Blade Runner 2049 bombs at box office

[Gregormannschaft]

12 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

I watched it at the Sony centre, Cinestar and they had an interval less than half way in where they flash up an advert for ice cream and everybody waits around in the light for 10 minutes or goes to the bathroom. Really improves the atmosphere of the film! Not!

Apart from that the cinema is nice.

Apart from the people...

And the advertising...

And the ticket prices (14 euros)

They also have it on the larger IMAX screen there too.

No doubt they have the absolute best screens and sound in Berlin, but what broke it for me wasn't those stupid intervals, but a tourist sat next to me from a Spanish speaking country, watching Arrival with his partner, pretty much translating the whole film to her. It was excruciating - even if translating the film, Arrival, is kind of ironic given the plot. Even after I asked 3 times for him to stop it continued. And there have been countless other experiences. Yorck seems to attract people with a bit of common sense and it's nice watching slightly smaller films in a smaller audience.

The sound in my showing was incredible still, have to say, but watching this film in IMAX would be stunning. Wished I'd seen Dunkirk like that.

[kidzrevil]

7 hours ago, Tim Sewell said:

Yet even though growth slowed to 1% last year, 2016 was still the all-time record for global box office - in the UK it was far and away the best ever year. I think you're correct, though, in the case of films that aren't aimed at teenagers - for more thoughtful fare the trend is definitely towards home viewing. Who knows what will happen, but it will be a sad day when movies like BR2014, Dunkirk and so on can't be shown on the big screen, where their visual beauty can be properly appreciated.

Im praying the big screen doesn’t die totally. I think Hollywood does play a role in the decline of movie sales because culturally their module doesn’t work anymore. You can’t just throw millions at a production and an actor we seen a thousand+ times and expect this new generation to care or even think its a good title. Web series & straight to neflix movies on shoestring budgets by comparison have been killing the box office. Some of these indie productions use no name actors and new ideas and the result is way more potent than hollywoods solution of making the budget as ridiculous as possible. Indie hands down is the closest thing to theatres roots imo featuring break out actors & creative use of a small budget.

valeria,blade runner,ghost in the shell have failed miserably because the big budget,get the most expensive camera you can find,drown it in special fx and ignore the writing & pacing (i.e. Transformers) format no longer works. We’re looking at the case of tv killing the radio star ?

[Andrew Reid]

12 hours ago, Gregormannschaft said:

No doubt they have the absolute best screens and sound in Berlin, but what broke it for me wasn't those stupid intervals, but a tourist sat next to me from a Spanish speaking country, watching Arrival with his partner, pretty much translating the whole film to her. It was excruciating - even if translating the film, Arrival, is kind of ironic given the plot. Even after I asked 3 times for him to stop it continued. And there have been countless other experiences. Yorck seems to attract people with a bit of common sense and it's nice watching slightly smaller films in a smaller audience.

The sound in my showing was incredible still, have to say, but watching this film in IMAX would be stunning. Wished I'd seen Dunkirk like that.

Yes best screens and sound in Berlin but the audience can be exasperating.

I do prefer the atmosphere in the smaller cinemas. It's almost as if people go to them to actually watch a film rather than to date, eat, piss, fight, or whatever it is the normal fucking ferrel human being likes to do instead of watching films.

[maxotics]

12 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

but the audience can be exasperating

Maybe if films like BR 2049 had real suspense people would keep quiet.  That's the elephant in the room no one wants to talk about.  Yes, there are people who are simply rude in theaters (as in every other place).  I've turned around and pushed a guy in the chest to get him to shut up.  Which was stupid; three of them.  So I hate people who talk in theaters too.  However, once I get over my initial annoyance at someone talking, I often think about it and conclude I would have talked too if I had no interest in film-making itself. 

I enjoyed the cinematography of BR 2049.  Hearing the dialogue added nothing, if anything, it made matters worse.

The filmmaker has someone's undivided attention to start.  The audience has paid real money.  The saying in stand-up comedy that you must "kill" your audience is almost literal.  The audience will show no mercy and "kill" the stand-up comedian if they're not funny.   Hollywood gets lazy; good for the independents!

