Pacific Rim (2013) (2 Viewers)

[FoxyMulder]

Has there ever been a major blockbuster type of movie where one country out-grossed U.S. boxoffice?

China receipts now surpass the U.S. and will continue to grow. $400m worldwide is not a HUGE hit, but enough to get us a sequel.

Probably lots of films, for example the Ice Age animated movies get huge worldwide box office which far exceed the USA gross.

( Sorry just re-read your post, you want one foreign country only - Try Box Office Mojo for the answer )

 

[Quentin]

But that is worldwide, not one country. China alone will outgross the U.S. on this. It already has.

 

[Malcolm R]

Is much of that money actually coming back to the studio? I thought I read that Hollywood studios only receive about 25% of the Chinese box office gross.

Doesn't really seem worthwhile, but on a $100M gross that would be a $25M payday. Better than zero.

 

[Tino]

Has there ever been a major blockbuster type of movie where one country out-grossed U.S. boxoffice? China receipts now surpass the U.S. and will continue to grow. $400m worldwide is not a HUGE hit, but enough to get us a sequel.

Maybe

 

[FoxyMulder]

There will be no sequel to Pacific Rim, no way, it just hasn't performed well enough and a sequel will cost a lot to make.

 

[Jari K]

There will be no sequel to Pacific Rim, no way, it just hasn't performed well enough and a sequel will cost a lot to make.

Worldwide total is now $384,612,027. So it's too early to shout "no way" when it comes to sequel. And they can always lower the budget on the sequel - remember what Del Toro did Hellboy films with $66-$85 milion?

On a related note, it amazes me that this film kinda "flopped" (compared to the huge budget) in the U.S. People rush to see some rather mediocre (sure, still entertaining) Transformer sequel, but not this film? Whatta hell happened?

 

[TravisR]

On a related note, it amazes me that this film kinda "flopped" (compared to the huge budget) in the U.S. People rush to see some rather mediocre (sure, still entertaining) Transformer sequel, but not this film? Whatta hell happened?

American audiences (and international audiences as well) have the most interest in previously established properties. They want sequels, prequels, comic book adaptations, TV series rebooted as movies and tween book series adaptations. If they had just called it "Pacific Rim Part 2", people would have rushed out to see it because it was a sequel.

Seriously though, I guess it's partly because of high ticket prices but people seem really unwilling to take a 'chance' on something that hasn't been done before and then audiences whine about a lack of originality coming out of Hollywood when the reality is that studios are giving the people what they want.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

American audiences (and international audiences as well) have the most interest in previously established properties. They want sequels, prequels, comic book adaptations, TV series rebooted as movies and tween book series adaptations. If they had just called it "Pacific Rim Part 2", people would have rushed out to see it because it was a sequel.

Seriously though, I guess it's partly because of high ticket prices but people seem really unwilling to take a 'chance' on something that hasn't been done before and then audiences whine about a lack of originality coming out of Hollywood when the reality is that studios are giving the people what they want.

Yeah, that probably makes sense - and del Toro isn't really a "name" director for US audiences. (Not sure he's a "name" much of anywhere, but I can't as easily judge his place elsewhere.) Movie buffs know who he is but the average moviegoer won't, I don't think, so his name can't sell a movie.

Gotta admit I don't quite understand a lot of the apparent fan passion for this film, as I thought it was a disappointment. It wasn't bad, but it seemed rather generic and meh, IMO - I expected something more distinctive from del Toro...

 

[Chuck Anstey]

On a related note, it amazes me that this film kinda "flopped" (compared to the huge budget) in the U.S. People rush to see some rather mediocre (sure, still entertaining) Transformer sequel, but not this film? Whatta hell happened?

Because the promos made it look like a giant dumb-ass action movie with no plot and given that pretty much every other big name movie that people were looking forward to was a relatively huge disappointment, what chance did this movie have given it looks like another Battleship on purpose? It sounds like they should have promoted it differently as in "Reviewer X says 'Finally, the summer movie that we have been waiting for.'" or "A great movie that far exceeded my expectations." Something to pique people's interest that it wasn't just another dumb movie with lots of big robots and splosions.

