New Star Wars Movie Falls to #3 Behind Two Movies Directed By YouTube Stars (variety.com) 92
Disney's Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu "suffered a catastrophic 70% drop in its second weekend," reports Variety, suggesting the movie isn't finding audiences "beyond an aging group of core fans."
"Despite playing on far more screens, The Mandalorian and Grogu landed in third place on weekend charts behind Backrooms and Obsession." (described as "two buzzy horror films.") Suprisingly, both movies were directed by 20-something YouTube stars, "and cost nearly nothing to produce." Analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations tells Variety, "We knew indie horror was hot, but we didn't know how hot. It's actually competing with the big summer blockbuster." Directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, "Backrooms" has earned $118 million globally so far... With a production budget of roughly $10 million, it's already one of the most profitable movies of the year. Though a sequel hasn't been announced, Parsons has already started toying with the idea of turning "Backrooms" into a film franchise... [The "Backrooms" premise seems to have originated on 4chan, then expanded in a YouTube video Parsons filmed when he was 16.] "Backrooms" also ranked as the biggest debut in history for original horror, as well as the best start for a first-time filmmaker on a non-franchise film. Parsons is the youngest director, by far, to have the No. 1 film at the box office. Based on Parsons' hit web series, "Backrooms" follows a furniture store owner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who finds a secret doorway that leads him to a seemingly endless stretch of nondescript rooms. When he disappears, his therapist (Renate Reinsve) ventures into the unknown to rescue him.
Nearly 85% of audiences were under the age of 35, and more than 50% were 25 or younger, according to PostTrak data. Parsons and [26-year-old Obsession director/writer Curry] Barker are part of a wave of YouTubers who have turned their talents to the big screen — and brought their enormous, youthful fanbases along with them. Earlier this year, YouTube creator Mark Fischback directed, self-financed and distributed the horror film "Iron Lung," which earned a stellar $50 million against a $3 million budget.
What's all the more impressive is that "Backrooms" and "Obsession" aren't cannibalizing each other at the box office. In fact, "Obsession" rose 10% from the prior weekend, which was already up a stunning 39% from its solid $17 million debut. It's defying box office norms as the first film since "E.T. The Extraterrestrial" in 1982 to see ticket sales increase in its second and third weekends outside of the holiday season, according to Focus. After three weekends of release, "Obsession" has grossed $106 million domestically and $148 million worldwide against a mere $1 million production budget.
The first-weekend box office for The Mandalorian and Grogu was the worst since 2002's Attack of the Clones, but then it's second-weekend drop in sales was also the largest ever, reports ScreenRant. The next-worst drop in sales (for a second weekend) was 2017's The Last Jedi, they point out, but The Last Jedi was dropping from a 2.5x larger debut. Their article suggests The Mandalorian/Grogu box office "may not ever hit a total large enough for the titular duo to return to the big screen," although it could eventually show a profit. "While it likely won't break even in theaters, it will earn additional revenue from merchandising on top of its impending streaming, video on demand, and physical media releases."
Variety adds that Disney "is hoping that next summer's Star Wars: Starfighter, an original adventure directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, serves as a fresh start for the franchise."
"Despite playing on far more screens, The Mandalorian and Grogu landed in third place on weekend charts behind Backrooms and Obsession." (described as "two buzzy horror films.") Suprisingly, both movies were directed by 20-something YouTube stars, "and cost nearly nothing to produce." Analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations tells Variety, "We knew indie horror was hot, but we didn't know how hot. It's actually competing with the big summer blockbuster." Directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, "Backrooms" has earned $118 million globally so far... With a production budget of roughly $10 million, it's already one of the most profitable movies of the year. Though a sequel hasn't been announced, Parsons has already started toying with the idea of turning "Backrooms" into a film franchise... [The "Backrooms" premise seems to have originated on 4chan, then expanded in a YouTube video Parsons filmed when he was 16.] "Backrooms" also ranked as the biggest debut in history for original horror, as well as the best start for a first-time filmmaker on a non-franchise film. Parsons is the youngest director, by far, to have the No. 1 film at the box office. Based on Parsons' hit web series, "Backrooms" follows a furniture store owner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who finds a secret doorway that leads him to a seemingly endless stretch of nondescript rooms. When he disappears, his therapist (Renate Reinsve) ventures into the unknown to rescue him.
