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[More_Badass]

Being a bad movie has never been a reason of failure. Terrible movies are earning movies all the time, whereas good movies are bombing also.

Correlating the quality of a movie and its sales is not sane. At least, correlate quality of marketing (and GITS marketing was bad) and sales.

I also have no opinion about the movie quality. I have just seen the trailer. Like everyone that skipped the movie.

Of course it has, is, and will be. Ask other genre flicks like John Carter and Fan4stic.

Not always the primary reason (people love seeing giant robots explode the crap out of eachother, story doesn't matter there) but poor trailers + poor reviews + poor word of mouth will kill a movie. So being a barely average action movie with boring action and nothing else besides some cool visuals didnt help it

 

[Skinpop]

So much hostility for a movie that was average at worst.

considering the source material is brilliant, being average is a disaster. it's not good enough for a GitS movie to be mediocre.

 

[Crocodile]

Just as a question. What is exactly the message that Hollywood should have gotten from the last two weeks?

Diverse casts work? There was just this political correct Power Rangers movie out, 100 million budget, stayed away from every scandal even changed the Black Ranger for that. Had okish reviews, fans liked it and it made less money that Ghost. Still not even its production budget back.

So that was not the message, then it is about that movies are too expensive I guess. So there was Life released, Sci-fi movie, 50 million budget, diverse cast, even some big names and it struggles to get its production costs back.

And there was Ghost in the Shell, which will make its production cost back by the end of the week and even make some money back, because honestly those numbers in the article are made up, just to make a point. The movie did a lot better in South Korea or pretty much any foreign country than XXX for example and suddenly should not even come close to that in China and Japan, just because.

So what is the message exactly? That not make any sci-fi movies?

Politically Correct Power Rangers? What are you talking about? The cast of Power Rangers, in America, has been ethnically diverse from the first season decades ago and "Black Dude = Black Ranger" hasn't been true from like the second season. My understanding was that the PR did decently in the US but even if it didn't, the cast would never be the problem since the casting has been that way since the inception of the series.

The message is obvious: While its unclear how much whitewashing will hurt a movie, there is NO evidence that it helps. It pleases nobody, pisses off a non-insignificant number of people and if you feel you HAVE to do it or else your movie won't sell, that should be a red flag that your film has other issues that need addressing.

As an aside, there has been plenty of evidence that diverse casts or movies with non-white leads can find a lot of success. Fast & Furious is perhaps the best example since that grew into a large franchise and didn't start as one. "Get Out" is the highest grossing debut movie based on an original screenplay ever. Neither diversity or white-washing is a guarantee of success (you still need a good movie, good marketing, good timing, etc.) but the former is both morally right and has found success many times. The later has basically found no success and plays into old-fashion racist thought processes.

 

[BronsonLee]

btw diverse casts do work, the XXX sequel has the most diverse main cast I've ever seen in a Hollywood film and it's doing way better than I thought it would've

 

[Haly]

Audiences really did Life a disservice by overlooking the diverse casting of Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Furgeson.

 

[jmood88]

btw diverse casts do work, the XXX sequel has the most diverse main cast I've ever seen in a Hollywood film and it's doing way better than I thought it would've

At the very least, it's yet another example that the "we have to cast a white lead to make money" bullshit is as dumb as it sounds, though I don't expect any executives to learn that lesson.

 

[lightskintwin]

No, of course. You have to add the fact that since the end of cold war, USA has basically won the cultural fight and propagate its own culture to the rest of the world.

ON one side, US public is US centric whereas the rest of the world is raised to adopt US way of life through cultural mimic (TV shows and movies., foods, clothes, etc)

Agreed. Especially music too. It's been one of America's greatest cultural exports and influences for over a century.

 

[kswiston]

btw diverse casts do work, the XXX sequel has the most diverse main cast I've ever seen in a Hollywood film and it's doing way better than I thought it would've

That was sort of a Warcraft situation though. 47% of the worldwide total came from China.

Domestic was a miss for XXX. Its total is only slightly higher than the first film's opening weekend from 15 years ago. $135M overseas outside of China isn't too bad, but not enough to justify the $85M price tag.

