Serenity (2005) (1 Viewer)

[Robert Anthony]

Looking good before the DVD release!

Actually, no, it's not Phil. At this point, I think we're all better off if we just don't look anywhere near the box office reciepts and just look forward to the DVD release.

And if I can throw my hat in, I'm all about Kaylee. I don't know about you guys, but I thought Inara looked sorta rough in this movie. I mean, rough by Inara standards. She seemed roughly lit and not as luminous as she was in the series.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

Quote:

Phil

 

[Rutgar]

Yes, I agree Phil. Some people want to bash Serenity for the lower than expected box office. But the truth is, NO movie is doing well right now. Like you, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the DVD set will offset everything enough to merit another film.

On a side note, I saw Adam Baldwin at the Sci-Fi convention in Plano, Tx. last weekend. He also indicated that at this point, no one knows the future of the franchise. But, that all of the cast members are ready if a second film becomes a reality. Asked why Joss killed Wash, he wouldn't answer. But he did say that Alan Tudyk was signed to the sequel, if one is made.

Funny, I half expected "Jayne", and found Adam Baldwin to be easy going, funny, witty, and very engaging. He continually expressed that the film was totally due to all of the fan support that Firefly has gotten this far. And couldn't thank everyone enough.

 

[Robert Anthony]

Yes, I agree Phil. Some people want to bash Serenity for the lower than expected box office. But the truth is, NO movie is doing well right now.

Whoa. I'm not bashing the movie. My review on this board is one of the most positive reviews I've written this year. I'm just saying that calling Serenity's box office "Good" is false. It's not looking good at all. And yes, this period of the movie season is always slower than the others, but there are plenty of movies doing much better than Serenity is. To say they're all doing bad is either being purposefully dishonest or you're just not looking at the numbers too carefully.

It's not a choice of being negative. to say 30 million WORLDWIDE after 5 weeks in theaters is a GOOD SHOWING is silly. Universal was hoping for 30 million DOMESTIC after 2 weeks, at the LEAST. Plus you're not figuring in for the marketing budget, which was 20 million at least, as well as whatever marketing they're planning on spending for the DVD. I just think at this point the whole thing would be enjoyed a lot better if people retreated from clinging to the ever shrinking hope this "franchise" will continue and simply looked at it as a nice conclusion to a story we all really liked. There's hope, and then there's ignoring reality.

I'm not saying it won't make it's money back eventually. But at this point, it's a box office failure. And as a potential franchise, failing on television and then failing in the box office are two pretty hefty strikes against it.

Not that any of this should really matter, since the movie was pretty damned good. Which was why I was trying to shift the focus back onto the movie and the actors, and less on the gaping chest wound that is this movie's box office.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

But at this point, it's a box office failure.

I don't agree, not by a long shot**!
Now, ... the following is a BO failure!!!
GIGLI
Production Budget: $54 million
Est. Marketing Costs: $20 million
TOTAL LIFETIME GROSSES
Domestic:........$6,087,542
+ Overseas:.....$1,178,667
-------------------------------------
= Worldwide:...$7,266,209 (-$67 mil loss)
==========
**"Serenity" is still out there, I still say that @ this point that it's BO is LOOKING GOOD, so, ... here's hoping that the Overseas BO's adds to it's TOTAL LIFETIME GROSSES!!!
Just being positive!!!
Phil

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Gigli was a nuclear meltdown. I have to agree with Robert here. Sequels come about based on studio expectations and whether they are met or exceeded. Regardless of whether it makes its money back, it fell far below expectations. To be thinking about a sequel, we'd have needed atleast Flightplan numbers.

Maybe Universal will prove me wrong; I hope they do. But I don't think it's likely.

 

[Rutgar]

Again, we haven't seen the DVD numbers. And the movie is still playing. It's a bit too early to be counting the show out yet. Not to mention that it's my understanding that the existing DVD boxset is currently doing quite well. It's as if the film is a trailer for the TV series.

Oh yeah, another thing; Serenity is currently number 1 at the UK Boxoffice. I guess the new Battlestar Galactica got it's jumping off boost from there, so hopefully it will be a well deserved shot in the arm for Serenity as well.

 

[Zack Gibbs]

Yeah, the movie was great but you can't just pretend it's getting great returns. I can't even go see the movie anymore because its theater count has dropped so drastically, no one around here is showing it any longer. It was a great end to a perfect series, and thats wonderful. It doesn't have to be anything more than that.

 

[Robert Anthony]

Exactly. The movie is more than simply the means to an end of "franchisization" (I'm patenting that) and I find it's better for the movie to talk about how good it is than to try and spin these REALLY bad numbers into some sort of launchpad for a string of sequels that is probably not going to come. If it does, I'll be happy as hell, but this sounds almost like you're EXPECTING it to happen and trying to manipulate these numbers to prove it. Hell, I'm just happy with what I got, sequels can come in time.
There's a difference between being positive and smiling with your head in the sand
At least we all dig the hell out of the movie, right? And to further get this thing back on track--the sound design hasn't really been mentioned yet anywhere in this thread, I don't think. Not just the fact there's silence in space, but when there IS noise, it's pretty damned good. I can't wait to throw the atmo battle into the DVD player this December, to see how the initial cannon blast before leaving the cloud rumbles the movie room.

