Disney's 'Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu' Opens to 'Mixed' Box Office Results (arstechnica.com) 87
It's "the first time in seven years that a new Star Wars film has launched on the big screen," writes CNBC. And Variety notes it's expected to earn $102 million through Monday:
[B]ox office analysts are mixed on the results. On one hand, it's significant for any film to debut above $100 million in post-pandemic times. On the other, "Star Wars" is one of Hollywood's preeminent film properties, so there's an expectation of a certain level of box office. And this start is the worst for "Star Wars" since Disney bought the franchise in 2012.
CNBC cites reports 41% of tickets were sold for more expensive large-format screenings like IMAX and DolbyCinema.
So how's the movie? Rotten Tomatoes shows an 89% positive rating from moviegoers on its "popcornmeter" and a 62% average score from professional movie critics. And Ars Technica writes that "The plot is predictable, the fight scenes are meh, but you can't beat the charm of that little green Grogu." So while there's "a paint-by-numbers plot," they add that "the little green puppet pretty much carries the entire film." The new film is ... fine. It's an average Star Wars outing, and it will give families a solid Memorial Day Weekend entertainment option. It's just not the spectacular home run that might have helped launch the flagging franchise into an exciting new era, and diehard Star Wars fans hoping for more are probably going to be disappointed.
Of course, not everyone agrees. "How many nails can we realistically drive into Star Wars's coffin before it's time to give up hope of resuscitation?" writes Clarisse Loughrey for The Independent, calling it "the dullest and most inconsequential 'Star Wars' ever made." (She argues that the movie "stitches together what is clearly three episodes of the previously planned fourth season of The Mandalorian and calls it a day. There's not a whiff of effort here.")
And a reviewer at RogerEbert.com gave it one-and-a-half stars, complaining that "There's no reason for anything in this movie except the wish to make even more money...." I'm on record as despising the word "content," which was pushed by early tech moguls to devalue art as interchangeable goo in a virtual pipeline, but this washed-out, video-game-looking movie, with its murky night scenes and lack of visual depth, deserves the word. You've seen everything in it before, from the equipment, spacecraft, armor, and tactical maneuvers to the species and various types of terrain (earthlike, but cartoony)...
Even Grogu taxes our patience. Some of his cute bits could've ended with him facing the camera and doing jazz hands.
CNBC cites reports 41% of tickets were sold for more expensive large-format screenings like IMAX and DolbyCinema.
So how's the movie? Rotten Tomatoes shows an 89% positive rating from moviegoers on its "popcornmeter" and a 62% average score from professional movie critics. And Ars Technica writes that "The plot is predictable, the fight scenes are meh, but you can't beat the charm of that little green Grogu." So while there's "a paint-by-numbers plot," they add that "the little green puppet pretty much carries the entire film." The new film is ... fine. It's an average Star Wars outing, and it will give families a solid Memorial Day Weekend entertainment option. It's just not the spectacular home run that might have helped launch the flagging franchise into an exciting new era, and diehard Star Wars fans hoping for more are probably going to be disappointed.
Of course, not everyone agrees. "How many nails can we realistically drive into Star Wars's coffin before it's time to give up hope of resuscitation?" writes Clarisse Loughrey for The Independent, calling it "the dullest and most inconsequential 'Star Wars' ever made." (She argues that the movie "stitches together what is clearly three episodes of the previously planned fourth season of The Mandalorian and calls it a day. There's not a whiff of effort here.")
And a reviewer at RogerEbert.com gave it one-and-a-half stars, complaining that "There's no reason for anything in this movie except the wish to make even more money...." I'm on record as despising the word "content," which was pushed by early tech moguls to devalue art as interchangeable goo in a virtual pipeline, but this washed-out, video-game-looking movie, with its murky night scenes and lack of visual depth, deserves the word. You've seen everything in it before, from the equipment, spacecraft, armor, and tactical maneuvers to the species and various types of terrain (earthlike, but cartoony)...
Even Grogu taxes our patience. Some of his cute bits could've ended with him facing the camera and doing jazz hands.
