Yep I will be at the Seattle showing tonight, 13 hours away for me, can't wait!!

And everybody remember, get to the theater around 7-8pm and you'll be able to get a damn fine seat.

12.25 hours left to go until the Vegas screening starts! Yay!

If Buffy and Angel are your two favorites, better make room for a third. I love both shows, but IMHO Firefly beats them by a nose. Good thing about the movie is that it actually works as a 2 hour season finale ( I saw a sneak preview in Providence RI last go around)

I know people on this board have been wondering what the actual sales numbers are for the DVD set -- right now Firefly is #10 in the Top Selling DVD category on Amazon.com -- for a DVD set that was released in Dec 2003, that's pretty damn impressive.
Plus, I took a quick look at the top 25 DVDs, and Firefly is the DVD with the oldest release date -- the others are recent releases. I'm hoping this means the units are really selling, and that there will be plenty of new fans come September.

Serenity will be major box office failure. Whedon wants to create his own Star Trek/Star Wars thing but he will fail. I saw the commercial and man, it looked like SCI FI TV movie.

My advice to Whedon would be to bring Buffy/Angel back. It's his ground and he could make tons of money from it. Rather then wasting time and money (and making some crap)

Have you've even seen any episode of Firefly?

You really run the rounds at this whole flame bait, don't you?

Wow. You love pissing off people on the internet, eh? First Batman now Serenity?

You must have no friends in real life with that attitude, eh?

Let the Whedon/Firefly fans enjoy their movie and stop thread crapping on the parade at hand.

-notrolls-

To be fair, he was just saying it will be a box office failure. And most people haven't seen or heard of Firefly, so you're statement kind of backs up his point.

I just can't see a whole lot of non-fans wanting to see it after seeing the trailer. I'd never heard of it, saw the trailer before Batman and clicked on the thread as I was amazed there was a several page thread about a movie that, IMO, looked terrible from the preview.

But I see where the hype is from on the board now with Firefly fans, so it makes sense to me.

First of all, to criticize the film or films is not pissing people off.

I'm NOT trying to do so. I'm saying what I think about films. If I say it roughly I'm very sorry but I'm not the person who will smile and say to you "You're nice guy" if you're not.

If you an ass you're an ass. I will say it to your face. If the film sucks it sucks for me.

I'm huge fan of Buffy and Angel (laugh as many as you want) and I did see episodes of Firefly.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer was a hit, it touched millions of peope with it's catchy, funny dialong, vampire/demon themes, action and main character not to mention great supporting cast.

Now, I understand what's the phenomenon of Buffy and Angel but sadly...Whedon thinks he is the second George Lucas.

With his writing in Alien Resurrection we see that he drags the film into mindless "blow them up" Hollywood movie. Not interest in creatures whatsoever. Ripley is on the second front....in the shadows.

Whedon knows that he sucks at SCI FI movies why did he bother with Firefly/Serenity?

God, what a Star Trek rip off. I'm sorry but that's what it is.

Firefly died after a few seasons, right? Or maybe it was only 1 season which crashed and burned.

I see Whedon intent. His pride under attack. He spent so many years doing Firefly and it was not accepted.

He decided to make this movie with one option. If the people will like it then he will make the SECOND season for TV series and launch it "again" but this will never happen.

Serenity's box office will be just like...let me think...like The Jacket, Equillibrium films. All under $ 10 mil.

I watched Batman Begins and I observed people's reaction about Serenity commercial.

What dude said quote "What a piece of crap..." and to be honest he was right.

The commercial didn't look promising at all.

I dont know, call me villain, idiot, troll but you'll mark my words when this "failure" launches in the movie theaters.

if it will make money, then the audience must be crazy.

While I'm not going to jump to an assumption right off the bat. The fact that Universal is going to be showing the episodes on Sci Fi leading up to the movie will help with new veiwers. Adding that the DVD sales of the set have been huge. They have moved a lot of units. If just one person per season set sold watches the movie it should present a good turn out.

Imagine yourself as a producer at Universal Studios. Would you put your money and MORE money to this project with an idea that it will pay off?

I really dont think so and you must make decisions and conclusions immediately.

How many people will watch an entire season of some sci fi tv series and then go to see the movie? People watch movies because they want to see favorite actors.

Who the hell is the main dude? Who are those people? The audience won't think that much standing in the theaters lines.

They will go see (for example) Bewitched because they know Ferrell and Kidman.

To all fans of Serenity/Firefly. Sadly, it will never be a huge success. It won't happen.

People, an ordinary audience is not DIE HARD fanatics of the show (99 % of TV viewers eve dontt know it exists) they won't spend their $ 10 on this film.

