Megaflop = Mars Needs Moms

Richard Dower

What a horrible title! :eek:
Creepy Polar Express motion capurte crap, huge flop....cost $150 million, it made $10 million opening weekend! :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LTPLANzHpk

ztoical

Richard Dower wrote: »

What a horrible title! :eek:
Creepy Polar Express motion capurte crap, huge flop....cost $150 million, it made $10 million opening weekend! :eek:

150 million is average to a little below average budget for an animated film to be honest. They picked an odd time of year to release it...while spring break is coming up states side thats not a major family holiday period in the states for young kids but then there are some big hitters due out at the start of the summer. I wouldn't list it as a megaflop yet as the majority of animated films make their budgets back on a long term basis via dvd sales.

Mars needs moms would not be my favorite of Berkeley Breathed's work and I expect it's padded out beyond belief to make the 50 page book into a 2 hour feature. It's just a shame they made this rather then the long talked about Opus film.

Since when did opening weekend cover solely Friday night?

There is nothing more annoying than someone coming on and say "Oh this film flopped" without even looking at the bigger picture, 10 million isn't too bad for the opening weekend especially considering that it is an animated film without a massive star involved and based on a rather obscure novel. The film is receiving good reviews and once it opens worldwide the take is guaranteed to jump way up. Throw in DVD, Blu Ray and TV rights and Mars Needs Moms is going to do a hell of a lot of business.

But I suppose if you consider those things then you don't have the makings of such an exciting thread title.

If Mars Needs Moms is considered a flop based on it's US box office then so too is Tangled which made about 70 million less than it cost to make and would be about 150 million less than it cost to make and market. .

Mickeroo

Don't really want to get involved in sn argument but RT says it only made 6.8 million over it's opening weekend, if the budget was 150m then thats a flop I reckon.

Skerries

i'll wait for Richard to come and give it's last right before it is officially a flop

phasers

Tangled had international box office revenue though, I've never even heard of "Mars Needs Moms"

Animation is teetering over deep within the uncanny valley and the title is just woeful. I'm not surprised it flopped.

constitutionus

looks bad alright.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3113&p=.htm

6.8 mil on 4400 screens spells disaster .

i actually dont mind the animation, but by christ is that a god awfull title. cant help thinking it put off alot of people who wouldve watched it otherwise.

I hate the way that a movie now only has one weekend before it's considered a flop or a success. Previously that would not be decided for weeks.

phasers

Deleted User wrote: »

I hate the way that a movie now only has one weekend before it's considered a flop or a success. Previously that would not be decided for weeks.

Well let's be logical, the opening weekend is an indicator for a film's popularity and ticket sales generally go down week on week.

phasers

phasers wrote: »

Well let's be logical, the opening weekend is an indicator for a film's popularity and ticket sales generally go down week on week.

Not necessarily true. They keep making movies that are only designed to last a weekend, whereas previously they would get repeat viewings.

ztoical

phasers wrote: »

I've never even heard of "Mars Needs Moms"

I'm sure alot of people outside of the US haven't heard of the book [Berkeley Breathed would be a very well know cartoonists in the US but isn't well known outside of the US] but then alot of americans had never heard of the Magic Roundabout when they brought out the film adaption of that 5 years ago. There's been plenty of films based on books that are popular in one region but barely known in another.

I wasn't a fan of this style of animation with polar express and not pushed about seeing this even though I am a fan of Berkeley Breathed other work and yes it would be viewed as a flop opening but not an over all flop film yet as like most animated films it will most likely cover most of it's budget via dvd sales and tv rights.

alexa5x5

Don’t know why Disney is trying to mess with a tried, tested and successful formula of traditional cartoon animation. Digital (or what ever this is!) animation like this just looks fake and doesn’t enhance at all. Also I’m an adult and even I find the humans depicted in this a bit disturbing, I’m sure to kids they must look frightening. :eek:

Mickeroo

Deleted User wrote: »

Not necessarily true. They keep making movies that are only designed to last a weekend, whereas previously they would get repeat viewings.

I don't think the movies themselves are designed to last a weekend, it's just the way they're marketed. Its very rare you get a movie that gets bigger after it's first weekend and if it does happen it tends to be low budget indie fair that somehow manages to get a better audience through word of mouth etc. I think District 9 managed a pretty consistent run by the good word of mouth it received or am I wrong?

ztoical

alexa5x5 wrote: »

Don’t know why Disney is trying to mess with a tried, tested and successful formula of traditional cartoon animation.

It's not a Disney Animation production. It was made by ImageMovers Digital, which, while a subsidiary studio owned by The Walt Disney Company, would not be connected with Walt Disney Animation or Pixar in anyway. All these studios operate independently from each other while under the umbrella of the same parent company.

constitutionus

Mickeroo wrote: »

I don't think the movies themselves are designed to last a weekend, it's just the way they're marketed. Its very rare you get a movie that gets bigger after it's first weekend and if it does happen it tends to be low budget indie fair that somehow manages to get a better audience through word of mouth etc. I think District 9 managed a pretty consistent run by the good word of mouth it received or am I wrong?

thats the way i see it too.

i dont remember the shawshank redemption or the usual suspects getting any kind of fanfare of massive initial release.

word of mouth got those into the bigger multiplexes and they built from there.

when something starts with a massive push and thousands of screens and gets nowhere , then its generally curtains for it.

this doesnt mean the film is crap. look at "the iron giant". FANTASTIC film done by the guts of the lads behind the incredibles - but tanked big time caus warners hadnt monkies how to sell it.

its one of my favourite animated films but by any definetion of the word it flopped BIG time at the cinemas.

TheIrishGrover

I haven't seen this movie yet obviously but the trailer was seriously unfunny and I don't like that motion capture animation like The Polar Express etc. On the plus side

http://animatedviews.com/2011/mars-torpedos-yellow-submarine/

In not entirely unexpected news, The Hollywood Reporter states that The Walt Disney Studios has shut down production on director Robert Zemeckis’ proposed motion-capture remake of The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, following the disastrous box-office figures for Mars Needs Moms, which he produced. The “creepy” look of mo-cap has also been cited, although HR suggests Zemeckis may take the project to another studio or focus on a new live-action film. Disney and Zemeckis were said to be teaming for another Roger Rabbit, too, but the status of that picture is now very much unclear given their newly rocky relationship.

God, imagine how awful that would have been!

phasers

Hopefully this is the beginning of the end for motion capture animation.