Early returns seem to suggest that Indiana Jones is only going to make a tepid 60 M this weekend. The last one in 2008 made 100 M the weekend it opened.

Needed more Avatars and Super Marios in it, plus maybe a Minion or two. Oh, and Tom Cruise flying by in a jet!

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
My second observation is one that I'm not sure anybody else has really noticed because I don't see many comments about it.

My only observation with the trailers is that the train obviously did NOT reach 88 miles per hour.

I see you get a free ticket to the Indy movie if you'll spend $35 at Applebee's this weekend. Does the movie still get the credit for those admissions even though a presumably large number of those ticket holders will likely rendered unable to actually go and watch the movie due to the food they were served?

quote:

Originally posted by chesspieceface:
I see you get a free ticket to the Indy movie if you'll spend $35 at Applebee's this weekend. Does the movie still get the credit for those admissions even though a presumably large number of those ticket holders will likely rendered unable to actually go and watch the movie due to the food they were served?

Presumably, they are vouchers you can use to 'buy' actual tickets. So they will only be counted when/if they are redeemed at the cinema. I have used Cineworld vouchers to buy most of my cinema tickets over the last couple of years. You just have to remember to use them before their expiry date. I still have one left to use before the end of September...and I'm struggling to see a film I want to use it on

quote:

Originally posted by Kevin F:
. . .and I'm struggling to see a film I want to use it on

Well I'm not sure if the date is the same where you are, but over here "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" are opening head-to-head on July 21st, and if that's not the dumbest thing you ever heard, at least it's a contrast.

Who in the world decided "Oppenheimer" was a prime summer movie? It might be a terrific film, word is that it is, but summer vacation isn't the time most people would want to take a deep dive into the beginning of the end in my opinion. This is a Nov/Dec release for a more discerning audience.

I hate to use the word discerning, but as there will be no speeding chases, gunfights, or animated inanimate objects, it loses a lot of viewers right there. You have to be in the mood for "Oppenheimer", even if you find the subject interesting, and in mid-July I know I won't be in the mood. I think maybe the "Barbie" producers paid off the "Oppenheimer" producers to give them such sweet competition.

Indy cost at least 300 M to make and it grossed a disappointing 150 M worldwide this weekend. What happened ?

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
Indy cost at least 300 M to make and it grossed a disappointing 150 M worldwide this weekend. What happened ?

Very sad, because the movie is absolutely fantastic. I was enthralled the entire time, and it's one of the rare films that I'm going to try to see again in the theater, I just loved it so much.

I will say, after the initial reviews of "It's OK", I'm reading from more people seeing it who are also loving it. Hopefully word spreads how good it is and it'll keep making money.

EDIT: I should also add, both my 65-year-old mother and 12-year-old daughter (who has only seen Raiders) liked it. This movie can be enjoyed by demographic. Until I explained it later, my mom thought the de-aged Harrison Ford was old footage they had never used.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ted Dastick Jr.,

The last Indy film in 2008 ended up being the # 3 film of the year behind Dark Knight and Iron Man

Sadly, this one may not even come close. Might end up at the bottom of the Top 10. I hope that I am wrong.

The animated Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken grossed just 5 M this weekend, the lowest opening in Dreamworks' history.

quote:

Originally posted by David R:
The animated Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken grossed just 5 M this weekend, the lowest opening in Dreamworks' history.

Putting that up against Indy and not even having much publicity on it, they seemed to have written it off. It's not supposed to be that bad either, just the same predictable story with some name actors doing voices. "The Little Mermaid" covered the sea thing already this year. They are copying the second and third generation copiers now, and that's too much.

quote:

Originally posted by David R:
The animated Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken grossed just 5 M this weekend, the lowest opening in Dreamworks' history.

I didn't even know this film existed until I was in the theater for Indy and saw the name outside one of the rooms.

I wonder why they even bothered with a theatrical release when it seemed there was zero marketing effort put into it.

Top 10 Domestically of 2023 so far


1) SUPER MARIO BROS.
2) GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 3
3) SPIDER MAN (only 15 M behind GOTG3)
4) LITTLE MERMAID
5) ANT MAN 3
6) JOHN WICK 4
7) CREED 3
8) FAST X
9) TRANSFORMERS
10) SCREAM 6

With Mission Impossible coming, Indy might make it to # 9 or 10 for the year. Maybe not even that high.

