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[Ninja Scooter]

That would be a really dumb reason that I don't really believe. Disney can afford to buy the rights to the sequel names of a potential blockbuster franchise they're starting.

They (through Marvel) tried to release a John Carter of Mars comic and another company beat them to the punch with a TP adaptation called "Warlord of Mars" around the same time.

 

[kame-sennin]

I've read that the reason Disney dropped the "of Mars" is because the only thing they had trademarked was the John Carter name, and I guess they were worried of B-movie companies latching on and releasing Warlord of Mars and Princess of Mars to try and steal their thunder. I guess I can understand that, but if true it's a dumb reason. Didn't hurt War of the Worlds.

This link has a different explanation:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayl...girls-wont-see-a-movie-with-mars-in-the-title

"Here’s the real truth of it. I’d already changed it from 'A Princess Of Mars' to 'John Carter Of Mars.' I don’t like to get fixated on it, but I changed 'Princess Of Mars'… because not a single boy would go," Stanton told the journalists.

"And then the other truth is, no girl would go to see [a movie called] 'John Carter Of Mars'. So I said, 'I don’t want to do anything out of fear, I hate doing things out of fear, but I can’t ignore that truth,'" Stanton explained at the London presentation.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

They (through Marvel) tried to release a John Carter of Mars comic and another company beat them to the punch with a TP adaptation called "Warlord of Mars" around the same time.

I still don't think that matters. Either way 'John Carter' is just stupid as fuck. They should have secondary titles.

John Carter: A Princess of Mars
John Carter: Warlord of Mars
John Carter: Needs Moms

Edit: After reading that, I now think Stanton has no balls and has fallen into the classic trap of catering to nobody whilst trying to appease everybody.

 

[JGS]

This link has a different explanation:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayl...girls-wont-see-a-movie-with-mars-in-the-title

Should have been Love Warrior of Barsoom.

1 Billion box office guaranteed.

 

[TheKaeptain]

I still don't think that matters. Either way 'John Carter' is just stupid as fuck. They should have secondary titles.

John Carter: A Princess of Mars
John Carter: Warlord of Mars
John Carter: Needs Moms

Edit: After reading that, I now think Stanton has no balls and has fallen into the classic trap of catering to nobody whilst trying to appease everybody.

No balls for sure.


Also, John Carter and the Princess of Mars


BOOM! Just fixed his problem...

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Tim Riggins of Mars

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

"I directed Wall-E" shoulda been the title. Marketing team might've picked up on it then.

 

[faceless007]

Was this posted? Daily Beast: ‘John Carter’: Disney’s Quarter-Billion-Dollar Movie Fiasco

If Hollywood executives don’t know who John Carter is, they certainly know what John Carter is. It’s the kind of cautionary tale that keeps studio chiefs popping Ambien at night: a vanity project with sky-high expectations and a humongous budget* that now seems destined to land with a massive thud at the box office—unless it can somehow rake in more than $400 million to break even. In other words, it’s the kind of movie that causes heads to roll.

Whole article is worth a read.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Was this posted? Daily Beast: ‘John Carter’: Disney’s Quarter-Billion-Dollar Movie Fiasco

Whole article is worth a read.

Is The Daily Beast a reputable news source? Seems like a well written article.

Though I did have to laugh at this:

And Pixar's Andrew Stanton was hired to write and direct the movie—no mean feat, considering that it will have to score Avatar- or Pirates of the Caribbean–size box-office returns to qualify as a success.

Because Pirates and Avatar have similar Box Office returns.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Maybe they're counting all the Pirate movies together.

 

[Discotheque]

Or maybe because Pirates is Disney's most successful live action franchise right now?

The sequels were HUGE

 

[Dead]

Maybe they're counting all the Pirate movies together.

