EP2: A success financially

[ReaperFett]

Something I saw earlier. First time ESB was released, it made $222 million to ANH's $322m. 69%. TPM made $431m. 69% is around $297m. Hence, it should make a greater percentage than ESB :)

[JMK]

That's swell. Of course you KNOW that's not going to matter in the eyes of the media though.

[Doc Milo]

You know what? I've come to this conclusion:

Who cares what the media thinks.

[Figrin D'an]

The media would call it a failure even if it made $500 million, because Titanic would still be ahead of it.

There will likely be significant media backlash against Episode III as well. It really has nothing to do with the box office grosses anymore. That's just the typical guise under which to slam Lucas. It's become fasionable to over-criticize Star Wars. It started with a few people in the media doing so, before TPM opened, because it went against the "popular mainsteam" and served as a way to get attention. More media have latched on to the idea because it has become the "in" thing to do. It's no different from any other overhyped fad.

Episode III could make $700 million domestically, $2 billion world-wide, and large portions of the media would still insist that it was a bomb of a film.

[JMK]

That's just my point in all this; I wish we didn't talk about what the media thinks so much. 95% of movies don't make what AotC has made, so they should just stick that in their pipes and smoke it.

[ReaperFett]

I've heard more fans complaining than media. That fact was actually brought up in response to a fan :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Was this fan on this board or else where? Actually the media has been pretty quite at least most of the main stream media, I did see one article from the Wall Street Journal bashing it but beyond that I haven't seen anything, though I imagine EW has said a few things. But as Doc said who cares, I could care less what they say.

[ReaperFett]

TF.N board

[Marcus Telcontar]

I dont think I have seen anyone in the media bashing it's performance. Nothing wrong with a 300 million grossing movie - it's only people's expectations that got hammered.

Remeber, George recknos Ep III will be lucky to clear 100 million

[ReaperFett]

Some said it was a dissapointment financially. Now, you look at most peoples estimates, and you cant deny that

[JMK]

It's just so hit and miss with the prequels. I imagine that people will be equally off with their predictions of Episode 3. There are too many factors to weigh, and some will come intt play, some won't.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well my estamite was off I thought it would do at least 400, but what I failed to consider was the fact that families wouldn't go in the numbers they did to TPM, I think the darkness of the tail hurt much like it did with LOTR which hurt with Families. Its hard to believe that less Jar Jar would mean less money but that is the case.

[Sanis Prent]

Be realistic...there's less money not because the film's darker. There's less money because (1) Media backlash against TPM carries some weight and (2) There's vastly more competition this summer. Back in 99, the only other film TPM competed against was Notting Hill....a weak-assed Hugh Grant movie. Now in 2002...its Spiderman, which is one of the biggest movies ever made. Instead of avoiding the big summer beast, other movie companies have charged it in a human wave assault, hoping to flood the market and steal some thunder. And it worked.

[JMK]

I agree Sanis, TPM backlash probably hurt more than most SW fans want to admit.

But in 1999, we had Austin Powers 2, American Pie, The Sixth Sense and a couple other movies that did hurt TPM. If I remember correctly, it was AP2 that knocked SW off from the #1 position after 4 weeks.