What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
05-28-10, 10:17 AM
#1
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
This is a speculation thread about movies that made a major cultural impact in some way or another due to their release, and paved the way for not only other movies, also TV shows and such due to their success (either financial or critical).
Take for example Moulin Rouge (2001), which was an ok success financially, but critics mostly liked and gained enough popularity to garner a Best Picture nod. What if it had flopped in every sense of the word with audiences hating it and critics calling it an epic failure? Would the musical Chicago have been greenlit at all? Hell, would that have made the TV show Glee more difficult to get over, or would it have even existed?
Just some stuff for thought.
Take for example Moulin Rouge (2001), which was an ok success financially, but critics mostly liked and gained enough popularity to garner a Best Picture nod. What if it had flopped in every sense of the word with audiences hating it and critics calling it an epic failure? Would the musical Chicago have been greenlit at all? Hell, would that have made the TV show Glee more difficult to get over, or would it have even existed?
Just some stuff for thought.
05-28-10, 10:28 AM
#2
Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
THE GODFATHER: "Too long, too slow, and you can hardly understand what Marlon Brando's saying. Save your money"
THE EXORCIST: "Ewwwwww, gross! What pervert wants to see a little girl spewing out pea soup and saying such obscene things. Ban this movie!"
JAWS: "Ho-hum, it's just CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON with a shark. A B-movie with a big budget."
STAR WARS: "Didn't we see this all before with BUCK ROGERS and FLASH GORDON? And wasn't Olympic swimming champ Buster Crabbe much more charismatic than this Mark what's-his-name? And who's that drab chick with the buns in her hair playing the princess? Could they have got an uglier dame to play the part? Bring back Anne Francis in the mini-skirt from FORBIDDEN PLANET!"
THE EXORCIST: "Ewwwwww, gross! What pervert wants to see a little girl spewing out pea soup and saying such obscene things. Ban this movie!"
JAWS: "Ho-hum, it's just CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON with a shark. A B-movie with a big budget."
STAR WARS: "Didn't we see this all before with BUCK ROGERS and FLASH GORDON? And wasn't Olympic swimming champ Buster Crabbe much more charismatic than this Mark what's-his-name? And who's that drab chick with the buns in her hair playing the princess? Could they have got an uglier dame to play the part? Bring back Anne Francis in the mini-skirt from FORBIDDEN PLANET!"
05-28-10, 10:49 AM
#4
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Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
A few that I can think of right away:
Blade: If this had bombed, then we'd probably not have the continuing flow of superhero films that we've had for the past 10 years. Certainly this brought about a successful resurgence in comic book based films, without which no studio would have the audacity to attempt what is currently underway with the multi-film buildup to the Avengers film.
The Matrix: Dark City was very similar in tone, but in terms of success, The Matrix was the more influential film. If this had bombed, we might not have gotten the sci-fi films with the big budgets and deeper social/philosophical underpinnings that we now have, like District 9. Certainly we would not have gotten all those scenes in other movies with copycat slow-motion sfx.
Harry Potter: Surely if the series of Harry Potter films had bombed (and also the Lord of the Rings films), studios would have had the interest to adapt other book series to film, like The Chronicles of Narnia and Twilight.
Return of the Jedi: If this SW installment (namely, the addition of the Ewoks) bombed, then George Lucas would not have created the film legacy of Jar Jar Binks and the rest of the Gungan species. :P
Blade: If this had bombed, then we'd probably not have the continuing flow of superhero films that we've had for the past 10 years. Certainly this brought about a successful resurgence in comic book based films, without which no studio would have the audacity to attempt what is currently underway with the multi-film buildup to the Avengers film.
The Matrix: Dark City was very similar in tone, but in terms of success, The Matrix was the more influential film. If this had bombed, we might not have gotten the sci-fi films with the big budgets and deeper social/philosophical underpinnings that we now have, like District 9. Certainly we would not have gotten all those scenes in other movies with copycat slow-motion sfx.
Harry Potter: Surely if the series of Harry Potter films had bombed (and also the Lord of the Rings films), studios would have had the interest to adapt other book series to film, like The Chronicles of Narnia and Twilight.
Return of the Jedi: If this SW installment (namely, the addition of the Ewoks) bombed, then George Lucas would not have created the film legacy of Jar Jar Binks and the rest of the Gungan species. :P
Last edited by Yavin; 05-28-10 at 10:55 AM.
05-28-10, 10:55 AM
#5
DVD Talk Legend
Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
If the 1991 Addams Family movie had bombed, we wouldn't have had the onslought of "Classic TV shows turned into MOOOOVEES!!" that the 90s inflicted upon us.
Another thing to loathe Barry Sonnenfeld for.
Another thing to loathe Barry Sonnenfeld for.
05-28-10, 11:02 AM
#6
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
Avatar- Huh! Mankind IS worth Saving! The IQ's of people are relatively holding steady instead of plummeting towards the bowels of hell!
05-28-10, 12:17 PM
#9
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
A few that I can think of right away:
Blade: If this had bombed, then we'd probably not have the continuing flow of superhero films that we've had for the past 10 years. Certainly this brought about a successful resurgence in comic book based films, without which no studio would have the audacity to attempt what is currently underway with the multi-film buildup to the Avengers film.
