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[Bobby Roberts]

It IS emphatically a better film than the first - the humor aims higher, the characters all feel more important and even the villain gets more developed. The new characters also manage to get just enough screen time to feel good enough BUT none of that really matters that much because AOU is still "just another superhero film".

I don't know that this narrative is going to be supported by audience reactions in the coming weeks. Superhero fatigue will likely factor in somewhat for some people, but I'm not sure a large percentage of the people who have seen it opening weekend would call it "emphatically" a better film. Even people who aren't suffering the fatigue seem to consider the film a little overstuffed and not as interesting/exciting as the first.

I also agree with ithil that you have Civil War going way too low. I think after how well Winter Soldier was recieved, plus the fact Spidey's going to be in that thing, and it's the "vs." battle that inherently amps up interest - there's no way that thing doesn't land huge. Way bigger than 80 mil.

 

[Zeyphersan]

Sony is looking at Marvel in disgust and pulling out of the Spider-Man deal as we speak

 

[SpotAnime]

How is word of mouth worse then what Cinemascore indicates? Cinemascore score is word of mouth. More than GAF impressions or reviews tend to be a true indication of WOM.

Sorry, that didn't read right. I meant the word of mouth isn't as good as the first Avengers, as the lower Cimemascore seems to indicate. The first Avengers got an A+, AoU got an A.

 

[peanutbutterlatte]

Civil War is coming off huge hype from Winter Soldier, and the addition of Iron Man and half the Avengers, with a good release date. There's nearly no chance it doesn't open to well over 100M.

+ Spiderman

 

[Ithil]

+ Spiderman

And Spider-Man.

 

[bananafactory]

Civil War is coming off huge hype from Winter Soldier, and the addition of Iron Man and half the Avengers, with a good release date. There's nearly no chance it doesn't open to well over 100M.

If they market it as "Iron Man vs Cap" it will explode. And if they tease a Spidey appearance it will be through the roof.

 

[MrPink93485]

This was being passed around. Shows the affect of the fight at one theater chain apparently.

It should be noted that's a theater in Corpus Christi, a Spurs centric city and also apparently very big into boxing, per the person who posted the picture. So while sports probably hurt the film, keep in mind that this one theater probably is an extreme example of depressed grosses yesterday.

Also, if this is the case, then we should see nice recoveries today and over the next week.

 

[Ovid]

If they market it as "Iron Man vs Cap" it will explode. And if they tease a Spidey appearance it will be through the roof.

"Choose a side"

Oh man the marketing on this has the potential to be amazing.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Well looky here

Why is Sunday so low? This in the bible belt or something?

EDIT: Wait, why are there Sunday numbers at all?!

 

[RangerX]

Do you guys think the Phase 3 reveal hurt the film? Personally, it did deflate my hype. AoU went from the culmination of a mostly excellent Phase 2 to kind of a stopgap until the Civil War, Dr Strange, Black Panther, Captain Marvel and Infinity War awesomeness begins.

Completely 100% this. I really wish Marvel hadn't done that. I really liked AoU but it did kind of feel like setup. it would have been much cooler hearing them mention Wakanda and seeing Klaw without knowing Black Panther was coming.

 

[mugurumakensei]

It should be noted that's a theater in Corpus Christi, a Spurs centric city and also apparently very big into boxing, per the person who posted the picture. So while sports probably hurt the film, keep in mind that this one theater probably is an extreme example of depressed grosses yesterday.

Also, if this is the case, then we should see nice recoveries today and over the next week.

hollywood reporter article implies the same thing happened across the u.s. including LA.

Why is Sunday so low? This in the bible belt or something?

EDIT: Wait, why are there Sunday numbers at all?!

pre-sale.

 

[Zeyphersan]

Why is Sunday so low? This in the bible belt or something?

EDIT: Wait, why are there Sunday numbers at all?!

Pre-sale tickets

 

[kurahador]

Hope seeing the numbers will make Marvel wants to try harder with Civil War.

 

[MrPink93485]

hollywood reporter article implies the same thing happened across the u.s. including LA.

