Star Wars 8 pushed back

[lockedoutlogic]

bumped from May to December 2017...

I had a feeling this was gonna happen when "rewrite" started popping up last week...

I think Disney got caught in an Abrams snare...what was important for "secrecy" in the rollout to the force awakens made it impossible to deliver the next one on time.

Hopefully it makes for a better movie.

 

[Eoghann]

This is probably a good thing actually. Rogue One is set for December 2016... and VIII was going to be only 5 months later?

 

[wilkeliza]

Eh I think it was always going to have a December date. Some people who are "in the know" are saying Disney purposefully put out the May date knowing it was going to be December so that studios wouldn't touch the May date. Then they swapped it for POTC so that it has less competition.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

This is probably a good thing actually. Rogue One is set for December 2016... and VIII was going to be only 5 months later?

Perhaps...

I'll say this: now that the dust has settled I have to say that they have GOT to make a better story...no doubt about it. It was good popcorn but a reboot that lacked some of the emotional depth it needed.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Eh I think it was always going to have a December date. Some people who are "in the know" are saying Disney purposefully put out the May date knowing it was going to be December so that studios wouldn't touch the May date. Then they swapped it for POTC so that it has less competition.

Interesting...

 

[crazy4wdw]

Isn't the Avatar sequel scheduled for a December 2017 release? Wonder if the film studio that is producing the sequel will want to change the release date? Star Wars VIII would most likely win a head to head release of the two films.

 

[wilkeliza]

Isn't the Avatar sequel scheduled for a December 2017 release? Wonder if the film studio that is producing the sequel will want to change the release date? Star Wars VIII would most likely win a head to head release of the two films.

I don't think Avatar set an official date but the Star Wars pushed has caused a bunch of shifting to happen.

 

[Eoghann]

Perhaps...

I'll say this: now that the dust has settled I have to say that they have GOT to make a better story...no doubt about it. It was good popcorn but a reboot that lacked some of the emotional depth it needed.

I'd need to see it again to see how it stands up (and I probably won't until the blu-ray release) but I've never considered the Star Wars movies to have much emotional depth. I love them dearly and can watch them endlessly but they are popcorn through and through.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I'd need to see it again to see how it stands up (and I probably won't until the blu-ray release) but I've never considered the Star Wars movies to have much emotional depth. I love them dearly and can watch them endlessly but they are popcorn through and through.

I would submit that the emotional depth is the reason they have stood the test of time and become legend and not just action movies.

 

[Eoghann]

I would submit that the emotional depth is the reason they have stood the test of time and become legend and not just action movies.

While I would argue that they are generally at their weakest when they try for "depth" and "weight" and their strongest when they are a fun romp. TFA hits very similar emotional notes to Star Wars and Empire.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

While I would argue that they are generally at their weakest when they try for "depth" and "weight" and their strongest when they are a fun romp. TFA hits very similar emotional notes to Star Wars and Empire.

Maybe Star Wars...which was cutting edge...

But empire was the emotional core of the whole 50 billion dollar franchise...

A rubber puppet with frank oz's hand in it had more soul than 90% of actors ever put on screen.

And it's why the prequels didn't work (not looking to debate here...they didn't for me)...no depth. Wooden people, bells and whistles

 

[bbmassey]

bumped from May to December 2017...

I had a feeling this was gonna happen when "rewrite" started popping up last week...

I think Disney got caught in an Abrams snare...what was important for "secrecy" in the rollout to the force awakens made it impossible to deliver the next one on time.

Hopefully it makes for a better movie.

Make no mistake, this is not "script" related. Pure and simple this is a cash grab. Why roll out in the summer with everyone else when you can dominate December, January, and into February? This increases their bottom line. No competition and lots of people too cold to do summer things. It worked this time and it will work again.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Make no mistake, this is not "script" related. Pure and simple this is a cash grab. Why roll out in the summer with everyone else when you can dominate December, January, and into February? This increases their bottom line. No competition and lots of people too cold to do summer things. It worked this time and it will work again.

The summer is still a far larger market. You get a higher volume of money more quickly...even if they die faster.

Star Wars opened 33 days ago...and while it's still chugging along in the us and could get to 950 mil...the overseas fun is done.

China was almost a "flop" in a weird sorta way.

They may be...as you say...positioning to become the dominant December movie franchise...as the originals were the dominant summer franxhises.

Could be...it worked for Harry Potter and LOTR well enough...

 

[Spacedog1975]

SW:TFA is not going to dominate February. Much as I love watching films explode to bigger and bigger box office, this one is running out of steam. Which is not to say it hasn't had a phenomenal run.

 

[Spacedog1975]

China was almost a "flop" in a weird sorta way.

The Chinese market didn't know from Star Wars, and their economy is softening.
I think the real test there will be how VIII is received.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

SW:TFA is not going to dominate February. Much as I love watching films explode to bigger and bigger box office, this one is running out of steam. Which is not to say it hasn't had a phenomenal run.

I was trying to be polite and not say this...but I agree 100%. It flamed out. 2 bil ain't at all bad though.

It was a reboot...I'm sorry...not s compelling enough story to have the kinda legs they hoped for. It is what it is. Still a good offering to Star Wars the repaired a lot of damage and reintroduced.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

The Chinese market didn't know from Star Wars, and their economy is softening.
I think the real test there will be how VIII is received.

Still under 100 mil...and beaten in the second weekend (though I'm sure sweatshops don't give days off) by a cartoon bear franchise.

Hard to put a pretty face on this one.

 

[rteetz]

Make no mistake, this is not "script" related. Pure and simple this is a cash grab. Why roll out in the summer with everyone else when you can dominate December, January, and into February? This increases their bottom line. No competition and lots of people too cold to do summer things. It worked this time and it will work again.

From what I've heard it's both. The script is getting more work but yes since episode 7 did so well they felt December would work.

 

[JimmyV]

The Chinese market didn't know from Star Wars, and their economy is softening.
I think the real test there will be how VIII is received.

Look at the "falloff" from I to II to III. All did remarkably well in the grand scheme of things, but there was a big dip. I think you will see that with VII, VIII and IX. VIII will do great. But I bet it will be less than VII. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and there won't be as much absence between VII and VIII as there was between III and VII. And as for SW dominating in December, of course it will do well, but if it goes head-to-head with Avatar, it won't "dominate". It will win the Domestic and lose the Overseas. And the totals will probably be very close to equal.

 

[JimmyV]

Still under 100 mil...and beaten in the second weekend (though I'm sure sweatshops don't give days off) by a cartoon bear franchise.

Hard to put a pretty face on this one.

Agree. The Chinese market was not at all what they had hoped for. And compared to AVatar more than 5 years ago, France and Germany were pretty poor as well. SW is running at about half of what Avatar drew, not accounting for inflation.