2014 In Film

[Phoenix]

Guardians Of The Galaxy opened with $11.2 million on Thursday. GOTG at #1 this week is a foregone conclusion, and it'll be interesting to see if they hit the $100 million mark, with a real chance of challenging Transformers: Age Of Extinction for the biggest opening weekend in 2014.

Apparently Guardians of the Galaxy opened with $37.8 Million for Friday (including Thursday's midnight rush takings) and is expected to hit $95-$100 million this weekend. I do hope it does better than Transformers since it has the better reception of both films with high praise for both critics and audiences.

Lucy dropped down 68% to $5 million, and Hercules went down 72% to $3.2 million, so it's no surprise how much domination Guardians is going to have for this month, I'm looking forward to seeing it. As for Lucy and Hercules, I had some interest but eventually put myself into 'DVD mode' for these two films as I feel there would be better films to see in the cinema. Given that Hercules had a $100 million budget, it's probably the first bad mark on Rock's films as I don't think he's had a film with this much of a budget before (not to mention the dedication he put to the role). I don't think it will affect his career though, just put it down to bad timing of going up against Lucy (which while ridiculous will still put butts in seats) and Guardians the following week. The other thing I will say is that I haven't seen that much advertisement for Hercules outside of what was already put out earlier in the year, there didn't feel like anything new that was enticing me to think 'this might be good' and I think that hurt Hercules when I've seen a lot of ads for Lucy and Guardians. If people don't know the film is out, they won't see it. I also just read it wasn't even screened for critics, it's almost as if Paramount/MGM didn't even bother giving it a chance, knowing it was going up against Guardians a week later.

I'm honestly surprised Maleficent did enough to get the #3 spot for this year as it was definitely an inferior movie to Captain America: The Winter Solider, but with Guardians looking to have a promising month, Disney will be happy to occupy 3 of the top 5 spots for top grossing films this year.

 

[aholeisahole]

Guardians of the Galaxy's opening weekend at the U.S. box office is only $4 million less than The Rock's biggest box office opening weekend.

Here's my Source

Cena's biggest opening weekend was like $7.1 million. Batista kicked his ass.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

The other thing I will say is that I haven't seen that much advertisement for Hercules outside of what was already put out earlier in the year, there didn't feel like anything new that was enticing me to think 'this might be good' and I think that hurt Hercules when I've seen a lot of ads for Lucy and Guardians. If people don't know the film is out, they won't see it. I also just read it wasn't even screened for critics, it's almost as if Paramount/MGM didn't even bother giving it a chance, knowing it was going up against Guardians a week later.

That's true. The promotional material for Hercules was unimpressive. A few weeks (just a guess for the timetable) before the release, they released the commercial with the office workers sitting around together saying "I am Hercules!" one by one. For me, the commercial wasn't funny or eye catching. Instead, the commercial was dull and forgettable. The trailers, the TV spots, everything was the same recycled material over and over again, with nothing new to spark interest for the movie.

An unfortunate bump in the road for Rock, but I agree there's no reason for panic. Hercules fits the mold of a film that'll develop a stronger fan following on DVD/Blu-Ray as a potential cult classic, because it's an entertaining mindless fun action flick and Ian McShane is hilarious.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Here are the current highest grossing films of 2014....




1. Transformers: Age of Extinction
$1,005,006,987

2. X-Men: Days of Future Past
$741,348,800

3. Maleficent
$727,324,473

4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$713,639,890

5. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,050,837

6. Godzilla
$507,222,103

7. Rio 2
$492,997,724

8. The Lego Movie
$468,016,507

9. How to Train Your Dragon 2
$463,569,000

10. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$447,530,000





Well, it happened. Transformers broke $1,000,000,000+ securing its place as the one to beat for possibly the rest of the year. I'm not too thrilled about that given that I am not a fan of Bay or this film series at all. It is what it is though. Not much else going on in the rest of the top 10. Three new films will be released this week. One of which is the 5th Step Up film. How in the heck are there FIVE of these movies? Not interested, I'll be skipping it just like I did with the other four.


