What can these mysterious icons tell me?
Posted on 12/08/2007 6:17:51 PM PST by Mrs. Don-o
No one in Hollywood quite knows where "The Golden Compass" is pointing, though it appears to be south of blockbuster status.
...Unlike "Narnia" or the "Rings" and "Potter" movies, most of which hauled in more than $60 million in their first three days, "Compass" may open in the $30-million neighborhood, or worse, according to market analysts.
[Yet] it's unlikely to spell financial catastrophe for New Line.
The studio admits to a production price of $180 million, though some industry insiders believe the true cost soared past $200 million...
Even so, the film was cofinanced by Royal Bank of Scotland, and British tax incentives and presales of foreign distribution rights covered about two-thirds of the production cost, New Line says. The deals may limit New Line's risk, but also cap its upside: Fantasy films usually take in the majority of their ticket sales abroad, and "The Golden Compass" is off to a jolly good start in Britain, where it opened Wednesday.
If the film becomes a hit, the studio will launch two sequels based on Pullman's series. That remains a big "if" ...New Line says it will wait to see how "Compass" performs before deciding on the follow-ups.
Reviewers have been dazzled by the effects, but many are underwhelmed by the story. The review compendium website MetaCritic.com listed 50% of notices as positive, while rival RottenTomatoes.com reported 47% were bullish.
Another headache for New Line is the ire Pullman's books have whipped up among some religious groups.
But the ruckus may actually end up boosting the movie, said Karen Covell, director of the Hollywood Prayer Network. "The more riled up everybody becomes, the more publicity the movie gets," she said. "It just ends up helping at the box office."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
What can these mysterious icons tell me?
It's isn't controversy about sex. It's about religion by religious leaders.
It only matters to the faithful
My prediction: Those of the atheist religion will flock to this flick.
They would have needed Pat Robertson complaining about NAKED Polar Bears to bring out the crowds. :>)
Who puts up such huge amounts of money on risky projects?
Lions for Lambs is currently a bomb at the AMERICAN BOX OFFICE.
But it is a very anti-American film (in my opinion) and it is doing well overseas -- in other words this Robert Redford and Tom Cruise are exporting anti-American beliefs to the world.
I looked at boxofficemojo and it looks like this was the number one movie in the country Friday by a large margin.
I am not trying to attack you.
It is more a case of defending my faith from attack (which I view this film as).
Sorry...
You seem to be a walking advertisement for this movie I could not have cared less about, and still don’t, before this thread.
You say that you did’t care about it and still don’t care about it... and yet you are still posting on this tread.
Some of your comments almost seem to be defending this movie. Do you have a dog in this fight?
Interview with the author of “The Golden Compass”, 2004:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article494636.ece
It is also a world in which the fall of man, as told in the Bible, represents human emancipation rather than a moral catastrophe and hereditary guilt. Pullman’s preoccupation in the trilogy is nothing less than “man’s first disobedience and the fruit”. In his reprise of Paradise Lost, original sin is a lie, and God is an ancient fallen angel who has perpetrated a creationist con on the human race, wickedly exploited by a viciously inquisitional church.
As the trilogy develops, the central teenage character, Lyra, emerges as a second Eve. In a quest that takes in the literal death of “God”, who is no more than a wizened, foetus-like invalid, Lyra releases human beings from attachment to the afterlife.
The finale is the toppling of the kingdom of heaven and the establishment of a celestial atheistic republic on Earth. Small wonder the Christian right in America are out for his blood.
“It seems to me significant,” rages Pullman, “that George W Bush was depicted endorsing in a Florida classroom a book of stultifying stupidity entitled My Pet Goat while the 9/11 attacks were in progress.”
Reading his new book, The Scarecrow and His Servant, there is a plethora of politics just below the surface adventures of the romping, picaresque story: the destruction of bird species; the power of multinationals; the greed of the mafia; the poisoning of the planet.
Hollywood is very concerned about dollars per theater screen.
Dollars per Theater is a critical number for Hollywood to look at. This movie is opening in a fashion very similar to the low budget movie Bella, which did not have high budget advertising.
For example, the movie Lions for Lambs was down to $40 per movie screen this week. In other words, at each theater that showed Lions for Lambs during the week, it rakes in the huge amount of $40/day -- which is about 4 people per day to see the film... That is what is known as a bomb.
Lions for Lambs had high dollar opening weekend because of the number of screens it opened with (2,200+).
The Freeper who told this story said he stayed because his wife fell asleep, and they were given two free tickets.
I think he stayed because he was interested in it to report about it here...
That is a good question. Go see it. Or don’t. It’s up to you.
For some, the idea of rewarding someone who has been reported as openly seeking to promote an anti-Christian message isn’t all that appealing. But then again, you can’t ever really know everyone’s agenda- you’d go mad trying.
Still, I’ve no intention of seeing this particular movie, only because it doesn’t look like anything I’d like to see. If it were 007 in the Exploding Golden Compass, I might, but polar bears and pre-teen angst doesn’t really interest me.
I missed that movie. Cruise is a freak. I can only assume that his production entity is going to be an expansion of his, and his ‘collectives’ insanity.
Yeah, what you said. We are all card-carrying LOTR, SW, ST and Chronicles junkies at this house. My hubby loves the old B SciFi movies (It Came from Space, and much worse — like where you can see the wires, lol.) I’m not that die hard. We won’t tolerate TGC because it’s anti-Christian. It also just happens to be junk.
(donning flame-resistant suit)- I thought the same thing about those hobbit movies with all the boring talking walking. Even the trees walked in those movies. :)
Not to mention supposedly good wizards. I thought Harry potter taught us that all magic is an abomination.
The books are well-known enough that they will make the next two, but will try to cook up a way to either separate them from the first--making them more stand-alone experiences--or do a lower budget deal and lots of publicity saying they're more accurate.
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