Wait, what? (Score:4, Insightful)
This has to be the most stealth opening of anything related to Star Wars since 1977
It's just an episode of the show (Score:3)
Basically it's streaming content they're putting in the theaters. It wasn't so bad when they did it with Ahsoka because they made kind of a fun event and did stuff like got the guys who dress up as Stormtroopers to show up at movie theaters. This one seems kind of cheap like they're not putting anything behind it... It feels like the windows millennium of Star wars releases where they just
Don't start the comment in the (Score:5, Insightful)
subject box. It's called the subject box, not the start-of-comment box.
It actually works nicely (Score:2)
on the screen when it's a one-liner
I can quote it quite easily (Score:2)
It actually works nicely on the screen when it's a one-liner
so don't blame others for your inability to copy and paste.
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This is one of those rare comments that needs to end up with (-1, Funny)
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Yeah we put that out at the very last minute too. George got talked into doing an initial theatrical release despite the fact that the show wasn't even rendered in the proper resolution for a movie screen. They had to send it out to be uprezzed rather than rerendering each episode. It was FUBAR. This latest movie was meant to be a movie from the start, so it has no real excuse for quality issues.
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Most probably thought they were talking about a TV series.
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I think they are expecting it to dry more on streaming, and just want the prestige of it being a "real" movie, not a made for TV one. No need to spend money on ads, it costs nothing to promote in the app when the time comes.
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"The time comes" is now... it already opened. The fact you didn't even know illustrates the issue.
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The ads I have seen say "only in cinemas". Is that no the case?
Re:Wait, what? (Score:4, Insightful)
I have Disney+. It is only in cinemas right now. If it follows the pattern it will be streaming in 3 months or so. But really Disney's marketing has been kind of crap. I only randomly noticed this was going into theaters about a week ago.
This same thing happened with Tron. I am a Tron fan and wanted to see Tron Ares in theater but didn't even realize it was in theaters until it was out. I was rather busy back at that time, but didn't recall seeing promotional ads for it anywhere.
In the Star Wars verse it is kind of too bad that Andor (and Rogue One) characters were in a plot-wise dead end. The group in Andor would have made better movie material than Mandalorian.
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It's basically a toy commercial. If we are lucky we get a half decent movie out of it too. Reviews seem to be positive.
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If all your information about current events comes via social media feed then that's your problem.
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If all your information about current events comes via social media feed then that's your problem.
That's pretty much where all the eyeballs are these days, and anyone with the most minimal amount of respect for their sanity opts for ad-free tier of paid streaming services (or just gets their content from the high seas, which also doesn't have ads), so you're not getting movie trailers on TV unless you specifically go searching for them.
Whichever studio is behind the upcoming He-Man film sure has been promoting the fuck out of that on Facebook. It still looks absolutely awful, not that I'm surprised - i
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Buzz for this movie is non-existant (Score:2)
I literally did not even know about this movie until last week. It has hard very little media coverage, no one talking about it on any major social media platform (which means that they have not been paying people to talk about it)
If Disney expected a big opening for this - they should fire their PR team.
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They must have spent most of the marketing budget on the Superbowl ad ... which I can't remember anything of.
They had invited Adam Savage's YouTube channel to visit sets, props and costumes with Jon Favreau. But I'd think that channel already caters to the grown-up superfans anyway.
They had been inviting some "influensers" to see the first twenty minutes early, but the reaction was pretty "meh".
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still around? (Score:2, Insightful)
Well duh (Score:2)
"The plot is predictable, the fight scenes are meh, but you can't beat the charm of that little green Grogu." So while there's "a paint-by-numbers plot," they add that "the little green puppet pretty much carries the entire film."
Disney's gotta nail the sweet, sweet merchandising.
Re:Well duh (Score:4, Informative)
> Disney's gotta nail the sweet, sweet merchandising.
Problem is that kids aren't generally buying Star Wars toys anymore, adults are, and they are increasingly detached from the new parts of the franchise.
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Star Wars is increasingly targeting children with its stories and characters. The plot and moral theme (what little of it there ever was) suffers as a result. Grogu is a massive hit with children, so they're monopolizing on that.
Re:Well duh (Score:4, Informative)
Disney's studios produce content that gets people to visit their theme parks. The theme parks are still packed, at least from what I've seen. So, mission accomplished.
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The theme parks are still packed, at least from what I've seen.
