Look! An Undead Movie Column: New Releases of 3/31/17

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Re: Look! An Undead Movie Column: New Releases of 3/31/17

Post by Buscemi »

I've explained this before. Ghost in the Shell is a Japanese story. You can't just replace everyone with white people and expect the same result across the board. Look at the early backlash of the Americanized Death Note. The industry just needs to leave these stories alone and if they want them so badly, just release the dubbed versions of the original anime.

And claiming that all people in Japan love robots and sci-fi is a generalization if I've ever heard one. How do you explain the continued success of filmmakers like Miyazaki and Kore-eda if you claim Japan is all about robots?

Lastly, using a "political correctness makes me mad, grr" talking point is low even for you. It's funny how you claim to be a political progressive but most of the time sound like a 4chan user. I bet you wouldn't even care about this needless remake if it didn't have Scarlett Johansson in it.
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Re: Look! An Undead Movie Column: New Releases of 3/31/17

Post by Shrykespeare »

Okay, time out, everyone. I'd like this conversation to end before it gets ugly.
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Re: Look! An Undead Movie Column: New Releases of 3/31/17

Post by transformers2 »

Buscemi wrote:I've explained this before. Ghost in the Shell is a Japanese story. You can't just replace everyone with white people and expect the same result across the board. Look at the early backlash of the Americanized Death Note. The industry just needs to leave these stories alone and if they want them so badly, just release the dubbed versions of the original anime.

And claiming that all people in Japan love robots and sci-fi is a generalization if I've ever heard one. How do you explain the continued success of filmmakers like Miyazaki and Kore-eda if you claim Japan is all about robots?

Lastly, using a "political correctness makes me mad, grr" talking point is low even for you. It's funny how you claim to be a political progressive but most of the time sound like a 4chan user. I bet you wouldn't even care about this needless remake if it didn't have Scarlett Johansson in it.
My comment about robots was in reference to whitewashing controversy, not the film tastes of Japan. This article gives some pretty solid insight into how Japanese audiences responded to the ScarJo casting and will hopefully help you understand where I was coming from : http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/s ... ese-885462

Whitewashing real-life people is something I'm very much against (casting Joseph Finnes as Michael Jackson is ridiculously insensitive), but when it's a work of fiction, I don't give a shit. Whether it's Scarlett as Major or Michael B. Jordan as the Human Torch or the all-female Ghostbusters, I'm not going to get mad or offended over the casting choice of a fictional character. Casting is a creative decision made by the filmmakers and as long as each actor fits their respective part, I'll back their choices (this goes for every movie I watch, not just the ones with controversies attached to them). There's some insight into how my 4-chan obsessed, faux-liberal brain works. Good night sweet prince.
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Re: Look! An Undead Movie Column: New Releases of 3/31/17

Post by Buscemi »

You just had to continue the argument because you want the last word.

The Scarlett Johansson casting is not only whitewashing (it's not just a robot, it's a character that was written as Japanese), it's also a complete cop out. You have so many actresses they could have cast but they pick an obvious actor that's part of Hollywood's refusal to accept there are more than a few actors worth casting. In addition, there were plans at one point to have Johansson play the entire role in yellowface. Are you still not convinced it's whitewashing?

And The Hollywood Reporter just preaches to the choir nowadays. The only people that seem to go there are the kinds of people that loved to start fights on Deadline before Nikki Finke left (there's still some of that now but nowadays, it's asskissing and jealous people).

Lastly, your use of a 4chan meme does not help vanquish my criticism of you. This argument is over.
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Re: Look! An Undead Movie Column: New Releases of 3/31/17

Post by Shrykespeare »

It had better be, or I will delete the entirety of it.
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Re: Look! An Undead Movie Column: New Releases of 3/31/17

Post by Shrykespeare »

No three-peat for Beauty!

Everything dropped less than 50% from last week, with the exception of Power Rangers, which tumbled $64, and Life, which dropped 55%.