Upcoming releases:
8/8: The Hundred-Foot Journey
8/8: Into the Storm
8/8: Step Up All In

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Sex Tape is too hit and miss. I laughed a few times (the fiasco at Rob Lowe's is the highlight of the movie), Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel share believable chemistry as the frustrated and aging married couple, who go to desperate measures to find the spark again, but overall, Sex Tape is a mediocre film, and the jokes lose a lot of steam towards the end.

One of which is the 5th Step Up film. How in the heck are there FIVE of these movies? Not interested, I'll be skipping it just like I did with the other four.

Caught the trailer for this before Sex Tape.....and I had no idea they were still releasing the Step Up films in theaters. I was almost sure they hit the straight-to-video (i.e. Wrong Turn) stage by now. Also, going by the trailers, it's hard to notice any differences, because all the Step Up sequels look the same.

Upcoming releases:
8/8: The Hundred-Foot Journey
8/8: Into the Storm
8/8: Step Up All In

You forgot about the Turtles, man!

Guardians Of The Galaxy had a big opening weekend with $94,320,883 ($172,443,239 for the overall worldwide total), but with TMNT opening on Friday, it's almost a sure bet GOTG will lose the #1 spot, because I have a hard time believing in a flop for the new TMNT film.

Curiosity will get the best of the crowds (including the people, who complain about Bay's name attached to this film), and unless I'm missing something, TMNT 2014 is the first live action Turtles film since the shitty 1993 film with the awful time travel storyline. I'm not rooting for it, but I'll be surprised if TMNT doesn't grab the #1 spot. You have to expect a big opening weekend for Turtles, but the critics are tearing TMNT apart with early reviews. The positive reviews give TMNT a guilty pleasure pass, but this little quote from a RT review is something to think about:

The way people have been talking about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you'd think Michael Bay directed it. After seeing it, you may wish he had. I did.

As far as Transformers passing the $1 billion mark goes, well there's no surprise with Age Of Extinction's dominating run at the box office. Transformers is a proven powerhouse draw, and there's no way around it. At this point, GOTG is the only film with a realistic chance of catching AOE, but with TMNT's release on Friday, GOTG's run at the box office should take a hit with a noticeable decline to make room for another anticipated summer blockbuster.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

At this point, GOTG is the only film with a realistic chance of catching AOE, but with TMNT's release on Friday, GOTG's run at the box office should take a hit with a noticeable decline to make room for another anticipated summer blockbuster.

Which is a real shame if you think about it. GOTG was an amazing movie. Right up there with CA2 and X-Men: DOFP. I was actually quite disappointed Maleficent passed CA2, as I still rank CA2 as my favorite movie this year. If you've ever seen the play Wicked, Maleficent just comes off as an expensive knock off. I was very underwhelmed. I was not surprised X-Men or Transformers passed CA2. X-Men was more anticipated and a very good movie. Transformers just has a massive appeal to such a diverse crowd.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

GOTG taking a hit from TMNT is the first hurdle, and after that, you have The Expendables 3 and the new Sin City film with back to back releases. The top three should be crowded for a while, and the chance of catching Transformers looks like a real tough up hill climb, when you look at X-Men: DOFP as a distant #2.

I actually enjoyed Maleficent, but I won't deny the barrage of cliches and predictable through the motions moments throughout the movie. But Jolie is the anchor for Maleficent in a number of ways. She delivers the best performance in the film, was promoted as the main attraction in Maleficent, and Maleficent's success is a prime example of Jolie's strong drawing power.

Maleficent at #3 is a genuine surprise. A spot below juggernauts like X-men: DOFP and Transformers is nothing to be ashamed, and it's an impressive accomplishment, when you consider the competition. I never expected Maleficent to surpass Captain America, Godzilla, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in the top ten. Maybe a spot in the 7-10 range, but top three over a handful of highly anticipated and heavily promoted summer blockbusters? Never.