They will watch some other stuff with a famous face on the poster or in films credit.

I love Darkman but it turned out to be "dead" franchise. Serenity/Firefly will follow the same path.

How about you do some research before you actually post?


Firefly was a fox production. They got about half a season out. Fox put it on the friday night of doom and also played the episodes out of order. They started off with an action packed episodes in hopes to capture those Buffy crowds. But this is not buffy and it needed proper set up. So those fans really were isolated.

After airing it out of order and getting sore ratings on a friday night(which is common) it was canceled.

Universal saw potential in the series. DVD sales are huge. It's #9 I believe in amazon's sales records. So it has been in the top 50 dvd count since it was released. So they picked up film rights and produced a film

Now I'm imagining myself as a producer at universal. I would put more money into the franchise if the first one produces a successful box office draw. Doing the numbers game, if everyone who bought a dvd set atleast watches this once and/or buys the dvds like they would anyways, this will be a success. Maybe it wont be a huge box office draw in theatres, but again, DVD sales have eaten into that a lot. Well even if it's not huge in theatres, it'll be huge in dvd sales.

Now as for introducing this to new folks, Like I posted above. Sci Fi will be showing the series in order leading up to the film. This will introduce those who aren't in the know with this to get in more of a draw.

Darkman, even though it was a "dead" franchise still produced two sequels to it. So you think that even a dead franchise can produce some cash.

The option is there. Universal will produce sequels if this turns over a profit enough to warrent it. What are the chances of that? I'm not going to say it's a guarentee. But I will say that what universal is doing is everything they can and everything correctly. From hyping it up with sold out screenings months before it's released to showing the episodes and introducing new folks.

Amen

We'll talk again after Serenity "burns" I really want to see what would you say about "crash" of this film. Who would you blame? Producers? The Audience? Whedon?

Are you completely out of your mind? Do you also not read english? I'm saying that while it's not set in stone to break box office records, it does have all the writing on the wall that it will atleast be profitable.

You have amazon sell figures high. So that means that there is a lot of folks who bought the dvd.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...073805-4555950
It's at number 13 for dvd sales on amazon. That goes to show you that while it was a failure on tv, it wasn't because it was a bad show. It was treatment that fox gave it that did it in.

Add in the factors that Universal has done countless test screenings to fine tune it for general audiances aswell as a number of anounced screenings that have all been sold out within minutes.

Those are good signs that it will provide universal with a profit.

Amazon, is not a source which I should be looking at. I hear and observe people's reaction. DVDtalk crowd and fans of the "dead" show is not a major reason to believe in the movie which a regular movie goer won't see.

You didn't get it? Movies are not for the specific audience.

Movies must have something for everyone. Yet, it is very hard to satisfy male, female audience.

However, with Firefly/Serenity (I just asked 4 people if the know the show and what I got was "What the fuck is this?") the show which crashed and burned no matter what AMAZON says.

Do you really believe in Amazon statistics? They will type you whatever you want and mainly they will say stuff about dvds that DO NOT SELL so you would buy them.

Don't you see how marketing works?

They are promoting stuff that DOES NOT SELL well.

Who the hell wants to buy Serenity/Firefly?

Fox dropped their balls on this "dead" ground asap and they are laughing at Universal with their move.

Universal thought that they will buy "the second" Buffy but they were SO wrong.

I'm sorry guys, Firefly maniacs, Firefly will never fly high as you want.

VERY soon, you will see how your fellow movie goers will bury this sad franchise.

Well, Universal execs did buy the property and pump more and more money into production, largely based on the pitch Wheedon gave. The fan base has only gown since they did so.

What, you mean like Star Trek? The X-Files movie made decent bread too, enough that they're contemplating a sequel.

The same could've been said about Elf though just two years ago. Back then Ferrell was known mainly for the bomb Night at the Roxburry and a few supporting roles. That film catapulted him to a star because people went to see it despite the lead not being a big name.

The same can be said about a little film called Titanic. Neither Leo or Kate were names before the film, and people were predicting box-office disaster for that film as well.

Or there's My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Why won't they? Do audiences only see films based on something they've seen before? The fan base is larger than you realize, and casual fans will see the film as well. Plus, the fanbase is growing daily.

But you're right, the film will have to appeal to newcomers as well. Unfortunately, you haven't provided a reason why it won't, other than you not liking the trailer. On the other hand, other people have come on to this thread to say that they never heard of Firefly or Serenity until the trailer, which they liked. So far your only evidence is anecdotal which has been contradicted.

