The novel concept that not paying people to insult you might disincentivize them from slinging insults may finally have penetrated conservatives’ and libertarians’ thick skulls. As evidence, I present choice excerpts from the autopsy of Rogue One’s opening weekend performed before a live Twitter audience by the ever-perspicacious Razörfist.
If you’re scratching your head over why $155 million is considered a disappointment, remember: this is a canonical entry in a franchise that Disney paid billions for. Word is that their initial projections were for a $130 million opening, but based on the bean counters’ reactions, that was probably a low ball figure that Disney had hoped to significantly beat. For a Star Wars film, exceeding the minimum by $25 million likely falls short of the earnings trajectory that Disney’s plans were riding on.
Props to Razör for gathering evidence of the moviegoer backlash I’ve been predicting for months.
Nostalgia for the original trilogy doesn’t matter. Pressure from friends and family doesn’t matter. The relative quality of the film doesn’t even matter. Let’s grant that Rogue One is a cinematic masterpiece. It’s a masterpiece that’s being used as a platform to attack and insult you. The Ghostbusters 2016 debacle and #DumpStarWars have shown that Hollywood pays attention when they don’t get paid. Stop paying them, and the smugly superior insults will stop.
New–President Elect Dondald Trump has just tweeted–"There are more people at MY rallies than who went to this new Star Wars film!"
That is brilliant!
Let me be honest, I think the ads were enough to convince me that this movie is totally ridiculous without even having to enter a movie theater.
Bottom line, the only people you are seeing who are going to this movie in the FIRST PLACE are the "sad face" liberals who are trying to garner rebellious ideas because their candidate lost.
Well said.
This is the unseen cost of SOCJUS. By only hiring 'politically acceptable people' The talent pool is thinned out. A movie that should have been great is instead merely good. An old fan who would have seen the movie multiple times once sees it once. A marginal fan decides to spent time with his family instead of seeing an movie in the theatre during the holiday season and potential new fans walk out of the theatre having enjoyed themselves but without becoming emotionally invested in the franchise. A nickel here and dime there and slowly the effects are felt. Star Wars will take a lot of killing before it finally dies but if the original series taught us anything it was that a big invincible looking AT-AT can be brought down if you're clever, brave and have some tow cables laying around.
You nailed it 🙂
Consider also: the growing ranks of people who left the theater saying they enjoyed TFA but who've since watched it again on Blu-ray and realized it doesn't hold up after a second viewing.
I predict even worse buyers' remorse afflicting those who say they liked Rogue One.
GAAAGHHHH!!! I'm still trying to puke the rest of The Force Awakens out of my head right now! The characters were so bad!
How any one can call that a MOVIE is beyond me.
BTW, Rogue One also represents and personifies the failures of the movie industry. 155 million is the THIRD BEST U.S. grossing of 2016 according to wikipedia. That it is only managing THIRD BEST indicates that Hollywood is losing.
Excellent point. With the blockbuster business model they've chained themselves to, Disney had to be aiming for #1. Rogue One getting the bronze might not be a dead canary in a mine, but the canary definitely has a hacking cough.