Solo: A Star Wars Story

[ghostryder]

He’s Tried to Leave ‘Star Wars’ Before. Will This Be It?

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/05/30/movies/star-wars-lawrence-kasdan.html

 

[The Wook]

He’s Tried to Leave ‘Star Wars’ Before. Will This Be It?

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/05/30/movies/star-wars-lawrence-kasdan.html

I hope so. He lost his SWIQ sometime between 1980 and 1983.

 

[MooCriket]

The franchise is trapped in a loop of self-love.

 

[Apollo]

...and money, never forget the money!

The franchise is trapped in a loop of self-love.

 

[batguy]

The franchise is trapped in a loop of self-love.

Sound like it's time for a SW movie that risks tearing down some of the audience's foregone assumptions.

Maybe we need to let the past die. Kill it, if we have to.

 

[Jagjaguwar]

Sound like it's time for a SW movie that risks tearing down some of the audience's foregone assumptions.

Maybe we need to let the past die. Kill it, if we have to.

Hmm, that sounds familiar...

Turns out though, many of the so-called “true fans” hated it. Just as they’ve by and large hated everything that’s come out since the original trilogy, or in some cases, since ESB.

It’s funny: at this point, the number of “true” Star Wars films (I use quotation marks as that’s their belief, not mine) is much smaller than the total number of films that have been released under the Star Wars banner. At what point will it be reasonable to conclude that nothing that Disney produces is going to satisfy them? In a few years, if there are 15 Star Wars films, and they hate 13 of the 15, would they even be considered “Star Wars fans” at that point? Maybe just “OT fans” or “SW/ESB fans?”

Or, more importantly, since this group of fans is a minority of the viewing audience as a whole (what percentage is anyone’s guess), should Disney care? Even the most recent film, which is seeing disappointing ticket sales, they would still probably be looking at decent earnings if only the film itself had not cost an unusually large amount of $$$ to produce.

All this to say- after making a number of films that were not identical as far as plot, brand of humor, etc, and failing in each case to satisfy the “true fans,” I’m not sure what reason there is for Disney to continue to try. I wish they would, since I think at some point they might achieve the right balance with everything in order to make those people happy, but it seems less likely with each film.

 

[Dontdissthefett]

Hmm, that sounds familiar...

Turns out though, many of the so-called “true fans” hated it. Just as they’ve by and large hated everything that’s come out since the original trilogy, or in some cases, since ESB.

It’s funny: at this point, the number of “true” Star Wars films (I use quotation marks as that’s their belief, not mine) is much smaller than the total number of films that have been released under the Star Wars banner. At what point will it be reasonable to conclude that nothing that Disney produces is going to satisfy them? In a few years, if there are 15 Star Wars films, and they hate 13 of the 15, would they even be considered “Star Wars fans” at that point? Maybe just “OT fans” or “SW/ESB fans?”

Or, more importantly, since this group of fans is a minority of the viewing audience as a whole (what percentage is anyone’s guess), should Disney care? Even the most recent film, which is seeing disappointing ticket sales, they would still probably be looking at decent earnings if only the film itself had not cost an unusually large amount of $$$ to produce.

All this to say- after making a number of films that were not identical as far as plot, brand of humor, etc, and failing in each case to satisfy the “true fans,” I’m not sure what reason there is for Disney to continue to try. I wish they would, since I think at some point they might achieve the right balance with everything in order to make those people happy, but it seems less likely with each film.

Question.. if they’re such a minority that Disney shouldn’t even care, why is this minority’s dissatisfaction with Disney affecting the box office? Could it be that they are much more than just a minority, and this “minority” is who’ve been supporting Star Wars SINCE the OT? I don’t see casual fans buying high-end collectibles from Sideshow and Gentle Giant, buying all the prop replicas, spending thousands for screen-accurate costumes, filling convention centers for Star Wars Celebration every time they have it, buying the toys and collectibles to horde, etc. Whether someone came in to this fandom from the OT, PT, or even the ST, it amounts to a very high percentage of people that are passionate enough about this franchise that continue to make it the multi-billion dollar industry it is. All of that started with the phenomenon of the OT. Does Disney want to alienate THOSE fans? The ones with the deep pockets that will buy anything Star Wars in hopes that a new generation of fans that have interests spread out over half a dozen other properties and attention spans that don’t last through the weekend will continue to consume like the ones they pushed away? If they are at all concerned about protecting their investment, I should think not.

