If Star Trek Has A Disappointing Box Office...?

[DeafPoet]

I think what needs to be abandoned is the whole idea of Star Trek as a movie franchise. The only reason it worked for so many years is that the movies were the only way to see new onscreen material, but once the tv series took off, the movies became somewhat unnecessary.

Well yeah, but once again it's the only way to see new onscreen material. Just as it was back in the day.

It's a pretty easy argument to make that for the cost of that one movie, they could produce more than five seasons of a new series, with a lot less risk and better ability to respond to audience concerns. Plus, with a tv series, an established backstory isn't a limitation, it's a gold mine.

It's not a pretty easy argument to make. I think TV is more expensive than you think it is. Also, as of right now there aren't any audience concerns. And I think the last few seasons of Trek on TV proved that established backstory was was more lead weight than gold mine.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I think they would just conclude that the franchise isn't viable as an ongoing TV/movie franchise

Being serious as this thread's topic covers a possibility I think that Paramount would re-boot again in 5-7 years a feature film.
Marvel Enterprises did the same thing with "Hulk" and last years re-boot.

The Fandango advance ticket sales are a very good indication of a success as well as this quote about the Summer's films.
I also do not think interest will drop off after week 1.

One thing to bear in mind, though, about comparisons between last year's advance sales for a movie like "Iron Man" and this year's advance sales for "Wolverine" and "Star Trek" is that advance ticketing via the Internet is still accelerating in popularity - a lot more people use it in general than did a year ago, or two years ago...

 

[Captain Robert April]

"Universal acclaim" is just another term for "just shut up and join the rest of the flock."

You wanna go on eating grass, be my guest. Pardon me if I'd like a little meat.

 

[CaptainHawk1]

They figured Watchmen was gonna make a ton o' money, with huge buzz and pretty good reviews, and that one dropped off the radar like it was in a power dive.

64% RT score isn't comparable to a 100% RT score in terms of reviews.

Fat lady hasn't sung on the reviews yet. Most of the cream of the crop is still out there and 33 is a long way from 130.

So you're expecting it to drop down to 63 like Watchmen?

 

[CaptainHawk1]

"Universal acclaim" is just another term for "just shut up and join the rest of the flock."

You wanna go on eating grass, be my guest. Pardon me if I'd like a little meat.

Universal Acclaim is another term for '"really fucking good".

 

[zakfa]

They will probably determine that the franchise is not viable for today's audience and shelf it indefinitely. The writing would be on the wall after good reviews and a healthy budget and it still bombed.

I see this as highly unlikely though and think that a worse case scenario would it be breaking even. Even then I think JJ would still have enough clout to get a sequel greenlit.

 

[Dayton3]

The thing is really great box office performance has (I've heard) come from repeat viewers. That is people willing to go see the movie at the theatre several times.

A favorably reviewed movie can draw first time viewers, but will they come back multiple times? Especially if people who are Trek fans are dissatisfied with the movie.

I worry that this Trek reboot or whatever you want to call it will irritate the base enough that they will not see the movie multiple times.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

All indications are that 95% of "the base" are on board with this thing, so there's no justification for that worry.

 

[number6]

I've already bought tickets to two IMAX showings and plan on seeing a matinee the next day before I go to work.

 

[Tulin]

All indications are that 95% of "the base" are on board with this thing, so there's no justification for that worry.

Hell - if I am anticipating it then all bets are OFF!!!

It has only been two weeks since I stopped referring to Quinto's character in a deriding manner as "Spylock"(and I thought I was REALLY clever too in my diss!!!).


If I am on board then you can pretty much close the doors and pressurize the cabin because I was SO "meh" to this thing almost a month ago!!!

 

[Eric Cheung]

They figured Watchmen was gonna make a ton o' money, with huge buzz and pretty good reviews, and that one dropped off the radar like it was in a power dive.

Worldwide Watchmen is the 4th top-grossing film this year. The US gross alone is over $100 million. It's not TDK, but then not much is. It's definitely a hit movie, considering how the running time and content work against it being so. It is similar to TDK in that respect, but TDK rode on the coattails of the brand-recognition of Batman, Heath Ledger's death, and powerful performance, and high expectations given the strong critical and commercial performance of Batman Begins. Outside of comic book fans, Watchmen had little of that anticipation.

