The Irishman (2019) (1 Viewer)

[TravisR]

I don't think so. I think that was a rumor that didn't pan out.

OK. I'd much rather see Scorsese make a movie like The Irishman but he has an eclectic enough filmography that I have to admit that I'd like to see him make a mega-budget summer movie just to see what he could come up with.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I agree. My favorite film of his is Hugo, which is the biggest departure from his norm (in terms of being a family film, etc.) So he could probably do anything he wanted from a creative standpoint.

 

[TravisR]

I agree. My favorite film of his is Hugo, which is the biggest departure from his norm (in terms of being a family film, etc.) So he could probably do anything he wanted from a creative standpoint.

Hugo is a perfect example. I'm sure part of his decision to make that movie was based on growing up on the 1950's 3-D movies so he thought "I'd like to make a picture like that" and he did it.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Isn't he involved with a Joker movie?

I did not hear about that but it would not surprise me if they offered it to him. Based on the films he tends to make I can't see him having much interest in doing a superhero picture.

 

[PMF]

[...]My favorite film of his is Hugo, which is the biggest departure from his norm (in terms of being a family film, etc.) So he could probably do anything he wanted from a creative standpoint.

[...] I can't see him having much interest in doing a superhero picture.

I have no ideas how "Hugo" did at the box-office, but I image quite well;
especially with its further boosts, once nominated for 11 Academy Awards.
Not a superhero film as popularly perceived, but to my mind, "Hugo" is filled to the brim with heroism;
the kind that is possible in real-life ways.

 

[JQuintana]

Hugo did $77 million USA. $185 million worldwide. Budget of $170 million.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Hugo is a really good film and I think should have done much better business. Scorsese made a great film for the whole family and I don't know why more people did not go to see it...but they missed out. I think that one stung a bit for him because I think they expected it to do well.

 

[PMF]

"Hugo" will continue to be discovered and grow within the generations;
as were the cases for "The Wizard of Oz" and "It's a Wonderful Life".
It's an original and elevating work that has that rare gift of reaching both the young and the old.

 

[TravisR]

I did not hear about that but it would not surprise me if they offered it to him. Based on the films he tends to make I can't see him having much interest in doing a superhero picture.

Me neither but those superhero movies are mostly all the same thing to me so seeing Scorsese do one would actually create some interest in that particular movie because it would likely be something different.

 

[AshJW]

They just let him do his thing and do not interfere. And that is especially with DC/Warner obviously a problem.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Me neither but those superhero movies are mostly all the same thing to me so seeing Scorsese do one would actually create some interest in that particular movie because it would likely be something different.

Basically with the big franchise films they are so formatted and set in stone as to what they should be they all do seem the same. I don't think directors really leave a mark on those because they just are following the formula. Plus I don't think the fans of those films are seeing them for who is directing. There are exceptions, obviously Nolan fans cared that he was making the Batman films but in most cases I don't think it matters.

So, having someone like Scorsese do one or say Tarantino, I think you ask those guys specifically because you don't want the standard franchise film...you would be looking for something much different. Which could be exciting or could really piss off fans of the franchise. Look at Tarantino and his Star Trek story...you already have fans worried about what that would be and not liking it before it has even happened.

 

[TravisR]

Look at Tarantino and his Star Trek story...you already have fans worried about what that would be and not liking it before it has even happened.

Not being the same thing is exactly what would be exciting about a Tarantino Trek movie. I'm a huge Star Wars fan and I'd much rather see guys like PT Anderson, Fincher, Scorsese, Spielberg or Tarantino, etc. focus on their normal work not because I'd worry & whine about their vision for the SW universe but because I'd much rather see them make one of their movies instead.

 

[Jake Lipson]

especially with its further boosts, once nominated for 11 Academy Awards.

As Johnny already pointed out below your post, the numbers on Hugo were not particularly high, and certainly way less than it deserved to have. Although it was based on an award-winning book, the book is not as well-known as something like Harry Potter, for example, and therefore was not a known quantity to a lot of people. Film buffs who like Scorsese went to see it, but family audiences also had The Muppets (known brand) and Arthur Christmas (not a brand extension, but an easily-communicated holiday title) opening at the same time, plus Happy Feet Two and (to some extent for families, but maybe not quite as much) Breaking Dawn were also still in theaters at that time. Although I think Hugo is a fantastic movie, it was maybe not the easiest thing to sell in a two-minute trailer or 30-second TV spot, when family audiences want something that they know what this is and they know they're going to like it before committing a lot of money to take the kids out to the movies. If you see a TV spot for The Muppets, you know exactly what you're going to get; something like Hugo would be less clear, and therefore more of a challenge to get butts in seats. I'm not saying this is a good thing at all, just providing a theory as to why it didn't connect as well as it deserved to with a wide audience.