Nearly 85% of audiences were under the age of 35, and more than 50% were 25 or younger, according to PostTrak data. Parsons and [26-year-old Obsession director/writer Curry] Barker are part of a wave of YouTubers who have turned their talents to the big screen — and brought their enormous, youthful fanbases along with them. Earlier this year, YouTube creator Mark Fischback directed, self-financed and distributed the horror film "Iron Lung," which earned a stellar $50 million against a $3 million budget.
What's all the more impressive is that "Backrooms" and "Obsession" aren't cannibalizing each other at the box office. In fact, "Obsession" rose 10% from the prior weekend, which was already up a stunning 39% from its solid $17 million debut. It's defying box office norms as the first film since "E.T. The Extraterrestrial" in 1982 to see ticket sales increase in its second and third weekends outside of the holiday season, according to Focus. After three weekends of release, "Obsession" has grossed $106 million domestically and $148 million worldwide against a mere $1 million production budget.
The first-weekend box office for The Mandalorian and Grogu was the worst since 2002's Attack of the Clones, but then it's second-weekend drop in sales was also the largest ever, reports ScreenRant. The next-worst drop in sales (for a second weekend) was 2017's The Last Jedi, they point out, but The Last Jedi was dropping from a 2.5x larger debut. Their article suggests The Mandalorian/Grogu box office "may not ever hit a total large enough for the titular duo to return to the big screen," although it could eventually show a profit. "While it likely won't break even in theaters, it will earn additional revenue from merchandising on top of its impending streaming, video on demand, and physical media releases."
Variety adds that Disney "is hoping that next summer's Star Wars: Starfighter, an original adventure directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, serves as a fresh start for the franchise."
I'm just not interested in more Star Wars (Score:5, Insightful)
I saw three Star Wars movies when I was young. They were great. Mainly because I was a child and this stuff was new and fresh and exciting to me. Even the Ewoks.
I saw three more when I was not quite so young. They were... poor.
I saw a couple more when I was older. One was great, the other was okay but a retread of one of the old ones, and I never got round to seeing the rest. Didn't care enough.
Now they've got more, and apparently they're based on a TV series they did, which I didn't watch because I wasn't subscribed to that streaming platform at the time. So I'm not going to see those either. Same reason I've not seen a Marvel superhero film since the first Avengers one - just too much homework required with all the backstory. Every scene is a shout out or reference that I won't get. Every character seems to be getting ever louder and angrier and more and more of them have access to time machines. I just don't have it in me to care anymore.
I like the sound of these horror films, though. They're going to tell a complete story? In one film? With a beginning, middle and end, that don't ask me to be up to date on an entire Cinematic Universe? Sounds great, time to check where they're showing!
Re:I'm just not interested in more Star Wars (Score:4, Interesting)
The original star wars movies had many elements that drew in audiences at the time, including a plot about a mystical force that was guiding a new hero on a path to save the galaxy from overwhelmingly oppressive tyranny. The events were significant and the family-tie shockers injected some drama and so they were good.
But "Star Wars: The Last Flop" lost the thread. Instead of a plot that was even more epic and had even more galactic significance, it just doubled-down on the family drama and kind of lumbered around, getting us nowhere new. There was plenty more to dislike in terms of how they ruined character arks and pushed a political agenda that did not sit well with much of the audience.
Ever since then, the franchise has been sliding downhill. I read summaries of the other movies and shows and they all sounded equivalently vapid. I think I am not alone in this opinion.
Re: (Score:2)
Be careful what you wish for. Increasing the stakes ever higher is not a winning move either. I seem to recall a plucky little show called SG-1 that was amazingly entertaining while constantly saving the Earth, then saving the Galaxy, then saving *another* galaxy, then saving the Universe, then playing with the fabric of Time and Sp
Re: (Score:2)
But "Star Wars: The Last Flop" lost the thread. Instead of a plot that was even more epic and had even more galactic significance, it just doubled-down on the family drama and kind of lumbered around, getting us nowhere new.