Its funny because the gross of 3 movies is equal to that one

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

From that article:

Although the character has been known as “John Carter of Mars” and was envisioned as a movie trilogy under that name, Disney marketers dropped the “of Mars” part because of industry-think holding that female movie fans are more likely to be turned off by such overtly sci-fi elements. And after the big-budget failure of last year’s Cowboys & Aliens seemingly confirmed that modern audiences are uninterested in Westerns—or, by extension, vintage Americana—Carter’s Civil War connection has been all but excised from the marketing.

“You take out ‘of Mars,’ you don’t tell where he came from? That’s what makes it unique!” a former Disney executive said. “They choose to ignore that, and the whole campaign ends up meaning nothing. It’s boiled down to something no one wants to see.”

After seeing several John Carter trailers, a rival studio executive agreed. “You don’t know what it is,” the source said. “The geek generation isn’t responding. It’s too weird for the family audience. Then it has the Disney brand and PG-13? I’m not sure who it’s for.”

 

[TheKaeptain]

Wow this article went in hard.


Also, Sculli is right. Dude really doesn't have any balls because Disney stole them.

 

[Discotheque]

Ehhh, I was really hoping the film would succeed. But it seems like it's an exercise in everything NOT to do.

Will watch and most likely enjoy but too bad for Stanton and any possible sequels.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

I love the thinking that the 'Of Mars' in the title will turn off the female demographic. All they need to do is play up the love angle in the trailers to get the ladies.

Shit, Avatar's female rate was huge and the main trailer for the film was way more sci-fi intensive than this movie.

But I guess it's not fair to compare to Avatar, since that has the Cameron™ touch and becomes something unmeasurable.

 

[Dead]

I love that the takeaway from Cowboys and Aliens is that audiences dont want to watch westerns rather than realizing the fact that Jon Favreau has crafted two awful fucking insultingly turd movies in a row

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

I love that the takeaway from Cowboys and Aliens is that audiences dont want to watch westerns rather than realizing the fact that Jon Favreau has crafted two awful fucking insultingly turd movies in a row

Shh, it's this sort of retarded thinking that has granted us this new wave of Science Fiction. Gonna get a few gems from the turd wave.

 

[Discotheque]

Hopefully that's Looper and the Cuaron film.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Hopefully that's Looper and the Cuaron film.

And Prometheus, Elysium.

I would say Cloud Atlas, but then is operating very much outside of the studio system. Will be a very, very interesting one.

 

[Dead]

what if movies were good

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

what if movies were good

Don't be silly. Movies aren't good. Movie genres are good. But like a battery, their goodness deteriorates over time and you have to swap it out for a genre that's been in the charger for a while. People like what they're seeing from the charge gauge of our sci-fi battery? Shit! Let's whip 'er out and get 'er ta werk!

 

[apana]

Looks like SE's Nomura directed this film. I have no clue what this is just watched the trailers and it gives me the vibes of "avoid at all cost", but hey I've been wrong before.

 

[Dead Man]

I love that the takeaway from Cowboys and Aliens is that audiences dont want to watch westerns rather than realizing the fact that Jon Favreau has crafted two awful fucking insultingly turd movies in a row

Indeed. Bad conclusions from good data.

 

[soundscream]

Tim Riggins of Mars

Mars forever. *takes swig of beer*

 

[JaseC]

Because Pirates and Avatar have similar Box Office returns.

There's a bit of a punctuation snafu there; I don't think he intended to compare the two but rather sought to reference them individually to make the point that John Carter needs to make a shitload of money.

Edit: Clarity.

 

[-Plasma Reus-]

I still don't think that matters. Either way 'John Carter' is just stupid as fuck. They should have secondary titles.

John Carter: A Princess of Mars
John Carter: Warlord of Mars
John Carter: Needs Moms

Edit: After reading that, I now think Stanton has no balls and has fallen into the classic trap of catering to nobody whilst trying to appease everybody.

Bolded one is really good.

 

[Krev]

Bolded one is really good.

Not a single boy or girl would go to see a movie about a princess named John.

 

[Stinkles]

Not a single boy or girl would go to see a movie about a princess named John.

