Star Wars 8 pushed back

[lockedoutlogic]

I guess my point is that since they came out mid-November (11/19 being the latest one) you're targeting a different audience than the mid-December releases of LOTR and SW:TFA. One you're trying to get people over Thanksgiving weekend, the other the weekends before or after Christmas. So if Disney is going to keep releasing SW movies in mid-December, the November releases of that year (which usually involves a larger-budget action movie) don't directly compete with it, so I think Disney is making a smart move with this push-back.

Interesting point...

I wonder why they wouldn't release on thanksgiving and try to score that weekend? They're probably afraid it will get lost in the holiday shuffle.

But even though it's got a huge number...it did flameout in early January...I kinda feel like they thought they'd get even more run.

Good enough for Disney - obviously.

The second one won't be a "mass" event like the first one was...the pop buzz pushed a lot of "take it or leave it" peeps into the theater early...I don't think we'll see that again.

 

[JimmyV]

This was no Phantom Menace. I doubt we'll see the same kind of falloff for VIII that we did for II.

This is what I was thinking... The Phantom Menace did so well because people were dying for another SW movie. Then it sucked, and sucked badly, which is what led to the falloff for II. I'm a diehard and I don't think I even went and saw II on opening weekend.

And here's what I'm thinking.
People went to see Phantom Menace and it sucked. It didn't have any of the characters that they had grown to love, and they couldn't grow to love the new characters. So many people gave up on the franchise. Then along comes Force Awakens and those same people get all jazzed up about seeing their favorite characters again. Nostalgia, baby! Luke. Leia. Han Solo. The Droids. So they flock to the theater. And many left thinking to themselves..."This was a remake. I've already seen this storyline play out. Not sure that I need to see it again. And I wasn't all that impressed with the callback of the old cast. Luke wasn't in the movie. Leia was dead air time. Chewy was great. And Han Solo....." (well, I won't finish that sentence.) So I am certain that the hard corp SW fans will flock to the next film, but I don't think that the casual fan, or fan longing for nostalgia will be nearly as enthusiastic as they were for Force Awakens. This probably translates to a boxoffice of around $800m-$1.2b. Certainly nothing to sneeze at, but all in all, a significant dropoff.

 

[Lynne G]

When is the other Star movie coming out, the latest Star Trek? About that same time right? Hmm, lots of people would be moving going to see both.

 

[NeuroCindy]

When is the other Star movie coming out, the latest Star Trek? About that same time right? Hmm, lots of people would be moving going to see both.

Have they said they are releasing the 4th one in December? So far they've all been either May or July.

 

[sachilles]

How many records did set? If that isn't good enough, then they really over spent on it. It's a success in every measurable category. Half the people suggesting it wasn't as good as "x" report seeing the movie 2 or 3 times just to be sure they didn't like it. It's not waterworld.
Unless they way over spend, this is as close to a sure thing as you can get. The question is can they generate enough love to support all the side movies.
Many costs attributed to the first movie, will save production costs in the next movies.

 

[Lynne G]

Have they said they are releasing the 4th one in December? So far they've all been either May or July.

They are saying July, to be the 50th anniversary, but I thought I heard it was being pushed back to later in the year.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

How many records did set? If that isn't good enough, then they really over spent on it. It's a success in every measurable category. Half the people suggesting it wasn't as good as "x" report seeing the movie 2 or 3 times just to be sure they didn't like it. It's not waterworld.
Unless they way over spend, this is as close to a sure thing as you can get. The question is can they generate enough love to support all the side movies.
Many costs attributed to the first movie, will save production costs in the next movies.

Don't take it personally...

It's a success...but the case can be made not a universal one on all fronts.

There is still work to do.

 

[Eoghann]

Except now pirates of the Caribbean comes out on 5/27

As someone pointed out blockbuster movies don't often have "legs" these days. They make most of their money in the first few weeks. So three weeks between Guardians and Pirates may be considered plenty.

 

[jade1]

So here's whatta happened,no?:

We all get our childhood/younger day fantasy...a brand new Star Wars. It sucks its characters we don't really know...but we'll take it.

There's No way the movie could suck though...not possible.

So we wait, we see, we pee ourselves just a little when the scroll rolls (to this day...I swear it was a UTI)...