Not entirely true. We got improved light speed tech that could take off from inside the loading bay of a freighter and stop right above the surface of a "planet".
Re: I'm just not interested in more Star Wars (Score:2)
They *can* be good, theyâ(TM)ve just not been well executed.
Rogue one and Solo were both almost good, Season one of Mandolorian was pretty good. I know many a nerd who is non middle aged white male who like some other stuff, and thatâ(TM)s important to me, too. Star trek is similar.
At least firefly is coming back.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
They lost me at the lava battle.
I do hear I'm missing out on Andor.
Re: (Score:3)
They lost me at the lava battle.
I do hear I'm missing out on Andor.
Yup, you summed up the problem. The movies Disney put out in recent years were not good movies, and the fan base became alienated. They wrote off the movies and didn't watch or pay attention
So Disney can put out a decent Star Wars movie or show, and many just won't watch it.
In this case, my analysis is that trying to have a mute puppet who seems to mostly reach for things carry the movie couldn't get enough traction. So people willing to take a look on the first weekend saw it, went "Okay", and that was
Re: (Score:3)
Critic reviews suggest it's not a bad movie at all, but I'll wait for it to come on streaming. Not really interested in going to the cinema these days.
There have been some duds from Disney, like most of The Mandalorian after season 1, Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka... Giving the fans what they claim to want is usually a recipe for disaster, and it shows with those. But also the fans for SW (and at least half the Trek fans) are extremely toxic and tend to ruin anything that is actually good. Andor seems to be an
Re: (Score:2)
Critic reviews suggest it's not a bad movie at all, but I'll wait for it to come on streaming.
It might be a wonderful film. But relating to what I said, I'm not going to see it.
There have been some duds from Disney, like most of The Mandalorian after season 1, Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka... Giving the fans what they claim to want is usually a recipe for disaster, and it shows with those.
The critic/fans I follow. were liking Mandalorian 1 Didn't like the book of Boba Fett, and were mixed on Ahsoka, a number said it was walking, walking, walking, and thought Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka was okay except that the fight scenes seemed too choreographed and slow. I know a lot of Fans were looking forward to Ahsoka were looking forward to that adaptation, since there wouldn't be sex or race swapping, Which when a pers
Re: (Score:2)
I will note that you apparently believe that fans of SW and ST want to have something they loved torn down and destroyed.
Come on, don't do that. This narrative that somehow the new stuff is retroactively ruining your childhood, that it's specifically designed as an insult to your fandom... That's toxic.
Last Jedi is a good example of that. Some people complain that Luke isn't a Marty Stu anymore, he's not just waiting to be unleashed and go defeat the First Order with a laser sword. That would have been a terrible movie. How unsatisfying would it be that all the Rebels needed to do was find the guy who saved them last time, so
Re: (Score:2)
Some people complain that Luke isn't a Marty Stu anymore, he's not just waiting to be unleashed and go defeat the First Order with a laser sword. That would have been a terrible movie. How unsatisfying would it be that all the Rebels needed to do was find the guy who saved them last time, so he could do the same thing again. It would also prove again that the only people who matter are Skywalkers, everyone else is just waiting for them to resolve their issues.
I would argue Luke was never a Marty Stu - he was impatient, whiny, in love with his sister, made dumb choices (but lucked out of them or was saved by a friend). Rey is much more of a Mary Sue, in that she doesn't even require training by Yoda to become a master with the force.
But there could have been a much more interesting arc to Luke's story movies 7-9 could have explored that did not require a rehash. Once the head of the Empire is defeated, it's not really 'over;' there's still many leaders who are
Re: (Score:3)
Disney is the dumbest of manipulators. They find a trigger and they push it, and when they see it working they make it their whole identity and just keep pushing it. When baby-yoda-we-didn't-know-was-named-grogu-yet used a force power for the first time it was neato because of the reveal. But after that it's just too convenient. This is a problem star wars had always had. Force powers become easier or harder to use when it's necessary for the plot. Problem is, the modern writers aren't smart enough to figur
Re: (Score:2)
Re:I'm just not interested in more Star Wars (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:I'm just not interested in more Star Wars (Score:5, Funny)
Very similar here.
