Star Wars: Episode VII: The Nerd Rage Awakens

[fireproof78]

Regardless, I imagine that whatever Star Wars take is, Disney will be disappointed due to how much money they have spent on LFL.

Doubtful. It wouldn't surprise me if they already made their money back through merchandise.

Any Force Friday numbers? Eddie?

Why doubtful? They had to spend a lot of money just to acquire LFL. This says nothing about money spent on merchandising, contract negotiations, film production costs, distribution costs, etc.

Hollywood number crunching operates in a completely different reality than normal people budgeting.

 

[Hound of UIster]

It was only 4.05 billion. Around the same cost as Marvel Comics and far less than Pixar.

 

[fireproof78]

It was only 4.05 billion. Around the same cost as Marvel Comics and far less than Pixar.

They will still want a return on that investment.

All I'm saying is that Disney could still be disappointed in TFA's performance if the money doesn't meet their expectations.

The idea that the funds to acquire it is all the money they invested is the only point I'm questioning.

 

[davejames]

Is that really that different? The villain is a dark side Force user with a red lightsaber and a metal mask, just like the villain in the OT (in which the word "Sith" was never mentioned, by the way).

I'd say it's different enough, especially when you factor in a different personality, different motivations, and a likely very different character arc.

I mean if you insist on boiling everything down to the absolute basics, then pretty much every SW story would appear to feature a villain with a lightsaber, or end with a big space or lightsaber battle of some kind-- because, well, it's SW and those are the kinds of things you kind of expect to see.

For me, I couldn't care less if a movie happens to reuse certain familiar elements or plot devices (which is something we definitely see a ton of in superhero movies these days), as long as they manage to tell that story in a new and different enough way. And TFA seems to have a LOT of fun and cool new stuff in it, I'd say.

 

[BillJ]

It was only 4.05 billion. Around the same cost as Marvel Comics and far less than Pixar.

They will still want a return on that investment.

All I'm saying is that Disney could still be disappointed in TFA's performance if the money doesn't meet their expectations.

The idea that the funds to acquire it is all the money they invested is the only point I'm questioning.

I read somewhere that licensing alone from The Force Awakens will be around $5 billion dollars this year. Obviously, that doesn't all go to Disney, but I think they have to be happy with how much revenue the franchise is generating thus far and haven't even released the first film under their banner yet.

That $4.05 billion dollars was obviously a long term investment that is going to take time to pay off.

 

[Corran Horn]

There are at least 5 Star Wars movies in the hopper right now with possibilities of more after that - I don't think they're sweating it.

 

[Timby]

It still boggles the mind that four years from now, the number of Star Wars movies in existence will have literally doubled.

 

[fireproof78]

It was only 4.05 billion. Around the same cost as Marvel Comics and far less than Pixar.

They will still want a return on that investment.

All I'm saying is that Disney could still be disappointed in TFA's performance if the money doesn't meet their expectations.

The idea that the funds to acquire it is all the money they invested is the only point I'm questioning.

I read somewhere that licensing alone from The Force Awakens will be around $5 billion dollars this year. Obviously, that doesn't all go to Disney, but I think they have to be happy with how much revenue the franchise is generating thus far and haven't even released the first film under their banner yet.

That $4.05 billion dollars was obviously a long term investment that is going to take time to pay off.

That's a good point. I'm hoping Disney will be satisfied (not even happy-just satisfied) with the money to keep producing it.

Hollywood's capriciousness is still something to consider.

 

[Jedi_Master]

It still boggles the mind that four years from now, the number of Star Wars movies in existence will have literally doubled.

Indeed. It's a good thing - I hope.

ETA: When it comes to box office numbers both studio execs and "some" fans want big numbers for the same reason: those numbers validate their existence.

 

[JD]

I was trying to remember the other day, what have they been calling Leia in the promotional stuff? I've read so many of the books and things that I tend to automatically think of her as Leia Organa Solo, and I can't remember now if any of TFA stuff has called her that.

 

[Leviathan]

I won't "hate" the Star Wars franchise if Han dies in the new movie.

It's all in how they do it. For example:

1. Han is killed throwing himself into harms way to save others.
2. As a result he is frozen and shot into deep space
3. Many years later, after travelling the galaxies his frozen corpse lands on and horribly crushes one Dr. Henry Jones Jr. 15 minutes after the end of 'Last Crusade'
4. We can retcon 'Crystal Skull' as a bad dream...

...I'd totally pay to see that. Twice.

 

[Corran Horn]

If he's an absentee father who loses the Falcon and dies I'll be disappointed.

I'm prepared for it. I think.

 

[Tulin]

AICN is "reporting" (and I intentionally use that term lightly) that Hayden Christensen is being trained for a potential appearance in VIII. Training in exactly what is not stated.

I DO like how they encouraged PT haters to not "panic" - LOL.

eewwwww prequel cooties!!!!

 

[BigJake]

AICN is "reporting" (and I intentionally use that term lightly) that Hayden Christensen is being trained for a potential appearance in VIII. Training in exactly what is not stated.

Acting, hopefully?

 

[CorporalClegg]

Or super spy training--the kind of super spy training that hones one's ability to go completely unnoticed.

 

[DWF]

Or Kylo Ren has ried to clone Anakin, which might be the reason why he's got Darth Vader's helmet.

 

[Hound of UIster]

Or you know because he scavenged Vader's remains from Endor?

The predecessors to the Knights of Ren in Aftermath seem to be about worshipping him like a god and reuniting him with stuff in the afterlife.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

While I don't think the Hayden Christensen rumor is true, I actually would love for it to happen. Hayden is a better actor then what was shown in the prequels and I'd like for him to be redeemed a little bit.

 

[Tulin]

Or you know because he scavenged Vader's remains from Endor?

You mean the Ewoks didn't eat him?

They WERE having a barbecue, after all!

 

[cooleddie74]

I won't "hate" the Star Wars franchise if Han dies in the new movie.

It's all in how they do it. For example:

1. Han is killed throwing himself into harms way to save others.
2. As a result he is frozen and shot into deep space
3. Many years later, after travelling the galaxies his frozen corpse lands on and horribly crushes one Dr. Henry Jones Jr. 15 minutes after the end of 'Last Crusade'
4. We can retcon 'Crystal Skull' as a bad dream...

...I'd totally pay to see that. Twice.

If they do that I'll give everybody involved Lifetime Achievement Oscars even if some of them are in their twenties and thirties.