China's gross for XXX 3 was amazing, but the film rights were sold for a set price there. I'm not really sure how much Paramount received for the Chinese XXX rights, but it definitely wasn't the $40M that they would have earned if it was a profit sharing film.

If you get a fourth XXX film, it will be like Need for Speed 2, where the Chinese Audience is the entire point of the film's existence.

 

[BronsonLee]

At the very least, it's yet another example that the "we have to cast a white lead to make money" bullshit is as dumb as it sounds, though I don't expect any executives to learn that lesson.

True, but there are caveats, like th-

That was sort of a Warcraft situation though. 47% of the worldwide total came from China.

Domestic was a miss for XXX. Its total is only slightly higher than the first film's opening weekend from 15 years ago. $135M overseas outside of China isn't too bad, but not enough to justify the $85M price tag.

China's gross for XXX 3 was amazing, but the film rights were sold for a set price there. I'm not really sure how much Paramount received for the Chinese XXX rights, but it definitely wasn't the $40M that they would have earned if it was a profit sharing film.

If you get a fourth XXX film, it will be like Need for Speed 2, where the Chinese Audience is the entire point of the film's existence.

yeah all of this

It's weird though, Warcraft had all the white people in it, Need for Speed had all the white people in it, and XXX had two non-American white dudes in small supporting roles, the rest were all minorities

I still really dug Need for Speed btw, I want that sequel nowsterday

 

[Zoe]

Battle Angel Alita is $160 million???

Oh my god.

The filming window seemed really short too, so you know it's gonna be mostly CG.

 

[And_Gignac]

Eh. Personally, I believe this movie would of bombed regardless of who they cast. No one asked for this. It's niche.

Yeah. I believe this too. I am really glad the movie was made though. I loved it, specially Scarlet.

 

[Whompa02]

lol @ some people saying a non-white person would have saved this movie and "GOOD!" because it bombed.

the delirium never ends.

 

[OfTheOverflow]

Shame, I liked the movie for what it was. Rip any future anime adaptions.

 

[lightskintwin]

Eh. Personally, I believe this movie would of bombed regardless of who they cast. No one asked for this. It's niche.

As a 100+ million straight forward cyberpunk action blockbuster film, sure.

As a 30 to 40 million dollar deeply philosophical, character driven, police procedural whodunnit or mystery film in a cyberpunk setting? We'll never know, but it had a much better chance at a lower risk in finding an audience big enough to make it profitable.

 

[Blargonaut]

Is this from the manga? I didn't think it'd look so adorable and playful.

 

[YuriLowell]

considering the source material is brilliant, being average is a disaster. it's not good enough for a GitS movie to be mediocre.

I think Gits was brilliant in 1995 but alot of its ideas have been done to death in other mediums.

 

[Bronx-Man]

That was sort of a Warcraft situation though. 47% of the worldwide total came from China.

Domestic was a miss for XXX. Its total is only slightly higher than the first film's opening weekend from 15 years ago. $135M overseas outside of China isn't too bad, but not enough to justify the $85M price tag.

China's gross for XXX 3 was amazing, but the film rights were sold for a set price there. I'm not really sure how much Paramount received for the Chinese XXX rights, but it definitely wasn't the $40M that they would have earned if it was a profit sharing film.

If you get a fourth XXX film, it will be like Need for Speed 2, where the Chinese Audience is the entire point of the film's existence.

There's a Need for Speed 2?!

 

[lightskintwin]

I think Gits was brilliant in 1995 but alot of its ideas have been done to death in other mediums.

This too.

 

[Weebos]

I'm generally not into movies, but this one always seemed misguided to me.

What were they hoping to achieve by remaking GiTS with live action? Why would I watch this when I could watch the original?

 

[Ash735]

Another factor driving up Ghost‘s budget: Waiting for Johansson. Though she commited to play lead cyborg Major in January 2015, the Ghost production had to wait until November 2015 to start. Johansson almost dropped out (her reported payday is $10M-$12M) due to scheduling conflicts, but the studios were willing to wait. Whenever a film is delayed, costs incur.

