Midway 2019 #1 at the Box Office!

Box Office Mojo ^ | 11-10-2019 | Box Office Mojo

[Calif Conservative]

Heading into the weekend we were anticipating a top ten that would deliver around $110 million, as it turns out the top ten currently falls just short of a combined $100 million as Lionsgate's Midway delivered a surprise #1 finish, topping WB's Doctor Sleep, which slipped to second and well below expectations.

[...]

At the top of the weekend box office is Lionsgate's Midway, finishing ahead of expectations with an estimated $17.5 million from 3,242 locations. The film also scored an "A" CinemaScore from opening day audiences and should expect a strong performance over Veteran's Day tomorrow that should push the film's four-day gross over $20 million.

[Calif Conservative]

Yes the sailors and pilots (in the case of a carrier) protect her, she protects them, they are married to her, and she is married to them.

Here are more pix of Yorktown’s final minutes afloat.

https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/events/wwii-pac/midway/mid-10d3.htm

and the bow lifts as she departs

https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/events/wwii-pac/midway/mid-10d4.htm

[rlmorel]

Amazing. We have another Freeper on here (lodi90) whose father was on one of the tin cans there...small world.

Wouldn’t be amazing if they had been on the same ship and knew each other?

[Calif Conservative]

Here’s a great analysis by a former Secretary of Defense regarding how important Midway was to World War 2, and not only for the War in the Pacific but also the European Theater

(don’t let the source stop you from reading the analysis)

https://votesmart.org/public-statement/23861/the-battle-of-midway-in-1942/?search=None#.XcrWE1dKg2w

here is the top of the analysis

UNDERAPPRECIATED VICTORY
(By James Schlesinger)

As we honor those who turned the tide of World War II with a victory over ostensibly overwhelming force at the Battle of Midway in 1942 — 61 years ago — too few of us understand the battle’s world-historic significance. It is essential, therefore, for us to go forth and proselytize.

I continue to be puzzled over the fact that it comes as something of a revelation to many people that this battle played such a crucial strategic role for the war in Europe. So the question before us is: Why is Midway not recognized as the crucial battle for the West in World War II, just as Stalingrad is recognized as a crucial battle for the Soviet Union? The comparative neglect of Midway is a great historical puzzle and, in a sense, a great injustice.

In relation to what British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and others called Grand Strategy, Midway was far more than a decisive naval victory. It was far more than the turning of the tide in the Pacific war.

In a strategic sense, Midway represents one of the great turning points of world history. And in that role, the battle remains underappreciated.

[oldvirginian]

Interviewed after the war. Okay.
And commandos instead of average soldiers.
The British commando was a different breed, they expected to die on every operation. Much different than the average soldier who just wanted to get through alive.
I’ll give tthem their preference for Twain.

Patton never stinted in his praise for others. He constantly bristled at the decision that Corp Commanders not be named in press releases. He had the highest praise for for Gen Walton “Bulldog” Walker of his XXth Corp and wanted his name released to the public. Ike and the JCS completely banned the release of the names of Jr commanders until after the war.

Patton also wanted the public to know the job that XIX Tactical Air Command was doing in support of 3rd Army. The JCS and Ike again spiked that request.

Patton also insisted that any soldier under his command who qualified for decorations be awarded those decorations asap. He also cautioned that decorated soldiers be watched to ensure they didn’t put themselves or their comrades in jeopardy trying to win higher awards.

As for the slapping incidents Patton used his gloves making sure it was a very non-personal action.
Those two incidents were the only two times he dressed down underlings in the presence of others.
He had a very strict rule that he only commanded one level beneath him. If a situation that needed attention was brought to him he contacted the appropriate Corp Commander and instructed them to deal with it.

Part of the present thinking on Patton was based on the movie starring George C Scott. Omar Bradley was the technical advisor for that movie.
In an interview given after the death of Bradley Scott gave the impression that Bradley was very interested in boosting Ike and himself and ruining the reputation of Patton.

I’m sure you have better knowledge of the period though.

[max americana]

thanks man. We are on location shoot in the effing desert and missed out on the weekend..

[who_would_fardels_bear]

It's going to lose money. Made less than "The Joker" in it's first week.

I'd rather see Dunkirk again.

[Wizdum]

Leyte had so many facets to it, you would have to take it in lumps rather than 1 movie.
Midway was totally different. Outnumbered, the 3 carriers at Midway were the only thing between the Japanese, Hawaii and the East Coast.
Had Nagumo sent out a more concentrated search on the 4th, it might have been a whole lot different.
Had the subs been able to refuel the long range flying boats at French Frigate Shoals, it definitely would have been totally different. The Japanese would have known there were no carriers at Pearl and would have been ready for carrier action instead of attacking Midway on the morning of the 4th.

[GOP_Party_Animal]

I have often wondered why they didn't make a movie based on Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors.

[Portcall24]

I’m confused. What you talk about is like the Battle of Samar with the Sammy B Roberts and Johnston and Jeep carriers but you call it Battle of Leyte gulf.

[rlmorel]

If I understand it correctly, the Battle of Leyte Gulf is composed of a bunch of different battles over the course of four days, the Battle off Samar was just one of them. They also had Battle of Surigao Strait (famous for being the last battleship against battleship fight in history. There was also The Battle of the Sibuyan Sea and other actions and engagements.

They lump them all into “The Battle of Leyte Gulf”.

It may well be one of the largest naval battles of all time, if not in scale in ocean distances covered. Pretty amazing.

[Portcall24]

Thanks. I never knew that. “The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors” is one of the best books I’ve ever read.

[TADSLOS]

It was a bloody slugfest.

The Japanese Navy’s last gasp, really.