 

[TravisR]

Something to pique people's interest that it wasn't just another dumb movie with lots of big robots and splosions.

Big robots and 'splosions are usually the recipe for the biggest hit of the year.

 

[Sam Posten]

Neat:

Travis Beacham ‏@travisbeacham 1h
Pacific Rim theme remixed on Chinese instruments. (You kinda have to hear this.) https://soundcloud.com/impossiblechuck/pacific-rim-crimson-typhoon-1 …

 

[Tino]

Because the promos made it look like a giant dumb-ass action movie with no plot and given that pretty much every other big name movie that people were looking forward to was a relatively huge disappointment, what chance did this movie have given it looks like another Battleship on purpose? It sounds like they should have promoted it differently as in "Reviewer X says 'Finally, the summer movie that we have been waiting for.'" or "A great movie that far exceeded my expectations." Something to pique people's interest that it wasn't just another dumb movie with lots of big robots and splosions.

I actually enjoyed Battleship much more than Pacific Rim....and I think that despite the fan love here for the film, I just don't think the general public cared that much for it. In a summer of big budget epic action/ disaster films, it was too little too late. I kinda liked it, but my sentiments echo Colin's above I'll still get the 3D bluray of course.

 

[dpippel]

I've heard a number of people say that they skipped Pacific Rim "because it looks like a Transformers rip-off".

 

[Tino]

I've heard a number of people say that they skipped Pacific Rim "because it looks like a Transformers rip-off".

I've heard similar statements

 

[Johnny Angell]

I only saw the first Tranformers movie and reviews did not inspire to see the others. I thought PR, with all it's shortcomings, was twice the film that Tranformers was. IMHO, of course.

 

[Edwin-S]

Neat:

That remix was neat. A mix of Chinese traditional instruments and electronica. It would be neat to see that as an alternate track on the Blu-ray/DVD release.

I've heard a number of people say that they skipped Pacific Rim "because it looks like a Transformers rip-off".

Well, they missed out by assuming that. It may not have been an absolute world beater, but it was better than Bay's Transformers movies by far.

 

[dpippel]

Oh, I agree with you completely Edwin. I *liked* Pacific Rim and also think that it was far, far better than any of the three Bay films. I think that the "Transformers rip-off" perception was partly inevitable (giant robots and lots of destruction) and partly poor marketing.

 

[Tino]

Propaganda Rim?From deadline.com

The Guillermo del Toro-directed robots vs. monsters movie may be doing monster box office in China, but an officer in the People’s Liberation Army is no fan. “Hollywood has always been the best American propaganda machine,” wrote Zhang Jieli late last week in a PLA Daily op-ed about Legendary Pictures-Warner Bros‘ Pacific Rim. The PLA Daily is an official China military publication. “The decisive battle against the monsters was deliberately set in South China Sea adjacent to Hong Kong,” Zhang wrote in the editorial, published Friday. “The intention was to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to maintaining stability in the Asia-Pacific area and saving the mankind,” he claims. The wide-ranging piece, which also cites Fox’s Ice Age and the James Bond movies, says that Pacific Rim and other blockbusters are pushing “American values and global strategies”. While sidestepping the fact that all non-domestic movies in China need government approval to be shown there, it urges the Chinese military to steel themselves against the Western influence. “Soldiers should sharpen their eyes and enforce a ‘firewall’ to avoid ideological erosion when watching American movies,” Zhang warned. “More importantly, they should strengthen their combat capability to safeguard national security and interests.”

 

[dpippel]

Wow. Welcome back to the 1980's, comrades.

 

[Vic Pardo]

I wonder what the Chinese thought of the Transformers films, which were paeans to American military might and made with the full cooperation of the Department of Defense.

I actually liked TRANSFORMERS 1 & 3 and thought they were much better than PACIFIC RIM. Why? Because they had something PACIFIC RIM didn't have, but desperately needed: a sense of humor.