MovieChat Forums > FilmBuff > Replies
FilmBuff's Replies
Yeah, I'm responsible for 7 or 8 of those 250 million views.
There are some interesting possibilities based on what we know is being released around the same time next year.
Superman's first apperance launched the Golden Age of comics in 1938. Though Marvel had been publishing comic books since 1939, in 1961 Marvel launched the Silver Age of comics with Fantastic Four #1. While both are superhero films, there could be a sort of comic book version of Blur vs. Oasis.
There's also another Jurassic Park movie coming out next July. I have no idea who watches those, but they seem to make money every time, so we could get a Supersaurus phenomenon.
If we're looking for a strict parallel of two very different kinds of films fighting for the public eye, we may have to wait and see what Serious Movies are slated for release next summer, and see if one of those can play Oppenheimer to Superman's Barbie.
Are we talking about profits, or viewership? I pointed out that Americans aren't going to the theaters in anywhere near the numbers they used to, so a comparison of dollars made is less revealing than a comparison based on where a film ranks in terms of viewership vs. its same-year competitors.
Wicked is the 3rd-most watched film of 2024. That tells me that it's been popular with theater-goers here in the U.S.
When we start looking at global numbers, things are skewed, as international audiences are very different from American audiences. A film like Wicked was made primarily for Americans. It's a prequel to a popular American film, and based on a hugely popular American musical. Any overseas sales are a bonus.
Also worth noting, while studios of course love money (who doesn't?), their primary profit comes from U.S. audiences. They keep 50-60% of the price of tickets sold in American theaters. They keep 40% of less from tickets sold elsewhere, and 25% or less of tickets sold in China.
Something to consider:
The U.S. seems to have righted its ship with this past election, and it stands to reason that a lot of the lazy, loser behavior will be relegated to the past. I can very easily see 2025's Superman movie ushering audiences back into theaters, and bringing in a diverse audience.
You'll have all the hardcore superhero fans, of course, plus all the action-movie junkies.
You'll also have a lot of children, with their parents in tow, as families have long been craving a superhero movie they can bring their kids to see. I'm a part of that demographic, and I know I'm not alone. This is a topic that comes up regularly when talking to other parents. Superhero movies used to be for kids, but now they are too violent, sexual, or scary for young children, and we've all been hoping for a film like this. I took the family to see Superman 2 this past summer, and the 1200-capacity theater was nearly sold out. People want a kid-friendly superhero movie.
This also works as a date movie. Lois and Clark are an iconic, star-crossed couple, right up there with Romeo & Juliet, Mark Antony and Cleopatra, Daisy and Cleopatra, and Luke and Leia. My wife has zero interest in the Marvel films, and won't go near a Batman movie, but she'll see Superman if Lois and Clark aren't turned into a footnote, as they were in the recent Superman films, and if there's a cute little white puppy.
I don't see this movie knocking The Force Awakens out of the top spot on the all-time box office list or anything, but I can definitely see it doing Barbie-like numbers if the film is good. That's the big IF right now. We know Clark, Lois, and Superman are perfectly cast. The rest looks good, but if the movie itself is a turkey, a la Man of Steel, then all bets are off.
I'm referring to the domestic ticket sales list, which is the one most commonly used to determine the top films.
He wouldn't be a super man if he as an average schmo.
There's more than one kind of film.
Asteroid City is visual story-telling. It's colors and images, and shots that could be mid-century photographs or paintings. It's funny moments shared between interesting and unusual characters. It's silly in one moment, sad in another.
If you only enjoy plot-driven movies, and you need twists and turns and surprises and epic moments, then this sort of film isn't for you. That doesn't make it crap.
There's a whole world of cinema out there. Pick and choose what works for you, but perhaps keep an open mind that others enjoy more than mainstream, linear, plot-driven films.
I believe people overstate the effect of ticket prices. Movie ticket prices have increased less than most everything else in recent years, and relative to the value of the dollar, movies are cheaper today than they were in 2019, when movies were doing fine.
Musicals tend to do well, and many children's movies are musicals.
Where you are correct is with your comment about streaming. That's why ALL movies are suffering at the box office anymore. People prefer to watch at home. Reviews don't matter. I don't know anything about the cast interviews, and I highly doubt many other people are aware of them, and they aren't affecting ticket sales.
It's a juggernaut by today's standards. Hardly anyone goes to the movies anymore, and films aren't making nearly as much as they did in the past. It's the 3rd-highest-grossing film of 2024, and it's turning a profit for Universal. That's about as good as it gets in 2024.
Everyone else does.
I didn't bother to see Venom 3 based on how terrible the first 2 films were, and it's certainly not a movie for young children. Thor Love and Thunder I did see, and it wasn't very good. Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is the only one of the three that was any good, but thematically and cinematically its aimed at adults, not kids.
Marvel has been much better than DC at making films fun and exciting for kids, while interesting and funny for adults. DC used to understand this. The original Superman and Batman films were just such films. I think the success of Nolan's Batman movies skewed their vision, and ever since they've made either dark, violent films that a child can't watch, or piss-poor imitations of Marvel's films that no one can watch. The only exception has been the recent Flash movie, which felt like a return to the '80s sensibilities in that it was fun for both adults and children.
It worked for me. I don't bother to see most of the superhero films that come out, and have near zero interest or knowledge of Superman beyond what was put forth in the first two Donner films, but I'm extremely excited by this trailer. I *want* there to be a fun superhero movie that I can enjoy and take my young sons to see, and this looks like it might be just such a film. I'm cautiously optimistic about it, as one can only glean so much from a 2-minute-long trailer.
Looks like a fantastic film to me. Trailers can be deceiving (Wonder Woman '84 is a prime example of this) but the dog adds the perfect amount of levity, and is what Superman is all about: fun.
Did you even watch GotG3? Characters we didn't learn about?? That film is the exact opposite of that.
I read that as part of the agreement to show the Superman film next year, theater goers will be required to receive a booster shot on the way into the theater.
Lately, each year, there are 2 or 3 films that succeed at the box office while the rest flounder, and this feels very much like it will be one of the successes of 2025. As we learn more about the film, that may change, but right now this has all the earmarks of a film that will capture the zeitgeist and fill theaters.
Before Obamacare it was a good system. It's far worse now, but still the best healthcare system in the world.
This teaser is brilliant. Will the movie be any good? Who knows?
1836... Hello Martin Van Buren!
I'm shocked! People getting drunk and doing silly things! How dare they???