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Deadline: Ghost in the Shell will Lose $60M+

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Chumley

Banned
Film execs are probably going to take the wrong message away from this and assume that video game and anime movies won't sell in America.

Not exactly the wrong message... the only video game films that have ever done well are the RE and Tomb Raider films, maybe Mortal Kombat too I think. As for live action American anime adaptations, I can't even think of many beyond GitS.
 

Linkura

Member
tenor.gif


EVERYONE saw this coming. Hell Paramount probably knew it was coming months ago, but it was a sunk cost.
 
This is basically a straight up lie. Lucy was not a brand, and Under the Skin was critically lauded. And that's just her most recent work.
Under the Skin came out three years ago and made it's budget back. Lucy is one example now counter balanced by the failure of this film.

Im not arguing if she's a good actress.
 

Got

Banned
Then why did GITS only do 20 million in the first week? Surely if she was a hot name you get more than that just from "Oh shit the new Scarjo joint" crowd

because not everything will score a hit regardless of star power.

I am. Star power is a dying concept outside of the minds of executives. I've said this ad nauseum. The articles have been written, the numbers have been crunched by others smarter than you or I.

Replace Scarlett in most of those roles with any other actress and it wouldn't matter. Folks are there to watch the Avengers or The Jungle Book, not for Scarlett Johansson. A poor brand and a bad sell equals a bomb, regardless of how big your star is.

Case in point.

you're wrong but I get why you persist.
 

Chumley

Banned
Then why did GITS only do 20 million in the first week? Surely if she was a hot name you get more than that just from "Oh shit the new Scarjo joint" crowd

Because it's a very out and proud Cyberpunk film. Cyberpunk films with that style being front and center (Blade Runner, Dredd, Tron Legacy) have always bombed. It only really works in cases like The Matrix and the original Robocop where it looks like an action film with sci-fi influences.

Could it have been successful with an Asian lead? I don't know. But there's a historical precedent for movies of this style and genre doing badly.
 
because not everything will score a hit regardless of star power.



you're wrong but I get why you persist.

How is he wrong? Seriously there's a lot to back up that notion, you're just running on "you're wrong"

Movie stars are dead.
 
Knew it was a likely bomb anyway. Too high of a budget for something like GitS with only ScarJo as the only high profile actor in the film.
 

SeanC

Member
Lucy was really the first major big-budget (and it wasn't that big of a budget) action flick she headlined was the one movie that people saw and thought "So she's a draw." A headliner is a rarity, especially for a woman, so at the time that was a big deal and her pay rate went up.

Ghost in the Shell now walks that back.

We're not talking smaller flicks here, Under the Skin doesn't matter. Under the Skin's entire budget was about the same as Scarjo's lone salary for Ghost in the Shell, this is about if she deserved to be paid because of her past draws, but she really only has one movie (Lucy) that people can go by.

Again, this comes down to a studio overspending and not knowing what to do with it. Ghost in the Shell would have made a nice 40 - 50 million scifi flick but they went nuts with it (and, honestly, Scarjo at 12 million or whathave you for her rate isn't that much when Jennifer Lawrence is pulling in 20 mill for a movie and her latest with Passengers kind of flopped)
 

kswiston

Member
Then why did GITS only do 20 million in the first week? Surely if she was a hot name you get more than that just from "Oh shit the new Scarjo joint" crowd

I don't think that people are running out to see her films like she's Will Smith in 2000-2009, but I do think that she can be an asset to a film's marketing when she fits.

I mean, in Lucy you had this:

Lucy-Scarlett-Johansson-Latest-Movie-Images.jpg



vs This in Ghost in the shell

ghostinshell0002.jpg
 
Because it's a very out and proud Cyberpunk film. Cyberpunk films with that style being front and center (Blade Runner, Dredd, Tron Legacy) have always bombed. It only really works in cases like The Matrix and the original Robocop where it looks like an action film with sci-fi influences.

I don't agree, I don't think the average audience could even begin to tell you what cyberpunk is. To me the movie was marketed pretty heavily as a generic (if not kind of colorful) action sci-fi.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
I love how point 7 is almost made in passing. Every other aspect has an in detail explanation aside from the fact that the movie apparently isn't really good. What went wrong there? Maybe the movie needed another "Protagonist uses 90% of her mind" premise.