And our eyes and brains tell us what we don't want to believe in our bowels: it's awful...it's somekind of 200 million dollar tech experiment of poorly acted cyber film noire...

So we see it again...trying to convince ourselves it's brilliantly set up to explode into an awesome medieval esque throw down of action and boyhood crush lust.

It will ALL make sense in 2002...yep...it was obvious that was what was going down...

Then "Attack of the boneheads" rolls...and by hour two we're attending the funeral of our childhood. "This guy is a phoney...he can't write a story to save his life. No wonder he doesn't have a girlfriend - you can't be a whiney brat and score the cutest 95 lb brunette in the galaxy!!!"

So it all came crashing down during that movie...no repeat sales. Not even ninja yoda from the Matrix could bail that tire fire out...

I walked out at about the jango fett stupidity...and of course the shot heard round the world "Jedi master sipha dyas"

Still waiting for an answer on that.

There was no way the 2 or 3 could have made more than 1...they were toast right then and there.

Love it, Its true........all of it.

But this is exactly what could have happened in FA as well. It didn't.

 

[ChipnDale79]

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.

Someone has probably already responded to this with the same thing..but there are a ton of posts here.

I 100% agree with you on this. IMO Disney had to play it safe with the first one, they could not put a new Star Wars movie out that had the same reviews as Episode 1, 2 and 3, they had to make us want more.

7 wasn't original, but by doing it the way they did it, they proved that yes Disney can make Star Wars good, and yes they left us wanting more.

I walked out of the theater and texted a buddy of mine, "you mean i have to wait another 2 years?"

I thought they did a fantastic job with the new characters in 7, now they can really shine in 8.

An original story with the new characters, i can not wait.

 

[Budshark]

The original story comes in Rogue One.

To some extent, Star Wars Proper will never be an original story. I think thats the mistake people are making. If it truly is a Space Opera that tells the story of a small subset of central players within a galactic context, it will always be "similar". Sure, I can change the star from a guy to a gal, I can get older and have kids, I can have 1 families kid be bad, and the other good, and then I can have 1 be good and the other bad. The Empire can be renamed - but they will always be aligned with the Sith and always be focused on a technically superior weapon. The Rebels can be renamed, but they will always be a rag tag group led by people that over achieve and build relationships.

These are fundamental things that make Star Wars what it is. If you don't do that and instead change it to more government focused, or less family focused, people will scream that it isn't "Star Wars".

Be creative with the spinoffs, be consistent with the main story line. There is a lot of unique aspects of VII if that is what you are looking for. There are lots of familiar themes if that is what you are looking for. That is how it is supposed to be.

Star Trek is about exploration. It jumped the shark when it started trying to be more "wars" and family stories. When it tried to become Star Wars.

Star Wars is at its core about a galactic war between the technologically superior but morally corrupt Empire led by the Sith, versus the numerically and technologically inferior, but emotionally charged Rebels inspired by the Jedi - with the Sith and Jedi sub-story told through the personal eyes of the Skywalker family.

 

[jade1]

The original story comes in Rogue One.

To some extent, Star Wars Proper will never be an original story. I think thats the mistake people are making. If it truly is a Space Opera that tells the story of a small subset of central players within a galactic context, it will always be "similar". Sure, I can change the star from a guy to a gal, I can get older and have kids, I can have 1 families kid be bad, and the other good, and then I can have 1 be good and the other bad. The Empire can be renamed - but they will always be aligned with the Sith and always be focused on a technically superior weapon. The Rebels can be renamed, but they will always be a rag tag group led by people that over achieve and build relationships.

These are fundamental things that make Star Wars what it is. If you don't do that and instead change it to more government focused, or less family focused, people will scream that it isn't "Star Wars".

Be creative with the spinoffs, be consistent with the main story line. There is a lot of unique aspects of VII if that is what you are looking for. There are lots of familiar themes if that is what you are looking for. That is how it is supposed to be.

Star Trek is about exploration. It jumped the shark when it started trying to be more "wars" and family stories. When it tried to become Star Wars.

Star Wars is at its core about a galactic war between the technologically superior but morally corrupt Empire led by the Sith, versus the numerically and technologically inferior, but emotionally charged Rebels inspired by the Jedi - with the Sith and Jedi sub-story told through the personal eyes of the Skywalker family.

