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Posted on 07/07/2013 12:05:02 PM PDT by SMGFan
SUNDAY UPDATE: Universal's "Despicable Me 2" nearly triples the dismal $48.9 million earned by the Johnny Depp Western, posting a dazzling five-day North American debut of $142.1 million.
Failing to fire off a silver bullet, Disney's The Lone Ranger posted a grim five-day debut of $48.9 million, far from enough to make up for the high cost of the Johnny Depp-Armie Hammer Western.
Lone Ranger -- costing at least $250 million to produce -- marks the summer's third major disappointment after Will Smith tentpole After Earth and Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum's White House Down -- both Sony pics -- and is almost certain to pose a major financial headache for Disney. White House Down fell to No. 6 in its second weekend, falling 47 percent to $11.2 million for a domestic total of $50.1 million.
(Excerpt) Read more at hollywoodreporter.com ...
Again, Disney is being run by idiots.
It’s funny I actually really liked the Lone Ranger, I think it’s a victim of negative assumptions. It’s basically Pirates of the Caribbean in the old west. It’s supposed to be corny the best part is the whole over the top ridiculous train sequence with the music blaring.
But I know how bad hollywood is these days and understand big movie flops, I just don’t think the Lone Ranger was that bad. I really don’t understand how they make some of these movies, I laugh at most of the previews.
There’s still a few more in the pipeline as well. Guillermo Del Toro’s “Pacific Rim” for one.
“The Wolverine”, “Kick-Ass 2”, “Riddick” “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2” and a 3D re-release of “The Wizard Of Oz” are still coming up between now and September.
No one’s ever really done “The Lone Ranger” right on the big screen; maybe it’s just one of those things. I prefer the old TV series - there was a Lone Ranger movie 20+ years ago, and it was a flop too.
Yeah the summer movie season is only about halfway through, though as you wind to August expected returns dwindle. But a good chunk of your list, and others you didn’t list, should pull off over half a billion in total (including foreign) grosses. The tent poles are alive and well, even with a few breaks.
The current movie makers are pushing the edge, when people want predictably safe, comfortable and fun films to see again and again.
When a movie makes the family unwilling to take the kids, it has to be geared to adults. They are making too many films that make parents look like idiots, bash the parents’ beliefs, trash cherished totems, insult everyone and expect adult-bashing and crude humor plus special effects to draw in the kids.
The alternate scenario is making violent or “edgy” films for adults, which aren’t making as much money as they used to because video games or online porn satisfy the targeted demographic better. Pay to see World War Z twice - or buy “The Last of Us” and play for several hundred hours ... the video game is cheaper per hour.
Clayton Moore did two Lone Ranger movies on the big screen back in the late 50’s after the series ended and they were successes.
One of the few movies I’ve seen at the theater. Great effects, but they butcher the Lone Ranger and Tonto as heroic, virtuous figures.
Lone Ranger is portrayed as an out-of-place milk-toast, academic lawyer, who won’t fire a gun because he’s scared of bullets.
Tonto is portrayed as a stupid spiritualist who lacks fear,...typical Johnnie Depp persona, take the Pirates of the Caribbean and recast him as a lonesome Indian.
Movie had lots of opportunity to make American heros, but instead turns them into comedic wimps.
Definitely; foreign box-office isn’t to be ignored.
I’m thinking “Pacific Rim” is going to be a hit - maybe even a blockbuster. Del Toro is a good director, and he’s got a solid cast on this film, including Ron Perlman and Idris Elba. Nowadays, there’s a whole generation of kiddies who grew up with Japanese pop-culture tropes like kaiju and mecha being a staple of American pop-culture as well. At the very least, it’s more omnipresent these days than it used to be.
Back in the 70s, it was only us ‘nerds’ who were familiar with Space Battleship Yamato, Macross, and Ultraman. Those things are now far more well-known to American audiences. I remember when “Akira” was released in the US in the late 80s on home video - it was known mostly by word of mouth. Now the films of Hayao Miyazaki have won the Academy Award and Pokémon and InuYasha are pretty familiar to most American kids.
Interesting - I was unaware of that. I’ll have to look for them.
I’m kind of disappointing in what I’m seeing from Pacific Rim, but I’m a fan of Del Toro’s subtitled fair. I think it will make a ton of money though, it’s right up that Michael Bay alley, except Del Toro will do it better, it’ll just make me sad. Unless there’s some serious weirdness they aren’t putting in the previews.
...a grim five-day debut of $48.9 million... costing at least $250 million to produce...That includes all the money getting laundered for the Mob.
Heh. I’m still looking forward to seeing it when it goes into general release here in Central Europe - probably in August, but maybe sooner.
Anything Michael Bay can do, Del Toro can likely do it a hundred times better. “Pan’s Labyrinth” was a brilliant film - a true fairy tale in the classic tradition of fairy tales. Scary, bittersweet, and sometimes, the good and the innocent die.
I appreciated it greatly for that; much better than the ‘Disneyfied’ fairy tales.
Johnny Depp with a chicken on his head? I think I’ll pass.
So says Johnny Depp
Yes. He did a big screen version in 56 called just ‘The Lone Ranger’ and then in 58 one called ‘The Lone Ranger And The Lost City Of Gold’
The Lone Ranger 1956
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lone_Ranger_(1956_film)
‘The Lone Ranger And The Lost City Of Gold’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lone_Ranger_and_the_Lost_City_of_Gold
Here is the 58 movie in it’s entirety.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQBKc0K019A
“The Lone Ranger” is proof that Hollywood has truly run out of original ideas.
Maybe they can come out with a “CHiPs” or “BJ and the Bear” movie next.
” . . .. a badly done remake of a classic television show . . ..”
Badly done, fer shur, but not a “remake” of anything, imo.
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