I liked Solo, and it’s a shame it got caught in the wake of TLJ. Disney should take this as a sign of what their fans will, and will not go along with.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jagjaguwar]

Many, many reasons why Solo isn’t doing well, I would say. I said I didn’t know how big this “minority” was. But it would be safe to say it’s the “casual” fans who are doing the supporting, numbers-wise. Unless someone wants to suggest that there are more “hardcore” fans than there are “casual” fans? I’d be curious to hear that argument.

Now, that said, those “casuals” are nothing if not fickle, and so who knows how long the current level of popularity the franchise is enjoying might last.

High end replicas and other expensive items are a good point, however, I’d imagine a lot more money is actually made from toys (mainly bought by/for kids), or other cheap licensed stuff like backpacks, etc. High-end collectibles are a bit of a niche market and probably make up a small portion of Star Wars-related earnings.

You also mentioned that these hardcore fans will buy anything Star Wars. If that’s the case, then yes, why would they change course now, if those people (even if they complain before and after) will still buy tickets and products?

My main point isn’t that Disney should just ignore a group of their oldest, most hardcore fans. Just that from their perspective it might seem like a workable plan going forward, for the reasons I mentioned.

 

[Dontdissthefett]

Many, many reasons why Solo isn’t doing well, I would say. I said I didn’t know how big this “minority” was. But it would be safe to say it’s the “casual” fans who are doing the supporting, numbers-wise. Unless someone wants to suggest that there are more “hardcore” fans than there are “casual” fans? I’d be curious to hear that argument.

Now, that said, those “casuals” are nothing if not fickle, and so who knows how long the current level of popularity the franchise is enjoying might last.

High end replicas and other expensive items are a good point, however, I’d imagine a lot more money is actually made from toys (mainly bought by/for kids), or other cheap licensed stuff like backpacks, etc. High-end collectibles are a bit of a niche market and probably make up a small portion of Star Wars-related earnings.

You also mentioned that these hardcore fans will buy anything Star Wars. If that’s the case, then yes, why would they change course now, if those people (even if they complain before and after) will still buy tickets and products?

If casual fans are doing the supporting, where are they? Solo could have used them! Maybe casual fans “aren’t” the ones that are responsible for supporting Star Wars.

High end collectibles may be “niche” but the costs of those licenses aren’t. I’m sure those licenses make up a large part of the revenue stream for Disney. Look at the licensees who’ve gone under, and the ones still here are not the same as they were. Even Gentle Giant.. They hardly produce busts to support new movies. I don’t think they released ANY for TLJ, only a few for R1, and two for Solo. They keep going back to the OT well because they know that’s what sells. When a company can’t survive selling Star Wars products they won’t renew those licenses. I bet even Hasbro is starting to worry about that expensive license they’ve got, feeling like it’s an anchor around their neck at times..

As for toys, toy sales have been in a huge decline. Go to your local Walmart and see for yourself.. Either peg warming figures from the ST, or Star Wars stories, or nothing at all because retailers keep getting burned by ordering more than the dismal demand. One could argue that more adult collectors buy the toys than actual kids, and even they dont want much of the Disney era stuff.

My point was, hardcore fans buy anything Star Wars as long as it’s actually still Star Wars. Disney Wars is a far cry from what Star Wars WAS, and sales of everything including tickets are suffering for it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jagjaguwar]

If casual fans are doing the supporting, where are they? Solo could have used them! Maybe casual fans “aren’t” the ones that are responsible for supporting Star Wars.

High end collectibles may be “niche” but the costs of those licenses aren’t. I’m sure those licenses make up a large part of the revenue stream for Disney. Look at the licensees who’ve gone under, and the ones still here are not the same as they were. Even Gentle Giant.. They hardly produce busts to support new movies. I don’t think they released ANY for TLJ, only a few for R1, and two for Solo. They keep going back to the OT well because they know that’s what sells. When a company can’t survive selling Star Wars products they won’t renew those licenses. I bet even Hasbro is starting to worry about that expensive license they’ve got, feeling like it’s an anchor around their neck at times..

As for toys, toy sales have been in a huge decline. Go to your local Walmart and see for yourself.. Either peg warming figures from the ST, or Star Wars stories, or nothing at all because retailers keep getting burned by ordering more than the dismal demand. One could argue that more adult collectors buy the toys than actual kids, and even they dont want much of the Disney era stuff.

My point was, hardcore fans buy anything Star Wars as long as it’s actually still Star Wars. Disney Wars is a far cry from what Star Wars WAS, and sales of everything including tickets are suffering for it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is a good question. Some probably didn’t need to see another “Star War” so soon after TLJ, some probably didn’t care about a movie that’s not a numbered episode, and I’m guessing plenty of others saw the middling reviews and decided to go see something else.