Somebody said the new movie has a fifty year old baby as a main character which is supposedly their key demographic.
Re: (Score:1)
They jumped the shark with Jedi.
Fuck the Ewoks.
Re: I'm just not interested in more Star Wars (Score:2)
Re: I'm just not interested in more Star Wars (Score:3)
We'll have them fight the Cardassians. No, not those Kardashians.
Streaming different than theaters (Score:4, Insightful)
I grew up going to theatre on a pretty regular basis with friends. But today, it pretty much requires something special, something that is spectacular on IMAX. Things like "Project Hail Mary". Otherwise, wait for it to show up on streaming.
I hope Star Wars: Starfighter will be spectacular on IMAX.
Re: (Score:3)
It's gonna be directed by Shawn Levy, who makes pablum for the masses, so it'll be exactly like the Grogu movie. Making a buck with predictable crap and stretching the IP
cost nearly nothing to produce? (Score:2)
Re:cost nearly nothing to produce? (Score:4, Interesting)
The movie makers built a 30,000 sq ft labyrinth of apparently random corridors and chambers, all carpeted, fluorescent lit and decorated in the same sickly yellow wallpaper on soundstages in Vancouver.
The maze-like sets were reportedly so realistic that some crew members got disoriented navigating through them during filming.
Re: (Score:2)
it didn't do well, but I liked him in Redbelt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
(it's more a "noir" evocative thing than a fighting movie)
A beautiful resurgence (Score:1)
Now that Hollywood has calcified into old-guard money and thinking, YouTube has become a great laboratory for filmmakers to hone their craft. Perhaps Disney will let a YouTube director have a crack at the next Star Wars movie?
Re: A beautiful resurgence (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
And they'll have to pay more for it than . . . nothing for another rehash of a franchise they already own.
Re: (Score:2)
Disney isn't going to let anyone do stuff with Star Wars or any of their properties.
Same thing with Bond, now that Amazon owns it all.
Star Wars should've ended with the McGregor/Jackson ones (and, most definitely not had JarJar, or rewrote 'who shot first').
Re: A beautiful resurgence (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Jar jar was supposed to turn out to be a sith lord, a mirror of yoda but they chickened out. It would have been great if they hadn't, and a plot twist as good as in the original trilogy.
IIRC, Jar Jar was key in the Senate's voting for the Empire to go to war. So he sort of accomplished what the Sith Lord incarnation would have.
Re: A beautiful resurgence (Score:5, Interesting)
The jokes about Darth Jar Jar were everywhere of course, but it could have worked. Star Wars lifted a few ideas from classic SF sources including Asimov's Foundation series - in which, we might recall, the terrifying, unstoppable galactic warlord known as The Mule was hiding in plain sight as a clown, who seemed to be merely a harmless entertainer at court. His military success was chiefly thanks to his psychic ability to manipulate others' minds to his liking - Darth Jar Jar could have done very well that way!
Re: (Score:2)
Honestly, I didn't know that... that could've been interesting. Jar Jar starts as a supporter of Jedis, and later on does the whole Dark Side transition... done right, he could've been as terrifying as the Mouth Of Sauron, or even worse.
But, to just shove a character into the universe, then just vanish them, that's just bad practice.
Unfortunately, that kind of thing is becoming the new 'norm' in movies today.
That'd be like deciding to continue the original Master And Commander movie, but you replace the Ca
Re: (Score:2)
But, to just shove a character into the universe, then just vanish them, that's just bad practice.
George Lucas said he was supposed to be the comic relief character. Outside of that, the character is pointless. The problem is he wasn't funny, he was just an annoying CG version of drinkypoo.