 

[Dave]

The fact that Transformers made it past a billion dollars is enough to make me want to boil my face in a bowl of acid. And that's coming from me, a guy so deep in the ass of Transformers that I can smell the motor oil that Optimus Prime lubricates his metallic ass with...

That movie was simply the worst Transformers movie that there has been in this series and not even Mark Wahlberg could save it. And he makes everything better.

Still, it is a sad day in cinema when shit like this is passing the billion dollar mark. Remember when it used to mean something to do that? No longer.

 

[Banzalik]

I’m a big fan of Transformers, but I must admit that i am with this fourth part pretty disappointed! First, I do not like in this sequel to the manner in which the new Decepticon transformed! Exactly,the old way of transformation, and its the only genuine, that it is a classic transformation Transformers (Autobots and Deseptikons) is something unique and something that adorns Transformerse.To one of their main features and it shouldnt be changed…it have to be original transformation! Another thing I did not like is the design of Dinobots, especially their design in the form of a robot … too ordinary! Third thing that I do not like is that when original Dinobots thrown away Sludge(Apatosaurus) and Snarl(Stegosaur)and instead are inserted makes me Plesosaurus and some predator? And I do not understand why Swoop(Pterodactil) got two heads?
Last thing might be a habit with the previous cast … though I love Mark Walberg … I still think that the previous team had more quality actors … from which everyone in it had a touch of humor as the previous parts put this film to a higher level!

 

[Dagger Dias]

Here are the current highest grossing films of 2014....



1. Transformers: Age of Extinction
$1,032,180,031

2. X-Men: Days of Future Past
$741,730,309

3. Maleficent
$736,053,668

4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$713,974,011

5. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,185,060

6. Godzilla
$507,735,308

7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$503,868,156

8. Rio 2
$493,992,123

9. How to Train Your Dragon 2
$487,821,152

10. The Lego Movie
$468,031,107



Not a whole lot changing here other than Planet of the Apes going up a few spots. The Lego Movie has been in the top ten for months and it's now in the 10th spot, I'd expect Guardians Of the Galaxy to make it onto the list by next week bumping The Lego Movie out. I'm surprised it hasn't made it in yet but it is not far off sitting currently at $313,815,761+. I went to go see it this weekend. Wow, what an awesome movie! Great cast, great soundtrack (already ordered a copy of it on amazon) which plays a part in the movie itself, and an overall fun experience. I can't wait for the sequel. Lots of releases coming out this week....


Upcoming Releases:
8/13: Let's Be Cops
8/15: The Giver
8/15: Hector and the Search for Happiness
8/15: Singham Returns
8/15: Anjaan

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Let's see how I did on predicting summer box office successes and failures:

Here are my predictions for some notable films coming out this year:

Flops
Robocop: It looks like shit and it's rated PG-13. The original Robocop would still be a hard R if it was released today. No matter how awesome the supporting cast and director, this one has disaster has written all over it.

Flop (earned $232M worldwide against a budget of $130M; it needed $260M to break even)...1 for 1.

Non-Stop: Liam Neeson as an action hero was an interesting concept to entertain three years ago. He still hasn't topped Taken and I want him to succeed, but this film is not going to do all that well.

Hit (earned approximately $200M against a budget $50M; it needed $100M to break even)...1 for 2.

Neighbors: Seth Rogen is on the downward trajectory of his once-hot career. Unless this one is released sometime later in the summer, it's going to flop big time...which genius decided to release this film between the week of The Amazing Spider-Man 2's release and the week of Godzilla's release? Dumb, dumb move.

Monster hit (earned approximately $218M against a budget of $18M; it needed $36M to break even)...1 for 3 (how the fuck did this movie make so much? Seth Rogen SUCKS!).

Blended: Thank fuck this Adam Sandler vehicle is being released the same day as X-Men: Days of Future Past. I hope it flops hard and Adam Sandler eventually goes to TV and stop releasing a shitty comedy every summer.

