Although already labelled as a flop in the US with a less than stellar run, Andrew Stanton's take on Edgar Rice Burrough's science fiction adventurer topped the UK charts in its opening week. The £2 million take in the first week would cover somewhere in the region of one percent of the film's overall budget.
This isn't really important to us and anyone who heard Andrew Stanton on Five Live's Simon Mayo/Mark Kermode show will know that it doesn't mean anything to the director either. This is all to the good, but anyone who bankrolls a $250 million movie would be a little worried that the director doesn't care whether it makes its money back.
It looks like JOHN CARTER (the 'OF MARS' being dropped not to put off non science fiction fans apparently - and if that isn't a commercial decision then we don't know what is) is destined to join a list of expensive science fiction flops (remember WATERWORLD? No, us neither) and that is worrying because it's a genre that is traditionally thought of as expensive and high profile failures does us no favours.
Showing posts with label box office. Show all posts
Showing posts with label box office. Show all posts
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Friday, 7 January 2011
Genre Movies Top UK Box Office Moneymakers
The biggest movies in the UK in 2010 were almost all genre films of some kind according to the list produced by Screen International.
Topping the list was TOY STORY 3, which some wouldn't call genre because it's a kids' movie, but it features toys that come to life when there aren't any humans around and how much more fantasy-related can you get than that?
AVATAR came next followed by the latest HARRY POTTER, Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND, INCEPTION, SHREK FOREVER AFTER, TWILIGHT:ECLIPSE, IRON MAN 2 and CLASH OF THE TITANS.
The only film in the list that you couldn't make a case for being either sci fi or fantasy was SEX AND THE CITY 2 at number 8.
If ever there was more proof needed that, in the cinema at least, genre IS the mainstream then this is it. When people are spending their money then they are going for the fantastical.
Admittedly, five out of the nine were sequels and two were remakes with only AVATAR and INCEPTION as being really new.
This is at a time when budgets are being squeezed everywhere and Hollywood will no doubt take note that ticket buyers are still expecting good visual and big movies for their money. What that means for the future of big screen genre outings is uncertain, but it can only be to the good.
Topping the list was TOY STORY 3, which some wouldn't call genre because it's a kids' movie, but it features toys that come to life when there aren't any humans around and how much more fantasy-related can you get than that?
AVATAR came next followed by the latest HARRY POTTER, Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND, INCEPTION, SHREK FOREVER AFTER, TWILIGHT:ECLIPSE, IRON MAN 2 and CLASH OF THE TITANS.
The only film in the list that you couldn't make a case for being either sci fi or fantasy was SEX AND THE CITY 2 at number 8.
If ever there was more proof needed that, in the cinema at least, genre IS the mainstream then this is it. When people are spending their money then they are going for the fantastical.
Admittedly, five out of the nine were sequels and two were remakes with only AVATAR and INCEPTION as being really new.
This is at a time when budgets are being squeezed everywhere and Hollywood will no doubt take note that ticket buyers are still expecting good visual and big movies for their money. What that means for the future of big screen genre outings is uncertain, but it can only be to the good.
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