Original D&D Discussion - Box Office Bombs

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May 19, 2013, 7:33pm

Original D&D Discussion :: Other TSR Classics :: Warriors of Mars (1974) :: Box Office Bombs

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Topic: Box Office Bombs (Read 225 times)

Finarvyn
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Box Office Bombs
« Thread Started on Mar 25, 2012, 8:04am »

I saw an interesting story online about “Box Office Bombs” and thought I’d post the list along with some thoughts about them. Naturally I had to put it in this section of the boards since John Carter stands to lose as much as $200 million.

When reading the list and why movies were on it, I found out a couple of things. Some movies out-and-out tanked at the Box Office while others on the list did well but not nearly what it took to make them. That’s kind of cheating, in my book, since it doesn’t always mean that people didn’t like the movie. It may just mean that they spend too darned much making the movie. Anyway, there’s the list…

Cutthroat Island - I liked this one and actually own it on DVD, although I haven’t watched it in years. Having a female pirate didn’t bother me as much as everyone else, I suppose. I wonder if it would have done better at the box office if it had been released after Pirates of the Caribbean.

Ishtar - I liked this one, too. I mean, it’s about two guys who are trying to make a music career and they’re bad singers and they have these adventures. I didn’t take it too seriously and I don’t know why anyone else would, either. It was dumb but fun. I owned it on VHS, but got rid of it long ago.

How Did You Know - A romantic comedy, if you like that kind of thing. I’m detecting a pattern here, since I enjoyed watching it. Of course, I saw it when I was in the hospital watching my daughter who had just had surgery and there weren’t too many options on the TV, but I liked it.

Battlefield Earth - Okay, so this one was bad. The book isn’t too bad, really, but incredibly long. The movie was horrid.

Green Lantern - 5 on the list so far, 5 that I’ve seen. I enjoyed it more than most of the Batman or X-Men movies. Of course, I grew up reading GL comic books and he was one of my favorite superheroes of all time so I’m probably biased.

The 13th Warrior - I saw it, wasn’t impressed. I didn’t think it was a bad movie, but it wasn’t great. Kind of a “meh” movie, in my book.

Town & Country - First one on this list that I haven’t seen. Heck, I never even heard of it.

Gigli - Second one on this list that I haven’t seen. J-Lo looks kind of hot on the poster, but I know nothing about it otherwise.

Mars Needs Moms - Three in a row. Haven’t seen it, don’t want to see it.

Pluto Nash - Four in a row. Haven’t seen it, don’t want to see it.

The Alamo - Five in a row. Haven’t seen it, don’t want to see it. I’ll have to say that I was starting to doubt my opinion of movies since I liked the first five movies, but my batting average is starting to fall quickly so I feel better about myself.

Heaven’s Gate - Six in a row.

Bottom line: Of the 12 movies on the list, I liked 4 thought one was “meh” and one was bad and didn’t see the other six. Wait … with John Carter added my numbers would be 5-1-1 and 6 unknown.

Anyone else?

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jjarvis
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Re: Box Office Bombs
« Reply #1 on Mar 25, 2012, 8:50am »

I thought John Carter was okay even fun, nothing major but I enjoyed it.I think it was really a marketing failure not a box-office failure. If you have a sci-fi film drawing on a hundred year old character on mars put mars in the title.

oddly enough I always thought the "bombing" of Ishtar was curious... it was actually funny and a good play on "The Road To..." films.

I thought the 13th warrior kicked butt even if it had odd deviations from the book.

Pluto Nash was nowhere as bad as I was led to believe it was, i woke up to it playing on cable one night and I watched about 90% of it (missign the beginning).

WATERWORLD is paraded as a big hollywood bomb and i always thought it was okay, "Mad Max Goes Surfing " really can't go wrong, can it?

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Cameron DuBeers
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Re: Box Office Bombs
« Reply #2 on Mar 25, 2012, 8:52am »

Leonard Part 6 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093405/

This movie gave lie to my oft-stated opinion that I could watch and enjoy any science-fiction story. I watched 10 minutes and turned it off.

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jjarvis
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Re: Box Office Bombs
« Reply #3 on Mar 25, 2012, 11:12am »

Mar 25, 2012, 8:52am, Cameron DuBeers wrote:

Leonard Part 6 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093405/

This movie gave lie to my oft-stated opinion that I could watch and enjoy any science-fiction story. I watched 10 minutes and turned it off.

That was indeed truly dreadful even if for shooting for cheap goofy camp.

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