Also, while there is still something of a bump, the Oscar nominations are not providing nearly as much of a boost to box office as they used to. The Shape of Water, which was the most-nominated and eventual big winner this year, grossed only $63.8 million total. $27 million of that came in between the nominations announcement and the ceremony itself. It did very well for an indie tile, but didn't suddenly become a huge breakout hit.

Turning back to Hugo, its Blu-ray release was the Tuesday following Oscar Sunday, so it was not positioned to benefit from wins there in a theatrical setting unfortunately. Whether it made up any ground in disc rentals, I don't know. I do know I recommend it every chance I get.

The movie theater by me kept it for a week or so after the Oscars, and even though I already had the disc, I made sure I had the afternoon free on the day it was closing so that I could go one more time to its final showing. This was to see it on a big screen again one last time, but I also decided to ask what they were going to do with the poster which they were displaying for it and, if no one else wanted it, if I could have it. The manager was super nice and said that they couldn't give it to me because they were supposed to send it back to the studio to be destroyed. But they said they could "lose" it. So they "lost" it, and I "found" it on my wall. It's framed now, in gold. It looks awesome and is one of my favorite things I have.

"Hugo" will continue to be discovered and grow within the generations; as were the cases for "The Wizard of Oz" and "It's a Wonderful Life".

I hope you are correct. I was in college at the time of its release, and a lot of my friends on campus took movie recommendations from me and I would frequently loan out discs. I remember encouraging friends to go with me to see Hugo in theaters and no one took me up on it. Then, all of a sudden when I got the disc, suddenly everyone wanted to take my recommendation. I was grateful for the combo pack because it allowed me to retain the Blu-ray for myself and loan out the included DVD for friends, most of whom didn't have Blu anyway. The disc release came out in late February, and my DVD didn't return to the inside of the case again until the end of the semester May, because as soon as one friend would return it, it would go out the door to someone else. It was absolutely crazy. I had to create a waiting list for it because so many people were asking for it and I needed to keep straight who would get it in what order, which is the only time I ever had so many requests for a single title. Of course, everyone ended up liking it, and more than one told me it would have been a good one to see in theaters -- which is what I had been saying all along to no avail.

A couple years ago, back when Warner Bros. was still doing disc distribution of catalog titles on behalf of Paramount, they issued a double pack of Hugo with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. That combo is out of print now because Paramount has reclaimed the Hugo rights, but I was delighted to see this because I think Hugo is in the same class of rarefied cinematic air as Wonka. Both are among the creme de la creme of family films. It also might not hurt that it was low enough (I found it in Wal-Mart's $7.88 bin on Blu and $5 bin on DVD) that people could buy it just wanting Wonka and discover Hugo too as kind of a freebie. Although I already had both Blu-rays individually, I was happy to buy one of these and send it off to a friend as a gift.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, one time when I was at the Tribeca film festival I was told if you go out to dinner with Bob De Niro be prepared to let him sample whatever is on your plate...I thought it was a joke but I guess it's true...

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, nobody thought that was funny but the video is sponsored by AARP and Scorsese and De Niro and most of the cast of The Irishman are calling their next film The League of Retired Gentlemen and AARP is funding it.

AARP wanted to back Dirty Grandpa but thought better of it at the last minute.

 

[AshJW]

So, nobody thought that was funny

Sure I thought it was funny.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Sure I thought it was funny.

What I really laughed at was how fast De Niro is with his fork tucking in to what is on Rickles plate. I mean Don had no chance to stop him or say no. Not that I would say no to De Niro if he was that close to me with any kind of cutlery in his hand.

And Scorsese just says "This is what he does at dinner."

 

[Jake Lipson]

Robert De Niro says Netflix will release The Irishman theatrically:

http://collider.com/the-irishman-theatrical-run/

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Interesting article on the film.

https://www.independent.ie/entertai...d-the-film-that-nearly-vanished-37201617.html

 

[Tino]

I have no ideas how "Hugo" did at the box-office, but I image quite well;

Hugo needed about $450 million world wide to break even.

It grossed $185 million

So it was a huge financial flop.

HUGO
Total Lifetime Grosses
Domestic: $73,864,507 39.8%
+ Foreign: $111,905,653 60.2%
= Worldwide: $185,770,160