In short, I no longer blame the audience when many people talk.  Ironically, no one talked at my showing of BR 2049, but I respect my audience-mates less for it

[independent]

True IMAX is the only way to see it. Lincoln center here in NY. 

Of course the cinematography was superb. Deakins did a great job of keeping the overall look consistent with the original while introducing some interesting stuff as he always does. Not too much groundbreaking stuff, but Deakins is the utmost pro and storyteller - he does whatever fits the story. 

Except he was let down. The story had some promising plots and subplots, but it seems as if they condensed a trilogy into one. Harrison Ford showing up at the third act? That was a mistake, undermining K/Joe's character arc by replacing it with the daughter subplot. Too fast, too cheap. The Sean Young resurrection was fast and cheap.  In the end, it felt like a mashup of themes from the original, Star Wars, Alien Covenant, etc., all on a Christopher Nolan soundtrack. 

It never broke through. Never had that moment. I doubt it becomes a masterpiece - they didn't break new ground nor effectively till old ones. They should have just focused on one major plot, K/Joe's character study, and settle for beautiful and elegiac, like Assassination of Jesse James. 

So no, not transcendent. In the end, a DP can be better than the story, but it won't be enough.

This movie was already done, but better, in Metropolis, the 2001 animated film. Deakins would have murdered that remake. 

 

[fuzzynormal]

On first blush, not great movie, but a really good movie.  Kinda what I thought about with the original, but I was a wee bit younger and not as sophisticated with my judgment back then.  As I grew with the film it grew with me too.

As an old fart, that option doesn't exist with most films anymore, let alone BR2049.

[kaylee]

8 hours ago, fuzzynormal said:

that option doesn't exist with most films anymore

what option

[Andrew Reid]

Growing up with a film.

He's already past it

The stuff we watched when we were kids or teenagers tends to stay with us as we grow up. Blade Runner was my Star Wars.

I couldn't care less about Star Wars though.

[Kisaha]

Star Wars was the Harry Potter of our generation.

Watching 2001, Solaris, Blade Runner, those were the days!

I wonder if younger people are watching classics, definitely do not read anymore, but I am just wondering if any teens arewatching Tarkovsky or Bergman, or even some Bela Tarr!

[Tim Sewell]

I find it easier to get my kids to read than to watch 'old' movies. The visual entertainment made for them now gets them into a terrible habit of requiring a beat in every scene to keep them interested - even what seemed like fast paced movies when I was younger now seem interminably drawn out to them now. It's a terrible shame and I can't see it getting much better - I think as time goes on the enjoyment of 20th century cinema will become a micro-niche pursuit.

[cantsin]

Back on topic of this thread: In the meantime, Blade Runner has grossed $194 million worldwide and is yet to have its debut in Japan and China. The production budget was $155 million according to Forbes, so the film did not bomb at box office. In fact, since this is a typical long-tail film (to run on tv, be bought by collectors on DVD/BluRay, watched via streaming services etc.), it probably will be quite profitable.

[Andrew Reid]

‘Blade Runner 2049’ Is Disappearing From Theaters More Quickly Than Expected

http://www.indiewire.com/2017/10/blade-runner-2049-box-office-1201889796/

Movie theaters are being pummeled by a surprisingly poor Blade Runner performance

http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/movie-theater-stocks-are-getting-pummeled-by-a-surprisingly-poor-blade-runner-performance-2017-10-1003559794

[cantsin]

Yes, it's underperforming in the U.S. but doing much better internationally: http://variety.com/2017/film/news/box-office-blade-runner-2049-never-say-die-1202590468/

[kidzrevil]

On 10/23/2017 at 3:41 AM, Tim Sewell said:

I find it easier to get my kids to read than to watch 'old' movies. The visual entertainment made for them now gets them into a terrible habit of requiring a beat in every scene to keep them interested - even what seemed like fast paced movies when I was younger now seem interminably drawn out to them now. It's a terrible shame and I can't see it getting much better - I think as time goes on the enjoyment of 20th century cinema will become a micro-niche pursuit.

I can see 30 minute movies in the future ! Micro content on the web is impacting how we view things in a major way. What used to be considered feature length is just way too long for today’s attention spans. 

