Are other studios regretting not picking up the Passion?
03-04-04, 12:24 AM
#1
Are other studios regretting not picking up the Passion?
Anyone hear anything about the big studios regretting they didn't release the Passion of the Christ? Also, would this be considered an independent film? And most likely to outbeat My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
03-04-04, 12:34 AM
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In a term yes. I would assume that it does indeed count as a independent film since the funding was all mels.
Do the studio's regret not picking it up? Well I'm sure they are kicking themselves for passing it up, but then again, it is a line that studios very rarely want to walk down since it does touch on a lot of hot buttons and really, it could have gone both ways. Very bad or very good.
Do the studio's regret not picking it up? Well I'm sure they are kicking themselves for passing it up, but then again, it is a line that studios very rarely want to walk down since it does touch on a lot of hot buttons and really, it could have gone both ways. Very bad or very good.
03-04-04, 01:45 AM
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While I am sure due to its content there are some studios that are not unhappy with releasing this film (dreamworks come to mind, noting some of the comments of the owners regarding working with Mel), otherwise I'm sure every studio is kicking themselves. Content may mean something, but money means everything in Hollywood. And with what looks like a soon to be 300 million dollar plus gross, hell even more possibly, you know they're jealous. To think people thought this wouldn't even make its budget back.
03-04-04, 05:05 AM
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Originally posted by Shannon Nutt
Sadly, this is just ANOTHER example of Hollywood execs having NO IDEA what will draw crowds into a theater.
Sadly, this is just ANOTHER example of Hollywood execs having NO IDEA what will draw crowds into a theater.
I wouldn't say that this film drew in all the crowds. I know plenty of folks who aren't going to see this and have no plans to. I also understand that a lot of folks saw this because of that created hype behind why no studio would touch it.
03-04-04, 05:25 AM
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scary thing is, this movie may have the potential of being one of the first to approach Titanics gross.
It has almost everyone interested in it, whether seeing it is faith based, seeing it for the controversy, or just seeing it cause everyone is talking about it.
Let's face it, this movie has brought people to the theaters who havent gone to a movie in many, many years.
I may see it, but I want to wait til all the fervor dies down. Really not going for a "religious experience" just out of curiosity.
It has almost everyone interested in it, whether seeing it is faith based, seeing it for the controversy, or just seeing it cause everyone is talking about it.
Let's face it, this movie has brought people to the theaters who havent gone to a movie in many, many years.
I may see it, but I want to wait til all the fervor dies down. Really not going for a "religious experience" just out of curiosity.
03-04-04, 07:09 AM
#11
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Originally posted by Shannon Nutt
Sadly, this is just ANOTHER example of Hollywood execs having NO IDEA what will draw crowds into a theater.
Sadly, this is just ANOTHER example of Hollywood execs having NO IDEA what will draw crowds into a theater.
Originally posted by rushmore223
scary thing is, this movie may have the potential of being one of the first to approach Titanics gross.
scary thing is, this movie may have the potential of being one of the first to approach Titanics gross.
03-04-04, 08:21 AM
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I agree with Groucho - Titanic's grosses are too out of this world to really be thinking about at this point. However, it does have the ability to approach Star Wars, A New Hope, which is sitting at about $461 million(of course, that's not adjusted for inflation, but still) - and Star Wars is #2 on the non-adjusted for inflation list.
Since The Passion of the Christ made about $145 million in its first weekend, and boxofficemojo.com has a list of the biggest opening week grossers of all time, and it shows that that opening weekend gross seems to account average for about 40% or so of the total gross for films that open like that...
Well, if it has enough steam under it that the opening week gross ends up equaling 30% of the total gross, which some films on that list do(the ones that had the best word-of-mouth), then that would put the total gross at over $480 million.
So over $400 million is quite in the realm of possibility with this picture, and there's only four other films, Titanic, Star Wars Episode IV, Star Wars Episode I and Spiderman that have ever crossed that in actual dollar amounts at the domestic box office. Though, of course, adjusting for inflation, there are more films over that mark.