And yet, she seemed bored and was the worst actor in this film, was the most complained about due to whitewashing, and was the cause of a delay.

HAH! They REALLY banked on her for this project didn't they.

 

[kswiston]

There's a Need for Speed 2?!

It was announced, but it's been awhile since we have had an update. So maybe?

China Movie Channel, Jiaflix Enterprises and 1905 Pictures are teaming up with EA Games to develop a sequel with the film to be set and shot in China.

http://variety.com/2015/film/asia/need-for-speed-sequel-electronic-arts-aaron-paul-1201468072/

 

[Skinpop]

I think Gits was brilliant in 1995 but alot of its ideas have been done to death in other mediums.

I don't think there is anything quite like SAC out there.

 

[Evilkazzzz]

This and if WW does worse than the average (Marvel) Superhero film, will really hurt female lead blockbusters going forward.

And I'm already betting Wonder Woman will end up doing maybe Cap 1/Thor 1 numbers instead of Ant Man/Suicide Squad numbers. That film's going to be releasing in a very competitive month.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Speed Racer
Astroboy
Ghost in the Shell

Well at least Cameron'll save the day with Battle Angel... right?

Speed Racer was liked and sold really well on bluray though.

 

[BocoDragon]

I'm generally not into movies, but this one always seemed misguided to me.

What were they hoping to achieve by remaking GiTS with live action? Why would I watch this when I could watch the original?

Ask the millions of people who saw The Jungle Book or Beauty and the Beast.

 

[LizardKing]

Because it's a very out and proud Cyberpunk film. Cyberpunk films with that style being front and center (Blade Runner, Dredd, Tron Legacy) have always bombed. It only really works in cases like The Matrix and the original Robocop where it looks like an action film with sci-fi influences.

Could it have been successful with an Asian lead? I don't know. But there's a historical precedent for movies of this style and genre doing badly.

Tron Legacy was a huge success.

 

[BronsonLee]

Tron Legacy was a huge success.

As much as I wish that was true, nah

Speed Racer was liked and sold really well on bluray though.

Speed Racer bombed goddamn hard in theaters

 

[LizardKing]

As much as I wish that was true, nah



Speed Racer bombed goddamn hard in theaters

Ok just success. It made 400 million. It did well even if Disney hoped for more. Even with the mixed reception.

Anyway this movie bombed for the reason any other movie bombs. It was an unknown property that just didn't sell itself very well and poor word of mouth. Shit when it was first announced I thought I'd be there weekend one. But then I saw the trailers and was just like "eh." It just doesn't look all that interesting despite the fact that dystopian movies are my fetish. Scarjo running around in spandex is just not enough.

 

[Dash_Riprock]

Speed Racer was liked and sold really well on bluray though.

It bombed in theaters and the only people I see even mentioning it nowadays are a few weirdos on GAF.

 

[wazoo]

It earned 18M on first week end for a budget of 120M$. Sounds familiar ?

 

[Warm Machine]

I really think people hate science fiction or futuristic films except for Star Wars or Marvel fare. Watch Valerian do a massive tank as well.

 

[More_Badass]

I really think people hate science fiction or futuristic films except for Star Wars or Marvel fare. Watch Valerian do a massive tank as well.

Edge of Tomorrow
Arrival
Ex Machina
Minority Report
The Martian
Interstellar
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Godzilla
Gravity
Looper
Chronicle
...

 

[Ogodei]

It's a bad movie, that's the core of the problem. I don't think it's that niche given the prevalence it's had on Toonami/Adult Swim's late-nite. Niche, sure, but a hell of a lot less niche than Guardians of the Galaxy was before 2013.

 

[Toparaman]

Ask the millions of people who saw The Jungle Book or Beauty and the Beast.

The Jungle Book wasn't a scene-by-scene remake. What killed my interest in the live-action GitS was seeing how closely it was hewing to the original movie. It made the movie seem like a pointless exercise; why wouldn't I just watch the original?

 

[GhaleonEB]

Edge of Tomorrow
Arrival
Ex Machina
Minority Report
The Martian
Interstellar
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Godzilla
Gravity
Looper
Chronicle
...

