As it should be.
Not even 10am the first day of work after opening weekend, I talk to people I work with who I think would like this, and recommend the movie, but they've already had someone else like a friend or family member tell them they had to see it.
That's not atypical for a James Cameron film. Word of mouth went a long way for keeping most of his films in the public consciousness. In fact the studio is banking on the impact of Cameron on the Middle Kingdom (China/Asia) where he is revered. Alita isn't really a Cameron film it's a Rodriguez film but he is the face and now voice of promoting this film.
shareCameron was going to do Alita as a 2009 release but did Avatar instead because the tech was ALMOST good enough. Then Avatar was such a moneymaker that he obligated himself to sequels.
It's great that he used Avatar to push the tech first, because this is the payoff.
Anecdotal evidence. Everyone I spoke to either didn't know what it was or "that dumb kids movie with the big eye girl".
Kinda like the response the stupid grinning from Truth or Dare got.
Your counterpoint is meaningless... It's not indicative of negative word of mouth or anything. As you said, either they weren't aware of it yet, or had only seen something from a commercial or ad and barely paid attention to anything more than the eyes.
Besides which, this is not science. Anecdotal evidence certainly applies here because word of mouth IS an anecdotal thing.
Even the act of telling someone "I saw X movie and really enjoyed it, you would too" fits the definition of an anecdote: "A short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person."
The feedback we have gotten is probably more indicative of the people in our circle of friends/associates/family than anything else.
Your point is meaningless, that super strong word of mouth around your ears didnt convert to bums in seats.
Incorrect. It did put butts in seats and the movie did remarkably well for its low key reception.
shareWhere at? China where they only collect 25% or less of those Chinese dabloons.
It bombed. It made less than they spent on it in production and marketing.
It made $400 mill total, it needed that if it did well domestically.
When it made most of that in China where they collect 25% or less they need way more to break even.
It didnt bomb, it performed better than anticipated. Its not a huge blockbuster based on a huge franchise so it cant be seen through that lens. It is establishing its brand. Home video and etc will be important for it.
Worse movies have done worse at the box office and still had sequels. Ghost Rider, for one.
>it performed better than anticipated.
By making less than it needed to break even?
It made $319,142,333 of the $400 overseas where they get a smaller cut.
$133,397,094 in China where they get 25%, or even less if they are using a Chinese distribution company and even less if the box office gets stolen like has been happening in the past.
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=alita.htm
If you look down the list Fox isnt even distributing in all regions, so they take way less of a cut on that.
Thats why predictions for breaking even range between vastly different numbers.
ALita needed 400 to 500 to break even. 400 if it did well domestic. 500 or more if it made its money in China and overseas because they dont get the same cut.
Oh, and one famous movie that did badly in theaters but made a huge profit on video was Fight Club.
shareDon't even mention young adult trash like Alita in the same breath as Fight Club.
5 years from now nobody will be buying ALita on BluRay. Nobody will remember it.
Alita and Fight Club are both in my top 10, they are both masterpieces.
I am the arbiter of all quality, so you must bow to my opinion!
=D
Is it really that good? The previews made it look like the sort of film I hate, and I hadn't heard anything positive from anyone about it. I came to the board today because I learned last night that Robert Rodriguez directed it. I watched the The Chef Show and one episode was filmed in his house and he mentioned it, and it sort of surprised me. I had zero idea he was involved, but I tend to really enjoy his films, so now I'm a bit curious to check the film out. But, is it really Fight Club level of good? That's saying a lot...
shareYeah it isn't. I mean I enjoyed it, was a bit of fun but nothing was particularly good about it. The animated face throws you off at first but you get used to it. But to summarise the film would be a typical YA action/adventure film complete with romantic interest that blossoms over a 3 day period. Not saying it was bad, like I said I did enjoy it but end of the day it is an average film. Now was the CG action good? For the most part yeah, the action was alright and it was a fun world to explore but if you like Rodriguez the best way to look at it is a watered down YA version of his regular material, at the very least tho you should still enjoy it if you are a fan of his regular work.
shareThe romance wasn't believable at all, especially the scene where she inexplicably pulls her heart out and tells him to sell it. It all felt really forced, and the important moments felt unearned, and as such lacking any real emotional impact. I wanted to laugh at the cheeziness when her boyfriend fell to his death. And Alita was jarring. Her eyes were inexplicably large, and it felt like Who Framed Roger Rabbit with her looking drawn into every scene.