Like everything in Hollywood, you have to use the colon correctly.

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

Unless your shit is obnoxious as hell like Cowboys & fucking Aliens or Snakes on a Plane, the title is not that crucial. This shit is dumb. You think people went to see Safe House because they could rely on there only being one safe house in the movie?

 

[JGS]

Safe House's marketing was great and persistent. plus it had Denzel.

John Carter has none of those and is effectively named after a bunch of people in the phone book.

If they were wanting to avoid confusion, they should have changed the name altogether and based it on John Carter. I was joking earlier, but Barshoom & Warrior in the title would have been fine since it would have dgenerated a hint of mystery. John carter generates nothing.

 

[Cheebo]

I was just looking at some boxoffice tracking numbers for this...it is tracking really really really badly. Like complete bomb badly.

 

[Aaron]

Saw the trailer in 3D and thought the trailer itself looked better than I expected, but the 3D was just awful.

I love the thinking that the 'Of Mars' in the title will turn off the female demographic. All they need to do is play up the love angle in the trailers to get the ladies.

Shit, Avatar's female rate was huge and the main trailer for the film was way more sci-fi intensive than this movie.

Aliens in this movie aren't sexy blue cat people. They're just ugly. They lost the female demo right then and there.

Like everything in Hollywood, you have to use the colon correctly.

This is the dirtiest thing I've ever read on this board. At least in the OT section.

 

[TAJ]

I've read that the reason Disney dropped the "of Mars" is because the only thing they had trademarked was the John Carter name, and I guess they were worried of B-movie companies latching on and releasing Warlord of Mars and Princess of Mars to try and steal their thunder. I guess I can understand that, but if true it's a dumb reason. Didn't hurt War of the Worlds.

How the fuck can you trademark a public domain character?

 

[Expendable.]

@jamesrocchi:

JOHN CARTER is kind of like TINTIN, in that it's a series of adventures and escapades conveyed through amazing technical achievement but it lacks the connective tissues of character, consequence & clarity that could make it an epic adventure and not just a bunchastuff.

 

[Mr. Sam]

"Bunchastuff"? Uh?

 

[Expendable.]

@kateyrich (EIC of Cinema Blend):

I love Andrew Stanton. I wanted to love JOHN CARTER, and parts of it made it feel possible. But it faltered for me.

@misterpatches:

Two cents: I really dug #JohnCarter. It's wild and weird and often exciting. The filmmaking compliments the adventure. Kitsch is passable. He doesn't feel like a Confederate soldier, but he can be rugged. A more charismatic lead would have helped. #JohnCarter

 

[Expendable.]

Great article from Matt Singer:

The more people bash “John Carter” the more I want to see it

Disney’s massive franchise starter “John Carter” doesn’t open for another two weeks, but it feels like it’s already been written off as a huge flop. For months, the narrative in the media about the film has gone something like this: “The trailer is horrible and the tracking is soft and the film went way over an already-high budget, so therefore it’s going to be huge disaster.” The latest — and, let’s hope, final — piece in this narrative, comes from The Daily Beast, where a lengthy article about the release of “John Carter” calls it “Disney’s Quarter Billion Dollar Fiasco.”

The marketing for “John Carter” is terrible. I’m sure the tracking numbers are soft. I have a hunch the film did go over budget. Maybe it is “a quarter billion dollar fiasco.” My question to you is this: why does any of that matter? All of those things can be true, and “John Carter” might still be a fantastic movie. In fact, most of the things people are propping up as evidence that “John Carter” is doomed to failure sound to me like reasons to look forward to the film. The more people bash this thing, the more I want to see it.

Much more at the link.

 

[Daft_Cat]

More tweets. Positive heavily outweighs negative/mixed. Still, overall vibe sounds like "good, not great".

Wow, I really liked @JohnCarter. Lots of fun. It's got some issues, but overall I dug it. Oh, and I want a Woola.

https://twitter.com/#!/StaxIGN

The JOHN CARTER premiere just ended and I'm happy to report that I am very, very fond of it.