Technically a hit but it just earned around $5M over its $40M budget in America (it earned approximately $72M in overseas territories for a total haul of $117M; it needed $80M to break even)...I'm gonna call this a wash and not consider it in my running total, so 1 for 3.

A Million Ways To Die In The West: Seth MacFarlane should have done Ted 2 instead.

Like Blended, technically a hit but this film fell way below box office expectations (it earned approximately $85M on a $40M budget; it needed $80M to break even)...I'm gonna call this a wash and not consider it in my running total, so still 1 for 3.

22 Jump Street: You don't need to do these types of films anymore, Jonah Hill. Channing needs you more than you need him.

Hit (Approximately $298M grossed against a $65M budget; it needed $130M to break even)...1 for 4.

The Purge: Anarchy: First one had a brilliant premise, but was nonetheless mediocre. This one will be mediocre without the surprising opening weekend of the first.

Big hit given its budget (approximately $95M grossed against a $9M budget; it needed $18M to break even)...1 for 5.

Jupiter Ascending: Channing Tatum is not the A-lister he thinks he is, Kunis is nice to look at but is better suited for raunchy comedies and Oscar-bait dramas, and the Wachowskis' last two films were massive flops...look for a repeat performance from them here.

Pushed back to later this year...still 1 for 5.

Sex Tape: Jason Segel is not leading man material, even if the last comedy he did with Cameron Diaz (Bad Teacher) was a surprise hit (Segel only had a supporting role in this one). Cameron Diaz's star power bodes well for The Other Woman (see below), but Segel's presence here is going to hurt the film.

Flop (approximately $62M grossed against a budget of $40M; it needed $80M to break even)...2 for 6.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Three Marvel films have already been released in the span of four months by the time this one comes out. People are going to have superhero overload by August.

Will at least break even, so hit (has grossed $317M against a budget of $170M; needs $340M to break even)...2 for 7.

All right, tired of doing separate quotes, everything else in blocks.

Hits
Divergent: It looks fucking stupid but it's going to be a hit.

Captain America, Part Whatever: Getting sick of all these superhero films, but this one will make its money back at the very least.

The Other Woman: Don't know its budget, but Cameron Diaz's Bad Teacher did very well at the box office. I'm expecting at least $90-$100 million domestic haul for this one since it's going to draw in a lot of women.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: This one looks decent because of Jaime Foxx. I might go see it even though I haven't even seen The Amazing Spider-Man.

Godzilla: Looks amazing, awesome director, supposedly at least one more monster, nothing is going to stop this one from being a box-office juggernaut.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past: Bryan Singer back to X-Men franchise? I'm all in, hombres.

Maleficent: Yep, gonna be big, no one can stop Angelina Jolie.

Jersey Boys: Why do people like musicals so much? I am not going to see it, but props to Eastwood for having the balls to go with a bunch of no-names in the big screen adaptation of this Broadway smash.

New Transformers Movie: Too big to fail, even though I will never watch this piece of shit.

All hits except Jersey Boys, which was a big flop...10 for 16.

Could Go Either Way
Noah: Why isn't this being released as Oscar bait in the last three months of the year?

Transcendence: Wally Pfister is an amazing cinematographer. Although Johnny Depp's star power is now in question, here's to hoping that Pfister's directorial debut goes well.

Edge Of Tomorrow: I'm pulling for my main man Tom Cruise, but this one is going to need stellar reviews and word of mouth to do well.

Tammy: Love Melissa McCarthy but this is third straight movie of her playing the exact same character. Diminishing returns for each successive retread she does might land this one in the toilet or it might not. Either way, McCarthy has what it takes to rebound if this one flops.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: The last Apes movie was awesome, but I'm not sure if an Apes summer franchise has the appeal that studio executives think it does.

Hit, flop, hit (although it performed horribly in America relative to previous Tom Cruise efforts), hit, hit.