 

[Malcolm R]

As far as the BO grosses, don't forget they're just that...grosses. That entire amount does not come back to the studio. After the theaters take their share, the studio will only see about 60% of that.

So of a $29M gross, the studio only gets back about $17-$18M.

A film needs to gross roughly 2x its production budget to break even in theaters.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

A film needs to gross roughly 2x its production budget to break even in theaters.

Then explain why THE TRANSPORTER got a sequel???
Production Budget: $21 million
Marketing Costs: $20 million
TOTAL LIFETIME GROSSES
Domestic:.......$25,296,447
+ Overseas:....$18,632,485
-------------------------------------
= Worldwide: $43,928,932 ($2.9 mil above Prod. & Marketing)
You think the DVD profit's helped??
Phil

 

[Robert Anthony]

Production Budget: 39 million

Worldwide Gross:$29,283,117

That and you essentially proved his point. Transporter grossed 2x it's production budget, even before you factored in DVD sales.

 

[Zack Gibbs]

I don't understand phil, you provided an example that exactly met the requirments of the quote?

Home video grosses have been able to have an impact on movie greenlights for a while now, but you have to remeber that in Serenities' case, it's already happened. It was the miricle of Firefly DVD sales that convinced the studio to take a chance on a film, and that chance hasn't come close to paying off. The Firefly universe has been given an opportunity to prove it is profitible, and hasn't lived up to expectations. It isn't likly it will be given another free pass, so to speak.

 

[Rutgar]

Well Zak and Robert, you might have a point if those were Serenity's final BO numbers, but they're not. Like I said, Serenity is currently number 1 in the UK. And domestically the film isn't leaving the theater quite yet. You guys claim to be fans of the show and film, yet you're so pessimistic about the whole thing that it makes me wonder. Will Serenity eventually make enough money to warrant a sequel? I don't know. But with "fans" like you spouting all of your negativity, the show wouldn't stand a chance. Luckily the people that really like the show and have supported it have at least gotten the full series on DVD, and a feature film.

 

[Quentin]

You Firefly fans are hardcore! I never realized it until I followed this thread...

Now I understand what Moriarty and others were talking about.

Oh well, I still dug the film and will buy the DVD. I have no sadness over an unlikely future for Serenity...and, I look forward to Whedon's next film.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

But aren't you missing the Marketing Cost of The Transporter = $20 mil???
I'm confused - but that's OK!!!
Anyway, hopefully "Serenity" Overseas BO will add a-little more to the TOTAL LIFETIME GROSSES as time goes on.

... but you have to remeber that in Serenities' case, it's already happened. It was the miricle of Firefly DVD sales that convinced the studio to take a chance on a film, and that chance hasn't come close to paying off.

According to Josh Whedon (one of those internet video interview's), ... that was not the case.
He gave a "Firefly" DVD set to Universal to show his character's, their world, ... explaining that he had a epic story to tell and Universal liked what they saw. Joss basically viewed his DVD set as a 'reel preview" of the movie before it's made!!! So, they green-lighted the movie project before the set of DVD's gross sales were known. The sucess of the DVD sales (2nd, 3rd, etc. re-pressings) made Universal bigwig's happy confirming that their investment wouldn't bomb, ... too much!?!?
Can't wait for the DVD!!!
Phil

 

[Robert Anthony]

This "Fan superiority" tack you're taking sucks, Rutgar. I can like the movie and still be realistic about its money take. It won't be the first movie I've owned on DVD that did shit business at the box office. Doesn't lessen my enjoyment of it. I like the show, I spent my money on the set, I bought tickets to the movie (note the plural) and I told a lot of people about how good it is. Me posting on Home Theater Forum about how the numbers aren't good in spite of all that isn't causing the movie to fail, and on the flip, you trying to massage these bad numbers to look like it's something decent and then openly challenging people to prove you wrong isn't making the movie succeed. Don't get all exclusionary on me like I don't deserve to like the movie and the show, because that's asinine.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

A couple of my favorite quotes from "Serenity" ...
Hoban 'Wash' Washburn: This is gonna get pretty interesting.
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Define "interesting".
Hoban 'Wash' Washburn: [deadpan] Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die?
Dr. Simon Tam: In all that time on the ship... I've always regretted... not being with you.
Kaylee Frye: With me? You mean to say... as in sex?
Dr. Simon Tam: Yes.
Kaylee Frye: To Hell with this. I'm gonna live!
Phil

 

[Robert Anthony]

I also laughed REALLY loud at the "explode" line and the "You come and save me."

Jayne honestly had about 3/4ths of the really good lines, dramatic AND comedic.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

I agree Robert!!!
Here's another Jayne memorable quote:
Jayne Cobb: Hell, I'll kill a man in a fair fight, or if I think he's gonna start a fair fight, or if he bothers me, or if there's a woman, or if I'm gettin paid; mostly only when I'm gettin paid. But eating people alive, when does that get fun?
Phil