I don't mean to hate on it, but it really didn't appeal to me at all. None of the characters acted rationally, and they changed their minds and attitudes at the drop of the hat. I think the most egregious example is the boyfriend not saying "he killed him" when Alita saw he was wanted for murder. Instead he acts guilty and confesses to other things he'd done that had nothing to do with the two murders he was being framed for having committed.
I agree with all those criticisms as well, interesting side note: my friend who I saw it with thought it was an amazing film and one of the best manga adaptions he'd ever seen. I asked him why and after a minute long conversation he retracted his statement.
shareOk, I watched it... seriously shocked you rate it with Fight Club. I didn't care much for it at all, which is what it is, and I can see how someone else may enjoy it much more, but to consider it among one's 10 favorites? We really disagree on this one. I'm curious what you found so appealing about it?
shareIts just beautiful, kinetic, dark and light together, twisted humor, emotionally moving, the characters are so realistic and fleshed out.... Plus the science fiction is top notch, and damn close to hard sci fi.
The action scenes are like a violent ballet, and each fight of Alitas is less a basic battle as it is symbolic of her growth as a character. Each fight is a growing pain.
The world is so real, the effects so flawless (except her boyfriends junky body, that was lame), the directing so stylish, its truly the first real genuine live action Anime, at least from an American producer.
Im glad we waited 9 years after Avatar, this would not have looked so amazing in Dec 2009 if Cameron hd done this then. Plus we wouldnt have a sequel yet anyway.
Watching it felt like looking in on a world, not just a movie
Agreed.
This seems to be another one of those films where the audience enjoys it more than the critics.
Personally, I hope it makes money in Asia. “Aquaman” was terrible and it cleaned up in China. “Alita” was a much better film.
My first reaction was in my topic from last night about the advertising being too much "battle" and not enough "angel." The marketing really failed this movie... I'm glad I didn't expect it to be like this, because it was a surprise, but the movie being so sweet and endearing and beautiful is something that should have been pushed, because it would really put butts in seats.
I could put together a "beauty" trailer demonstrating it as a visual work of art, plus highlighting the touching, heartfelt family drama that dominates the story. It would look like a completely different movie from the ads and trailers I've seen.
The worst part about advertising the action scenes so hard is that these are visually stylized ballet-like action scenes that don't really come across in short clips, they have to be taken in as individual extended sequences... Even the violence and "kill scenes" are glorious because they show a beautiful indulgence in the destruction, something that is part of Alita's nature and which drives her to combat evil.
Beyond that, they can't be taken out of context, as EACH action scene is a specific, emotional step in Alita's development. They are her growing pains.
It faces an uphill battle, yes, but it appears like enough audiences are embracing it.
Since most are expecting it to flop, it would be nice if it does the complete opposite.
So far I've had two reactions:
1. Those who have already had a close friend or family member urge them to see it.
2. Those who perk up when I mention it's so good, because they were interested and waiting to hear some feedback about it.
I was just telling a fellow Star Wars fanatic about it, she is going to go see it with her husband now, and all three of the other people in earshot all heard me and started asking me more about it.
Wouldn't it be nice if the second weekend was bigger than the opening?
Wouldn't it be nice if the second weekend was bigger than the opening?
I'm sure Cameron is confident after Titanic and Avatar both did the same thing that this is starting to do.
People go on about the importance of opening weekends, and the drop-off from one weekend to the next.
Jim says "Hold my beer" and puts out another slow-burn juggernaut.
Really loved the movie, and I myself spread the Word of mouth as well.
I think we all should to increase the already low odds of having a sequel in the near future (2-3 years).
The movie is decent in the story, awesome in special effects and fights and has really compelling characters which I love Alita and how is she portrayed in the film. Not sure how she portrayed in the manga, and I am waiting to see if there is a sequel before I go ahead and buy the manga. I'd like to see how they do it first on the big screen.
Saw this last night. Loved the movie. Lots of action and emotional scenes. Too bad it’s not getting the love it should get.
shareIt's funny , the movie really has it's hardcore fan base and will definitely get its 400 mil worlwide from the box office. Hopefully with this fanbase set and the streaming and blu ray sales it will still get a greenlit for the sequels!
They will have to film them back to back so that part two and three will each result to a 135 mil production budget. If the sequels than at least do as well as this one, the entire trilogy will have made 1200 mil with a 435 mil budget, than it could be a very profitable trilogy!
* yes a lot of speculation but I think I have made a good point *