Darkman had 2 direct to video sequels. As long as the sequels to Serenity were quality, I wouldn't mind the franchise being as "dead" as Darkman.

However, I don't think Darkman is the best comparison. Why don't we compare it to another "failed" TV series, one that only lasted six episodes. A pretty unlikely candidate for a film. However, the dedicated creators did finally bring it to the screen, and it was successful enough to generate 2 sequels. That film series was The Naked Gun, based off of the TV show Police Squad.

Or maybe we should compare it to something more recent, like Family Guy. That show got canceled after 3 seasons, yet reruns and DVD sales were so successful it prompted FOX to revived the series. Now the TV show is back on the air and doing better than ever, with a direct to video movie on the way this fall. That show's revival was directly caused by the fans.

Or even Austin Powers. The first film do ok business. However, once the film hit video it took off. The majority of the audience for that film found it on video. When the sequel was released, it did more box-office in [i]it's first weekend[i] than the first one had done its entire run.

Now granted, nothing I said guarantees the success of Serenity, and I have my doubts about its mainstream success. However, to say that a film will definitely fail just because the show it was based on was cancelled and you don't like the trailer is foolish.

And what will you say if the film turns out to be a success?

Jav G.: I see your points and I have to agree with you, however, how can you compare Serenity/Firefly with X-files? or Titanic? or even Elf?

Elf worked because it was launched at Christmas time, it was a FAMILY comedy (studios weapon of mass destruction # 1)

Do you want to make tons of money? Make a family comedy or a CG cartoon.

Anyway....

You're comparing heaven and hell. X-Files is like "The Godfather" of SCI FI cinema.

What the hell is Firefly? Jesus, it's some sort of 10th degree REGULAR tv series.

You're comparing LOW class TV series which burned not after 3-4 seasons but according to Jackdude, after HALF OF THE SEASON.

Now, I can see why.

Did it bombed out because of a single person like me? No sir.

Other shows killed it.

Whedon has money to make and produce films and yet he can't do anything about it.

This theme does not appeal to the audience.

If Star Trek movies make no money, do you think Serenity will?

Went with a friend the other day to see Sith (third time for me, first time for him). As we were driving to the movies, I started to tell him about "this preview screening I'm seeing on Thursday night." He asked me what movie it was. I asked him, "Well, did you ever watch a show on Fox called Firefly?" He said "Nope."

Thirty minutes later we're watching the pre-Sith trailers and voila there's the Serenity trailer. He leans over to me and says "Is this the movie you're talking about?" I say "Yep."

His response?

"I'll definitely see that."

And this whole "movies are made to appeal to everyone" stuff is so insanely wrongheaded I don't even know where to begin. Are you a marketing major?

And if re-approaching a failed project were such an atrocious idea ... how do you explain the popularity of the Buffy series? Surely you know that the original Buffy was a movie that A) very few people liked, and B) even fewer people went to see. But the author thought there was something still there, sold the idea to Fox, and ... well, we all know what happened after that.

And why all this hatred towards a movie that you, quite simply, have no interest in seeing? Did Joss Whedon piss on your dog or something?

Why don't you give the show a chance before you criticize it. Borrow a box set and watch it from beginning to end. I think you will find many of the things you enjoyed in Buffy and Angel in Firefly.

And Firefly is a cult hit because of catchy, funny dialog, space/western themes, action and main characters not to mention great supporting cast.

The orignal script by Whedon was completely butchered. What you saw beared little relation to what he wrote.

If anything it is the anti-Star Trek. Star Trek is about exploring the universe, solving problems with technology, and imposing a imperialistic government on everything you find. Firefly is about just barely eeking out a living, making things work in spite of technology, and avoid the big, bad imperialistic government. Star Trek is big gov't = good, Firefly is big gov't = bad.

It was on for less than half a season.

Actually the movie contact is for 1 movie and an option for 2 more. Nothing else.

5M TV box sets have been sold to date. Even more now that it is #9 on Amazon (not bad for a 2yo DVD). Many if not most of the people who see the DVDs become fans. If only one person sees the movie that bought the box set then the gross will be something like $50M at $10/ticket. Personally I know of at least 4 people who have seen my 1 box set who are going to see the movie.

Given that this movie cost $50M, Universal would like to see at least $100M at the box office. $100M = 2 more movies.


Once again, just watch the DVDs. More than one critic has become a fan just by giving the show a second chance.

Again, you start running your mouth before even thinking about what you are about to say.

So... if films are not specific for audiances then why is there horror films for horror fans? love and romance comedies for women? Films are always marketed towards a specific demo. If they can draw in more than that key demo, they will try to. But to say that films are for specific audiences is beyond silly.

