75 employees laid off at Pixar, including the director of Lightyear

[BrianL]

Lot of CGI in Haunted Mansion. I feel like Greta Gerwig did WB a solid by designing a movie built around sets, practical effects, and painted backgrounds. Might've helped keep costs under control. Watched a video where she said she had a lot of influences from the 40s to 50s era Hollywood and it really shows.

Wasn't Jungle Cruise released in the not so great Covid times? I know we watched it at a drive-in for that reason.

Yeah, it cam eout in July, 2021. Theaters were generally back open, but attendance had not returned in earnest. It's too bad because it was a pretty good romp.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Lot of CGI in Haunted Mansion. I feel like Greta Gerwig did WB a solid by designing a movie built around sets, practical effects, and painted backgrounds. Might've helped keep costs under control. Watched a video where she said she had a lot of influences from the 40s to 50s era Hollywood and it really shows.

Wasn't Jungle Cruise released in the not so great Covid times? I know we watched it at a drive-in for that reason.

Yeah you can tell in some scenes that the movie took inspiration from the golden age of musicals (no complaints about that!). I'm just surprised because IMO Barbie looks way better visually than Haunted Mansion. Look at how amazing she made Barbieland look with a $140 million budget.

I don't really remember much about the Jungle Cruise movie. It felt like one of those movies that came and went without much chatter about it. I remember people talking more about the Rock being at the Jungle Cruise ride in DL around the premiere more than the movie itself.

 

[irlandaise]

I haven't been seeing any hype for Haunted Mansion. The first time I saw the trailer was during the previews for Barbie. It didn't look too bad. If it gets decent reviews, I may check it out. It's not getting a very good ad campaign though. I think Disney should know by now that their movies need ad campaigns to be successful nowadays.

I also think releasing it this close to the Barbenheimer phenomenon wasn't the smartest decision.

It's only been in the past few weeks that people began realizing how big the Barbenheimer matchup might get. Even last week, the expert predictions were waaayyy below what eventually happened this weekend.

I've had a Google News alert set for "Oppenheimer" for over a year, and months ago a bunch of clickbait websites (which GN tracks all too many of, unfortunately) started positioning "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" as a duel to the death of completely separate audiences, as though it was ever in doubt which movie would win the weekend. They didn't see it coming that there would be a ton of people wanting to see both movies.

So I don't blame Disney for not realizing that HM was going to get caught in the outflow of a tsunami when they set its release date.

 

[fatmanatee]

Just realizing this now but I think I figured out why they decided to release HM at the end of July. If they continue with usual distribution patterns it'll hit D+ just before Halloween. This is probably a mistake but that's the priority for them right now.

 

[Smugpugmug]

It's only been in the past few weeks that people began realizing how big the Barbenheimer matchup might get. Even last week, the expert predictions were waaayyy below what eventually happened this weekend.

I've had a Google News alert set for "Oppenheimer" for over a year, and months ago a bunch of clickbait websites (which GN tracks all too many of, unfortunately) started positioning "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" as a duel to the death of completely separate audiences, as though it was ever in doubt which movie would win the weekend. They didn't see it coming that there would be a ton of people wanting to see both movies.

So I don't blame Disney for not realizing that HM was going to get caught in the outflow of a tsunami when they set its release date.

I think Warner Bros/Mattel knew Barbie would be a massive summer hit but the combo with Oppenheimer is what surprised everyone. I know people IRL who plan on doing the Barbenheimer double feature or have already seen both.

Too bad that Haunted Mansion was caught in the crossfire. Not the first time Disney has chosen a bad release date for their movies.

 

[irlandaise]

I think Warner Bros/Mattel knew Barbie would be a massive summer hit but the combo with Oppenheimer is what surprised everyone.

Yep, including WB! As a Deadline article said over the weekend, "Warners isn’t a studio to get over their skis in estimates." From a Variety article last week: "Warner Bros. is projecting a more conservative $75 million to start, while rivals and exhibitors believe the PG-13 movie could make as much as $140 million between Friday and Sunday."

