Thanks Vivek, don't worry too much if its a problem.
As it is I've had some interesting chats over the last couple of week about the SW franchise (and Solo) with people who are not really SW fans (as we are here)but just steady movie goers. So the respounces are a bit more measured and accurate. I was curious as to whether the influx of votes in TLJ was as a result of the "new members" and how many here have actually boycotted Solo still (I'm estimating low figures ).
But there is no doubt (at least) to me any more that TLJ has had a measurable impact on the GENERAL publics perception of the franchise and its definitely affected interest in the series going forward.
I caught up with an old friend who is still working in a large office (despite reaching retirement age) and much of the staff conversations at breaks and lunchtimes revolve around the films he's been to see, as he is an avid cinema buff. Jeff is the kind of the go to man if people want advice on whats worth watching on a weekend.
"Infinity War" and "Deadpool 2" have understandably been hot topics, particularly IW where lots of co workers picked his brains for an explanation on the "snap"ending.And its very apparent people really do enjoy Marvel movies and the way they all mesh together. Feedback on Deadpool 2 was interesting though , alot liked it, but a few who didn't enjoy the first wouldn't touch the second, which kind of accounts for the BO drop.
That reminds me strongly of the first SW movie release. Alot of folks went to see it because of the hype and interest and then decided SW just wasn't for them. Which is why TESB, despite being a better movie, didn't do so well. For alot of people its just a movie.And this was also probably true for TLJ as well.
Jeff didn't hate TLJ, he's always been a strong Trekkie (just don't mention Star Trek : Discovery to him ) but he simply didn't think it was a good film, and its interesting to note that he said a great deal of the discussions he had for it were exactly that.
It was just OK for many, a few thought it was pretty stupid and couple properly hated it, but the broad respounce seemed to be a "Meh", nothing like the interested and buzzing conversations he gets after a Marvel or blockbuster movie .
And the discussion about Solo has been even less than that,most simply had no interest in it at all and compared to all the anticipation for recent "superhero" movie events this just wasn't one. Neither they or their families wanted to make the effort to see it, nor ,and ,heres the important part ,spend the time and money doing so when the weather was so good.Its summer.
Alot couldn't understand why a film that wasn't sequential to the story (like a Marvel), being released so close after the TLJ and that that didn't make sense to them. Others had heard it had been troubled production and a likely train wreak and many thought the guy didn't look like Han Solo ,so it wasn't WORTH the effort. In Jeffs opinion it was OK again, and it felt like an old SW movie in that it was occasionally slow in parts and didn't really do anything different.
Again its that just OK theme, average, good enough to watch but very easily forgotten and not much to discuss afterward. Certainly it seems to help a film when people get to talk about it and share on social media.
My gut feeling is that the general publics benchmark expectations have really been pushed forward by much greater margin in the last decade or so and as event movies go, I think Star Wars has really been superceeded.
When "A New Hope" came out there really was nothing like it ever ,it had such a huge cultural impact.Han, Luke and Leia were the absolute heroes to everybody then, a Death Star that destroyed planets was incredible feat of imagination, lightsabre battles , space dogfights and Darth Vader was an awesome villian.
Fast forward forty years and now what? How does Snoke compete and compare with a Thanos? Kylo Ren with Nebula? A young Han Solo with Peter Quill? I did say years ago I foresaw trouble for SW after seeing "Guardians of the Galaxy." SW seems to want to destroy its heroes now , leaving the rest of it seeming so bland and unengaging .
Thats the problem for the franchise. If Solo had come out even just ten years ago ,it would have probably done so much better and its BO would have been so much more acceptable (particularly) if they hadn't spent so much money reshooting it.
But there is hard truth here. Its not just ONE movie franchise in a galaxy far. far away any more,. There been quite a few over the years and right now there is a massive, much better written one ,with stronger and more interesting characters on adventures far more imaginative and exciting than Star Wars can offer these days.
And thats probably why the general cinema going public aren't as interested .
Star Wars isn't the future any more. Its the past.