Yes, and that's the problem for Disney -- theme parks can only physically accept so many people per year, and they can't (easily) build more of them. So theme parks can't be more than a small amount of their total income; to really make the big money, the Mouse has to ship products that can and will be purchased by everyone. In practice, that means movies; ideally good movies, but at a minimum, popular movies.
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So theme parks can't be more than a small amount of their total income; to really make the big money, the Mouse has to ship products that can and will be purchased by everyone.
Their theme parks were over 25% of their revenue, and it is a segment that has a huge profit margin. Hotels, concessions, gate admissions, food, travel planning, etc. There are many of the last several years where Disney doesn't have a profit at all without its theme parks.
And as demand increases, they just jack up the price, and so far it appears maximum price is unlimited.
My 12th Star Wars Opening Night ... (Score:2)
But I have to keep my perfect 49-year (+2 days) opening night record intact, and it was fun to go with a bunch of friends and my now-grown "kids".
I've been disappointed with Star Wars since the Ewoks, so low expectations kind of guarantee I'll have a reasonably good time. They can't all be Empire, ANH, or Rogue One
Re:All the haters (Score:1)
Of course, not everyone agrees. "How many nails can we realistically drive into Star Wars's coffin before it's time to give up hope of resuscitation?" writes Clarisse Loughrey
These are the words of someone who never liked Star Wars to begin with, and wants it to die.
In reality Star Wars is a fine universe, and all it takes is one good story set in that universe to bring life to it. I'd like to see how Palpatine can truly be defeated (who is more the Sith ideology than a character).
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I liked the original Star wars a lot and generally loved the book universe. But count me among those who just want it to die now. Let's let it be finished.
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I expect your opinion, which I share, is a majority opinion. Star Wars is almost nothing but slop now.
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It's hard to blame the haters after so much disappointment and indeed contempt for the fans.
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No, those are the words of someone who has seen nothing but slop for more than a decade (OK, there were a couple of exceptions), and has reached the point where there is no expectation things will ever get better. I have also given up hope that Star Wars will ever be good again.
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Even The Acolyte as badly written, cast, and acted as it was, had an absolute topflight villain. I found the series revolting but I'm bummed there wasn't a second season because Manny Jacinto was so compelling as The Stranger.
But I do understand the sentiment. Maybe it's better to view most of Star Wars as camp: a ripped Hutt gladiator is funny as hell, for instance.
Have you figured out why you're disappointed yet? (Score:2)
This...
But I have to keep my perfect 49-year (+2 days) opening night record intact
...is why...
I've been disappointed with Star Wars since the Ewoks
this.
When they can slop any swill into the trough and the pigs come running, why put in anything different?
Are people (Score:3)
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Re: Are people (Score:1)
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not sick of Stars Wars already?
I don't know, they've played the World Series 121 times and people still seem to get all excited about the next one, and willing to spend thousands and thousands on travel, tickets, etc. And the World Series is grown men throwing a ball around while people cheer.
I suppose to complete the baseball analogy, would people still attend the World Series if the players didn't try? If at least the illusion of the players caring and putting forth their best effort to win was gone? To me this seems to be more of t
Not working for me (Score:3)
Seriously. There's no way I could care less about Disney's tripe.
Give up? Not very "rebellion" of him. (Score:2)
"How many nails can we realistically drive into Star Wars's coffin before it's time to give up hope of resuscitation?" writes Clarisse Loughrey for The Independent, ...
Never give up! Never surrender! Oh wait, wrong franchise. :-)
Maybe he'd be happy with New Hope? Oh wait, we had that. Hope Classic? No, new hope is now so old it's actually the classic. Maybe Classic New Hope and New New Hope - Newer Hope? Anyway, I'm sure Disney marketing will figure out a permutation and a great tie-in with Coca-Cola sponsorship...
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I would pay good money for Hope Classic. Han shot first, dammit!
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No need to pay anything. Google "4k77"
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Re: Give up? Not very "rebellion" of him. (Score:2)
Greedo pulled the trigger first, but his blaster malfunctioned due to poorly timed software update in progress. Han was the only one who actually produced a blast.
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Maybe he'd be happy with New Hope?
Just to be pedantic, Clarisse Loughrey is a she.
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Maybe he'd be happy with New Hope?
Just to be pedantic, Clarisse Loughrey is a she.
