Signs of Spielberg's predicted "crash and burn" as Lone Ranger bombs

[ike007]

Lucas has already cashed out his chips to the tune of $4 Billion dollars and is finished as a filmmaker.  Spielberg has been looking for foreign money to prop up Dreamworks and to finance his films and I don't think really cares anymore about making quality films, but money, even though he's already super rich.

 

Lucas burned out in 1983 after Jedi, but with Spielberg, I think he's reached his theoretical event horizon long ago, probably around the time of Jurassic Park.  So I think both of them are saying, "Look, if we can't make good movies anymore, and the system is abhors new talent, and new ideas, then Hollywood is pretty much screwed."

BUT, what both Spielberg and Lucas are VERY good at is finding new talent.  If they focused on finding the newest talent, they could save Hollywood...perhaps.

Sometimes I think that bombs like "The Lone Ranger" are intentional; simply a payout for the actors and producers as a reward for previous hit projects AND also act as a way for studios to mitigate any of the remainder of tax losses.  Disney is a HUGE corporation, and probably pays little taxes as is, and flops such as TLR probably help to mitigage any tax burdens.

You may be right!

Why not loosing a bit of money that otherwise would go to the tax man, with a movie, that within few weeks from its release, it will be for ever forgotten and no harm will be done.

 

First, we may know that Lone Ranger is a comic, but who the heck is Lone Ranger to make a movie about? It is DOA.

Second, i can hardly see how this movie could cost 250 millions, unless they gave a big chunk to Johnny and did not bother to revise any of the estimates from the suppliers, just for the sake of spending a sizable budget.

 

On a different note.

Does the possibility of watching the movie few weeks/months later on those 50/60 inches flat screen TV, with amazing sounds system, in a living room with an Italian sofa (or similar) has something to do with people being less bothered to go to the theater? I know I'am.

there are quite a few things that annoys me about watching a movie at the theater, that make me enjoy more watching it at home when it will be available.

It use to be the theater experience and for some may still be, but some of our home sofa experience can be quite something.

It use to be the fact that there were just a few "must see now" movies per season in the past and now we have plenty them. if we miss one or watch it few months later, it is not the end of the world.

 

I think it must be cool to take the kids to the movies, the earliest times can be one of those unforgettable experiences when you are so young. yet in 2013 they are so overwhelmed with incredible experiences from all over the places, that even that it may not matter anymore.

[Don Whitmore]

Hyperbole gets you nowhere.  No union is asking for $1000/hour.  While the unions are scrambling to deal with faster/easier production techniques, you still need grips, you still need electrical, and frankly, it's on your head if you kill someone trying to do it cheap vs. doing it right.  When it comes down to it, a guy asking for enough money so he can pay his mortgage and feed his kids > an executive bitching about not being able to buy his 3rd house in Malibu.  I know you've been here "for a year", but I've been here for 7+ years and have seen my share of incompetence/idiocy at all levels.  The unions can make some things difficult, but I'd rather have them than not (and I'm not in the union).  I sincerely doubt that union labor was a significant portion of Lone Ranger's budget, btw.  I can totally see it being an issue when you're working on a $30k film, but even then there are waivers and you can even go non-union (good luck paying less than prevailing wage, though).  I got my SAG actors for what amounted to $30/each, for example.  Anyway, don't mean to nitpick.  I agree that as the new batch of filmmakers come onto the scene, we'll see cheaper films made with more modern technology, etc.  I also know that it's hard to go from "well, everyone did this for free back in film school!" to realizing that while you might be living your dream, everyone else needs to eat and pay rent. 
 

 

bwhitz, on 08 Jul 2013 - 9:24 PM, said:

It's top-to-bottom corruption... and the ones who are getting screwed are the audience, the next generation of creatives who might actually be able to make better material for 90% less $, and the industry/art form itself. The film execs want million dollar salaries for having nothing but their arbitrary titles they earned for networking/sleeping their way to the top... and the union workers want $1000/hr for jobs, that more often than not, don't need to exist. Things have to adapt. They're basically using the same film-making model since the last overhaul in the 70's. Innovation needs to happen. We have the technology and capability to make films for about 80% less money and require 80% less labor... better start putting it to practice soon.