And a little movie called Avatar.

 

[Litan]

And a little movie called Avatar

The Last Airbender.

 

[DryEyeRelief]

Ghost in the Shell will probably make a 200 million profit, so that should not kill either of these movies.

.

 

[Infernostew]

I don't think there is anything quite like SAC out there.

It probably would've been better just to take a story from SAC and adapt it. Jungle Cruise would've been awesome.

 

[kswiston]

Deadline's box office estimates ended up being too optimistic for Ghost in the Shell. $50M domestic, $50M China. and $200M worldwide isn't happening.

The actual figures will be $40-42M domestic, $30M China, and $170-175M worldwide. Bump up those losses by another $10M.

 

[BitStyle]

Deadline's box office estimates ended up being too optimistic for Ghost in the Shell. $50M domestic, $50M China. and $200M worldwide isn't happening.

The actual figures will be $40-42M domestic, $30M China, and $170-175M worldwide. Bump up those losses by another $10M.

Damn shame this movie was planned and executed so poorly. There is no hope for proper Hollywood anime adaptations

 

[teh_pwn]

Tried to see it last night spontaneously but it was only airing once in 3 theaters in greater North Austin. Theaters quickly dropping it for fast and furious 23.

 

[kewlmyc]

Deadline's box office estimates ended up being too optimistic for Ghost in the Shell. $50M domestic, $50M China. and $200M worldwide isn't happening.

The actual figures will be $40-42M domestic, $30M China, and $170-175M worldwide. Bump up those losses by another $10M.

Is this the nail in the coffin for Hollywood anime adaptions? All of them have underperformed so far.


Well, I guess Edge of Tomorrow didn't, but the average viewer had no idea that is was based off an anime and they didn't advertise it as such.

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

Deadline's box office estimates ended up being too optimistic for Ghost in the Shell. $50M domestic, $50M China. and $200M worldwide isn't happening.

The actual figures will be $40-42M domestic, $30M China, and $170-175M worldwide. Bump up those losses by another $10M.

Damn, I thought it would have reached $200M worldwide for sure.
I'd like to think that Hollywood will learn the right lessons from this but... Probably not.

 

[kswiston]

Damn, I thought it would have reached $200M worldwide for sure.
I'd like to think that Hollywood will learn the right lessons from this but... Probably not.

No one was predicting a 97% second weekend drop in China. It hit the brick wall that was Fate of the Furious there.

 

[s_mirage]

Is this the nail in the coffin for Hollywood anime adaptions?

Alita: Battle Angel is in production, and with a $200 million budget it has the potential to be a colossal bomb unless it's very good and/or very well marketed. There's also the new Akira adaptation, and given Ghost's failure it'll be interesting to see how they approach that. I don't think it's got any more mainstream recognition than GitS.

 

[Graphics Horse]

Is this the nail in the coffin for Hollywood anime adaptions? All of them have underperformed so far.

Well, I guess Edge of Tomorrow didn't, but the average viewer had no idea that is was based off an anime and they didn't advertise it as such.

Everyone told me EoT was based on a book 🤔

 

[Ridley327]

Alita: Battle Angel is in production, and with a $200 million budget it has the potential to be a colossal bomb unless it's very good and/or very well marketed. There's also the new Akira adaptation, and given Ghost's failure it'll be interesting to see how they approach that. I don't think it's got any more mainstream recognition than GitS.

There's also the upcoming Death Note on Netflix, which I think has a more mid-range budget compared to those films. There's also that tale of Lionsgate wanting to do a Naruto film, which I can't imagine would be a cheap film and their recent string of blockbuster bombs may scare them away from the idea for good.

 

[kswiston]

Everyone told me EoT was based on a book 🤔

It was based on a book. As far as I know, they never even made an animated version. Just Edge of Tomorrow.

 

[dan2026]

Exactly how much did they pay Johansson for this movie?

 

[tearsintherain]

Exactly how much did they pay Johansson for this movie?

$17.5m upfront, probably backend fees as well but since the movie will likely never be profitable that won't come up.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ses-they-still-make-less-than-the-top-actors/