete with brisket fries and Grey Goose Poire on the rocks.

#amcfivedollartuesdays

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

As a hardcore Star Wars fan, I think there is fatigue among a lot of us.

Star Wars is different than something like Marvel, for me. I can see Thor & Black Panther, enjoy them once, and be ready and willing for an Avengers movies just a short while later.

A Star Wars movie isn't something I see just once, especially if it's a saga film like The Last Jedi. I saw it several times in the theater, and several more times at home, very recently in fact. I'm not itching for another Star Wars movie yet. I'm still invested in the current one.

I wonder if this is the case for a lot of Star Wars fans.

 

[clarksfan95]

I wonder if this is the case for a lot of Star Wars fans.

Not for me and/or any of the people that I know that are big, big fans.

I was 8 when Return of the Jedi was in theaters. My dad had both Star Wars and Empire on Super 8 film and he would show them to me over and over and over. I have the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy in so many different versions (Super 8 film, Beta, VHS, Laserdisc, Videodisc, DVD, Bluray, Widescreen, Fullscreen, etc.) - (Keep in mind...not all of those movies came in all those options - so, no...i don't have the prequels in Beta or Videodisc), I read all the every single book (some of which were great...and some of which I struggled to finish...reading about the Solo children getting kidnapped...again...was not exciting), played all the video games - including Galaxies for 7.5 years or something crazy (6 months less than it's lifespan), bought the toys and I have never, ever experienced fatigue.

Was I interested in the Solo movie when I first heard about it...absolutely not, but you know what...when the Thursday night opening came, I was there. I thought it was a good and enjoyable movie. Is it Oscar worthy? No...but how many of them have been? I read someone complaining about the terrible dialogue in Solo....I'm not sure that person watched the prequels at all....those love scenes have got to be the absolute worst written scenes in film history. Some of the dialogue between Anakin and Obi-Wan was almost just as bad. Almost.

I do agree that it's box office numbers are the direct result of people staying away due to not getting the storylines they wanted out of TLJ. Everyone complained when TFA was too like Ep. 4 and wondered why didn't try something new and different....TLJ was new and different and now everyone cries about it. We are at the damned if you do and damned if you don't stage.

I just don't believe that it's fatigue. No one I know has made any mention of fatigue or not wanting to see it. I've talked to about a ten of my friends who could be identified as "huge fans" and they all liked the movie and are ready for the next one. We all had issues with TLJ, but none of us are willing to step away or miss out seeing Star Wars on a big screen.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Not for me and/or any of the people that I know that are big, big fans.

I was 8 when Return of the Jedi was in theaters. My dad had both Star Wars and Empire on Super 8 film and he would show them to me over and over and over. I have the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy in so many different versions (Super 8 film, Beta, VHS, Laserdisc, Videodisc, DVD, Bluray, Widescreen, Fullscreen, etc.) - (Keep in mind...not all of those movies came in all those options - so, no...i don't have the prequels in Beta or Videodisc), I read all the every single book (some of which were great...and some of which I struggled to finish...reading about the Solo children getting kidnapped...again...was not exciting), played all the video games - including Galaxies for 7.5 years or something crazy (6 months less than it's lifespan), bought the toys and I have never, ever experienced fatigue.

Was I interested in the Solo movie when I first heard about it...absolutely not, but you know what...when the Thursday night opening came, I was there. I thought it was a good and enjoyable movie. Is it Oscar worthy? No...but how many of them have been? I read someone complaining about the terrible dialogue in Solo....I'm not sure that person watched the prequels at all....those love scenes have got to be the absolute worst written scenes in film history. Some of the dialogue between Anakin and Obi-Wan was almost just as bad. Almost.

I do agree that it's box office numbers are the direct result of people staying away due to not getting the storylines they wanted out of TLJ. Everyone complained when TFA was too like Ep. 4 and wondered why didn't try something new and different....TLJ was new and different and now everyone cries about it. We are at the damned if you do and damned if you don't stage.

I just don't believe that it's fatigue. No one I know has made any mention of fatigue or not wanting to see it. I've talked to about a ten of my friends who could be identified as "huge fans" and they all liked the movie and are ready for the next one. We all had issues with TLJ, but none of us are willing to step away or miss out seeing Star Wars on a big screen.

You’re awesome...not only because of your carbon date...but if your name refers to the band “The Clarks”...you’re even more awesome.

And I agree with everything you said.

 

[dolewhip&turkeyleg]

Don’t believe the negative hype Disney. Solo is still the best Memorial Weekend opening in 4 years in terms of box office.

I think we knew that with Avengers opening two weeks early, there might be some movie fatigue.

To me, it’s not a flop. Maybe by some estimates has it fallen short but I thought the acting of Han & Lando captured their older counter parts. Chewy was well, Chewy.

Would’ve liked to see a little more action in the first half of the movie but it picked up by the midway point.

I thought the ending was better than Rogue One in which everyone died in RO. That was a downer.

I can’t imagine that any Star Wars fan doesn’t go and see it regardless of lower box office sales.

In terms of fatigue, I don’t think it’s brand fatigue. When Jon Favreau and the GOT storytellers get their hands on the canon, I expect some great things to come our way!

 

[ppete1975]

Movie starting in a few moments...complete with brisket fries and Grey Goose Poire on the rocks.

#amcfivedollartuesdays

what did you think?

 

[Tony the Tigger]

what did you think?

We enjoyed it. I almost forgot about Harrison Ford for about a minute lol.

