Star Wars: The Force Awakens Discussion (HERE THERE BE SPOILERS)

[Trekkin]

In Japan, it actually had the biggest opening of the year. The all-time record for any movies opening weekend in that country was when ROTS raked in nearly 19 million.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/foreign-box-office-star-wars-850387

So no, not a flop. It's just not the US. In Japan it's also competing against what's basically the new Pokemon franchise, which is where families with really young kids will be going. You know, the ones who aren't old enough to see the first 10 minutes of the movie.

School holidays is also going to start making a difference. Schools in Japan and Australia only broke up the Friday before Christmas.

Interesting: It seems Star Wars is fairly restricted in terms of the allowed numbers of screenings in Japan. It can only air at night. http://deadline.com/2015/12/star-wars-the-force-awakens-overseas-box-office-1201668699/

 

[{ Emilia }]

I've never understood why people care about box office results apart from checking if the movie is a success. As long as it's successful enough to make sure we get more movies it's all good, right?
A movie's box office performance doesn't affect my enjoyment of the movie at all so...
It makes zero difference to me whether TFA ends up #1 or #3. It's a success either way.

Subconsciously, a quantitative measure to compare against other teams. Now it's "Wars is better than Hobbit, and the financial success proves it."

Humans have a natural need to compete. If it's sport teams or movies, doesn't matter. But the success of a sport team over another can be measured better.

Sports team successes don't need to be adjusted for inflation to make sense either.

 

[Mach5]

I've never understood why people care about box office results apart from checking if the movie is a success.

It's a numbers game. Numbers and patterns with numbers have a tendency to get people hooked. I was always fascinated with this stuff. It goes way beyond actual movies, just like that fantasy baseball thing (that I admit don't know much about) gets math nerds (who otherwise don't care about sports) all giddy.

Still, I'm annoyed by the fact that The Hobbit movies were seen by twice as many people in my country than TFA. Most people have no taste in movies around here. Hell, the TFA ticket sales in this place just barely exceed those of "50 Shades of Grey"... Which kinda means that thing was HUGE here.

Subconsciously, a quantitative measure to compare against other teams. Now it's "Wars is better than Hobbit, and the financial success proves it."

Humans have a natural need to compete. If it's sport teams or movies, doesn't matter. But the success of a sport team over another can be measured better.

There's truth in this. Competitiveness is one of our most basic instincts, so I guess some of us diehard SW fanboys see TFA's success as an equivalent to a sports' team doing well.

 

[Paradise City]

I've never understood why people care about box office results apart from checking if the movie is a success. As long as it's successful enough to make sure we get more movies it's all good, right?
A movie's box office performance doesn't affect my enjoyment of the movie at all so...
It makes zero difference to me whether TFA ends up #1 or #3. It's a success either way.

Great post.

 

[dahj]

just like that fantasy baseball thing (that I admit don't know much about) gets math nerds (who otherwise don't care about sports) all giddy.

I'm pretty sure it's the gambling thing, rather than "fun math", that's the hook.

 

[Yanks]

Very accurate article here. If I was a Star Wars nut, like I am a Trek nut - I'd be screaming from the rooftops.

http://www.latimes.com/business/hil...the-force-awakens-stinks-20151226-column.html

 

[{ Emilia }]

I lost interest at "reproduces George Lucas' original 1977 movie slavishly almost to the point of plagiarism."

Yawn. Most people seem to have enjoyed the movie a lot.

 

[Kor]

Meh. While I did enjoy the Hobbit movies, I found them to be pretty tedious, especially TBOT5A. I think I only watched it once, while I am inclined to watch TFA over and over again.

Kor

 

[Set Harth]

Very accurate article here. If I was a Star Wars nut, like I am a Trek nut - I'd be screaming from the rooftops.

Have you seen Into Darkness yet? Might be time to get out the ladder...

 

[cooleddie74]

I lost interest at "reproduces George Lucas' original 1977 movie slavishly almost to the point of plagiarism."

Yawn. Most people seem to have enjoyed the movie a lot.

And if we want to nitpick, Return of the Jedi recycles so much from the original film that at times it seems like George Lucas and Richard Marquand were trying to remake the first movie, just with bigger, badder aliens and a bigger, more intimidating Death Star, this time with The Emperor himself aboard and overseeing everything.

