Linky-linky

[cleolinda]

'Pirates' becomes year's top-grossing film. More importantly, it prevented Little Man (#2 with $21M) from achieving box-office domination. Bolding is mine: "Already a record-shattering blockbuster, Johnny Depp's sequel 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' dug up $62.2 million in its second weekend, raising its 10-day total to $258.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The movie has quickly become the year's top-grossing film, rocketing past "X-Men: The Last Stand," which has taken in $232 million in eight weeks." God, I wish the Hollywood Stock Exchange was real, because I totally just made $3.3M in fake money off that movie. Although, the article also says this:

"Huge expectations. 'Pirates 2' is maybe the toughest act in box-office history to follow," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "'Pirates 3' is the definition of a predestined blockbuster."

Which is true. At the same time, third/last installments tend to be better liked than second installments, barring any Ewok jubilees, because if nothing else, they have an ending. I had a whole ramble about second installments vs. third installments here originally, but after two paragraphs I forgot what I was trying to prove, so suffice it to say, however well the second movie does or doesn't do, the third movie in a continuous storyline (not, like, the second pointless sequel they brought everyone back for fifteen years later) tends to make as much or more money because people just want to see how the story ends, and because a series almost never ends on a note of despair, you get to leave feeling all happy and triumphant. What I'm saying is, they will have to screw up Pirates 3 really, really badly to lose money on that one. Like, the entire cast and crew drowned at sea and someone's dentist pressed into service as Ersatz Captain Jack after the first reel. Shadow puppets instead of CGI, wardrobe courtesy of buycostumes.com, Brett Ratner instead of Gore Verbinksi: it could be done, but it would take an absolute talent for destruction to do it. I'm not saying that Pirates 3 is clearly going to surpass Pirates 2. I'm just saying, you might want to pre-order tickets now.

la_sonnambula: "I don't know if you already seen the following, in any case... PotC Black Pearl Skull Ring and Henry the VIII/Jonathan Rhys Meyers pics." I love how Disney has "couture" jewelry. Shit, $75 for this? I have a antique key from our 60-year-old house I can put on a chain that will cost me approximately nothing, AND it'll look a lot cooler. (New packrat excuse: "I can't throw that old junk away, it might become trendy!") I also love how JRM is like, "Yeah... I look nothing like Henry."

Trailer for The Prestige ("Based on Christopher Priest's 1996 novel, Batman and Wolverine play rival magicians in turn-of-the-century London who battle each other for trade secrets." Also, David Bowie is there). (High-def screencaps, if you want them.)

A Beginner's Guide to Faking Your Death on the Internet. A must-view, particularly if you followed that pseuicide story last week.

sexion8: Man in coma for 19 years asks to go back to sleep. HEY THIS IS PARODY!

This first link is also from sexion8, but I think setting the two side by side is a telling exercise:

>> Wyrd Sisters get their ass handed to them for frivolous lawsuit against Warner Bros. You'll remember, this is the Canadian folk band that got all pissed off that Goblet of Fire would dare feature a band called some variation of "Wyrd Sisters," except not actually called anything in the movie, because they were (apparently) afraid people would come to their shows to stalk Jarvis Cocker and/or do the Hippogriff. (Nooooo! Not people COMING TO OUR SHOWS!!) Well, now they have to pay Warner Bros.' legal fees... to the tune of $140,000.

>> Man claims, three years after the movie's release, that Disney stole "Curse of the Black Pearl" from him. And he is so angry that he is only suing now, after a second movie is all but printing its own money. So angry that he wants "a permanent injunction against the [first] movie or 'other infringing works,'" such as a sequel that features a ship called the Black Pearl prominently. A movie whose poster was, by the way, the cover of the Disney stockholders report this year (apparently we have stock in Disney? We got one, that's all I know). Disney is going to liquidate this guy.

Comments

[lezopez.livejournal.com]

Brett Ratner instead of Gore Verbinksi

SHHHHHHH. If we don't say his name, maybe he'll go away

[sexion8.livejournal.com]

I was wondering why they were mentioning Andy Borowitz in that coma article! Sorry 'bout that, I could've sworn it was real.

And succinct.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

As parody goes, it's pretty good, though. : )

[oohasparklie.livejournal.com]

"A post without an OMG is a post incomplete."

OMGBWAH!

Love this, seriously. Internet wank is the best.

[ciara-belle.livejournal.com]

I need to watch The Tudors SO BADLY.