Moral of the story: I suck at predicting flops, Seth Rogen still sucks even if his box office totals say otherwise, and it looks as if there's virtually no chance that a film won't make money back, especially if it has an extremely low-budget but is distributed worldwide.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Into The Storm

Tempted to give this one a guilty pleasure pass for dazzling and thrilling special effects, but I can't. Into The Storm starts off with an intro involving a group of high school kids. A tornado is seconds away from destroying everything....but one person from the group jumps out of the car, so he can film the tornado, because "I HAVE TO SEE THIS!!!" Of course, the tornado catches up to the group in the car, and everyone is dead in a matter of seconds.

Mind numbing stupidity is a reoccurring trend throughout Into The Storm. The intro is bad, and there's a scene, where a camera man dies after standing too close to a flaming tornado, and this happens after he had plenty of chances to walk away.

To make matters worse, Into The Storm is a found-footage film. I'm suppose to believe there's a valid reason for the main characters filming the deaths of others and filming tornadoes, when seeking shelter is the #1 priority? Also, the gaps in logic are laughable. The super storm is capable of tearing an airport to shreds, lifting airplanes and trucks into the air with ease, and flattening an entire neighborhood, but somehow humans can hold on and walk around?

And In The Storm features one too many generic characters. To give one example, Sarah Wayne Callies is the hard working and conflicted parent, because she's dedicated to her job, but she can't handle the guilt of abandoning her duties as a parent for her daughter. The special effects provide more than enough eye candy, but after the storm(s) hit, the constant waves of mass destruction bored me.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Are we sure Michael Bay had nothing to do with the directing here? Turtles is loaded with Bay's trademarks, including a few shots of Megan Fox's backside and annoying product placement. Pizza Hut is the worst case here. There's a scene, where Splinter tempts Michelangelo into a confession with cheese pizza. You could remove this scene from the movie, and use it as a commercial, because it's a perfect fit, with Michelangelo salivating over the pizza and Splinter describing the cheeses.

TMNT is boring and dull, and the movie suffers from an identity crisis, because TMNT 2014 is torn between epic blockbuster and a guilty pleasure film. Usually, you can rely on William Fichtner as a good villain, but he's limited to a generic corrupt businessman character. The new looks for the Turtles didn't bother me too much (although, Raphael looks like he's pumped full of steroids), but Shredder is a different story, because he looks fucking ridiculous in the mechanized body armor.

I'll give Jonathan Liebesman (the same man, who directed that turd The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) credit for the subway scene in the early stages of the movie, but overall, TMNT's action sequences and battle scenes are unimpressive. A prime example is a fight scene towards the end between Raphael and Shredder. Looks like something out of an old Street Fighter game.

According to Box Office Mojo.com, TMNT should repeat at #1, with GOTG in the #2 spot, and The Expendables 3 debuting at #3. Let's Be Cops is pegged as the surefire flop this weekend, and it's not a shock. It's too crowded in the top three with TMNT, GOTG, and The Expendables 3, and Let's Be Cops currently holds a 9% on RT.

When you factor in nostalgia and curiosity, a TMNT repeat is no surprise, GOTG has a ton of momentum, and there's a chance we're reaching a point, where people are burnt out on The Expendables series. Also, the PG-13 rating could hurt the movie, because Expendable fans expect hardcore, bloody action, and if we're talking about an overall critical reception, 3 is the lowest rated film (on RT, 2 holds the best rating with a 65%, the 2010 original has a 41%, and 3 currently holds a 34%) in the franchise so far.

 

[A11oftheLights]

Let's see how I did on predicting summer box office successes and failures:



Flop (earned $232M worldwide against a budget of $130M; it needed $260M to break even)...1 for 1.



Hit (earned approximately $200M against a budget $50M; it needed $100M to break even)...1 for 2.



Monster hit (earned approximately $218M against a budget of $18M; it needed $36M to break even)...1 for 3 (how the fuck did this movie make so much? Seth Rogen SUCKS!).