Thanks, my mistake. That didn't register when I skimmed the name. Googled her, she seems lovely. :-)
Gonna be great (Score:4, Informative)
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Re: Gonna be great (Score:2)
It's funny. (Score:2)
A decade ago I thought Disney was going to monopolize popular culture by buying up all the major franchises like collecting the infinity stones.
But now all they seem to produce is the narrative equivalent of pink slime that just gives everyone fatigue.
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But now all they seem to produce is the narrative equivalent of pink slime that just gives everyone fatigue.
You pretty much have to produce content that follows an established formula or audiences won't like it. One of my favorite examples of this was the Little Shop of Horrors film from the 80s. It was based on a stage musical (which itself was loosely based on a 1960s B-movie). The original ending from the play has the main character killed and the alien plants taking over the world. Test audiences hated it. A new ending was re-shot and what was supposed to be a tragedy became a heroic redemption arc story
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I don't think lack of originality is the main issue. The earlier phases of the MCU were pretty well received and most of them weren't particularly innovative in plot structure.
More recent iterations are making less money so following the established formula isn't helping with the general audience.
Re:It's funny. (Score:4, Interesting)
You pretty much have to produce content that follows an established formula or audiences won't like it.
Nonsense. Rogue One killed everyone off and was pretty dark, but the numerous Star Wars fans I personally know think it's one of the very best movies in the whole franchise. RT has it at #5 of 12 movies:
https://editorial.rottentomato... [rottentomatoes.com]
Re:It's funny. (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm not even that big of a fan and think Rogue One is one of the best in the franchise. It took a throw away line and told the story of the cost the rebellion paid to get the files.
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You pretty much have to produce content that follows an established formula or audiences^W shareholders won't like it.
FTFY
More Disappointing: Star Trek or Star Wars? (Score:2)
Geek battle GO!
I am torn. I'm continually disappointed by the evolution of Wars, but I never expect anything Trek to be any good in the first place.
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Tatooine 90210.
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next will be Jedi training school full of pointless teen angst.
Oh god, I fear you are right. I can hear it in my head already.
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> next will be Jedi training school full of pointless teen angst.
Wasn't that "The Acolyte"?
They lost me on this shit ages ago (Score:5, Interesting)
I watched The Mandalorian season 1 and enjoyed it.
I watched The Mandalorian season 2 and ... yeah, it was good but I was mildly disappointed in the whole "you should know these characters from other Star Wars media, otherwise they are mildly uninteresting side characters that everyone else is raving about for some reason" thing.
Then .... The Mandalorian season 3 - holy fuck. You had to actually watch an entirely different season of something else first in order to pick this one up, otherwise the ending to season 2 and the start of season 3 do not join up at all. Im out. Im not bouncing between different things just to maintain a hope in hell of understanding whats going on.
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I was like that with some of the Marvel properties. Fortunately I had my son Cliff to provide me with pertinent notes before we watched a thing.
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Well you're in luck because this movies is just like Mando Season 1. No references to any storyline at all, really. He's on a bounty hunt with Baby Yoda and that's all you need to know.
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So why go to the cinema to see that? I will just wait until it comes on streaming - their fuckery with season 3 has already lost my interest, so Im not going out of my way to see this.
IMDb says 7.1 after 25K reviews (Score:2)
Cute-minmaxxing (Score:1)
It kind of was... (Score:2)
The Movie was Fun but Inconsequential (Score:2)
I saw the movie. It was OK. The good guys win, the bad guys lose. Just a two hour episode of the series.
It was low stakes. There was no threat that something irreversable was going to happen. No one important was going to die. No climax.
The overall Star Wars story didn't move forward.
It was the movie equivalent of eating ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Disney (Score:2)
Only produces content that is fit for the c-suite and their budget. People can tell if a movie has been produced with money first in mind. The good movies have a heart and soul, that gets ripped out when movie execs rule. Disney is pretty gross when it comes to money and if you start to look around and get your head out of the magic it gets pretty disgusting.
What I love is (Score:2)
Myself, I watched the first season and gave up on it, later cancelling my Disney subscription. My wife wants to see it, I'll see The Grey Men at the same time then sit around and read
My son liked it (Score:1)
So good job Disney on targeting the next generation demographic