Would Get Out have drawn as many people if it didn't review as well as it did and carried all that word of mouth?

And wow at them waiting on Johanson
 

icespide

Banned
I don't think that people are running out to see her films like she's Will Smith in 2000-2009, but I do think that she can be an asset to a film's marketing when she fits.

I mean, in Lucy you had this:

Lucy-Scarlett-Johansson-Latest-Movie-Images.jpg



vs This in Ghost in the shell

ghostinshell0002.jpg

what is this supposed to illustrate?
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious

Slayven

Member
because not everything will score a hit regardless of star power.



you're wrong but I get why you persist.
moving-goalposts.jpg


Because it's a very out and proud Cyberpunk film. Cyberpunk films with that style being front and center (Blade Runner, Dredd, Tron Legacy) have always bombed. It only really works in cases like The Matrix and the original Robocop where it looks like an action film with sci-fi influences.

Could it have been successful with an Asian lead? I don't know. But there's a historical precedent for movies of this style and genre doing badly.
Maybe if they focused on the movie being good, people liked Dues Ex Machina
 

Vanish

Member
Honestly, who gives a shit about star power? I watch movies based on good reviews and if the story/setting/etc is interesting, not if some big star is in it. Just choose someone who would best fit the role. Whatever, just my crazy opinion.
 

Got

Banned
Here's some posts about how star power has been bunk for a while.

When you actually want to offer up an argument, by all means.

and my opinion still stands she earned her money.

I'm actually Majoring in memeology. His post checks out. -5 points to you

you should change majors. you're setting yourself up for failure.

Quit while you're behind.

says the guy who'll ride the sinking DCEU to his death.
 

Bronx-Man

Banned
What's the next movie to have a whitewhasing controversy that white Gaffers will swear up and down that it absolutely nothing to do with it bombing? Already did it with this and Exodus.
 

Grizzlyjin

Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
You recast her or Anthony Mackie in Civil War and not $1 is going to be lost. Let's be real, beyond maybe RDJ and Evans nobody really cares that much about the supporting cast. These actors aren't selling these movies, they just happen to be in movies that are selling. She's in The Jungle Book for less than 5 minutes as a voice. Distinctive voice, but a voice. Nobody saw the movie for her. Hollywood needs to divorce itself from this idea that people are actually seeing these movies for 1 singular actor. They can keep wasting money if they want, but they could've saved a nice chunk of money with an unknown that was ready to shoot immediately.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
yeah, it would be nice. they'll get it right at some point hopefully.
I kind of thought it would happen 15 years ago, so I've already given up hope.

With Ghost in the Shell I thought "so 90s anime kids are grown up and have families now, so maybe anime adaptations will finally hit the mainstream on that nostalgia tip?" Nope.

Doubt it will ever happen at this point.
 

kswiston

Member
Her main draw, being attractive, isn't even used in Ghost in the Shell

It's not even just that. Lucy is pretty straight forward. Hot blonde becomes superpowered bad-ass through the power of drugs and shitty science. I haven't seen Lucy to comment on her performance outside of the trailers, but I know she can be pretty charismatic from things like Don Jon.

Ghost in the Shell's trailers has her stone-faced the entire time, dressed in the weird stealth costume that looked better in the anime than it does in live action, and set against a largely digital cyberpunk future Tokyo. There's a lot to turn people off who aren't already into those concepts, and I didn't see anything from Scarlett that would convince someone otherwise if they weren't already sold.
 

Ōkami

Member
I wonder how it'll gross in Japan compared to the anime original, though sadly there's no data on how that one did.

Wild Speed: Ice Break won't be out for 3 weeks after it, so at least it'll have some time of its own.
 

shem935

Banned
and my opinion still stands she earned her money.

That was never in dispute lol. She showed up and got paid. The issue is whether she puts asses in seats. You are re framing your argument because you can't support it! So once again:

moving-goalposts.jpg
 

Chumley

Banned
Her main draw, being attractive, isn't even used in Ghost in the Shell

Every trailer features that disrobing scene of her in a skin tight bodysuit. I'd actually say GitS marketing used her attractiveness more than any other movie she's ever been in.
 
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