Technically a hit but it just earned around $5M over its $40M budget in America (it earned approximately $72M in overseas territories for a total haul of $117M; it needed $80M to break even)...I'm gonna call this a wash and not consider it in my running total, so 1 for 3.



Like Blended, technically a hit but this film fell way below box office expectations (it earned approximately $85M on a $40M budget; it needed $80M to break even)...I'm gonna call this a wash and not consider it in my running total, so still 1 for 3.



Hit (Approximately $298M grossed against a $65M budget; it needed $130M to break even)...1 for 4.



Big hit given its budget (approximately $95M grossed against a $9M budget; it needed $18M to break even)...1 for 5.



Pushed back to later this year...still 1 for 5.



Flop (approximately $62M grossed against a budget of $40M; it needed $80M to break even)...2 for 6.



Will at least break even, so hit (has grossed $317M against a budget of $170M; needs $340M to break even)...2 for 7.

All right, tired of doing separate quotes, everything else in blocks.



All hits except Jersey Boys, which was a big flop...10 for 16.



Hit, flop, hit (although it performed horribly in America relative to previous Tom Cruise efforts), hit, hit.

Moral of the story: I suck at predicting flops, Seth Rogen still sucks even if his box office totals say otherwise, and it looks as if there's virtually no chance that a film won't make money back, especially if it has an extremely low-budget but is distributed worldwide.

I'm sorry but since when do you need to double your budget to break even? Is that just your way to measure a hit because every single dollar a film makes that exceeds budget is profit

 

[Alastor]

I'm sorry but since when do you need to double your budget to break even? Is that just your way to measure a hit because every single dollar a film makes that exceeds budget is profit

Probably due to the industry rule of thumb for simplicity sake to represent whether a film is a hit or flop. There are marketing costs and retail costs. Studios don't get 100% of the movie gross as well. They can make up some of it from DVD/cable sales. Since many factors of whether a film is profitable depend on how any individual film is financed and promoted the rule of thumb for easy armchair verdict is simply to double the production costs.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Not much out this weekend that interests me. I was tempted to see TMNT, but something just put me off from it. The designs of the turtles leaves me with mixed feelings. I like the notion that they didn't essentially imitate the designs of the various cartoon series, where they're all about four feet tall. I also like the idea that they sort of look like human/turtle hybrids, rather than simply turtles with hands who can walk upright, such as the mix of human & turtle facial features. The result looks like some sort of disfigured human or monster. As a result, they're far less cute and cuddly looking compared to the other films or the animation designs. I think they went a little crazy when it comes to their muscularity, especially with Raphael, as he looks like a miniature version of the Hulk.

I've seen some images of Shredder and the character looks like shit. The notion of it being a mechanical suit, ala Iron Man, is cringe worthy; looks like what would happen if Megatron screwed a porcupine that abuses steroids. From what I've read, it sounds like they've ventured way, way off the origin into different territory in order to have a more "updated" feel. What that usually means is that substance is sacrificed for style and flash, though that isn't always terrible if the update doesn't suck. In this case, however, the changes made to the origin stories are lazy and uninspired. Bay's done it in the Transformer movies and it looks as though TMNT is next.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Here are the current highest grossing films of 2014....


1. Transformers: Age of Extinction
$1,054,464,809

2. X-Men: Days of Future Past
$744,074,179

3. Maleficent
$743,781,750

4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$714,063,958

5. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,294,944

6. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$539,045,438

7. How to Train Your Dragon 2
$538,982,838

8. Godzilla
$507,897,134

9. Rio 2
$495,423,857

10. The Lego Movie
$468,040,531


Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and How to Train Your Dragon 2 both climbed up a little on the rankings while Maleficent is getting closer to taking the #2 spot from X-Men. Not much else going on this week in the rankings. Three films will be released this week. Sin City and If I Stay might do well, but we will have to see if they make the top ten or not.


Upcoming releases:
8/22: If I Stay
8/22: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
8/22: When the Game Stands Tall

 

[A11oftheLights]

What exactly made people want to go see maleficent?