 

None of this will be an issue in 10 years, if self web promotion took off. Look at the video game market. Once dominated by $60 purchases, it's now a system run on subscription services and micro transactions, allowing the smaller video game production companies to be able to run. Soon video production could run like this. A small group of film/video artists could run their own production company if their content was worthy, and compete with large production houses. IF the medium arises. I wish it would.

[markm]

People have changed because of new technology and shorter attention spans. Video games with non stop action have influenced what people want to see.

Investors want a guaranteed return Where a studio making six pictures might make two high budget films to make their money and make four that are lower budgeted and more of a gamble. Now investors want to cut the waste and just make as much money as possible on every single release. That though will eventually lead to staleness and an eventual decline. While people may initially be in shock and awe at the new effects that are getting better and better at a massive rate they will eventually have their fill and want to return back to story and acting. I have been hooked by spectacular trailers for films like clash of the titans only to be disappointed by the relentless effects and silly story.

 

To say Spielberg or Lucas have become past it is stupid. They are both masters although Lucas has been indulging in his own glory and idea of trying to be on the forefront of technology instead of concentrating at what he can be very good at and that is telling stories.

 

How do I know this? My cat auditioned for Lucas as a replacement for jar jar spinks part

https://vimeo.com/5985169

 

He was impressed.

 

 

 

Spielberg though is a master an if he is saying something is wrong then there is something wrong.

[hmcindie]

Lucas is just pissed because Red Tails sucked. There is a reason no studio wanted to release it. It was bad.

 

There have been bombs for years. Claiming this is the beginning of an "implosion" is naive. This maybe a bomb for Disney but Disney makes a gazillion billions a year. Also claiming that studio bosses are always wrong is naive. A lot of the time studios actually save films made by incompetent directors. Reshoots are a bitch but a necessity sometimes to save pieces of wreck. There is a reason studios are hesitant to give final cut and only to those who have proven themselves.

[Germy1979]

Summer blockbusters were awesome when I was growing up. Jesus, when Terminator 2 came out it was amazing and everybody was so excited to see it! That was the era of Schwarzenneger though. Bigger than life action star, breakthrough CGI, Cameron....and it was actually "good.". These days i agree, the movies just suck... Most of them anyways. Like the music industry, no one writes lyrics deep enough to give a crap about as soon as the song's over, and more often than not -where as I used to ponder and analyze the movies i saw growing up long after I saw them, these days I'm done with them on the way to the car.

[HurtinMinorKey]

Summer blockbusters were awesome when I was growing up. Jesus, when Terminator 2 came out it was amazing and everybody was so excited to see it! That was the era of Schwarzenneger though. Bigger than life action star, breakthrough CGI, Cameron....and it was actually "good.". These days i agree, the movies just suck... Most of them anyways. Like the music industry, no one writes lyrics deep enough to give a crap about as soon as the song's over, and more often than not -where as I used to ponder and analyze the movies i saw growing up long after I saw them, these days I'm done with them on the way to the car.

 

I tend to agree. But at the same time i wonder, are the movies actually getting worse, or are we just getting older?

[Ivar Kristjan Ivarsson]

I went and saw Lone Ranger last night with my girlfriend(only reason I went is that she is a huge Johnny Depp fan).

 

I didn't hate it. Typical popcorn fest. Some ok humour and action.  But I agree that it fails in its attempt to please everyone, the movie can´t decide whether it wants be dark and serious or funny and strange.  And way to many familiarities to Pirates of the Carabbians like the Butch's possey, almost exactly the same as the dead pirates.

 

But still, I did not leave the theater disappointed. (Maybe because I expected it to suck big time)

 

P.S. I love Armie Hammer, I think he is very likeable and love his infectious smile.