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
Top 10 Domestically of 2023 so far


1) SUPER MARIO BROS.
2) GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 3
3) SPIDER MAN (only 15 M behind GOTG3)
4) LITTLE MERMAID
5) ANT MAN 3
6) JOHN WICK 4
7) CREED 3
8) FAST X
9) TRANSFORMERS
10) SCREAM 6

With Mission Impossible coming, Indy might make it to # 9 or 10 for the year. Maybe not even that high.

That SpiderVerse is a major sleeper hit. It has already beat GotG3 if you compare budget to domestic box office and has a decent chance of beating the international BO. Indy seems to be a love or hate relationship as I hear social media comments. It will get my money just because I got on the ride in the beginning....just not on the first weekend.

The pundits are making the rounds theorizing as to why Indiana Jones failed. Some opinions:

1) Indy doesn't appeal to anyone under age 40.

2) They should have ended it with the third film.

3) The film focused too much on his goddaughter instead of him.

4) People were interested in other movies, instead.

Those are just some thoughts.

Regarding "Dial of Destiny's" possible problems, these may be non-specific SPOILERS, so don't keep reading unless you have seen it or don't want to see it.

The beginning action sequence seems to be considered very good. This presents the problem that the movie hits its high point too early, and the rest of the action scenes don't measure up.

It is in that first action sequence that most of the Indy de-aging effects are used on his face. However, some viewers have noticed that his body moves and sounds like Harrison Ford in his 80's and they didn't buy it for a minute.

The screenplay goes to great lengths to keep acknowledging that Indy is too old for any of this stuff, as if that makes it reality. What it does is keep calling attention to what everyone already knows and is trying to ignor.

For some reason, I'm not sure why, Waller-Bridge seems to have a thankless part, and nobody likes her role. Maybe because Indy has no love interest for nearly all of this script, that part is just missing and lacks the humor it brought. Maybe Ford and Waller-Bridge just don't have screen chemistry together for any team pairing.

Finally everybody, including those who thought it was OK, think that it is too darn long. You can do an action movie with a bare bones plot in an hour and forty minutes. These films are all going over two and half hours and are not made any better because they add more set pieces, they just get boring and lose all their impact.

I really don't think this is a bad film. I think they spent too much money on it and fans would have been more satisfied with less.

Connected to the first reason you listed is that there was so much time between the releases of the last two movies. The Star Wars movies took a break from the early 80's to the late 90's but then three came out in 6 years and then another three started rolling out 10 years later. It's not just the movies for a kid. It's all the associated toys, clothing, and cards. I didn't see as much merchandise for Indy in recent years. You just see some dads wearing fedoras and leather jackets.

With Indy, you had one in '89 and then not another one until 2008 and then not another one until this year. Kids today would have less of a connection to the franchise than their parents with that kind of history.

On top of it, the previous one (Crystal Skull) wasn't that great. It just had its moments. I've seen "Raiders" who knows how many times. I didn't like "Temple of Doom" as much but then loved "Last Crusade" but I've those several times too (:Crusade" more times). I've seen "Crystal Skull" only twice all the way through.

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
The pundits are making the rounds theorizing as to why Indiana Jones failed. Some opinions:

1) Indy doesn't appeal to anyone under age 40.

2) They should have ended it with the third film.

3) The film focused too much on his goddaughter instead of him.

4) People were interested in other movies, instead.

Those are just some thoughts.

My nephew is in sixth grade and he claims that only 2 kids know who Indiana Jones is

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
My nephew is in sixth grade and he claims that only 2 kids know who Indiana Jones is

Given that kids in 6th grade are in the 11- to 13-year-old age range and "Crystal Skull" is 15 years old, it's quite possible. I know all of the movie stars from the 30's and 40s and have seen probably every major motion picture after the silents. I wasn't alive till decades later, but my parents loved old movies themselves and they played on TV often. I saw them because they watched them.

Now only film students bother watching really old movies. The parents of a 6th grader grew up in the internet age, so they aren't teaching anybody about film noire. Maybe grandparents go far enough back to be fans of Star Trek TOS, but that shows how the generational thing has changed.

If history is not taught, it gets lost in all the current things going on. That goes for any kind of history and it's a shame because history keeps repeating itself. No lessons are learned, and even great things are forgotten.

My favorite line from "Bladerunner" thanks to Rutger Hauer, "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain".

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
The pundits are making the rounds theorizing as to why Indiana Jones failed. Some opinions:

5) Kathleen Kennedy managed to turn Star Wars and Willow into celluloid turds; why would you expect anything different with Indiana Jones?