Originally Posted By HokieSkipper AICN is notorious for posting their wishes as fact. I take the report with a grain of salt.
Originally Posted By Manfried I think Skinnerbox is a little upset with TRON Legacy. Kind of like me with APers.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Keeping my fingers crossed. Although I am not a huge franchise fan (ok, maybe I am with Star wars, Lord of the Rings and HP), I do love TRON - both the original and legacy, and I have fond memories of the additions to the Main Street Electrical Parade and Peoplemover. Fingers crossed. ...offline
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<I think Skinnerbox is a little upset with TRON Legacy. Kind of like me with APers.>> Actually, I'm upset with them as well, Manfried. As for TRON... darn tootin I'm upset with this mess! This film had sooo much potential. I was eagerly anticipating this film, given how much I liked the original when it first came out. But I'm extremely disappointed in what Legacy turned into. The story is a mess. I think they've painted themselves into a corner that will be difficult to recover from, unless they conveniently ignore some facets of this new digital universe and create a new one from scratch. I'm guessing that's where Dillinger's son factors in, with his own version of the Grid. Cillian Murphy will make an excellent update to Sark. If that's the direction they decide to go, then I'll be more optimistic about the sequel. But TRON could have and should have been better. Disney was handed a special gift in that both Bridges and Boxleiter actually WANTED to do the sequel, all these years later. But in my opinion, it was a major waste of talent, given the lame script.
Originally Posted By Manfried I agree skinnerbox, the film had a lot of potential. But I think it can be lumped into the same category as the first Star Trek film. Now that its done, they can go off and do a really good film just like they did with Star Trek and not have to worry about showing off the TRON universe.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Second, it cost $170 million to make, and another $120 million to advertise and promote. That's a total of $290 million.>> I don't know where the $170m number came from but we were told that production costs alone were much higher. The $120m marketing and distribution costs only relate to the US. The movie has performed very badly internationally - the two key markets of the UK (just $14m) and Japan ($21m to date) have been very weak indeed despite massive publicity blitzes. It has now opened in most major markets so the grosses are going to continue to shrink. I can't see any way that the Company can spin TRON:Legacy as a success. The movie was an expensive tentpole that needs to push well beyond $500m internationally to have any hope of paying off its exorbitant costs. I just don't understand Studio Entertainment's strategy any more. Eisner's mantra of singles and doubles doesn't exist any more - it is all about synergistic expensive tentpoles. Studios have massive cost bases so when you are releasing less than ten movies a year on your own slate it is an expensive business to be in. There is no doubt that the Company shouldn't go back to the days of releasing 25+ movies a year (like it was when WDP, Touchstone, Hollywood and Miramax were in full swing) but they need to get back to not just focusing on Disney-branded movies that can only be greenlit if they can feed other business units. Now everything is about looking backwards - either milking product like POTC to within an inch of its life or trying to reinvigorate long-dead franchises like 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. How much money has already been wasted on developing that movie under numerous directors before Fincher was promised the earth for his massive budget 3D extravaganza.
Originally Posted By leemac <<$300 million sounds like a "hit" to me, no matter what the movie cost to make. It's ridiculous to think otherwise. Most other movies made are lucky to even break the $100 million barrier. Now, here's a movie that's grossed over $300 million and it's considered a "dissapointment"??? Something is definitely wrong in Hollywood...>> Something is broken in Hollywood. Costs have ballooned again. When Sony can dump nearly $150m on the latest James L. Brooks movie How Do You Know? which hasn't made even $30m yet and will have no life internationally. The same studio has such a bloated slate that it also spent over $150m on The Tourist which also hasn't found an audience. I'm delighted to see movies like True Grit, Black Swan and The King's Speech find audiences (collectively those three grossed nearly $30m between them this weekend). Disney isn't interested in making those type of movies any more - and I can't fathom why they wouldn't want to make a $38m movie that has already grossed over $125m (like True Grit). There was a great piece in the NYT by Brooks Barnes who is the reporter that follows Disney about the perceived failure of the Epic Mickey game that has barely shifted 4m units globally - despite a massive advertising campaign. It is another example of the Company putting all of its eggs in one basket and then trying to beat the odds to make it successful. They screwed up that game but releasing it too late (it missed the Black Friday sales) and only on one platform. So what happens? Iger blames DIG and removes all of the key executives.
Originally Posted By Christi22222 >>I think 50 monkeys randomly typing on Selectrics could have produced a better script.<< Ha! This is great!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Looking forward to seeing TRON Legacy again this weekend, and taking 5 other people with me!
Originally Posted By Anatole69 FWIW Box Office Mojo considers Tron: Legacy one of the box office successes of 2010: <a href="http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3042&p=.htm" target="_blank">http://boxofficemojo.com/news/...2&p=.htm</a> - Anatole
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub It is worth it to see the way they illuminated the Corporate Castle before it begins. Luv to see WDW use their technology to create this at WDW soon.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox The writer of this article is definitely a TRON fanboi. Using the fact that TRON Legacy has sold more tickets than the original TRON did 28 years ago as a measuring stick of success is reaching. Fact is, all of the other films prominently mentioned in that list have all recouped their costs and then some, with the exception of Tangled. TRON, like Tangled, has yet to reach that milestone, which makes me question the writer's claim that it's on par with the other films being highlighted. Even though it's yet to break even, I consider Tangled far more of a success than TRON, simply because it's the comeback film for WDAS. TRON Legacy was supposed to be the second coming for Disney Live Action, another billion dollar movie on the heels of Alice in Wonderland. But it simply didn't deliver. Disney did very well in 2010 with Alice and TS3. But given the disappointing box for Prince of Persia, Sorcerer's Apprentice, and TRON, I wouldn't call it a banner year for the Mouse, by any means.
Originally Posted By oc_dean I just read that article. A new word in the 21st Century: Fanboy In the Tron synopsis .. its used just one too many times. I guess the old fashion - Fan - is just not good enough, and we have to have flashy new words/catch-phrases, which are actually derogatory and insulting.
Originally Posted By Christi22222 >>It is worth it to see the way they illuminated the Corporate Castle before it begins. Luv to see WDW use their technology to create this at WDW soon. << Agreed!!
Originally Posted By brotherdave With the new lighting technology for the Castle at WDW, it very well could happen now!
Originally Posted By skinnerbox TRON has been out in the US for over five weeks now, and has yet to make the $170 million purported production costs (leemac stated it's actually higher) at the domestic box. International revenue is $170 million from last week, for a total of $333 million worldwide. And according to leemac, it will take over $500 million for Disney to recoup all costs associated with producing and marketing the film. With all markets continuing to ramp down, including foreign, I just don't see how this will happen. Why would anyone see this film as having huge potential for future profits? The ticket revenue isn't there and the merchandise/game sales have been terrible. And yet, the rumors for pushing this franchise continue. Just how desperate is Disney for new franchises to exploit? Have they run out of viable options elsewhere?
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Then again, based on articles I have been reading this month, TRON has been performing well according to it's peers. As for TRON merchandise not selling well, in the UK, I have not seen any other than the sound track and game.