[2001convSVT]

Thanks for the image, gaijin!

[rlmorel]

I went to see this movie tonight, and the theater was full. Negatives first.

The biggest negative issue with the movie IMO was the disjointed way they strung together things. It had the appearance of a movie that was close to running out of time and budget, and they had to wrap it up. It looked like some things were left on the cutting room floor. I wouldn’t have minded at all if they had made the movie three hours and fleshed it out correctly.

Some of the history while generally correct, seemed a bit squishy...but I was too distracted by the visuals to retain those things, except for one thing: That practice carrier landing by Dick Best. I wasn’t aboard a carrier at that time, but...it completely smelled like Hollywood BS to me. I think landing on a carrier was tough to the point anyone who did that as “practice” would have been grounded, probably permanently. I could be wrong on that, but I don’t think so.

And the combat scenes seemed to have the air too full of planes in any given view, but again...I wasn’t there, so I don’t know what it really looked like. I guess it could have been that crowded, since there were around 120 American planes to get launched over the course of an hour or so IIRC. I know that they weren’t all over the target at the same time, but at any given point there could have been 30 or 40 planes engaged at once within the confines of the Japanese task force.

I didn’t like the Hollywoodized version of the intelligence identification of “AF”. They should have just said it the way it happened, but instead they seemed to get cute and make up dialogue. I know they have to do that, but...that didn’t seem the place for it and it seemed too cute.

This negative is a minor one, because I so love the concept of it being true: Admiral King is supposed to have said: When they get in trouble, they send for the Sons of Bitches.” He admitted he never said it, which deflated me when I found that out, because I thought it was such a great quote, and he was a Son of a Bitch. An officer once asked him about it: “Admiral”, asked McCrea, “is this story true that I hear about?” “Well, John, I don’t know,” replied King, deadpan. “Which story is it?” “They tell me,” McCrea went on, “you were heard to say recently, ‘Yes, damn it, when they get in trouble they send for the sons of bitches.’” King couldn’t help but smile. “No, John, I didn’t say it. But I will say this: If I had thought of it, I would have said it.”

I also love that Admiral King, known to be somewhat of a blowtorch on people who didn’t smile a lot in his work, was said to have smiled at this comment, which seems to fit. He wanted to be seen as a son of a bitch, and he liked the quote too...

The positives:

Loved the CGI. Just loved it. The ships, the planes...the battles. I have been an aviation buff my entire life, and that is as close as I will ever get to seeing those planes and those battles with my own eyes. Loved the portrayal of Doolittle raiders, even with the portion they showed over Tokyo seeming to show a boatload of B-25 Mitchells dropping bombs all at the same time. I don’t believe there were more than two over Tokyo at any time since they could’t loiter around as all the planes took off due to fuel considerations, but I could. be wrong. IIRC, they generally went in alone along somewhat different routes, and only appeared together by chance. Perhaps someone on this forum knows...

The attack on Pearl Harbor was done well, I thought, except I didn’t think there were going to be that number of planes flying right up between Battleship Row at that altitude. I could be wrong as well.

McQuaid’s portrayal of Admiral Halsey just didn’t resonate with me at all. Granted, I have always been stuck on James Cagney’s portrayal of Admiral Halsey in “The Gallant Hours”. I didn’t see how that could be topped, and I don’t think McQuaid came close. Just didn’t do it for me.

Lastly, I was not a big fan of having Woody Harrelson play Admiral Nimitz. I have watched a good amount of video footage of Nimitz available on the Internet, and I Harrelson’s portrayal really seemed to connect. He got that Texas drawl, and the more I looked at him, he WAS able to pull off some of the physical similarity. I thought he did well with that role, and I admit to having extremely low expectations.

That said...I will go see this again on the big screen. To see carrier operations portrayed with those planes and ships in that fashion was something I have been waiting for. They have shown it can be done, and done well.

Thank you to all of you who went early and allayed my concerns that it would be so Hollywoodized that it would be repugnant for me. It wasn’t, and I am glad I went.

[gaijin]

Incredibly good, detailed review..!

Just wow.

Don’t miss the two video links I provided above, summaries of key PH and Midway events that contained some really eye-opening nuggets.

I might go see Midway again, it was so good (despite the incredibly stupid pop-up landings).

[Vermont Lt]

Good job. I appreciate the review effort.

[rlmorel]

I am someone who is generally skeptical of the ability of modern Hollywood to deliver any kind of fair, balanced, or accurate representation of the military sphere, but I felt that this was as close as we may get...at least for some time.

I will likely buy it-I loved the physics modeling of the planes landing on the decks, it just seemed...right.

[rlmorel]

I will definitely buy it. Loved watching the Doolittle Raiders take off, though I thought they got that wrong having Doolittle taxi up and into place. It was my understanding they had him spotted fiirst right from where he was going to take off because, being the first, he would need every single foot of deck space to get airborne....

But even with that nitpick, I felt as if I could imagine the feeling everyone in that task force had when Doolittle lifted off...even if I could only remotely imagine it.

[gaijin]

Regarding Doolittle take-off:

You riveted on exactly the point I also doubted; they were begging for MICROMETERS, would have neeeeever been so extravagantly casual about giving up any deck.

I remember for that takeoff they practiced somewhere really unusual in California:

Somewhere super close to Jim Robinson, or maybe outside of Sacramento, can’t remember.

[rlmorel]

Actually, they practiced at Eglin Field in Florida in a secluded runway where nobody could watch them. A great movie that was pretty accurate and showed real footage of B-25’s flying was “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo”.

I own a number of disks...and that is one of them.

“Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo” was one of the first books I checked out of the Library when I was eight years old and got my first library card!