Deadpool comic books may not be the hottest sellers in the industry, but the movie is the hottest ticket in town. Deadline has the official numbers - the movie pulled in $12+ million on Thursday previews and a staggering $40+ million on Friday. with the Monday holiday thrown in, Deadpool should draw $115 million.
All of this is ironic considering the movie was supposed to be just a R-rated niche action-hero feature. With a low (by superhero movie standards) budget, the film was designed as a franchise capable of turning a decent, acceptable profit during the winter months. In other words, Deadpool would make a few extra dollars for Fox and Marvel by selling tickets to the most hardcore of superhero fans.
Deadline also reports audiences noted they bought a ticket for two reasons: to see Ryan Reynolds and because Deadpool is a superhero movie. 59% made up the latter, and that means comic book/superhero movies are going to remain hot for a long, long time.
On a side note, the success of Deadpool really shows how wrongheaded Fox was when the studio approved the absurd Fantastic Four movie screenplay. Never mess with a formula that works.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Friday, February 12, 2016
Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice Final Official Trailer Arrives
We don't get much insight into the villains. Lex Luthor is prominent, but there is no Doomsday. The trailer doesn't confirm rumors about the KGBEast and Bizarro. No matter. We'll all find out who the bad guys are when the film opens.
The trailer does focus on the main theme of the movie - Batman and Superman's tension, distrust, and opposition. D.C. Entertainment is noted for taking a risk with the all-villain ensemble Suicide Squad. Batman v. Superman reflects a similar risk - basing a film on the hero vs. hero dynamic popular in comic books. Maybe the plot isn't really all that much of a risk. It's something new. New sells. D.C. also gets to beat Marvel to the proverbial (and literal) punch as Captain America: Civil War won't feature the hero vs. hero theme until after Batman v. Superman hits the silver screen.
Saturday, February 6, 2016
The Deadpool Movie Reveals An Appropriately Crackpot TV Marketing Campaign
Look for Deadpool movie commercials on Golden Girls reruns and episodes of Teen Mom.
Yeah, the marketing department handling the Ryan Reynolds Deadpool movie have gone as nuts as the "Merc With A Mouth".
All of Viacom is going Deadpool-crazy, too. On Monday February 8th, three solid hours of Deadpool commercials are going to run on Viacom channels such as MTV, VH1, and Spike.
Insanity, they name is Deadpool marketing. Ingenious is another "I word" worthy of being used. Gizmodo has the whole advertising-sordid story.
Deadpool is not going to pull in $200 million. Deadpool the movie is going to be a lot like Deadpool the comic book. The film is sure to have a small, dedicated group of fans. These fans are sure to show up during the debut weekend. Look for them to pay some bucks for DVD/Blu-ray special edition releases. The soundtrack to the movie is probably going to do better than anticipated. Mainstream movie-going audiences might not be so inclined to see a rude, R-rated superhero romp. The crazy advertising blitz may end up generating enough buzz that a few of those mainstream audience members buy tickets.
The over-the-top nature of the ads further the notion Deadpool is crazy with a capital C. C is also the letter "comedy" starts with. Maybe some folks looking for a comedy can end up being lulled into theaters thanks to the wackiness of the Deadpool movie advertising campaign.
20th Century Fox's old-time huckster approach to advertising just might make this film a cult hit.
Deadpool opens on February 12, 2016.
Yeah, the marketing department handling the Ryan Reynolds Deadpool movie have gone as nuts as the "Merc With A Mouth".
All of Viacom is going Deadpool-crazy, too. On Monday February 8th, three solid hours of Deadpool commercials are going to run on Viacom channels such as MTV, VH1, and Spike.
Insanity, they name is Deadpool marketing. Ingenious is another "I word" worthy of being used. Gizmodo has the whole advertising-sordid story.
Deadpool is not going to pull in $200 million. Deadpool the movie is going to be a lot like Deadpool the comic book. The film is sure to have a small, dedicated group of fans. These fans are sure to show up during the debut weekend. Look for them to pay some bucks for DVD/Blu-ray special edition releases. The soundtrack to the movie is probably going to do better than anticipated. Mainstream movie-going audiences might not be so inclined to see a rude, R-rated superhero romp. The crazy advertising blitz may end up generating enough buzz that a few of those mainstream audience members buy tickets.
The over-the-top nature of the ads further the notion Deadpool is crazy with a capital C. C is also the letter "comedy" starts with. Maybe some folks looking for a comedy can end up being lulled into theaters thanks to the wackiness of the Deadpool movie advertising campaign.
20th Century Fox's old-time huckster approach to advertising just might make this film a cult hit.
Deadpool opens on February 12, 2016.
Friday, February 5, 2016
Everything Wrong With The Fantastic Four (2015) In 17 Minutes Or Less Or A Day Or A Week Or More
Whoever said all publicity is good publicity was, well, wrong. There is a lot of publicity motion pictures could do without. Bad reviews are publicity....very, very bad publicity. Bad publicity for the Fantastic Four reboot never ends. A pretty long and mocking video has just gotten a release, and the video is garnering more interest than the film it pokes (mean) fun at.
The one huge benefit of the massive 2015 disaster is the good folks at CinemaSin have created a lengthy (17 MINUTES!) video pointing out all the problems with the film. The indignity that is Fantastic Four continues. The video does condense all the bad reviews the film generated into, yup, 17 minutes.
The one huge benefit of the massive 2015 disaster is the good folks at CinemaSin have created a lengthy (17 MINUTES!) video pointing out all the problems with the film. The indignity that is Fantastic Four continues. The video does condense all the bad reviews the film generated into, yup, 17 minutes.