[silvertonesx24]

Summer blockbusters were awesome when I was growing up. Jesus, when Terminator 2 came out it was amazing and everybody was so excited to see it! That was the era of Schwarzenneger though. Bigger than life action star, breakthrough CGI, Cameron....and it was actually "good.". These days i agree, the movies just suck... Most of them anyways. Like the music industry, no one writes lyrics deep enough to give a crap about as soon as the song's over, and more often than not -where as I used to ponder and analyze the movies i saw growing up long after I saw them, these days I'm done with them on the way to the car.

 

No, that is just time washing away the froth.

 

Everyone remembers The Beatles, no one remembers the Strawberry Alarm Clocks.

[silvertonesx24]

 

bwhitz, on 08 Jul 2013 - 9:24 PM, said:

 

None of this will be an issue in 10 years, if self web promotion took off. Look at the video game market. Once dominated by $60 purchases, it's now a system run on subscription services and micro transactions, allowing the smaller video game production companies to be able to run. Soon video production could run like this. A small group of film/video artists could run their own production company if their content was worthy, and compete with large production houses. IF the medium arises. I wish it would.

 

 

Interesting, but the reason someone or a group funds a production company is because it generates profit. What percentage of non-major-and-conglomerate-studios films actually turn a profit? Distribution isn't really the problem. There's Netflix, iTunes, Amazon already.

[Germy1979]

No, that is just time washing away the froth. Everyone remembers The Beatles, no one remembers the Strawberry Alarm Clocks.

Haha. I guess it's a trade off. Bad acting took over for bad dialogue... Good thing George Lucas is keeping that alive though.

[tommykristensen]

"Lone Ranger" Director Gore Verbinski talks about the Hollywood Meltdown on /FILM

 

/FILM:

"Steven Spielberg and George Lucas recently talked about an “imminent implosion of Hollywood,” related to blockbusters. Do you think 200 million dollar movies are the end of Hollywood?"

 

Gore Verbinski:

"I think it’s way more complex than that. I mean, I can’t give you the sound bite version. I have a thirty minute talking-point on that… I do think, sadly, if something isn’t done radically, it’s going the way of the record industry. I think there’s so much good television that it’s hard to get people to go to theaters without making it some kind of event. I think studios are working backwards since they lost their DVD sales, they are working backwards from “How do we get a theme park and a ride and a this and a that…”

 

...

 

"So if you’re not making Harry Potter or you’re not making something that you can synergize and advertise across all of these huge platforms… It’s easier for me to get 150 million dollars to make a movie if I’ve got giant robots in it than it is to make a 40 million dollar drama. I mean that’s the wasteland."

 

...

 

"I can go make the movie for 10 or 150, but you can’t make Lawrence of Arabia. You couldn’t get it made. Steven couldn’t get it made. You couldn’t try to get The English Patient made today. It’s true, everything they are saying is true. I’m not sure about the Broadway part of that. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but I think it’s sad. I don’t know how you convince people to get up and go to see a movie I would love from the ’70s, when I did go to the theater and see "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" or whatever. Now that’s an episode of Breaking Bad and everybody’s got a widescreen TV. So there’s something… “No good will come of this.” (Laughs) We are on a crazy road to extinction."

[jebbyderinger]

The same thing is happening in the video game world too. Ballooning budgets, bombs, studio closures. The entertainment industry in general is so money obsessed they are forgetting to actually make things good. Throwing more money at something doesn't make it a better product.

 

There is still a lot of good stuff out there but it's not mainstream and it's not making money.

[Andrew Reid]

Modern video games bore me to tears, well 90% of them any way. Journey was good.

[Shane Essary]

Most of the games I still play regularly were originally released in the 90s, with World of Warcraft (did I just admit to playing that on a public forum?? Yikes.) being the almost lone exception.

[ntblowz]

Look at how Grown Ups 2 got bad review but still beat Pacific Rim which got more flavourable reviews this weekend in America, Spielberg might be spot on lol

[mtheory]

"I can go make the movie for 10 or 150, but you can’t make Lawrence of Arabia. You couldn’t get it made. Steven couldn’t get it made. You couldn’t try to get The English Patient made today. "

 

Robert Rodriguez would call these guys "Americants".