Why some presumed blockbusters did not make a lot at the box office

 The Mandolorian, Masters of the Universe, and Minions among other movies did break out at the box office. I am not sure these movies failing means a lot. I think each failed for their own reasons.

Masters of the Universe is a dead brand. Okay, that was too harsh. It is a brand that peaked in 1986 or 1987. There have been attempts to revive the brand over the years but those attempts did not last. This movie failing is not a surprise.

Minions came out less than 3 weeks after Toy Story 5. If you took a family of four or five to Toy Story 5, maybe you aren’t up for taking the family to another film so soon. Also this is the seventh film in a franchise. Maybe people are tired of the Minions. 

Maybe the Mandolorian felt like warmed over TV. Also the Mandolorian perhaps peaked three years ago. (I would  have to check with a friend about this but that is my impression.) This was the wrong move for Star Wars it seems.

So I am not sure these failures mean that much or signal a change in the business going forward.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why the Mission Impossible series works

I think the Mission Impossible series really works because it is committed and sincere. Tom Cruise is committed to doing as many stunts as possible and that comes acros while watching these movies. He broke an ankle during the making of Fallout while doing a stunt. The makers of the movies seem committed to doing old fashioned and amazing stunts. When I say the films are sincere, I am not saying that they are humorless. However the films are not ironic. Also Marvel movies, as much as I enjoy most of them, have a tendency to undercut the drama with humor. (Thor Ragnorok does it a lot.) The Mission Impossible movies don’t do that.  I have not seen the first Mission Impossible movies in years and I mostly thinking about the last three movies. I remember in at least two of the first three movies the bad guy is a former member of the Mission Impossible team.
Read more

Dungeons and Dragons Honor Among Thieves is pretty good

 This is good. It is inspired by the classic role playing game. It has humor but not too much. Chris Pine stars as a former Harper (secret agent) turned thief who leads a small band of thieves. He wants to get his daughter back from a friend who betrayed him. Michelle Rodriguez co-stars and I thought she had a good chemistry with Pine. Maybe it is a bit long. Perhaps five or six minutes could have been trimmed off. I do tend to think a lot of films since 2000 are too long. There is nothing about Dungeons and Dragons you need to know before seeing this film. There are some references that might mean something to people who have read some Forgotten Realms novels. There is also a reference to the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon from way back when. This is definitely worth re-watching. Bonus features might fun to explore.
Read more

Thoughts on Born in East LA

Cheech Marin wrote, directed, and stared in this movie about a Mexican American (Rudy) wrongly deported to Mexico. He left his wallet at home and he was caught up in an immigration raid. He tries to get back to East LA. Daniel Stern costars as an American running a bar and hiring Rudy for odd jobs. Why Stern’s character is in Mexico is hinted at but not completely explained. He and Cheech have some nice moments. It is fun. Chech has a likable screen presence. As a viewer, you want him to get back home(at least I I did). His character Rudy was not fleuant in Spanish, which was done I guess to make him seem like an outsider in Mexico. There is a romantic subplot and that subplot is good. Kamala Lopez played Delores, who was from El Salvador and also worked at Daniel Stern’s bar. There are some nice sight gags when he attempts to cross the border. The parody song Born in East LA is fun (and predated the film). This was Marin’s first movie after he and Tommy Ching ended their partner...
Read more