Again, I know nothing of the numbers involved, but my guess is the number of toys, branded apparel or licensed mass-produced general use items sold far exceeds the number of collectibles sold, and in turn, the $$$ going to Disney.

I’d be very surprised if collectors are in fact buying more toys than kids are. I can’t see it being the case but I’d be happy to learn otherwise.

As for sales of everything suffering, including movie tickets, aren’t most of the recent movies (Solo excluded) among the highest grossing films of all time? (un-adjusted for inflation, for what that’s worth.)

 

[batguy]

I reject the whole notion that Solo bombed. The movie did fine for what it was. Disney's expectations were just unrealistic.

They released the 4th SW movie in 4 years, a few months after the most unpopular one in decades. It has no big stars, only unknown substitutes for real icons. It has no direct storyline connection with the existing episodes. They expected it to earn as much money as the last several very successful SW movies. And they basically paid to film it twice over.

 

[ghostryder]

http://collider.com/jonathan-lawrence-kasdan-interview-solo-a-star-wars-story/

 

[The Wook]

http://collider.com/jonathan-lawrence-kasdan-interview-solo-a-star-wars-story/

Lol, hey man, you post a ton of articles...which is cool. But you don't need to post the same articles multiple times, in multiple threads. A few days ago you posted the same article like 3 or 4 times in one day.

We're fanatics, so I think you can rest assured that if you post it just once, we'll see it.

The Wook

 

[ghostryder]

Lol, hey man, you post a ton of articles...which is cool. But you don't need to post the same articles multiple times, in multiple threads. A few days ago you posted the same article like 3 or 4 times in one day.

I did? Can you show me where? Wouldn't do that intentionally - I'm annoying - but not THAT annoying...

 

[The Wook]

I did? Can you show me where? Wouldn't do that intentionally - I'm annoying - but not THAT annoying...

:lol Maybe tomorrow. I'm about to sack out.

 

[Mr Webber]

I reject the whole notion that Solo bombed. The movie did fine for what it was. Disney's expectations were just unrealistic.

They released the 4th SW movie in 4 years, a few months after the most unpopular one in decades. It has no big stars, only unknown substitutes for real icons. It has no direct storyline connection with the existing episodes. They expected it to earn as much money as the last several very successful SW movies. And they basically paid to film it twice over.

Regardless of Disney`s over bloated estimates, if drop off trends continue at present rates, it will be out of theatres in one to two weeks and that`s being generous and likely be a financial loss. For a Star Wars movie that cant be anything other than a bomb. Even if its original budget remained intact.

 

[edge10]

I reject the whole notion that Solo bombed. The movie did fine for what it was. Disney's expectations were just unrealistic.

They released the 4th SW movie in 4 years, a few months after the most unpopular one in decades. It has no big stars, only unknown substitutes for real icons. It has no direct storyline connection with the existing episodes. They expected it to earn as much money as the last several very successful SW movies. And they basically paid to film it twice over.

Regardless of Disney`s over bloated estimates, if drop off trends continue at present rates, it will be out of theatres in one to two weeks and that`s being generous and likely be a financial loss. For a Star Wars movie that cant be anything other than a bomb. Even if its original budget remained intact.

If this had a been a movie like 'A Quite Place' that only cost 17 million (only?) and has brought in over 10 times that amount, 182 million as of now, I would agree. Instead it is reported to have cost over 200 million and will be very lucky to double that.

 

[batguy]

Regardless of Disney`s over bloated estimates, if drop off trends continue at present rates, it will be out of theatres in one to two weeks and that`s being generous and likely be a financial loss. For a Star Wars movie that cant be anything other than a bomb. Even if its original budget remained intact.

I consider Disney's original budget & projections to be probably too high even before the re-shoot.

They made a movie that plainly was not wanted. That "minor issue" dated back to the time it was on the drawing board. They released this unwanted movie at one of the worst times in the entire history of the franchise to do it. Now they are surprised when people don't see it in mass numbers.

Given all that, I actually think it's doing pretty well. Certainly nothing for the cast & crew to be apologizing for.

 

[MooCriket]

At this point I just want to see how fast theaters dump it in the coming weeks. Wouldn't be surprised to see it lose 1,000+ Theaters next weekend.

 

[DaddyfromNaboo]

Just got the VIsual Dictionary fo my bday, and I must say I enjoy reading through it and looking at the designs. I liked seeing the classic designs, a few RO designs being reused, the cornucopia of new droid designs, all on the plus side. The backside to this shining medal is IMO that now EVERY nobody gets a name and background story. That does indeed feel a bit like "micromanagement". Still, like that book better than the TLJ book.