The numbers are in and Spider-Man 3 made $135 million US and $375 worldwide in just three days pretty much destroying any previous box office records. Marvel and Sony are probably dancing as we speak as by Wednesday the film and marketing will be paid off and the rest is just profits.
So what does this have to do with Transformers? Just to highlight why studios are looking for franchises and why Transformers was "modified" from their G1 origins. The goal is simply to make a movie that sells so well its like printing money. Bay and co would love for the movie to do this well so can claim king of the Summer '07.
Now that isn't likely to happen because Spider-Man 3 could only be this successful because 1 and 2 had done so well and was well received. Spider-Man is also proof that if you treat the source material with respect, try to weave a good story with good characters consistently, the audience will reward you for it.
However, having seen Spider-Man 3, I am thinking that this boffo weekend is going to take a dramatic nosedive starting next week. At least 65% due to mixed reviews and so-so fan reaction. The reality is 3 is just not as good as 1 and 2 and the audience will react accordingly. The bread and butter of big bank - repeat business and excellent word of mouth, will not have apply here which will damage the over all take but making close to a billion dollars off a movie is a success no matter what.
Transformers is already planned to be at least a trilogy, assuming the audience is there to support it. I personally hope it succeeds. Just remember the lessons of Spider-Man. Consistent quality characters told around a consistent good story from a cast and crew that believes in the universe they are playing in. The early bits of Transformers show that things are off to a get start. The final reviews will come in 2 months.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Everyone I talked to who saw Spider3 said they hated it. That is a big opening though.
ReplyDeleteThe only edge that (I hope) Transformers will have is that they are opening during a holiday. one of the biggest holidays in the country. So hopefully people will choose Transformers as a good way to spend their time off.
Spidey 3 was awesome. Not as good as 2, but waaaaaaaaaay better than part 1. I plan on seeing Sidey 3 again in the next week or so.
ReplyDeletetwibe
I don't know how well I liked SM3 because I saw it during the midnight 'sneak peak' and not sure if my feelings are from being tired or any other factors. I will also be seeing it again when possible.
ReplyDeleteA good film. Movies are gettign bigger and bigger. TF is up for some serious challenges!
ReplyDeleteI don't mind it losing out to SP3, Shrek, POTC etc. Just don't let it lose to FF2.
I love the two previus Spidey movies but a lot of people are talking that it sucs. Can't say anything until I see it for myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping that Transformers will shake the ground. The more popular it gets the more cartoons, sequels and comics we can expect
I actually love all of the Spidey movies I saw though. Screw the critics & hatred. The original cast & crew did the best they could. If it weren't for the demanded Venom fandom, Sam Raimi wouldn't even planned on squeezing Venom in like that in Spidey 3, and that would be perfect when they do introduce Eddie Brock, but he will revealed as the Venom at the very end for "to be continued for Spidey 4", hehe. Sandman is not considered villain enough, no thanks to changes of scripts. Poor Raimi. Lesson for all to learn = never give in to the fans. I'm glad Transformers is going how it is now, it looks real damn good. I'm planning to watch it more than once, like Spidey, hehe. I bet it will blow my mind totally! I don't mind if it's box office grossing looses out to Spidey, but just NOT to Pirates or Shrek PLEASE. -_-
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I can't wait for Transformers!! (only part I dislike is the re-design of ugly live StarScream :( he was supposed to be the most handsome Decepticon to me! oh well) It's my next anticipated movie after Spidey this year. :) CHEERS FOR TRANSFORMERS WHOOOOOOO!!
Anna Sagara^^x;v
ReplyDeleteSounds like Astroturf...
With Spiderman Raimi changed him from using his invented web shooters to having them as part of his spider powers. Oddly his body made silk does not come from the same body part as a real spider, which is a blessing. Raimi knew not to go that far. I'm sure it was to save some minutes off the film, having to explain making the web shooting devices. Or it's just some bug(spider?) up Raimi's ass.
ReplyDeleteBasically he took something that was popular and carried that essence into the movie. Motivations, relationships, and so on remained the same. He did good by a character that people liked. It's hard to fail when you take a success and continue it into a new medium.
I still don't get Bay's mind set. The idea that something is popular, so change everything, and people will come for the name. Make sense if you wanted to make a movie, AND to get bonus buzz take the name of some popular item, and a few of the concepts.
As long as it's okay with the 18-25 year old crowd it's okay. I would like thing realistic and close to the G1 look. But, I suspect I'm alone in that camp. Being in that camp where anything that restores some of the Transformers stoic good looks, I'm all for.
It's like the story about Rupert Murdoch wanting to purchase the Dow Jones company to add the brand name to, and bolster the image, of his new financial network he had planned. Since Dow Jones owns The Wall Street Journal, he wanted to buy them.
To this end he had a meeting with the people running The Wall Street Journal. He told them he loved it. He also said the stories were so long here never had time to finish them, and all these other things he'd change. Basically he did not like the paper. His motive was simple, purchase the paper for the built in customer base, whom he could lure to his new TV network, by using the name.