I'm sure that there were large effects beyond the norm from sports last night, what I'm saying is that most theaters probably didn't see quite as drastic of a decline as that one theater.

For example, the Palladium in San Antonio was down like 60% on Saturday compared to Friday, but its Friday gross was crushing every other theater in the country as folks didn't want to go on Saturday what with the sports events. These are extreme cases.

 

[Kusagari]

No one shells out $100 to watch a fight by himself. If you bought the PPV, you had people over.

Else you'd just go to a bar instead.

99% of bars weren't even showing it because of the ludicrous prices.

There weren't many options for people that wanted to see it.

 

[Amentallica]

People would have certainly been better off going to see this movie than the boxing match.

 

[JB1981]

Wasn't there a story ahead of release that the pre-sales were tracking well ahead of the original? What the fuck happened there ?

 

[kswiston]

Wasn't there a story ahead of release that the pre-sales were tracking well ahead of the original? What the fuck happened there ?

Pre-sales are always confounded by the fact that more people use the internet to order tickets in general now.

 

[JackBauer24]

Shocked that this didn't hit $200 million. Never seen theaters this full on both Thursday and Friday. Saturday at my theater it was packed too. Guessing not as many multiple viewings due to how long it was. Anything over 2 hours is tough to sit through a 2nd time for me.

 

[Naughty_Doge]

Marvel had a good run.

Oh, we're past that stage? Ok.

 

[liquidtmd]

So, is it really that bad? I was gonna see it, but now? Just don't know.

It's not bad. It's worth seeing! It's just...a bit unengaging. There's nothing really character wise that is engaging or satisfying. The Avengers fight robots. I hate this kind of thing in reviews but I'd say it lacks a soul or a warmth that I've found in other MCU movies. The actors do their jobs well, I'd say the failure is in the writing and editing here.

Go see it but don't expect to be craving a rewatch.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

It's not bad. It's worth seeing! It's just...a bit unengaging. There's nothing really character wise that is engaging or satisfying. The Avengers fight robots. I hate this kind of thing in reviews but I'd say it lacks a soul or a warmth that I've found in other MCU movies. The actors do their jobs well, I'd say the failure is in the writing and editing here.

Go see it but don't expect to be craving a rewatch.

I found it had a lot more heart and soul than the first Avengers movie.

If anything, it suffers from having too much in it. That said, I loved it.

 

[Gianny]

Saw Avengers with a group of 10, we all liked it. Went to AoU yesterday noon before going to a home party to watch the Clippers and the fight. I didn't like AoU, it felt like an identical copy of Avengers. One main enemy and an army that never hurt anyone. Even Jerry gets in worse situations and hurt by Tom than any of the Avengers. The one liner jokes are out of place in what is suppose to be a war. There's never tension, no danger. Felt like a saturday morning cartoon. Dissapointed, TWS and Daredevil have set the bar higher for me to enjoy AoU...In my opinion!

 

[TheChewyWaffles]

Why did it open less than the Avengers?

It's worse.

 

[liquidtmd]

I found it had a lot more heart and soul than the first Avengers movie.

There was things in there that I think probably could have sparked heart and soul moments with some, they just fell flat for me.

Spoiler

Banner / Widow romance - didn't click for me
Hawkeyes family - kinda nice but again, it just seemed to be 'there'.
Starks motivation for creating Ultron being driven by his vision and Ultron going immediately loco - nope.
Witch and QS's bond and his death - the way the movie built QS's character, I thought him cool but I didn't care whether he died or not.

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

There was things in there that I think probably could have sparked heart and soul moments with some, they just fell flat for me.

Spoiler

Banner / Widow romance - didn't click for me
Hawkeyes family - kinda nice but again, it just seemed to be 'there'.
Starks motivation for creating Ultron being driven by his vision and Ultron going immediately loco - nope.
Witch and QS's bond and his death - the way the movie built QS's character, I thought him cool but I didn't care whether he died or not.