Stanton does for Burroughs what Jackson did for Tolkien. There are changes, but the overall tone is unapologetically true to the text.

https://twitter.com/#!/silaslesnick

John Carter is much better than you're expecting it to be. A lot not shown in the advertising.

John Carter complaints: feels a bit too long, story was sometimes more complicated than it should've been. Don't see it in 3d.

John Carter: Lynn and Taylor were great. You'll love Woola and will leave hoping they'll make a sequel.

https://twitter.com/#!/slashfilm

Was absolutely blown away by John Carter! A fast paced, fun, imaginative adventure filled with humor and heart.

https://twitter.com/#!/vendrell_david

 

[Solo]

15 days until we know: John Bomba or John Moderate Success?

 

[JGS]

Aliens in this movie aren't sexy blue cat people. They're just ugly. They lost the female demo right then and there.

Women were only interested in the two main characters love story. No one was feening for Tsu'tey and the relationship trumps looks. It's why Beauty and the Beast stories still are made.

The two main characters are beautiful and presumably in love. Good word of mouth will get the ladies in there. That, however, will be a problem.

 

[bengraven]

I think I give up on this. I'll just see it on DVD later and cry.

 

[Tookay]

I love that the takeaway from Cowboys and Aliens is that audiences dont want to watch westerns rather than realizing the fact that Jon Favreau has crafted two awful fucking insultingly turd movies in a row

Most people don't even know who Jon Favreau is.

15 days until we know: John Bomba or John Moderate Success?

John Bomba for sure. Sadly.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Most people don't even know who Jon Favreau is.



John Bomba for sure. Sadly.

I think you missed the point. The studios funding these movies know who Favreau is.

 

[Tookay]

I think you missed the point. The studios funding these movies know who Favreau is.

No I don't think I did. We're talking about the marketing people. Cowboys and Aliens was a bomba before it even landed in theaters. Its tracking was soft. People would bust up in the theater laughing at the title during trailers. There wasn't an interest in the subject, for whatever reason. It wasn't just a word-of-mouth issue, where Favreau's shitty film-making was solely to blame. That just killed its legs. There was something fundamentally unappealing to wider audiences about Cowboys and Aliens.

John Carter's marketers made a reasonable assumption here that the similar theme would hurt them or create uneasy associations. I'm not saying this is good idea or anything, because the marketing plan they HAVE settled on is generic and lifeless as hell, but I don't think it was wrong to make the inferences they did.

 

[Krev]

I love that the takeaway from Cowboys and Aliens is that audiences dont want to watch westerns rather than realizing the fact that Jon Favreau has crafted two awful fucking insultingly turd movies in a row

It's also forgetting that only seven months earlier a moderately budgeted western was a box office hit.

 

[Tookay]

It's also forgetting that only seven months earlier a moderately budgeted western was a box office hit.

True Grit didn't have to deal with an unwieldy melding of nerd sci-fi material with western movies, either. We're talking about two completely different audiences here. Not to mention the age of these disparate groups as well. This is practically apples and oranges.

Plus True Grit didn't need to be a blockbuster (and thus didn't need to sell out its soul to the lowest common denominator in the marketing), the way Cowboys and Aliens, and John Carter did.

 

[Krev]

I think it's partly a problem of tone. Cowboys & Aliens is a very jokey title, but the trailers were selling a GRITTY and SERIOUS story of MANLY MEN fighting aliens. It looked pretty unappealing. Maybe it would have worked better if they went with a lighter tone. Maybe not, but in any case the trailers made the film appear to have nothing to offer beyond the novelty of the premise.

 

[WillyFive]

I've been listening to some of Giachinno's score for this movie. It is wonderful, and it has a Lawrence of Arabia vibe.

 

[JB1981]

I've been listening to some of Giachinno's score for this movie. It is wonderful, and it has a Lawrence of Arabia vibe.

he did the score? that is a huge plus