This idea is simple. Just keep the name the same and ride on the reputation, and hope the customers never notice. To the customer it would only seem as though The Wall Street Journal had started a TV network, and the some changes were made to the paper. These changes would be branded as "modernization." People don't want old stuff. Old = Bad.
Mr Murdoch has shown us a simple method to boost a new business. It's exactly what you can do with movies. Which is why there are so many movies made from old TV shows. Recall the very Brady Movie, Bewitched, Adams Family, Jetsons, Flintstones, ...
In each case there was a percentage of the original included. In Bay's case, for some reason, he opted not to give us much. Sure, it's the best movie of all time, and will spawn 10000 sequels and all. Nobody's going to debate that. But, it sure it not the Transformer movie I would have hoped for. It missed so much of the series, and what made it popular.
I feel sorry for him, clearly the Transformers was a subject he did not enjoy, it seems. He came into possession of something people like me would rather he did not. He could have had my money in any other case, except this one. No matter how much money this movie makes there will be people who feel a sense of loss that the Transformers were not honored as they should have been on the big screen, as we have been hoping for for so many years.
We are not kids. We are executives, professionals, well off, and highly compensated people. At least the people I have spoken to about this movie. It's a deep sad feeling that so much was missed that need not have been. That someone was making a movie of our heroes and they missed not only the hero's story, but their heroics. You can't make a movie about well known heroes and leave them out, leave out there deeds, and expect it to capture their charisma and essence.
Even fictional characters project a personality that gives us an impression about them. It tells us weather we'd like to hang with them, if we trust them, if we just don't like them, and so on. It's something beyond the first impressions. It instinctively allow us to know what a person, or character will do in a given situation. Once you have observed a character over time you could tell if they we're consistent or not.
My father had an amazing talent at knowing how a person or character would act, if consistent. He only saw 4, maybe 5, episodes of Transformers, that I know of. He knew there were sold characters there. Part of there character was projected by their look, he quickly pointed out. I didn't think much back in the 80's about it. But I did later, especially when my kids started watching.
The look is essential. If you see a well kept person with a nice suite you get the impression that they might be a professional or that they might make good money. If, however, you meet someone with greasy hair, rotten teeth, ragged clothes, and smalled bad, you might imagine they didn't have it all together. Which one would you allow you date your sister or little girl? Or, if you are a girl who would you date? This might explain why we don't hire homeless crack heads to star in movies. Brad Pitt's job is safe. Looks are important, as much as they project a sense if self respect, and character.
There was a completeness a wholeness to the characters and one of the elements was the look. They had clean neat lines. And every so often you'd catch one of the characters being vein or being teased about their looks, or being proud.
It will always be part of Optimus' leadership character to have that face plate. It completes his look. He would have completely lost all touch with his charisma to lose it. It's not like he has to breath or passes air from his lungs over vocal cords for his voice to work. Since a mouth is completely optional he does not need to have one.
What has changed so far, the Characters looks, personality, plot, names, various alt-modes, motivations, relationships, and much more. Only a few names remain, but attached to strangers. If Bay really liked the Transformers, would he have changed all this?
Personally, and unpopularly, I hope this movie will tank. I don't think it will, but I hope it does. Why? So that after about 5-10 more years there will be a new opportunity to honor the characters we enjoyed as we hoped and expected they would be. Bay has not met our expectation, and I doubt he would care in any case.
PS: Starscream looks like a triangle monkey robot, or some kind of flexible animated junk. WTF. I've seen better.
Chad said...
ReplyDelete"The only edge that (I hope) Transformers will have is that they are opening during a holiday. one of the biggest holidays in the country. So hopefully people will choose Transformers as a good way to spend their time off."
Edge? So Transformers, to you, is only about how much money is makes or how well it does at the box office? Is this a competition, Transforms vs Spiderman?
Sure, if Transformers does poorly it will dead-end as Superman Returns seems to have. If you want a second movie, you would want it to be a movie that will sell well. Spidey had the credit earned by the first 2 films. Transformers has not built up that credit yet, and has the same chance as Spidey 1.
Venom was not crammed into this new Spidey film by fan forces. That sure as hell ain't how it works. If it was crammed in there, then it was due to the almighty buck. The suites might have liked the idea. But it sure was not the fans, and it sure was not the fans over 13. Venom was cute, but in the end no that exciting.
So, Chad. Is it about how much your "team" makes, and it's important to beat the other team? That's cool. Such an idea might up tickets for both movies if most people thought that way.
In the end though, a good movie has nothing to do with how many tickets or how much dough it raked in. MacDonalds serves more meals than any fancy sit down restaurant, but that does not make it the best food.
Which is it? Since we don't get any of that money, do you care how much it makes? Do you want a good movie or one that makes tons of cash. Often you can't have both in the same film.