I like it, and think that's why Kylo killed Han to become as Sith, for good or bad maybe-but for more power for sure.

 

[jade1]

Oh if there was any doubt how important Indian J..I mean Han is to the reboot, check the end of this video.

 

[mvk]

Interesting point...

I wonder why they wouldn't release on thanksgiving and try to score that weekend? They're probably afraid it will get lost in the holiday shuffle.

Most likely because a ton of people (kids, teens, college students, even some adults who save up vacation time) are off for about 10 days or so with not much to do.

I really doubt they are afraid the top franchise around, coming off the highest grossing movie of all time, will get lost in the holiday shuffle. It's quite amusing that anyone would actually think that. Amusing, but not surprising in this instance, I guess.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Most likely because a ton of people (kids, teens, college students, even some adults who save up vacation time) are off for about 10 days or so with not much to do.

I really doubt they are afraid the top franchise around, coming off the highest grossing movie of all time, will get lost in the holiday shuffle. It's quite amusing that anyone would actually think that. Amusing, but not surprising in this instance, I guess.

The idea that it can maintain hype from 12/18 past 12/25 when the social activities die down...

...but can't maintain steam through the beginning of December when people are running hundreds of errands is amusing?

Well...in this instance it's amusing to me...I guess. But not surprising.

 

[mvk]

The idea that it can maintain hype from 12/18 past 12/25 when the social activities die down...

...but can't maintain steam through the beginning of December when people are running hundreds of errands is amusing?

Well...in this instance it's amusing to me...I guess. But not surprising.

You've been pounding the drum of the three week run then fizzle out for even the biggest movies, not me. If you believe that it the case, why wouldn't you want to maximize exposure when people are home with largely nothing to do? Surely it must be because they are afraid of competition. Like I said, amusing, but not surprising.

#1 franchise of all time
#1 movie domestically all time
Afraid of competition

Can't make this stuff up.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

You've been pounding the drum of the three week run then fizzle out for even the biggest movies, not me. If you believe that it the case, why wouldn't you want to maximize exposure when people are home with largely nothing to do? Surely it must be because they are afraid of competition. Like I said, amusing, but not surprising.

#1 franchise of all time
#1 movie domestically all time
Afraid of competition

Can't make this stuff up.

Actually if you read back...I thought Star Wars might avoid the 3 week fizzle and have legs to perhaps February...but it's coming up somewhere in the middle.

And why would they want thanksgiving? It's a huge potential movie weekend...5 days.

That's certainly not "unattractive" in Hollywood.

 

[mvk]

Actually if you read back...I thought Star Wars might avoid the 3 week fizzle and have legs to perhaps February...but it's coming up somewhere in the middle.

And why would they want thanksgiving? It's a huge potential movie weekend...5 days.

That's certainly not "unattractive" in Hollywood.

And the Christmas-New Years break is essentially a ten day weekend. They'l have two weekends before Christmas, plus a solid seven or eight days after Christmas, which has proven huge for them, with $20m+ weekdays in that stretch for TFA.

Putting it in December is a strategy that has worked great for them, its not because they are afraid of November competition.

 

[jade1]

And the Christmas-New Years break is essentially a ten day weekend. They'l have two weekends before Christmas, plus a solid seven or eight days after Christmas, which has proven huge for them, with $20m+ weekdays in that stretch for TFA.

Putting it in December is a strategy that has worked great for them, its not because they are afraid of November competition.

Yep, folks loved it and couldn't wait to go, probably many more than once.

Going back to school Jan 4 (instead of having the next 2 months off) likely pushed more folks into the theatre sooner.

It made $770 Million in 3 weeks becoming number 1 all time-not great legs after that is forgivable IMO.

 

[mvk]

It made $770 Million in 3 weeks becoming number 1 all time-not great legs after that is forgivable IMO.

Yeah, seems like a few here would rather them have gotten the record in six weeks instead of just ten days or whatever it was, because it would've had legs and not fizzled out. Fact is, a ton of people saw this movie, and a bunch of them saw it multiple times. The timing of the release was perfect, as it coincided with an exrended period of downtime/vacation time for a ton of people.