Weekend Estimates

Top 10:
5 points - The Boss Baby, 49.0M
4 points - Beauty and the Beast, $47.5M
3 points - Ghost in the Shell, 19.0M
2 points - Power Rangers, $14.5M
1 point - Kong: Skull Island, 8.8M
Logan, $6.2M
Get Out, $5.8M
Life, $5.6M
CHiPs, $4.1M
The Zookeeper's Wife, $3.3M


PTA:
5 points - The Boss Baby
4 points - Beauty and the Beast
3 points - The Zookeeper's Wife
2 points - Ghost in the Shell
1 point - Power Rangers
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Re: Look! An Undead Movie Column: New Releases of 3/31/17

Post by Walleye413 »

I am continually surprised at how well Dreamworks animation has done lately. With 4 kids I feel like I've got a decent pulse on these, but this, Trolls, Home, whatever else they've thrown out lately, just didn't look funny to me or my kids. Weird. I mean, they aren't making Disney money, but they do well enough.

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Re: Look! An Undead Movie Column: New Releases of 3/31/17

Post by Shrykespeare »

Walleye413 wrote:I am continually surprised at how well Dreamworks animation has done lately. With 4 kids I feel like I've got a decent pulse on these, but this, Trolls, Home, whatever else they've thrown out lately, just didn't look funny to me or my kids. Weird. I mean, they aren't making Disney money, but they do well enough.
I know, right?? I wonder if I'm not initially underestimating Captain Underpants for exactly this reason...
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Re: Look! An Undead Movie Column: New Releases of 3/31/17

Post by undeadmonkey »

I'm shocked by Boss Baby's opening. Happy for my Full Year slate though.

I don't want to continue the race argument above. However the Box Office argument is fair game and while Ghost in the Shell is underperforming here in North America. it looks like it'll be fine everywhere else. It's made half it's production back in it's first weekend.

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Re: Look! An Undead Movie Column: New Releases of 3/31/17

Post by Walleye413 »

Shyrke - I totally agree on Captain Underpants. I'm going to have to move it up my list I think. Especially with a little nostalgia going for it.

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Re: Look! An Undead Movie Column: New Releases of 3/31/17

Post by Buscemi »

Captain Underpants was made on a smaller budget than The Boss Baby (DreamWorks outsourced it to a third party after initial plans to produce the film in-house fell apart) so it should break even faster. However, I don't like its chances against Wonder Woman and Cars 3. $80-100 million is likely the ceiling. I also could see Fox having Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (which looks like one of the summer's flops, I saw the trailer with Beauty and the Beast and there was no reaction whatsoever) opening two weeks earlier dampening Captain Underpants' impact in the same way Fox releasing X-Men: Days of Future Past and The Fault on Our Stars just weeks before How to Train Your Dragon 2 hurt that film's awareness pre-release three years ago.

And Monkey, I wouldn't be calling $60 million worldwide a win. As I explained, it needs to make over $400 million to break even (you need to account for promotion and the fact that you need to make $2.50 for every dollar spent to return the cost on a film).
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Re: Look! An Undead Movie Column: New Releases of 3/31/17

Post by Shrykespeare »

Weekend Actuals

Top 10:
5 points - The Boss Baby, 50.2M
4 points - Beauty and the Beast, $45.4M
3 points - Ghost in the Shell, $18.7M
2 points - Power Rangers, $14.2M
1 point - Kong: Skull Island, $8.6M
Logan, $6.1M
Get Out, $5.7M
Life, $5.6M
CHiPs, $4.0M
The Zookeeper's Wife, $3.3M


PTA:
5 points - The Boss Baby, $13,305
4 points - Beauty and the Beast, $10,789
3 points - Cezanne et moi, $7,872
2 points - The Zookeeper's Wife, $6,079
1 point - Ghost in the Shell, $5,429
Happy 60th birthday Jet Li! (4/26/23)

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