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

What exactly made people want to go see maleficent?

It's a darker side of one of the old Disney classics. Talk about a way to appeal to both adults and children alike. Frankly, I don't know how it's hard to understand. Plus, Angelina Jolie. While I wasn't very impressed by the movie, I'm sure a lot of people were.

And I'm very surprised GotG hasn't broken into the top 10 yet. People are missing out.

 

[Alastor]

Its not hard to see Maleficent being a draw. It is just difficult to understand why it drew so much compared to Snowwhite and the Huntsman. Maybe Angelina Jolie is that big a box office star after a long absence to make the difference.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Guardians Of The Galaxy was amazing, easily gets a 9/10 from me. I can't believe it took me this long to see it.

Well, TMNT took the #1 spot again, while The Expendables3 debuted at #4 (currently holding a worldwide gross of $41,408,158), and The Giver opened at #5. As far as The Expendables 3 goes, there's a chance we're reaching a point, where people are just burnt out on the series altogether. We're on the third film now, and I haven't seen it yet, but other reviews continue to slam part 3 as "the same old, same old".

And after nine years, the Sin City sequel finally hits tomorrow! But that's a big problem in the grand scheme of things. Nine years is a long wait for a sequel, and there's a chance a lot of people decided to move on after a while. From what I remember, Rodriguez wanted to wait for Angelina Jolie (Eva Green is playing Ava now), and on top of that, they delayed a 2013 release date for tomorrow's release date.

I'm a big fan of the 2005 film, but after all the delays, I don't have the same level of excitement I had years ago. Maybe if the sequel hit in 2008 or 2009, hell even in 2010, I would be more excited. In 2014, I want to see A Dame To Kill For, but I don't have the same foaming at the mouth levels of excitement I had three or four years ago.

Box Office Mojo.com has If I Stay in the #1 spot with A Dame To Kill For in the #2 spot. Personally, I have no interest in the movie, because the trailer looks ridiculous, but TMNT doesn't have the type of staying power that's capable of holding on to the #1 spot three weeks in a row. And when you consider the possibility of lukewarm anticipation levels for Sin City 2, If I Stay's chances of taking the top spot are pretty good.

 

[nightmare]

I am down for some Sin City, yet I do share your feelings on the time passed comment. My sentiment is along the lines of "Finally!" as it has been a while since I have even watched the original. My expectations are high & it will likely deliver, but a long wait has diminished my excitement a little bit.


The Expendables 3 was not terrible, but in no way a game changer. More of the same is a good way to put it. Truth is, that the film was relying too heavy on big numbers when it had a lackluster buzz & a good amount of competition to contend with. Plus a very crisp copy hit the torrent sites early & dipped the numbers a bit as well. That isnt the whole reason sales were lagging, but it had an impact. The first one was a good action flick with big nostalgia points. The second lost momentum & by the third, people just were not as interested & nostalgia factor had left the building.


Sorry guys. I loved your movies throughout the years, but its time to hang it up.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Truth is, that the film was relying too heavy on big numbers when it had a lackluster buzz & a good amount of competition to contend with.

The lackluster buzz part is true. Personally, as a fan of the franchise, I'm still looking forward to The Expendable 3, but the "I have to see this!" hype was gone the third time around. And I forgot about the torrent leaks. Like you said, it's not the main reason for 3's disappointing opening, but you have to believe the leaks played some part in hurting the opening weekend.

There's nothing wrong with nostalgia in small doses, but you'll have a hard time building a franchise off of nostalgia, and sustaining the momentum for four or five films. If we're talking about building a film series, at some point, you have to offer more than the novelty for a collection of action stars from the past banding together for a trip down memory lane.