Blade: If this had bombed, then we'd probably not have the continuing flow of superhero films that we've had for the past 10 years. Certainly this brought about a successful resurgence in comic book based films, without which no studio would have the audacity to attempt what is currently underway with the multi-film buildup to the Avengers film.
The Matrix: Dark City was very similar in tone, but in terms of success, The Matrix was the more influential film. If this had bombed, we might not have gotten the sci-fi films with the big budgets and deeper social/philosophical underpinnings that we now have, like District 9. Certainly we would not have gotten all those scenes in other movies with copycat slow-motion sfx.
Harry Potter: Surely if the series of Harry Potter films had bombed (and also the Lord of the Rings films), studios would have had the interest to adapt other book series to film, like The Chronicles of Narnia and Twilight.
If Harry Potter had not done well, I don't imagine Inkheart would've been made.
05-28-10, 12:42 PM
#10
DVD Talk Hero
Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
Halloween. Would slasher movies be going to such a dark place if Halloween was never a hit? It's hard to say.
05-28-10, 12:58 PM
#11
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05-28-10, 01:25 PM
#12
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Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
True, and same for The Golden Compass.
05-28-10, 01:37 PM
#13
Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
You are correct, sir. I was just about to post the same thing. X-Men was the first to bring class (well, I say) to the genre. Respected director, characters-first, and odd-but-real sense of reality. I think The Dark Knight is possibly the high-point of them all. But only time will tell.
Halloween. Would slasher movies be going to such a dark place if Halloween was never a hit? It's hard to say.
Halloween. Would slasher movies be going to such a dark place if Halloween was never a hit? It's hard to say.
05-28-10, 02:32 PM
#15
DVD Talk Hero
Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
Some day we'll tell our grandkids stories of that era much like our grandparents talked about the Great Depression.
05-28-10, 06:25 PM
#17
DVD Talk Legend
Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
This is a speculation thread about movies that made a major cultural impact in some way or another due to their release, and paved the way for not only other movies, also TV shows and such due to their success (either financial or critical).
Take for example Moulin Rouge (2001), which was an ok success financially, but critics mostly liked and gained enough popularity to garner a Best Picture nod. What if it had flopped in every sense of the word with audiences hating it and critics calling it an epic failure? Would the musical Chicago have been greenlit at all? Hell, would that have made the TV show Glee more difficult to get over, or would it have even existed?
Just some stuff for thought.
Take for example Moulin Rouge (2001), which was an ok success financially, but critics mostly liked and gained enough popularity to garner a Best Picture nod. What if it had flopped in every sense of the word with audiences hating it and critics calling it an epic failure? Would the musical Chicago have been greenlit at all? Hell, would that have made the TV show Glee more difficult to get over, or would it have even existed?
Just some stuff for thought.
The thing about musicals though is that only the happier, lighter ones have been a success at the box office, stuff like Mamma Mia and Hairspray. Rent and The Phantom of the Opera were major disappointments. ML kind of straddles the line between happy and serious, so I'm not sure if its relative lack of success (although it did well on DVD) would have held back the successful musicals that came later.
05-28-10, 08:55 PM
#19
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05-28-10, 09:54 PM
#20
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Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
the guys loved comics and anime and manga and John Woo movies and anything geeky cool out of all that they made The Matrix..love that lobby scene needs more dove though...
05-28-10, 11:21 PM
#21
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Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
If Snow White had bombed we would have no Disney toons and if Toy Story bombed Pixar would be nothing
05-28-10, 11:50 PM
#22
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Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
Curse you, George Lucas!!!!
05-29-10, 10:06 AM
#23
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
...AND Spiderwick Chronicles and Legend of the Seeker.
05-29-10, 12:07 PM
#24
DVD Talk Legend
Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
The thing about musicals though is that only the happier, lighter ones have been a success at the box office, stuff like Mamma Mia and Hairspray. Rent and The Phantom of the Opera were major disappointments. ML kind of straddles the line between happy and serious, so I'm not sure if its relative lack of success (although it did well on DVD) would have held back the successful musicals that came later.
Hairspray might rank as one of the more faithful musical adaptations ever if only for the fact Adam Shankman has a career from his time on Broadway. Moulin Rouge didn't become the "cult hit" it is today if it wasn't for the two-disc DVD that came out right before Christmas.
05-29-10, 01:44 PM
#25
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
Re: What if ..."Insert Movie Name" had bombed?
Actually, I'd argue to state that Rent and Phantom of the Opera were major disappointments because they alienated their fanbases because both were operas that changed a lot of music into straight dialogue. I wanted to love Rent, but I think Phantom of the Opera was one of the most boring movies I've ever sat through in theaters.
Hairspray might rank as one of the more faithful musical adaptations ever if only for the fact Adam Shankman has a career from his time on Broadway. Moulin Rouge didn't become the "cult hit" it is today if it wasn't for the two-disc DVD that came out right before Christmas.
Hairspray might rank as one of the more faithful musical adaptations ever if only for the fact Adam Shankman has a career from his time on Broadway. Moulin Rouge didn't become the "cult hit" it is today if it wasn't for the two-disc DVD that came out right before Christmas.
I have to agree about Phantom, never saw Rent on stage. When I saw the movie at a free screening I was surprised at how much dialogue was present, as I had owned the broadway recording. I believe Phantom was a case of stuff that looks impressive on stage not looking as such on the screen, as they are a common site.