Though I was never into starwars, so I don't know what appeals to starwars fans. The only thing that was interesting about the whole series was that it started Harrison Ford's career, and he's made a lot of very good movies since then. From what I understand, he cares as much about it as I do.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, if you're not a Star Wars fan (I know Star Trek fans are Trekkies, what are Star Wars fans? Warries?), what're you doing on this post?
Ahh... and now, you're comparing a movie character to someone on here... do you have the swingin' pair to email the admins about them?
Didn't think so.
So, you're not reporting them, not emailing admins... but, you're trying to call them out as being equals as far as Jar Jar's stupidity... drinkypoo is much more intelligent than that.
Or, are you _yet_ another rsilvergun
Re: (Score:2)
So, you're not reporting them, not emailing admins... but, you're trying to call them out as being equals as far as Jar Jar's stupidity... drinkypoo is much more intelligent than that.
Why exactly would someone "report" Drinkypoo?
He annoys some people. So do I. So does Armored Dragon, and ahem, you post ain't sunshine and puppy dogs. No one is doing anything that would get them kicked or even a stern talking to.
Relax a little, maybe enjoy an adult beverage or herb of your liking. Thoughts and prayers!
Re: (Score:2)
Well, if you're not a Star Wars fan (I know Star Trek fans are Trekkies, what are Star Wars fans? Warries?), what're you doing on this post?
Well yes, I would be a trekkie. I don't know what starwars fans are, maybe jedists? But what got my interest in this story is the fact that Disney lost to not one but TWO indie films, despite how much they spent on the movie. Shit, they probably exceeded the budgets of both films combined on just marketing and promoting their movie.
Having said that, I don't believe "loud, annoying and stupid" is a valid reason to report somebody. If it was, I'd have done it already.
And the South Park guys had their own take
Re: (Score:2)
George Lucas said he was supposed to be the comic relief character. Outside of that, the character is pointless. The problem is he wasn't funny, he was just an annoying CG version of drinkypoo.
Sonavabeotch, you owe me a new keyboard, man! My soda went all over it when I read that.
+5 for making me snort! 8^)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Disney isn't going to let anyone do stuff with Star Wars or any of their properties. Same thing with Bond, now that Amazon owns it all.
Star Wars should've ended with the McGregor/Jackson ones (and, most definitely not had JarJar, or rewrote 'who shot first').
I think that the core problem is that Disney is a terrible fit for Star Wars in any form.
Star Wars was Space Cowboy Epic,
Disney excels at making Disney Princesses.
Both are legitimate, but it is really difficult to make a space cowboy movie when your talent is princesses.
Re: (Score:3)
Now that Hollywood has calcified into old-guard money and thinking, YouTube has become a great laboratory for filmmakers to hone their craft. Perhaps Disney will let a YouTube director have a crack at the next Star Wars movie?
You are correct, Youtube doesn't have teh present day constraints Disney does.
As for allowing a Youtuber get involved, maybe. After all they put Harvey Weinstein's secretary with no experience direct "The Acolyte" flop, so if a Youtuber with the proper political beliefs who is willing to take on the fans surfaces, they might just hire them.
Re: (Score:2)
Long-forgotten prequel to the Iron Sky, the magnificent Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning was way much more fun than the sw sequels.
No Disney needed.
Mandalorian & Grogu was a good movie (Score:2)
It wasn't a big theatre-experience movie, it was more like a handful of really good television episodes strung together.
In that sense, it was both a good movie and deserved the bad reviews it got.
Re: (Score:2)
it was more like a handful of really good television episodes strung together
My family enjoyed the movie, but it really made no difference in the Star Wars universe or even the Mandalorian's plot. It is basically a stand-alone monster-of-the-week episode, with little prior knowledge of the Mandalorian required (which was probably intended to make it more accessible to people who haven't watched the series).
Ebert, my favorite movie critic, once said about a movie something like: 'if it were raining, and you stumbled into the theater to avoid the rain and watched this film, it would
Risk (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Absolutely... there was the originals, then the newish three (McGregor/JarJar... they weren't too bad, but they were obviously catered to a specific audience)... should've been left at that.
If Mandalorian got into a lot of backstory, it'd be interesting, but not groundbreaking (never watched it).