I thought it was an enjoyable offshoot backstory movie, like the Wolverine flicks. Some old stories fleshed out, some new ones, some surprises, some things to look up and figure out. I’m a huge Star Wars fan (saw the first one in the movies as a little kid when it first came out, and my room looked like the Kenner warehouse for the next dozen years or so until I moved out) but I don’t memorize and over analyze everything.

One part I thought was stupid to the point of comical/campy - the last moments between Lando and L3. That close up could have been on Saturday night live.

Who cares? It was fun, if slightly long. Gave me a fix until 9.

For the record: I’m not a TLJ hater, and the prequels so lowered my expectations and disappointed me at the time, almost anything will be enjoyable by comparison.

I blame everything that might be considered “wrong” on the dumb decision to do the prequels instead of the sequels while the actors who were needed for the sequels were aging, and now it’s too late to do them as they should have been done. But overall, I go with the flow.

 

[Anders Limpar]

I felt massively cheated by TFA because it was a lazy reboot. I don't buy into the justification that a reboot was necessary because of all the damage the prequel trilogy did to the franchise. It's Star Wars, if the TFA went in a fresh, new direction and it was actually a quality film, it would have been wildly successful because it was Star Wars. TFA lacked imagination and creativity.

I hated TLJ. It was an awful film. Many of the issues I have with the film have been brought up plenty of times. The chase aspect really grinds my gears however, it feels like a plot line created by a very inexperienced writer trying to find their way. Like someone writing a story in a high school creative writing class.

Rogue One is the only film Disney has done that actually felt like a Star Wars film and I loved it. I haven't seen Solo yet so I will withhold judgement until I see it.

 

[LSLS]

Marvel doesn't need to. The MCU has a big variety of genres to avoid burnout: Heist, galactic big stakes, galactic buddy comedy, coming of age, spy v. spy, etc... Their nearly back-to-back Black Panther and Infinity Wars was wildly successful.

They'll be a big break between AM&tW and Capt. Marvel.

But a very small one between Captain Marvel and Avengers 4.

 

[LSLS]

The intial article is competlely inaccurate.

Only young twits could believe this is “franchise fatigue”. This is Star Wars...that concept would never be spoken if somebody had the audacity to make a good Star Wars movie again.

But Hollywood is afraid to embrace what made it good in the first place.

I don't think they buy it either. If that was a concern, they would not be building entire lands and hotels devoted to this single franchise. But, if Disney honestly believes this, I wonder if there is a chance they make cuts to all the Star Wars they are inputting into the parks.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I don't think they buy it either. If that was a concern, they would not be building entire lands and hotels devoted to this single franchise. But, if Disney honestly believes this, I wonder if there is a chance they make cuts to all the Star Wars they are inputting into the parks.

Disney has a developing problem and they know it. It’s the only explanation for bringing in Weiss and Benioff. What are those two known for? Pushing the boundaries and making good for fans material...but BLOWING budgets to kingdom come...

That’s a telling sign for a company run by stock tip bob.

What annoys me is the press - THR in this case - carrying the bucket and writing about “franchise fatigue”.

Star Wars would be consumed by the keg if they could get someone in there that gets it. By the kids AND their Peter Pan gen x and y parents (ahem).

It’s frustrating.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

But a very small one between Captain Marvel and Avengers 4.

Between ragnarok and avengers 4 that be 6 movies in 18 months...

But fans can’t handle 3 Star Wars in 2 years? Or 5 in 4?

...come on...that’s not even relatively convincing.

It’s not the frequency...it’s the quality.

 

[LukeS7]

Don’t believe the negative hype Disney. Solo is still the best Memorial Weekend opening in 4 years in terms of box office.

I think we knew that with Avengers opening two weeks early, there might be some movie fatigue.

To me, it’s not a flop. Maybe by some estimates has it fallen short but I thought the acting of Han & Lando captured their older counter parts. Chewy was well, Chewy.

Tell that to their bank account. This is a rare loss for them. The budget for the film was estimated at $250 million, tack on an additional $100 million for marketing, and the total amount comes to $350 million. That's the current amount that the film has made worldwide at the box office. However, Disney's cut of that is only around 50-55%, meaning they have a $100+ million loss on their hands at the moment.

In terms of fatigue, I don’t think it’s brand fatigue.

Neither do I, I think it's a combination of the fact that nobody was really asking for Han Solo movie and that it followed TLJ. I enjoyed TFA, even if a lot of the beats that it hit were familiar. I absolutely hated TLJ though, and I feel a significant amount of other people did as well and many people probably skipped over this film as a result.

 

[dolewhip&turkeyleg]

Tell that to their bank account. This is a rare loss for them. The budget for the film was estimated at $250 million, tack on an additional $100 million for marketing, and the total amount comes to $350 million. That's the current amount that the film has made worldwide at the box office. However, Disney's cut of that is only around 50-55%, meaning they have a $100+ million loss on their hands at the moment.



Neither do I, I think it's a combination of the fact that nobody was really asking for Han Solo movie and that it followed TLJ. I enjoyed TFA, even if a lot of the beats that it hit were familiar. I absolutely hated TLJ though, and I feel a significant amount of other people did as well and many people probably skipped over this film as a result.

Good points. I look at the franchise as a whole. Similar to when you buy an album—there’s always a couple of songs that don’t have the impact like the others, but you still buy the whole album. Or at least you use to before digital allowed you to preview and pick the best from the album. I see Solo as a song you may not put on repeat, but if further deepens the Star Wars for Disney.

It could be that Disney was aware that this might not have the momentum as one-off, as a way to test the market. Certainly a risk but if they can get valuable data from Solo, then their decision making and creative architecture will be all the more greater. Especially since we have the GOT story writers and Jon Favreau creating In the franchise.