 

[Disney Bobby]

Just realizing this now but I think I figured out why they decided to release HM at the end of July. If they continue with usual distribution patterns it'll hit D+ just before Halloween. This is probably a mistake but that's the priority for them right now.

I mentioned the same thing in here.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...n-2023-edition.3905154/page-290#post-64934245

My other theory is that they are trying to grab as much cash now as possible and don't want to wait. Either way, I agree that it is a mistake. A late September/early October would be better.

Or maybe Disney thinks it's going to be some big hit at the box office in August AND be a big draw for D+ around Halloween. I don't see it. Not sure it's going to be a big deal either place.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Yep, including WB! As a Deadline article said over the weekend, "Warners isn’t a studio to get over their skis in estimates." From a Variety article last week: "Warner Bros. is projecting a more conservative $75 million to start, while rivals and exhibitors believe the PG-13 movie could make as much as $140 million between Friday and Sunday."

I saw that Barbie also had a marketing budget of $150 million and I can definitely see where the budget went. I saw ads and promotions everywhere. In one weekend they made all of it back (budget and marketing).

Glad to see Oppenheimer do well to even if movies like that aren't my thing.

 

[mdmost]

I got a post deleted by the mods. Please don't act like this stuff only goes one way.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

I saw that Barbie also had a marketing budget of $150 million and I can definitely see where the budget went. I saw ads and promotions everywhere. In one weekend they made all of it back (budget and marketing).

Glad to see Oppenheimer do well to even if movies like that aren't my thing.

Agreed, they have done an incredible job marketing Barbie. The movie is not made for me obviously, but there is no denying the target demographic has been nuts for this movie. I love seeing all the dress up pics form the movie with folks going in all pink barbie gear. That let's you know the fan's passion right there!

I am also really happy the Theaters had a nice weekend haul, as I am sure they needed it after a pretty rough summer box office.

 

[mdmost]

Agreed, they have done an incredible job marketing Barbie. The movie is not made for me obviously, but there is no denying the target demographic has been nuts for this movie. I love seeing all the dress up pics form the movie with folks going in all pink barbie gear. That let's you know the fan's passion right there!

I am also really happy the Theaters had a nice weekend haul, as I am sure they needed it after a pretty rough summer box office.

I've never played with Barbies as I am not a female nor did my two daughters as that never interested them and we all thought the movie was fantastic. If you like movies that remind you of old time Hollywood with cool sets, good musical numbers, and just a great story, you should give it a shot. If you have daughters/granddaughters, you will also enjoy that aspect of it because it does have a very poignant message that should resonate with most people. Greta Gerwig really did her homework on this one. It's a special movie.

About to head to Oppenheimer.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Agreed, they have done an incredible job marketing Barbie. The movie is not made for me obviously, but there is no denying the target demographic has been nuts for this movie. I love seeing all the dress up pics form the movie with folks going in all pink barbie gear. That let's you know the fan's passion right there!

I am also really happy the Theaters had a nice weekend haul, as I am sure they needed it after a pretty rough summer box office.

My local AMC was packed when I saw it on friday. Tons of people dressed in pink. My showing was 100% full too. I haven't felt that much excitement in a movie theater in years. Not even my Mario screening had that much excitement.

And this is coming from someone who is very picky with what to go see in theaters and has no issues waiting for stuff to come out on streaming. That's when I'll finally see the Little Mermaid remake.

 

[starlite_]

It is not about being different. It is about Disney's need to push it, as if it were an agenda, because by their own admission it is. That is what makes it political. Disney themselves made the announcement that it was a focus for them, so that makes it an agenda. It is about meeting DEI and ESG scores, so that makes it political. The average Joe is not making it about politics. Disney chose that road themselves and they do not hide it.