Same with properties like Harry Potter or the whole One Ring series... if they turned Harry into a big series (I know they did a LOTR series), what more can you realistically do to advance the story? If they did Si
Rogue One, Andor, ... (Score:4, Interesting)
There is a point where making another remake is riskier than making something new. We passed that point 15 movies ago.
Rogue One was actually good, a worthy companion of episodes IV and V.
As for the companion streaming series, Andor, IMHO it was amazingly good and a worthy companion to the above three movies.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Rogue One was actually good, a worthy companion of episodes IV and V.
That movie made barely any sense to me. All I really remember about it is the death star blew up a bunch of planets while the rebels smuggled out its secret vulnerability, and a CG Carrie Fisher at the end. I felt like I was watching Mortal Kombat 2 -- just a bunch of action scenes with very little story telling.
Re: (Score:2)
I agree with you.
Is it too much to ask for a single adult-themed Star Wars sub-franchise with minimal puppets?
I really enjoyed the politicking around the birth of the rebellion.
Re: (Score:2)
Stop beating a dead horse (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
They probably should have done with starwars what they did with battlestar galactica. I never saw the original, though from what I understand, the fans of the original were annoyed by some PC shit like making Starbuck a female, which I get because it's annoying when they really change a character you liked. But the new one was great regardless -- I liked Starbuck's character a lot, it, it would be weird to go back and watch the original with her as a man -- but it was a big success regardless of what the fa
There were only three movies. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
https://xkcd.com/566/ [xkcd.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Really man? You are going to vaunt "Return of the Jedi" above all later Star Wars movies?
haters put me off star wars (Score:1)
haters put me off star wars, I don't feel like watching any more if they say it's all bad..
It says a lot more about the industry in general (Score:3)
But some common sense needs to be brought in here. Most people over 35 right now are trying to figure out how to pay their mortgage and credit cards. Gas is $5+/gal, and a lot of people are a bit frustrated with life. That's a totally different place than a bunch of college kids or just out college kids that are still not living in reality and watching their favorite influencers for hours a day.
Re: (Score:2)
When I saw a baby yoda... (Score:2)
When I saw a clip of a baby Yoda slinging the force around willy nilly I realized that Lucasfilm had literally no clue about their own lore any more and had just compromised the whole concept of the force worse than even midi-chlorians ever did. The force requires both discipline and Purpose. They compromised the whole concept of the force for a cheap sight gag.
Besides, the whole story line blowing Boba Fett up into an anti-hero and then building a whole race around the concept was just another case of th
Re: (Score:2)
Grogu is already 50 years old so that might explain his powers.
Re: (Score:2)
Grogu is already 50 years old so that might explain his powers.
Yeah? So how come he never speaks and has the language comprehension of a 3-year-old?
Re: When I saw a baby yoda... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It makes sense that a long-lived species would take longer to develop
So then what is the point of Yoda being immensely old? Is he basically 63 in Yoda years?
Re: When I saw a baby yoda... (Score:2)
It should have been a full season (Score:2)
the "core fans"? (Score:5, Insightful)
"...the movie isn't finding audiences "beyond an aging group of core fans.""
Aren't these the core fans they basically told to go fuck themselves?
They rebranded the entire Expanded Universe as 'non canonical' so they could re-write and sell their new shit. Churn out committee-designed scripts set up to "maximize marketing opportunities" and expect nobody to notice.
Trivializing genuine criticism as racists, homophobes, alt-right, or some easily-dismissed 'engineered' ingenuous complaints. Even something as simple as fight-choreography has gotten dumber.
Rey as the lead of the series is a stupidly written Mary Sue girlboss. Challenges? None. Character development? None. Dramatic Stakes? None. ... Wasted.
Invented powers every other film to conveniently solve incompetent writers ending up in corners.
Finn could have been a REALLY interesting character
Tell me Rose Tico didn't practically have a "Asian placeholder" card around her neck, with her irrelevant go-nowhere subplot of nothingness?