 

[datas_cat_spot]

I'm finding it very unlikely Trek would disappoint enough to dissuade a continuation of the franchise. Paramount is treating the franchise the way WB handled Batman Begins. They are hell bent on making this happen because they believe in the product.

 

[Campe]

The thing is really great box office performance has (I've heard) come from repeat viewers. That is people willing to go see the movie at the theatre several times.

A favorably reviewed movie can draw first time viewers, but will they come back multiple times? Especially if people who are Trek fans are dissatisfied with the movie.

I worry that this Trek reboot or whatever you want to call it will irritate the base enough that they will not see the movie multiple times.

Obviously haven't seen it yet but I already have plans to go three times in the first week and a half in the box office and two of those times are in the opening weekend. My Trek fandom has definitely diminished in the last decade, but if there are more people like me out there, this thing will have legs -- long, sultry legs.

I've read that there's enough going on to make people to want to come back for more.

 

[Dayton3]

All indications are that 95% of "the base" are on board with this thing, so there's no justification for that worry.

I haven't seen evidence of this.

 

[Tulin]

I've already bought tickets to two IMAX showings and plan on seeing a matinee the next day before I go to work.

Definitely two showings at least for me.

Gold Class next Tuesday - earliest we could get in, even though they start showing Thursday morning 7/5. A second trip will be with my dad(ST fan from day one in the sixties!)at a later time.

I can see myself doing one more trip after that, so that makes a possible THREE from me with a DEFINITE two!!!


Damn - just realized it's been twenty three years since I saw a ST film more than twice!!! Four times at the cinema for STIV in 1986.

 

[Captain Robert April]

I think what needs to be abandoned is the whole idea of Star Trek as a movie franchise. The only reason it worked for so many years is that the movies were the only way to see new onscreen material, but once the tv series took off, the movies became somewhat unnecessary.

Well yeah, but once again it's the only way to see new onscreen material. Just as it was back in the day.

The difference being that there's a helluva lot more readily available material available to keep us busy than there was back in the day, plus the various fan films that toe the line much better with regard to what's come before. In other words, we no longer need Paramount for new onscreen material; it's now much easier to make our own (and in that respect, Roddenberry would be delighted, since he never trusted how Paramount viewed his brainchild).

It's a pretty easy argument to make that for the cost of that one movie, they could produce more than five seasons of a new series, with a lot less risk and better ability to respond to audience concerns.

Plus, with a tv series, an established backstory isn't a limitation, it's a gold mine.

It's not a pretty easy argument to make. I think TV is more expensive than you think it is. Also, as of right now there aren't any audience concerns. And I think the last few seasons of Trek on TV proved that established backstory was was more lead weight than gold mine.

Enterprise's fourth season is considered by many to be its best, and that was the most continuity driven season of any of the modern Trek series. It's simple, if you don't want to play with the toys in the sandbox, you find a new sandbox, you don't go breaking the toys that are there and call it "reimagining."

As for expense, with a high water mark of $1 million an episode, we're talking 150 episodes, with the ability to adjust the writing and format as you go along to respond to however the audience responds. And if James Cawley has shown nothing else, he's shown you don't need a million bucks to maintain some pretty good production standards, especially not with today's technology.

As opposed to one bloated summer movie, with everything riding on that one, two-hour extravaganza.

 

[DeafPoet]

All indications are that 95% of "the base" are on board with this thing, so there's no justification for that worry.

I haven't seen evidence of this.

All the reviews I've read so far by self-acknowledged Trekkies call it a qualified success at worst and God's gift to sci-fi at best.

Also, I'd put this and other fan forums out there as all the evidence you need. Just about everyone's excited for this. The ones that aren't are just louder.

 

[TheBrew]

64% RT score isn't comparable to a 100% RT score in terms of reviews.

Fat lady hasn't sung on the reviews yet. Most of the cream of the crop is still out there and 33 is a long way from 130.

So you're expecting it to drop down to 63 like Watchmen?

Roughly half of the remaining reviews would have to be negative for it to hit 63%.

 

[miraclefan]

If it's a flop Star Trek is dead ''N'' buried for-EVAH!

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

All indications are that 95% of "the base" are on board with this thing, so there's no justification for that worry.

I haven't seen evidence of this.

Then you should hang around TrekBBS and places like it more often and pay attention. Try keeping at least cursory track of posts, polls and the like. It's easy to say "I haven't seen evidence" if one doesn't look at what's in front of one.