I agree with all of those points. It felt like too much was crammed into the movie. Things happened too fast, there wasn't enough time for the story or characters to really spread their wings or play out naturally. Just too much too quickly, not enough time for the smaller, more human moments.

 

[a916]

There were people thinking this might hit 230M.

We'll find out how much the fight and other stuff affected it next week and see what kind of a drop-off we get.

 

[guek]

I agree with all of those points. It felt like too much was crammed into the movie. Things happened too fast, there wasn't enough time for the story or characters to really spread their wings or play out naturally. Just too much too quickly, not enough time for the smaller, more human moments.

This bothered me too but the experience improved on my second viewing when I already knew what was coming and could keep an eye out for those smaller moments. It's hard to deny that the first third of the movie is rushed, which is why so many are clamoring for a director's cut. It feels like a really great movie was shot but we were left with something that's merely pretty good instead.

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

This bothered me too but the experience improved on my second viewing when I already knew what was coming and could keep an eye out for those smaller moments. It's hard to deny that the first third of the movie is rushed, which is why so many are clamoring for a director's cut. It feels like a really great movie was shot but we were left with something that's merely pretty good instead.

Yeah. I enjoyed the movie a lot. It just feels like a less satisfying meal than the other recent Marvel fare. A director's cut of some sort might iron out some of those problems.

 

[Arkeband]

Why did it open less than the Avengers?

Mixed reviews and shitty promo clips made me not want to see it. I can only imagine there exists a semi-large portion of the population who also take reviews and promo material into account before blindly going to the movies.

Jon Stewart had Elizabeth Olson on his show and it showed a scene of her talking with Ultron, and her acting was SO BAD... and Ultron's line delivery was basically just James Spader sounding bored, nothing like the sinister one-liners they showed in the trailers.

I'm tired of Joss Whedon, maybe I'm also getting tired of superheroes in general.

 

[sqwarlock]

Maybe my standards for Marvel movies are just too low, but I thought AoU was fantastic. Then again I'm the guy that's enjoyed every single Marvel Studios film equally. Sure, there are some I consider better than others, but I'm a sucker for the MCU and I always want more.

 

[GitarooMan]

Still a really good number, but I think of lot people were thinking 200+ for sure. Curious to see if it has to legs to hit 450+. I really liked the movie, more than Avengers, I think it was better paced and just overall used all the characters better.

 

[Anth0ny]

No one shells out $100 to watch a fight by himself. If you bought the PPV, you had people over.

Else you'd just go to a bar instead.

the correct way to do it was have 12+ friends over and everyone chips in for the PPV, beer and pizza.

As I said in the other Box Office thread, I wouldn't be surprised if Civil War beats Avengers 1 and 2 at the box office. Spider-Man involvement is a huge hook. Age of Ultron doesn't even come close to that.

 

[Blader]

No one shells out $100 to watch a fight by himself. If you bought the PPV, you had people over.

Else you'd just go to a bar instead.

A lot of bars didn't carry the fight because it would've cost them thousands.

 

[Fudgepuppy]

How anyone can say that AOU is worse than the first Avengers, is beyond me.

The first Avengers has nothing in terms of conflict or drama. AOU feels like a real movie while the first feels like a superhero-reel.

 

[Fj0823]

How anyone can say that AOU is worse than the first Avengers, is beyond me.

The first Avengers has nothing in terms of conflict or drama. AOU feels like a real movie while the first feels like a superhero-reel.

Bottom Line, they're both good.

The fact that we're here, debating which one is the best is proof of that

 

[AHA-Lambda]

I'm surprised at sub $200m, really wondering what the root cause of this could be. I don't know if you're average moviegoer has hit fatigue yet unlike some people who are "more passionate" i.e. people who visit forums like this.

Do you guys think the Phase 3 reveal hurt the film? Personally, it did deflate my hype. AoU went from the culmination of a mostly excellent Phase 2 to kind of a stopgap until the Civil War, Dr Strange, Black Panther, Captain Marvel and Infinity War awesomeness begins.

I personally agree but you're average moviegoer doesn't know or care.

