What Movies Have You Seen Lately?

Quote: Pacomartin

I guess they are hoping to tap into an international market that is familiar with the characters.

Ghostbusters will make most of its money in merchandize.

Quote: Nareed

Ghostbusters will make most of its money in merchandize.

Box office in the USA means less and less everyday. It's all about China and other foreign countries. China is set to pass the USA in terms of box office revenue.

That's why a lot of these big blockbuster movies are starting to cater to the Chinese market and the strict Chinese censors. (Iron Man 3, for example, had special scenes added with Chinese actors for its release in China).

A few years back, the movie Pacific Rim was kind of a dud in the US. It cost a lot and didn't make its money back here. But it is getting a sequel. Why? China. It did well over there.

As for Ghostbusters, I read there is some law in China that prohibits movies from being released with ghosts in them (LOL!!!). So it will be harder for that one to recoup its costs. Reviews have been good, so it may hold up well in the coming weeks (I'm talking about the actual reviews, not EvenBob's fake ones on IMDB).

Quote: ams288

Reviews have been good, so it may hold up well in the coming weeks (I'm talking about the actual reviews, not EvenBob's fake ones on IMDB).

Oh, I intend to see it. I loved the first one, and was disappointed there was never a sequel (there was never a sequel!) I also like the animated series, "The Real Ghostbusters." Later on I learned J. Michael Stracynzki had been involved in writing some eps. From time to time they had really clever plots.

Quote: Nareed

J. Michael Stracynzki.

I heard when they were filming Babylon 5, there were strict instructions that no ad libbing or script changes allowed.
Had to speak the lines exactly as written
J Michael had an arc planned for the show and did not want to mess up that arc with a actor ad libbing a change that may affect the arc.

Quote: terapined

I heard when they were filming Babylon 5, there were strict instructions that no ad libbing or script changes allowed.
Had to speak the lines exactly as written
J Michael had an arc planned for the show and did not want to mess up that arc with a actor ad libbing a change that may affect the arc.

Yup.

There's an ep where Vir tries to explain Centauri sexual physiology to Ivanova. He succeeds in a Vir-like stumbling, charming kind of way ("You see, we have six, uh, ah, err. We have six.") According to Stracynzki, the whole exchange was scripted, stuttering, stumbling and all.

The actors could, and sometimes did, suggest changes to him. How often something changed, I've no idea.

I do know Stracynzki wrote most of the 2nd and 4th seasons, and the entire 3rd season.

Quote: Pacomartin

The number of films with over $100 million budgets just grows every year.

Wasn't Terminator 2 the movie with the record-breaking budget, which analysts worried might never be recouped?

IMO, it was the best Terminator movie, and should have been the last.

Quote: Nareed

Wasn't Terminator 2 the movie with the record-breaking budget, which analysts worried might never be recouped?

IMO, it was the best Terminator movie, and should have been the last.

Other candidates:

Apocalypse Now
Heaven's Gate
Titanic

edit: Oh, yeah... Waterworld

Quote: Nareed

Wasn't Terminator 2 the movie with the record-breaking budget, which analysts worried might never be recouped?

IMO, it was the best Terminator movie, and should have been the last.

Terminator 2 did have a record breaking budget. Which depending on the source, was the first production budget to exceed $100 million
1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day $100
1994 True Lies $114

Guiness lists "True Lies" also Schwarzenegger and Cameron as the first to go over $100 million
1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day $94
1994 True Lies $100

One list has the following movies as record holder for most expensive movie ever made (not adjusted for inflation)
1922 Foolish Wives
1922 When Knighthood Was in Flower
1923 The Ten Commandments
1925 Ben-Hur
1939 Gone with the Wind
1946 Duel in the Sun
1947 Forever Amber
1951 Quo Vadis
1956 The Ten Commandments
1959 Ben-Hur
1962 Mutiny on the Bounty
1963 Cleopatra
1978 Superman
1988 Rambo III
1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit
1990 Back to the Future Part II & Part III (1989–1990)
1990 Total Recall
1990 Die Hard 2
1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day
1994 True Lies
1995 Waterworld
1997 Titanic

Cleopatra's production and marketing costs of $44 million in 1963 (equivalent to $340.09 million in 2016) was probably not exceed until 2011 when Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides cost $378.5 million. But in 2011 you are guaranteed a world wide box office that didn't exist in 1963.

But I am not talking about the record breaking budgets which often are in the neighborhood of $250 million for Captain America, Civil Wars or Batman and Superman.

I am talking about the more run of the mill movies, that are risking a lot for $150 million budget. Even a few years ago once you got out of the top 5-8 movies, almost every budget was below $100 million.

These budgets are very high for retreads.

Four full Days Northern America
$50,925,548 Ghostbusters (2016) | Production Budget: $144 million
$46,582,405 The Legend of Tarzan | Production Budget: $180 million
$44,817,191 Independence Day Resurgence| Production Budget: $165 million
$33,507,621 Alice Through the Looking Glass | Production Budget: $170 million
$22,716,809 The BFG | Production Budget: $140 million

Quote: Ayecarumba

edit: Oh, yeah... Waterworld

Easy, trouble-free production and major box office h... Oh, no, wait. I had it confused with something else. So it became a major cult film later? No? Damn!

Quote: Pacomartin

Cleopatra's production and marketing costs of $44 million in 1963 (equivalent to $340.09 million in 2016) was probably not exceed until 2011 when Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides cost $378.5 million. But in 2011 you are guaranteed a world wide box office that didn't exist in 1963.

If you've seen Cleopatra, it's clear why it cost so much. It's not clear why they didn't spend more money on the script.

Quote:

I am talking about the more run of the mill movies, that are risking a lot for $150 million budget. Even a few years ago once you got out of the top 5-8 movies, almost every budget was below $100 million.

How much of that is accounted for by inflation? How much due to big name salaries?
On the other hand, how much money comes in through merchandizing, DVD/downloads, foreign sales, etc?