Basically, this could end up being one of the top five money-making films of all time...
Since The Passion of the Christ made about $145 million in its first weekend, and boxofficemojo.com has a list of the biggest opening week grossers of all time, and it shows that that opening weekend gross seems to account average for about 40% or so of the total gross for films that open like that...
Well, if it has enough steam under it that the opening week gross ends up equaling 30% of the total gross, which some films on that list do(the ones that had the best word-of-mouth), then that would put the total gross at over $480 million.
So over $400 million is quite in the realm of possibility with this picture, and there's only four other films, Titanic, Star Wars Episode IV, Star Wars Episode I and Spiderman that have ever crossed that in actual dollar amounts at the domestic box office. Though, of course, adjusting for inflation, there are more films over that mark.
Basically, this could end up being one of the top five money-making films of all time...
03-04-04, 01:32 PM
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Originally posted by devilshalo
Considering the past backlash against films like Last Temptation of Christ and Dogma, I think studios wanted to stay away no matter what.
Considering the past backlash against films like Last Temptation of Christ and Dogma, I think studios wanted to stay away no matter what.
If they thought the film was going to make money, they would've picked it up in a second, controversy or not - they probably would've encouraged the controversy had they picked it up.
But they most likely felt that they already tried that with Last Temptation, and it didn't work - that controversy surrounding RELIGIOUS films wouldn't help those films bring in any more money.
The bottom line is they simply did not have any concept that this film would make the kind of money it's making. Had they, what difference does the controversy make for them? Months later everything settles down and nobody holds them responsible for anything, and they have money in the bank.
03-04-04, 01:53 PM
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Please. They're all probably scrambling around trying to line up some type of biblical movie as we speak. Jerry Bruckheimer being one of them I'm sure.
03-04-04, 05:23 PM
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Originally posted by natesfortune
No - they don't care about controversy - in fact, they often actively try to gin it up! Because that tends to equal money.
If they thought the film was going to make money, they would've picked it up in a second, controversy or not - they probably would've encouraged the controversy had they picked it up.
But they most likely felt that they already tried that with Last Temptation, and it didn't work - that controversy surrounding RELIGIOUS films wouldn't help those films bring in any more money.
The bottom line is they simply did not have any concept that this film would make the kind of money it's making. Had they, what difference does the controversy make for them? Months later everything settles down and nobody holds them responsible for anything, and they have money in the bank.
No - they don't care about controversy - in fact, they often actively try to gin it up! Because that tends to equal money.
If they thought the film was going to make money, they would've picked it up in a second, controversy or not - they probably would've encouraged the controversy had they picked it up.
But they most likely felt that they already tried that with Last Temptation, and it didn't work - that controversy surrounding RELIGIOUS films wouldn't help those films bring in any more money.
The bottom line is they simply did not have any concept that this film would make the kind of money it's making. Had they, what difference does the controversy make for them? Months later everything settles down and nobody holds them responsible for anything, and they have money in the bank.
03-04-04, 06:24 PM
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There is no way they could have known that this film would do what it is doing. HOWEVER, the budget was so low that it would not have been that bad a risk.
I mean, I could see a studio saying "I'm not going to spend $200 mil to make a film about a tragic cruise ship wreck." But $30 mil doesn't seem like a lot of money to risk on an academy award winning director.
Still, if Mel Gibson had come to me and said "I want to make a very gory Jesus film and Oh, by the way, I want it to be in foreign languages no one speaks and I don't want to use subtitles.", I think I would have shown him the door just like all the other studios did.
I mean, I could see a studio saying "I'm not going to spend $200 mil to make a film about a tragic cruise ship wreck." But $30 mil doesn't seem like a lot of money to risk on an academy award winning director.
Still, if Mel Gibson had come to me and said "I want to make a very gory Jesus film and Oh, by the way, I want it to be in foreign languages no one speaks and I don't want to use subtitles.", I think I would have shown him the door just like all the other studios did.