Genre, beloved characters mainly got shit on before being spun out - dead, depressed, or bitter hermits.
https://www.seanpcarlin.com/st... [seanpcarlin.com]
Re: the "core fans"? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The people who did what you describe have nothing to do with the current film. The current film is an iteration of a streaming show that has precisely zero of the things (including the characters) you describe and was much loved by the fans.
The new trilogy movies were utter trash in every possible way, but that didn't eliminate the core fans - there was much to love and much has been loved in the star was franchise after those steaming three turds.
Re: (Score:2)
They didn't really have any choice with the extended universe, because a) it's mostly shit, and I mean like really, really, fan fic level shit, and b) even most of the older fans haven't read it and wouldn't know what the hell was going on.
When they have tried to bring elements of it in, like Thrawn, it's become immediately apparent what a terrible idea that was. If you look at the only good bits of the new shows and movies, they have been the ones that were not just toy commercials or fan service. Rogue On
Re: the "core fans"? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Thrawn is just a bad idea. Yet another guy who is destined for something, born special. A generic Empire baddie with no interesting traits or character arc.
Contrast with, say, Gul Dukat from Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Both are Space Fascists, but unlike Dukat, Thrawn isn't likeable and only views his actions as necessary, not morally right. His interactions with the heroes are only as an opponent, a simple villain who they must defeat. His personality is paper thin.
DS9 is some of the best Trek ever made, be
Re: the "core fans"? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I can't dissect her shitty character non-arc any better than Matthew Kadish from Medium did in his 8000-word annihilation of a poorly written, poorly conceived, poorly executed Mary Sue.
And...Grogu is literally nothing BUT a toy commercial.
https://medium.com/@matthewkad... [medium.com]
"Since a Mary Sue is partially defined by her ability to upstage all other characters she shares a scene with, regardless of those characters previously established skills and abilities, let us look at how Rey does this to other characters
Re: (Score:2)
That list just proves the point. Finn isn't trying to beat her, he's trying to diffuse the situation. She can't fly the Millennium Falcon better than Han, in fact the first thing she does is crash it into the ground. At no point does she ever demonstrate particularly good piloting skills, unlike Luke who goes from shooting womp rats to taking down a heavily fortifies Death Star in about a week.
I can't be bothered to go through every point, and I'm not disputing some bad writing decisions, but she is in no w
Uhhhhhh (Score:3)
> and cost nearly nothing to produce
> budget of $10M
Hollywood is seriously fucked in the head
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
How so? You know making a feature movie involves more than putting your phone down on the park bench, twerking and uploading the footage to Tiktok along with a 5 second snippet of a popular song right?
novel marketing technique (Score:3)
Remember when wrestlers used to pretend to have real life beef to attract audience attention?
the staff of these two movies have been having what looks to my eyes to be completely manufactured twitter drama right now, but it's kind of leading to a pretty reasonable conversation about the routes people take into the industry.
my legit guess is that a lot of people who hadn't heard about Obsession did so because of this drama. I cynically expect marketers to try this on again regularly.
Core fans? (Score:2)
Re: Core fans? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
This is more a betrayal of their core fans in favor of the mythical 'more fans.'
Lacking substance is not a betrayal of the core fans. Gaslighting, changing the world, retconning, that would be a betrayal (you remember the new trilogy? think that!). By all accounts this was just a bit of a "meh" nothing of a story. No one was betrayed, but no one actually pleased either.
Pay again for streaming content? (Score:2)
After Disney burned the franchise to the ground... (Score:2)
Maybe that's not the main goal (Score:2)
Whilst they probably would like as many viewers as possible, they probably have other goals in mind.
I'm guessing that merchandise sales and leading people to take up Disney+ subscriptions is the main goal and I'd be interested to see what their numbers are for both of those. It could be surprisingly good or it could be similarly lackluster.
New Disney starwars? (Score:2)
There is a new disneystarwars movie out?
They really cannot seem to stop beating a long and very dead horse...
They will never make their billions of dollars in investments back on this one. George is laughing all the way to the bank.
Star Wars is Dead, Leave It That Way (Score:1)
Re: Star Wars is Dead, Leave It That Way (Score:2)