 

[Phoenix]

I have only seen part of the first Expendables, so I wasn't in a rush to see any of the others. But one thing is with the changing of the tone, going from a Rated R first film to a PG-13 third film, the presentation of the film itself isn't being taken as seriously either. One thing I remember uniquely from the first film's trailer is the icon/logo at the end, it gave an impression that the film should have been seen. For the third film, they copy and pasted the font and style from the Fast and the Furious franchise; where did the original icon go? The lack of a good (and consistent) presentation definitely played a factor in the lack of a buzz about this one.

Speaking of lacklustre, Sin City 2 only managed $6.5 million over the past few days in the box office. It's a shame as I would like to see this film, not necessarily as in 'MUST SEE!' scenario, but just because I enjoyed the first and I feel like I would enjoy this one.

Guardian of the Galaxy (still need to see) returned to Number One again, which is good to see it's going strong. It's made $489.5 million worldwide, so it should be at least Number Ten in top grossing list for this year after this weekend.

 

[Dagger Dias]

So, here are the current highest grossing films of 2014....

1. Transformers: Age of Extinction
$1,065,125,000

2. Maleficent
$747,585,000

3. X-Men: Days of Future Past
$744,700,982

4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$714,083,572

5. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,294,944

6. How to Train Your Dragon 2
$572,789,000

7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$554,946,000

8. Godzilla
$507,926,327

9. Rio 2
$495,629,157

10. Guardians of the Galaxy
$489,484,000


Guardians of the Galaxy made it into the top 10. Very deserved. It was an amazing film, if you have not seen it yet you should. I'm also happily surprised to see Maleficent having made it all the way to the #2 spot. How To Train Your Dragon 2 climbed up another spot past Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Three films are being released this week, I probably won't be watching any of them though.


Upcoming releases:
8/27: Birdman
8/27: The November Man
8/29: As Above, So Below

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Speaking of lacklustre, Sin City 2 only managed $6.5 million over the past few days in the box office. It's a shame as I would like to see this film, not necessarily as in 'MUST SEE!' scenario, but just because I enjoyed the first and I feel like I would enjoy this one.

To add to this, A Dame To Kill For opened at #8, and it looks worse, when you take a look at the complete top ten:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
3. If I Stay
4. Let's Be Cops
5. When the Game Stands Tall
6. The Giver
7. The Expendables 3
8. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
9. The Hundred-Foot Journey
10. Into the Storm

I haven't seen it yet, but nine years is just too long to wait for a Sin City sequel. You can't expect the fans to maintain the same levels of anticipation, because we're not talking about Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or Star Trek.

Glad to see Guardians Of The Galaxy back on top. GOTG deserves the recognition, and wow at Maleficent moving into the #2 spot to knock X-Men: DOFP down to #3.

I had fun with The Expendables 3, and the PG-13 rating didn't bother me too much. Part 2 is still my pick for the best film in the series, and one of the major clinchers for me is the final battle. Overall, Mel is the better villain, but Van Damme VS Stallone packs a more powerful punch, when you compare it to Gibson VS Stallone. Mel did a good job, but the big fight at the end was too anticlimactic for my taste.

Harrison Ford was an upgrade over Bruce Willis. Wesley Snipes was harmless, Antonio Banderas annoyed me at times, and I'll go with Ronda Rousey as the standout star from the pack of new Expendables, and Arnold serves his purpose (one liners, shooting stuff with big runs, etc.) as usual.

Really looking forward to As Above, So Below this week. Usually, I'm not a big fan of found-footage horror, but the trailers look good, and the premise is intriguing. Feels like a darker and sinister version of The Descent with a paranormal twist.

The November Man is holding a 13% on RT, and there's a good chance we're looking at another flop with this one. I'm sure Pierce Brosnan is capable of delivering the goods (i.e. The Matador), but I just see another generic and predictable "student VS teacher" action/thriller for The November Man.

GOTG has a good chance of taking another week at #1, because I'm looking forward to the movie, but I have a hard time believing in As Above, So Below taking #1 this week. It's a heavily promoted horror film, but GOTG is strong competition, TMNT is hanging around in the top three, and If I Stay is a factor in the top five.