As expected, one of the biggest films of the year (or the decade, if you believe the hype) opened this weekend and it seems the entire industry, from critics to audiences, got behind it. Although there is consensus that the plot and dialogue are clunky, that didn't stop TITANIC from becoming the highest grosser in film history. The numbers are impressive in every category, and there is obviously no precedent as no other 3D film has ever opened this wide. Adding up its $73 million from America plus its worldwide takings, the film is very close to recouping its budget within the first week or release. This should (but probably won't) silence the 3D nay-sayers. It might be a gimmick, but it's the commercial salvation of the business.
1- AVATAR (£8,362,708) - Includes previews, IMAX, 3D and 2D.
2- ST TRINIAN'S 2 (£1,582,125)
3- A CHRISTMAS CAROL (£1,001,530)
4- NATIVITY (£577,238)
5- PLANET 51 (£451,280)
6- WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (£413,945)
7- TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON (£349,357)
8- LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (£307,104)
9- PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (£305,533)
10- 2012 (£171,827)
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If it's the commercial salvation of the cinema industry then 3-D can only be a good thing - a big screen, with a top-notch sound system, is the ONLY way to see not only the latest movies but also classic re-releases. If all those Squillions going back to Fox help keep cinemas open and fund a few Fox Searchlight pictures then I'll be only too happy... I just don't like 3-D!
ReplyDeleteFar from being the "immersive" experience it's sold as, I find that it's often a distraction from the movie itself. You're SO aware of the 3-D that, for me, Cinema ceases to be the escapist medium that I know and love. Maybe it's just me...
Also, I was a bit miffed at having to pay an extra One-Thirty on top of my "Unlimited" Card AND at having to buy the Glasses!?! If I ask for a Pint, in a pub, then I take it as read that I won't have to pay for, or rent, the glass it comes in - indeed the Beer cannot be served to me without the glass...
It didn't help matters that (and maybe, again, I'm in the minority!) the film itself was absolutely awful! Right up there with 2012 for Turkey of the year - and, apparently, it's been nominated for Golden Globes! (the Europa League of awards ceremonies that it is.) Imagine a Live Action/CGI movie with the plot and clunky dialogue of a sub-par Disney movie (Hercules, for example, or one of the minor character spin-offs) and you're about there. I've never known Empire Magazine, for one, to be so wide of the mark in their review. My intention was to watch it again, in 2-D, out of curiousity - but I just couldn't face it!
I hope that 3-D becomes the exception rather than the rule. And that it attracts to the cinema those who wouldn't normally come; and who would either wait for the DVD or, heaven forefend, download it illegaly. I'm sorry if this makes me sound like a Film Snob (which I'm not - I like my Summer Blockbusters as much as I do my Fish Tanks or Mid-August Lunches) but, when format seems be more important than content, I believe that Cinema will be all the poorer for it. Rant over! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to yourself and everyone else at The Duke's, Jon. And, as someone once remarked, "Live long and prosper..."!
Good Rant Binary!
ReplyDeleteJust one point: the 3D costs more because it costs more to produce, distribute and exhibit 3D. You're not just paying for the glasses (which many cinemas will waive now if you bring them back) but also for the expensive equipment and the licensing fee to the companies supplying the kit.
Merry Xmas to you too...