Posted on 06/16/2005 5:43:04 PM PDT by abb
Studios look to Bruce Wayne to avoid a neck-and-neck race it doesn't want to win.
June 16, 2005 Summer movies Hollywood's box office flameout
(CNN/Money) - The movie-going masses on Friday will learn at last the dark story behind Bruce Wayne's transformation into a masked crusader battling evil in Gotham. Hollywood is hoping "Batman Begins" is more about an end -- to what could soon be the longest box office slump in at least twenty years.
Domestic movie ticket sales from New Year's Day through this past weekend are down more than six percent, to $3.85 billion, compared to a year ago, according to sales tracker Exhibitor Relations. For 16 consecutive weekends starting in late February, the box office has fallen compared to the year-ago weekend despite a modest increase in the average ticket price. If North American ticket receipts are down again this weekend, Hollywood will have matched the longest-running box office rut in recent memory, a 17-weekend funk set in 1985 when the lineup included "Desperately Seeking Susan" starring Madonna and "Fletch" with Chevy Chase.
"That's one box office record we don't want," said Paul Dergarabedian, the president of Exhibitor Relations. Movie theater sales are important for building the buzz necessary to drive sales throughout the life of a release, from theater to home video to video-on-demand to cable.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
The movie will do very well (saw it on opening night - last night) and I'll see it again in the theater and wait for the DVD.
It's not going to get too many 10-13 year olds (and shouldn't, it deserves it's PG-13 rating) but I think this movie is looking for us 35-50 year olds that like Batman.
As my profile shows! lol
This summer has already set the Hollywood record for "Most Movies Remade That Had No Business Being Remade". Maybe that's part of it.
It's the quality of movie theaters that's keeping people away. DVD sales are through the roof.
What does Nolan and this movie have to do with bad values?
Michael Medved gave it 2 1/2 stars and he said that was being generous. Why can't Hollywood come up with some new material?
Aren't they comparing sales to Passion of the Christ?
FLOP
I cant believe Katie Holmes turned her back on her Catholicsm and is looking at the Alien Religion.
Keeping in the spirit of the comic books...telling and re-telling the origin of a hero is a time honored tradition. Comic books are all about re writing fictional history constantly.
Actually, this is probably the closest Hollywierd has come to showing Batman's true origins. Sure he and his parents went to the opera in the movie instead of "The Mask of Zorro" as depicted in the comics, but if I had a couple hundred billion laying around, I'd probably go to the opera and then go home to watch a private screening of "Zorro".
Batman was the first morally ambiguous superhero. He's not supposed to be all that admirable of a character.
Well, that confirms it's good, then.
Her soul may be willing but obviously her flesh is weak
Yeah seriously, I love Medved as a political commentator but his film criticism offers very little.
Actually, I prefer the Justice Society. A bunch of heros from the Golden Age teaching the next generation of superheros how to save lives and kick the badguys all over the place.
Remember the cartoon equivalent of that? Wonder-Twin power activate!
I feel bad for her parents. She was apparently raised in a normal and girl next door a sort of way. I'm sure they're just thrilled!
---"I cant believe Katie Holmes turned her back on her Catholicism and is looking at the Alien Religion."---
Here in Illinois, we have what's called the "Chicago Catholic." She'd fit in quite well.
It's where you call yourself a "Catholic" because that's what mom and dad had you baptized as, or because you went to Catholic school, or that's where you go on Christmas and Easter when you're back home. But basically, you can believe anything you want, do anything you want, vote anyway you want, and still call yourself "Catholic."
It's not a practice up here, it's an ethnicity - something you inherit, not something you adhere to.
Sad.
I have no interest in seeing any Batman movie that doesn't have a batmobile that actually looks like a batmobile. The best ever batmobile still is the one from the 1966 TV series.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.