Why didn't Beyond do better at the Box Office?
- Thread starter The Overlord
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Actually, I got to say, the theatre I saw Beyond in on opening day was loaded with old people. And I mean old. They were complaining about how large the theatre was, the having to climb steps to their seats, the lack of proper railings, they really were stereotypical old people. And it was a large theatre, which was nearly half full. I'm 31, and I could only spot two others who definitely weren't older than me.
Maybe that's why this movie isn't performing at the box office, it's only attracting old people who can't enjoy it because of modern theatres are an inconvenience.
Cool spaceships. It's what drew me to Star Trek as a child.
Cool spaceships and monsters. That is what sucked me in. Though I don't know if that would've been enough in the age of internet and video games?
Though, maybe, Star Trek is irrevocably tied to the 1960's and will slowly fade away at some point.
What time of day did you go?
1:30 in the afternoon.
Yeah, I saw a preview screening and there was not one kid in the audience of 250-odd.
Admittedly it was fairly expensive and on a weeknight, but I would have still expected a few. Quite a stark contrast from Star Wars which was packed with kids.
I think it depends on where you are and when you go. Saw it at noon on Friday. And there were plenty of teens there in groups and kids with their families.
I'd suggest this: Star Trek does not have an inclusive fan base. We're not fun to be around, we're generally miserable about everything in the franchise, we're not welcoming, and (in many cases) we're just downright mean-spirited to each other, the PTB, and especially to newbies. Why would anyone be excited to jump on that train?
I'd suggest this: Star Trek does not have an inclusive fan base. We're not fun to be around, we're generally miserable about everything in the franchise, we're not welcoming, and (in many cases) we're just downright mean-spirited to each other, the PTB, and especially to newbies. Why would anyone be excited to jump on that train?
The time has come to change that and we need to organize ourselves. We need to build a sensible strategy for Star Trek to go ironically beyond its current fa base and boarders. It's kind of absurd that the most flexible storytelling is constrained and stuck this way.
I dragged my 7 year old and my 12 year old on a weeknight and a 16 year old friend at $27 each to the Premiere about an hour away from home and they didn't get home until 10pm on a school night. Admittedly they were amongst the youngest there but other children probably have responsible parents.
My 7-year old said the saddest part of the movie for her was:
When the Enterprise was destroyed.
Saw Ghost Busters Saturday night with my kids and they too were amongst the youngest in the audience
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When we went, most of the audience was about my age up to my friend's age. I'm 36 and he's 46. The theater was half full about 10 minutes in, and of course the rest of the stragglers showed up half an hour in.
I feel like part of the problem with Star Trek right now is that it's retro. It's looking at the future through the lens of the 1960's.
I remember when TNG was on when I was a kid. It was very forward-thinking. Edgy. Nothing else on TV like it I thought. It had cool futuristic technologies that were exciting to see. In the 1960's & 1970's I imagine viewers felt the same way about TOS.
I feel like current Trek doesn't have that forward-looking edge. Nothing feels new about it other than the visuals. Conceptually it feels too dated.
I remember when TNG was on when I was a kid. It was very forward-thinking. Edgy. Nothing else on TV like it I thought. It had cool futuristic technologies that were exciting to see. In the 1960's & 1970's I imagine viewers felt the same way about TOS.
I feel like current Trek doesn't have that forward-looking edge. Nothing feels new about it other than the visuals. Conceptually it feels too dated.
All of Star Trek looks at the future through the lens of the 1960's. Which is why it slowly died on TV. It just recycled the same tropes over and over. TNG had the advantage of being the first Star Trek series in twenty years, but its view of the world was very dated.
Your average moviegoer or casual fan really knows zip about the "fan base" and has no need to interact with it.
How was TNG's view the world more dated than TOS?
TNG added cool new technologies like the Holodeck, heavier use of Tablets, an Android character, replicators ect. These were exciting to see on TV, and pushed the technology further ahead. I think these technologies helped captivate the imagination of viewers.
The comments I see on the Trek Facebook pages are just appalling. I dread to think what a newcomer would think reading that. It certainly doesn't encourage anyone to come on board.
Social media is ubiquitous.
Plenty of average moviegoers/casual fans will check out relevant Facebook/Twitter pages, the Trek subreddit, articles with comment sections etc - and will be exposed to the views of the more vocal portion of the fanbase.
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That's not the point. The point I was responding to was the idea of Star Trek fandom aging and the franchise not appealing to younger people. If you think a teen or someone in their early 20's looking to dive into a franchise for the first time isn't judging the people who like the material they're considering getting into, you are not familiar with the ways of the Millennial Generation.
All you need to do is read "fan" comments on Facebook or even on Rotten Tomatoes to get evidence of the type of people the fan base contains, and decide that maybe this whole thing isn't for you.
Star Trek isn't going to be driven forward by casual audiences. It will be driven by engaging a new and younger fanbase. Casual audiences don't give a shit and probably never will, and the existing fanbase is too fractured and too miserable to be a viable source of sustainability.
So, I completely disagree with you.
Most people, aside from hardcore nerds, don't engage a franchise because they have holodecks and replicators or whatever. That's interesting, but not what keeps people tuned in.
The only thing I dislike about Star Trek are the vocal, awful, embarrassing segment of fans (there are great people too...but not nearly as visible). I'd watch Star Trek: Insurrection 100 times in a row before I'd sit in a room with those folk for 10 mins.
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