 

[Winterfang]

I was planning on re-watching the movie yesterday and saw the fight instead. I was only waiting for it for like 9 years.

 

[ryutaro's mama]

Why did it open less than the Avengers?

Because it wasn't as good as Avengers, IMO.

 

[styl3s]

No.

I thought it was miles better.

But it's all subjective.

 

[guek]

The fight definitely affected the opening but by how much, well never know. 3 million ppv buys for $100 is crazy. You bet your ass tons of people decided to watch the fight instead of going to the movies. It makes sense when you consider the number of pre-ticket sales for AoU. That definitely inflated expectations.

 

[ryutaro's mama]

How anyone can say that AOU is worse than the first Avengers, is beyond me.

The first Avengers has nothing in terms of conflict or drama. AOU feels like a real movie while the first feels like a superhero-reel.

The script wasn't nearly as crisp as the Avengers. The villain wasn't as appealing as Loki. To be more frank, Spader was a great character but his character didn't work as Ultron. The banter between the Avengers was not as good. The editing/pacing was uneven. The new characters weren't nearly developed enough and motivations of said characters were flimsy at best.

AOU had a strong opening set piece and and strong close but as a whole, it fell short of the natural progression of the Avengers brand, IMO.

 

[AHA-Lambda]

This is my own stance but I wonder if people are overestimating the appeal for Civil War. I'm no Box Office buff but has Captain America down close before to Iron Man or Avengers?

It's Captain America's name on the poster not Captain America vs Iron Man, plus you're expecting Marvel to advertise teases to Spiderman, who'd surely only be a post credit scene, unless I'm mistaken there?
It might be my own pov colouring things though (I've always found Cap as the least interesting avenger of the big 3).

Because it wasn't as good as Avengers, IMO.

Reviews and wom have little to no impact on opening, that's all marketing.

 

[Dysun]

Is it a better movie than the first?

Yes, but the excitement and awe factor of the first one isn't there this time. I left the theatre with a huge grin on my face 3 years ago, and this time it was like "Yeah that was good, but.."

 

[Fj0823]

The fight definitely affected the opening but by how much, well never know. 3 million ppv buys for $100 is crazy. You bet your ass tons of people decided to watch the fight instead of going to the movies. It makes sense when you consider the number of pre-ticket sales for AoU. That definitely inflated expectations.

Also the fight is ajust once event, the movie is going to be there next week, so many people decided to watch the fight and go to the movies later

 

[alfredofroylan]

How anyone can say that AOU is worse than the first Avengers, is beyond me.

The first Avengers has nothing in terms of conflict or drama. AOU feels like a real movie while the first feels like a superhero-reel.

Hawkeye and Black Widow's part were great far better than anything on Avengers 1. The rest not so much Ultron wasn't really that good of a villlian IMO, Hulk's conflict looked forced to me and the whole

Spoiler

Let's create AI in 3 days

wasn't that interesting.

 

[AHA-Lambda]

I think you're on to something here, why did it open in US a week late? why separate it out, and even risk the fight taking ticket sales away?

Far as I can remember most of the recent MCU movies have opened about a week earlier internationally.

 

[ryutaro's mama]

Hawkeye and Black Widow's part were great far better than anything on Avengers 1. The rest not so much Ultron wasn't really that good of a villlian IMO, Hulk's conflict looked forced to me and the whole

Spoiler

Let's create AI in 3 days

wasn't that interesting.

Black Widow

Spoiler

and Banner's forced "romance" was cringeworthy. She had better chemistry with Rogers in CA:TWS.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Black Widow

Spoiler

and Banner's forced "romance" was cringeworthy. She had better chemistry with Rogers in CA:TWS.

I disagree strongly. I wanted a movie with the two of them on the run after this.

Doesn't hurt that they're the two best actors in the movie by a wide margin.*



* OK, Jeremey Renner. But he's given fuck-all to do in these movies from an acting standpoint.

 

[G-Fex]

How long before marvel/avengers is defended with someone's SAT scores?