[Kisaha]

Very interesting opinion from someone so young as @kidzrevil, and I completely agree. 

I can see that in younger people's edits as well, while I like to edit on a slower pace -as for the brain to comprehend and process information- I see people edit 5 shots in 1-2-3 seconds! I seriously can't follow, or understand what is going on most of those while I have noticed a better visual communication between them than oral. 

For me, the opening scene of Satantango is one of the brilliant way ever. Cows moving for 10 full minutes!

[kidzrevil]

The younger generation has an eye for visual communication for sure ! Lets keep in mind social media like snapchat and IG is rapidly curated micro content. Do you remember vine ? When I first seen it I thought “there’s no way someone can fit engaging content in a 10-15 second video. Im not even going to bother messing with that type of editing” it was too fast for me but after a month of seeing them the pace seemed...normal.

I love heavy dialogue in movies and the subtle pacing that builds tension overtime but those storytelling elements are now lost in this generation.

speaking of which I experimented with doing fan edits to make old movies more “digestable” for this generation. I’ll PM you let me know what you think @Kisaha

[fuzzynormal]

3 hours ago, kidzrevil said:

The younger generation has an eye for visual communication for sure ! Lets keep in mind social media like snapchat and IG is rapidly curated micro content. Do you remember vine ? When I first seen it I thought “there’s no way someone can fit engaging content in a 10-15 second video. Im not even going to bother messing with that type of editing” it was too fast for me but after a month of seeing them the pace seemed...normal.

I love heavy dialogue in movies and the subtle pacing that builds tension overtime but those storytelling elements are now lost in this generation.

speaking of which I experimented with doing fan edits to make old movies more “digestable” for this generation. I’ll PM you let me know what you think @Kisaha

If all a viewer wants is plot movement, you could make 10 minute "features."

Thankfully, it'll never be that for people that actually appreciate decent stories. You can't have a good complex  story without narrative context. 

Otherwise its not storytelling, it's just "content."  

 

[kidzrevil]

@fuzzynormal a 10 minute feature is actually a good idea ! Sounds like some new wave shit ! I do agree that there will always be a market for those who like traditional film however I think as time changes how we consume content will and should change with it. Think of it as evolution because technically whether its 2 hours or 2 mins its all considered content. Lets not forget human beings were telling stories with still imagery since the dawn of our civilization...24 still images a second was a part of the evolution of our "content".

[Chrad]

A 10 minute feature... You mean a short film? 

 

Also can we please not fall for the lie that we should consider ourselves  'content creators'? An earnings report has 'content', a notice board has 'content'. Everything is content. None of us got into this because we love content.  What we do is special because it's storytelling. Calling it content is a way to lower its perceived value so that it can be bought and sold on the cheap. 

[Julien416]

Hmmm, considering the success of Netflix which is greatly based on its TV series content, I am not sure I completely agree with you.

It's true that young people's attention span has decreased dramatically. Yet there is a simple fact : these young people will get older. They will refine their tastes and open their minds to more intricate stories just as the countless sollicitations of teenhood will fade away. It took me a while to like the first blade runner, and at 15 years old I essentially perceived it as a boring - yet beautiful - dark snooze fest. It's now one of my favorite movie ever. At 15 I also thought a Mcdonald's that the best meal someone could dream to eat... People are not written in stone, they will evolve and start to learn that emotions and stories are better conveyed when you take your time to actually tell them... 

As of now, the trend in the industry is that cinema is becoming a thing of the past. The first reason is the lack of novelty, films are no longer innovative and are all based on the same basic formulas, no innovation means no success, but innovation is perceived as dangerous by studios and financiers who wants to cash in based on past success, it's a vicious circle that will badly end. The second reason is because people want longer stories while at the same time being able to see it whenever they want, hence the success of SVOD. I can stop watching a 50 minutes episode after 10 minutes and keep watching it in the bus or at lunch time... 

People will always want to immerge themselves in new narrative arenas, and they want them to last ! I mean youtubers may be producing very short stories, but they are making dozens, hundreds of them. If you add them up, it's hours of shows with often the same characters and story lines... The way the content is divided may have changed, but in the end it's still the same ol' stories being told...