Are D.C. Comics Movies and Television Shows Dominating Marvel Comics?
"2016. The Year of D.C. Comics."
Based on the sales figures of monthly comic books, that state is not going to be believable. Marvel Comics' sales have been much stronger than what the Distinguished Competition has served up.
The great website CinemaBlend has a great article up highlighting why D.C. Comics is going to edge out Marvel in the live-action realm.
In terms of television shows and motion pictures, D.C. Comics Entertainment is doing extremely well. The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Gotham, and Supergirl are doing extremely well on the small screen. Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad should be mega-smashes on the big screen.
Of course, Marvel has Captain America: Civil War, Deadpool, and X-Men: Apocalypse slated for 2016 release. Season 2 of Dardevil is soon to arrive on Netflix.
CinemaBlend is reporting that "social and digital tracking" are showing Suicide Squad and Batman v. Superman are generating way more enthusiasm than the new Captain America and X-Men projects. Maybe a bit of Marvel fatigue has set in.
Based on the sales figures of monthly comic books, that state is not going to be believable. Marvel Comics' sales have been much stronger than what the Distinguished Competition has served up.
The great website CinemaBlend has a great article up highlighting why D.C. Comics is going to edge out Marvel in the live-action realm.
In terms of television shows and motion pictures, D.C. Comics Entertainment is doing extremely well. The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Gotham, and Supergirl are doing extremely well on the small screen. Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad should be mega-smashes on the big screen.
Of course, Marvel has Captain America: Civil War, Deadpool, and X-Men: Apocalypse slated for 2016 release. Season 2 of Dardevil is soon to arrive on Netflix.
CinemaBlend is reporting that "social and digital tracking" are showing Suicide Squad and Batman v. Superman are generating way more enthusiasm than the new Captain America and X-Men projects. Maybe a bit of Marvel fatigue has set in.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
R-Rated and Animated: The Killing Joke Comes DVD/Blu-ray in 2016
A new Batman animated movie is scheduled for release. The Batman: The Killing Joke animated movie continues D.C. Comics/Warner Bros. trend of adapting classic comic stories for the home video market.
In July of 2016, a month before the arrival of Suicide Squad in theaters, an adaption of Alan Moore's classic work, The Killing Joke, is to debut at the San Diego Comic Con before being unleashed on home video. New fans to Batman movies and comics might not be aware The Killing Joke tells the sad tale origin of The Joker. And it is pretty downbeat.
Interestingly, Warner Bros. has approved a R-Rating for The Joker's origin tale. The violence in the original book was done mostly out of panel, but the tone of the material was definitely mature in nature. The R-rating may be fitting after all.
Den of Geek has the news about Batman: The Killing Joke and its debut at the San Diego Comic Con in 2016, Executive Producer Bruce Timm give the whole lowdown.
Batman: The Killing Joke animated movie should give fans left who still want more of The Caped Crusader after Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad.
The 1988 publication of The Killing Joke was more than just the release of a one-shot special edition.
The Killing Joke continued D.C. Comics re-invention. Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, Marv Wolfman's Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Moore's Watchmen were among the works that helped D.C. Comics regain faded glory after seeing sales figures destroyed by Marvel Comics. As inferred on the 20/20 news feature on Marvel's 25th anniversary, at the time, D.C. Comics were pegged as old fashioned. Ironically, the departure of many Marvel writers and artists led to D.C. Comics gaining an infusion of creativity and many new sales.
Moore had done wonderful work on Swamp Thing and other titles. His unique writing skills made him the perfect person to tell the origin of The Joker. He hit a home run because people are still talking about - and making money with - The Killing Joke even after nearly 30 years.
One last bit of cool news, Mark Hamill reprises the voice talent he lent to Batman: The Animated Series. He is voicing The Joker in Batman: The Killing Joke animated movie.
In July of 2016, a month before the arrival of Suicide Squad in theaters, an adaption of Alan Moore's classic work, The Killing Joke, is to debut at the San Diego Comic Con before being unleashed on home video. New fans to Batman movies and comics might not be aware The Killing Joke tells the sad tale origin of The Joker. And it is pretty downbeat.
Interestingly, Warner Bros. has approved a R-Rating for The Joker's origin tale. The violence in the original book was done mostly out of panel, but the tone of the material was definitely mature in nature. The R-rating may be fitting after all.
Den of Geek has the news about Batman: The Killing Joke and its debut at the San Diego Comic Con in 2016, Executive Producer Bruce Timm give the whole lowdown.
Batman: The Killing Joke animated movie should give fans left who still want more of The Caped Crusader after Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad.
The 1988 publication of The Killing Joke was more than just the release of a one-shot special edition.
The Killing Joke continued D.C. Comics re-invention. Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, Marv Wolfman's Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Moore's Watchmen were among the works that helped D.C. Comics regain faded glory after seeing sales figures destroyed by Marvel Comics. As inferred on the 20/20 news feature on Marvel's 25th anniversary, at the time, D.C. Comics were pegged as old fashioned. Ironically, the departure of many Marvel writers and artists led to D.C. Comics gaining an infusion of creativity and many new sales.
Moore had done wonderful work on Swamp Thing and other titles. His unique writing skills made him the perfect person to tell the origin of The Joker. He hit a home run because people are still talking about - and making money with - The Killing Joke even after nearly 30 years.
One last bit of cool news, Mark Hamill reprises the voice talent he lent to Batman: The Animated Series. He is voicing The Joker in Batman: The Killing Joke animated movie.