Does TFA feel a lot like ANH? Yeah, but this fan doesn't particularly care all that much. The complaints I do have aren't big enough to ruin my enjoyment of the film and are smaller than the problems the previous three (or four) movies had.

 

[Set Harth]

TFA pretty much bombed in Japan.

So did Harry Truman.

Too soon?

 

[Yanks]

I lost interest at "reproduces George Lucas' original 1977 movie slavishly almost to the point of plagiarism."

Yawn. Most people seem to have enjoyed the movie a lot.

Yup, as I stated in a previous comment. No one seems to care.

I enjoyed it to.

Very accurate article here. If I was a Star Wars nut, like I am a Trek nut - I'd be screaming from the rooftops.

Have you seen Into Darkness yet? Might be time to get out the ladder...

Did my fair share of ladder climbing after that one. That one pissed me off.

And if we want to nitpick, Return of the Jedi recycles so much from the original film that at times it seems like George Lucas and Richard Marquand were trying to remake the first movie, just with bigger, badder aliens and a bigger, more intimidating Death Star, this time with The Emperor himself aboard and overseeing everything.

Does TFA feel a lot like ANH? Yeah, but this fan doesn't particularly care all that much. The complaints I do have aren't big enough to ruin my enjoyment of the film and are smaller than the problems the previous three (or four) movies had.

Roger, that's the impression I'm getting from most. Like I said, and I said this about STID too, I'm glad you enjoyed it if you did.

There are no fresh minds in film anymore. SCI-FI used to be a playground for fresh ideas and stories, now it's all about marketing and rehashes.

Question: Isn't there a chapter 7 to this story?

 

[Kor]

If you want fresh ideas in science fiction, then you have to largely ignore TV and movies and read SF books instead.

Kor

 

[Mach5]

TFA pretty much bombed in Japan.

So did Harry Truman.

Too soon?

I don't know, you'd have to die, enter afterlife, seek out the killed civilians (all 225.000 of them, give or take a few) and do a poll.

BTW, isn't LA Times some far-right garbage that no one takes seriously?

just like that fantasy baseball thing (that I admit don't know much about) gets math nerds (who otherwise don't care about sports) all giddy.

I'm pretty sure it's the gambling thing, rather than "fun math", that's the hook.

I'm pretty sure you've never met a stats nerd.

 

[cooleddie74]

I'm not familiar with the journalistic and editorial slant of the Los Angeles Times, but seeing how Democratic in its politics and left-of-center so much of the population within the greater L.A. area is, would an avowedly and obnoxiously right-wing paper even be successful there?

 

[Mach5]

I'm not familiar with the journalistic and editorial slant of the Los Angeles Times, but seeing how Democratic in its politics and left-of-center so much of the population within the greater L.A. area is, would an avowedly and obnoxiously right-wing paper even be successful there?

I seem to have mistaken LA Times with this thing right here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Times

 

[cooleddie74]

Yeah, now that's an avowedly right-wing paper.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Very accurate article here. If I was a Star Wars nut, like I am a Trek nut - I'd be screaming from the rooftops.

http://www.latimes.com/business/hil...the-force-awakens-stinks-20151226-column.html

This popped up on my Facebook News Feed yesterday. I rolled my eyes and kept on scrolling. I was a little disappointed by the friend who shared it.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Very accurate article here. If I was a Star Wars nut, like I am a Trek nut - I'd be screaming from the rooftops.

Have you seen Into Darkness yet? Might be time to get out the ladder...

I'll get his mega-phone...

The LA Times article raises a lot of valid points, even if one doesn't necessarily entirely agree with them all. A good read.

 

[Yanks]

Very accurate article here. If I was a Star Wars nut, like I am a Trek nut - I'd be screaming from the rooftops.

http://www.latimes.com/business/hil...the-force-awakens-stinks-20151226-column.html

This popped up on my Facebook News Feed yesterday. I rolled my eyes and kept on scrolling. I was a little disappointed by the friend who shared it.

Did you read it?

Very accurate article here. If I was a Star Wars nut, like I am a Trek nut - I'd be screaming from the rooftops.

Have you seen Into Darkness yet? Might be time to get out the ladder...

I'll get his mega-phone...

The LA Times article raises a lot of valid points, even if one doesn't necessarily entirely agree with them all. A good read.

I remember that article. Lot's of truth there.