The show failed on tv because Fox put it in a shitty timeslot and played the show out of order. So specific things didn't make sense jumping in at that point. I believe amazon's statistics because they are showing sells records. Why wouldn't you believe it? Look at that top 20. Is there any title on there that is "shitty" and needs pushing that wouldn't automaticlly sell itself?

Think man, think.

Wow, you do realize that McDonalds, Coke and Pepsi market their product all the time and they are top selling material. You really want to stand by that comment that a company wont promote its own material unless it's not selling well? Come on. Think before you type man. Really, it's not that hard. Films are marketed through whatever means they can to create hype. This doesn't mean that it is a bad product. It just means that you need to let the general masses see that your product is coming.

Universal wouldn't have picked up this property if they didn't think there was potential in it. You really do like to jump into discussions and just start flame material.

You have to see what they are doing for this. They have a lot of test screenings that the audiance doesn't know the movie they are watching so they get a good general outline on what reaction is and tweak the film to be more accessable to those non-hardcore fans. Then you have sets after sets of sold out screenings that sold out within moments of being up for grabs.

Universal promoting the franchise by showing it again in proper order and dvd sales on a high all point to this film generating a good profit. It doesn't need to break records to warrent a sequel. If it fails, it fails. But it's not going to be because of a lack of trying on universals account. Something fox failed to do when they had the ball in their court.

Jack: I do think before I type. "McDonalds, Coke and Pepsi market their product all the time and they are top selling material" but that doesnt mean that they all provide good, healthy product. The same goes for movies/tv series.

No matter what tv series or what time slot they have. If it's a strong show it will make good money and bring audience at any time of the day.

Look at CSI? Huge success. CSI: New York? Not that huge? why? It's all about the show, cast, storyline.

I dont think that Firefly has the power and the appeal to bring such masses as CSI or X-files did.

The show has no stars, beat up storyline (mostly nothing original) and that's why I fear that it won't make any money.

DVD sales are not enough for today's movie business. It may sell well still, it'll be hard to push it into something "new" (like a feature film) or another season of tv series.

Doesn't matter if the product is good or not. It makes a profit. That's the only thing that matters in the industry. From all evidence, it looks like Firefly is a franchise that can make some money. It's all about getting the word out and letting the masses know that you have a product for sale and then sell it to them.

As for Friday nights, it's been pretty much shown that in the past years Friday and Saturdays are not strong nights for ratings all around. The general idea is that people aren't at home to watch. Simple logic there. As for CSI, I think that has to do more with saturation of the franchise. How many CSI shows do you need to see in a week? The quality of NY wasn't that of Vegas or even that of the other one. The original is still the strongest. Though I have no idea why you compare the two franchise. it's apples and oranges.

You'll be surprised how well Firefly can appeal to. From anime fans (cowboy bebop feel) to general sci fi fans. Even to folks who aren't fans of sci fi and just like the comedy and story that the show presents.

No stars? Hasn't stopped shows before. I mean, do you need an established star to make a decent show? CSI didn't have any heavy hitters. It had peterson who wasn't really much of a star before. But generally, shows don't have established stars. X-files didn't have any. Now look at them. As for originality. The show is very original. Can you tell me another "space western" / "cowboys in space" story? One that has well written stories and overall likeable cast and crew?

The show has one thing that favors it. It has the Joss Whedon name on it. That in the nerd world is as gold as stephan king is to horror.

DVD sales just show what you are failing to see, that the show, after getting canceled has grown to something bigger.

Again, how about you just stop posting till you atleast watch an episode. You are trying to sound like you actually know something but you are coming up short. Stop while you're ahea.... wait, you never were ahead. Just stop.

Do you want the perfect example of "dead" show, which had very poor start? LOW budget and still kicked butt?

Highlander: TV Series.

Oh man, that was definately 100 % success and really great job all around. With a starting weak first season but then it became a major hit, good production value, cheesy but yet cool screenplay and characters.

Unlike, Whedon's 10000000 millions budgeted Firefly which flopped because of (blame Fox, lol) with "cowboy in spacel" theme.

Highlander: TV Series spawned what 5-6 seasons and 2 Raven spin offs?

How would you explain that? Companies did not put too much money to this tv series but fans did. Fans demanded this show and they have got it.

Who demands Firefly? Amazon.com consumer? Dvd talk readers? That's pretty much it.

Probably 10 % of audience that Highlander had.

Highlander was syndicated with a much smaller budget. It never got the ratings that Firefly did, but considering the markedly lower expectations it was worthwhile to continue it.

Also, Highlander's DVD sets aren't on the Amazon top 100.