They remake all of their movies and write them for DEI. They are trying to erase the Disney history to make it more palatable for the easily offended and change it for a newer generation. Look at the joke they are doing with Snow White. FYI - I am Mexican and I find this ludicrous! Her name is Snow White, not Snow Brown. She is the fairest of them all, not the most golden (or whatever) of them all. She was not with magical creatures, but dwarves. People with dwarfism are openly speaking out against it.

Hi, I am mexican with mexican family members and friends that are so pale they look transparent and all have black black hair. SO now what?

This disboard friends is a perfect example of internalized racism. Which I reported, so hopefully something can get done.

 

[irlandaise]

I've never played with Barbies as I am not a female nor did my two daughters as that never interested them and we all thought the movie was fantastic. If you like movies that remind you of old time Hollywood with cool sets, good musical numbers, and just a great story, you should give it a shot. If you have daughters/granddaughters, you will also enjoy that aspect of it because it does have a very poignant message that should resonate with most people. Greta Gerwig really did her homework on this one. It's a special movie.

The resemblance to Hollywood Golden Age/French New Wave/etc. movies isn't accidental. Greta Gerwig did an interview with TCM (yes, Ben Mankiewicz urges TCM viewers to see "Barbie"!) where she talked about movies that have influenced her work in general and "Barbie" in particular:

She went into more detail about a couple dozen of those films in an interview with some website called Letterboxed:

She's very thoughtful and deliberate about how she makes her movies.

 

[Frogman88]

Hi, I am mexican with mexican family members and friends that are so pale they look transparent and all have black black hair. SO now what?

This disboard friends is a perfect example of internalized racism. Which I reported, so hopefully something can get done.

It is not racists. Just like other fans of the story they don’t want to see their childhood characters changed and many Mexicans agree with her statement.

Why can’t they just make original stories and stay neutral and not cause these problems.

I’m also Mexican and I’m not offended nor do I find that post racist. You are yet another person of many on this forum trying to silence other views.

 

[starlite_]

Wanted to add here what I thought was brilliant marketing for Haunted Mansion this weekend, free doombuggie rides across gaslamp during Comic Con.

They also had a mini activation for pictures and Hitchhiker Ghosts joining in on your ride.

 

[mdmost]

The resemblance to Hollywood Golden Age/French New Wave/etc. movies isn't accidental. Greta Gerwig did an interview with TCM (yes, Ben Mankiewicz urges TCM viewers to see "Barbie"!) where she talked about movies that have influenced her work in general and "Barbie" in particular:

She went into more detail about a couple dozen of those films in an interview with some website called Letterboxed:

She's very thoughtful and deliberate about how she makes her movies.

Yes, we watched both of these. Got us to finally watch The Philadelphia Story on Friday night and we were thrilled that we did that. You can really see the parallels between Katharine Hepburn's character and Margo Robbie's in Barbie.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

Barbie appears to be perfectly made for its target audience. The audiences thus far have been 70+% female, so I think the director did an incredible job of making a movie that her target audience wanted to see. It's made for moms that actually played with Barbies when they were young. Most kids today would strongly prefer and Ipad over a barbie. I really hope Hollywood learns from this and understands that if you give your target audience what they want, good things will happen.

I probably wouldn’t like the Barbie movie, but that’s ok because it wasn’t made for me.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

Same here - every theater near me has sold out showings for the next week. I wanted to see it again with other family members but guess I'll have to wait a little bit.

A lot of the complaints are so frustrating because you can tell that they're from people that 1. Didn't watch the movie 2. Didn't understand what it was trying to say

Judging the box office numbers only, it seems like most people don't care and just enjoy seeing a fun summer movie.

So just curious from your point of view what do you feel "it was trying to say"? What am I not understanding about the message I guess is what I am asking?

 

[Smugpugmug]

So just curious from your point of view what do you feel "it was trying to say"? What am I not understanding about the message I guess is what I am asking?

Well to start a lot of critics are calling Barbie an "anti-men" film when that isn't true at all.