I have this feeling it's going to be vaguely hilarious from a history major's perspective (mostly because, hi, I saw Elizabeth), but it does have Jeremy Northam as Sir Thomas More, and I just can't pass that up.

[artemis-archer.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking The Prestige would be a lot hotter if the rival magicians actually were Batman and Wolverine *drools*

[thunderphoenix.livejournal.com]

Upon seeing the movie again, I sort of wonder what "mark" Jack left on Beckett.

Lawsuits as far as the eye can see

[chickosaurusrex.livejournal.com]

=/ I really want to feel for that guy who claims Disney stole from him--I know I'd be upset if anyone took one of my ideas--but the timing makes me so cynical...

[skyblade.livejournal.com]

You know this is the probably first time a non-May release has ever become the highest grossing movie by its second week. Or at least since the days gaps between blockbusters were much narrower.

I think Disney is really going to want to move Pirates to July. It worked for them twice far, and they're running a risk by placing it May for three reasons

1. Spider-Man 3 and Shrek 3 are being released in May. Besides having three huge franchises, it's three massive franchises with the letter 3. This is going to bite someone in the ass.

2. They keep saying they don't have time to edit/trim the movie. So why not give them room when they can?

3. Keep your sequel at a reasonable distance. It's good to keep the demand up, and if you deliver it too soon, that might end up being a problem.

We've seen three franchises this decade make more and more as each entry comes in; Austin Powers, Lord of the Rings and X-Men. What happens with sequels nowadays is, the audience expands, but the repeat viewing declines. For instance, were the Pirates and X-Men sequels the first time your mom saw either franchise? That's what happens in this DVD age. Especially in a blockbuster era dominated by genre films, which have to win over the movie patrons who are little more reluctant about them. So I think if End of the World is going to make more than Dead Man's Chest (Which might not even be big deal at this point. When you're on your way to making 400 million, the studio can lose 25 million without worrying about it) it's going to have expand its audience even further. Which, if they want to do, I think they should push the third movie to July.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

See, I also think they should move it back to July, and it makes me deeply anxious that they're not. (Maybe Verbinski will prevail by being like ZOMG I CAN'T FINISH IT BY MAY. If nothing else, the effects might cause a delay). The thing about Pirates being in July is that it's pretty much the only game in town at that point; all the other movies have burned off and (possibly) already disappointed. It's also damn fucking hot by July, and people seeking AC relief will also be driven to the theater (I didn't realize that was a real reason people went to movies until one of my friends mentioned that their AC didn't work up in Rhode Island). Also, kids are well and good out of school by that time, and probably bored stupid. I can't tell you how many kids I saw on Saturday--they came in herds with one parent chaperoning. Also, the Fourth of July weekend is perfect if you can get it.

[fiveforsilver]

Seventy-five dollars AND IT'S SILVER-PLATED?!?!?!

As a jeweler, I'm slightly offended by that. I could probably produce a smaller version in 14K gold for not much more than that, and one in sterling silver for significantly less.

*ahem* Excuse me.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Ooooo. You should totally think of some vaguely piratey but non-infringing design.

[silk-noir.livejournal.com]

JRM as King Henry VIII? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAOMG.

Good lord.

The best presentation of an actor as Henry Vee Eye Eye Eye in recent years was Ray Winstone, who covered all bases. Kinda hot, kind of a glutton, kind of syphillis crazy (http://www.compleatseanbean.com/henry.html). Yeah, the movie kinda sucked a bit of butt here and there, but! Sean Bean in black leather!

[havocs-roman.livejournal.com]

*is disappointed* ... it sucks?

I've only seen tiny clips of that one, and it looked pretty good -- I was greatly looking forward to seeing the whole thing. Ok, partly because of The Bean, but mostly because I just love historical drama... *goes to corner to sulk*

[thegeneralerin.livejournal.com]

hah. Loved the "Guide to Faking Your Death on teh Internet"

um. omg. cuz it said I had to put that in EVERY post.

[fox-gloves.livejournal.com]

The third movie is not the ending. Sad to say, that the 4th,5th, and 6th movies have already been optioned out by Disney.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

For real? You have a source on this? (I'm genuinely curious.)

[sprunkle.livejournal.com]

I don't know why anyone would want to prod Disney's pack of highly paid lawyers. I have a feeling to good folks at Disney keep them in a pen and deprive them of any other cases, like one does with dogs and food, to ensure maximum carnage once they're released.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

And if it's true, as someone up there just said, that they're optioning a second trilogy--death will be a sweet release after they're done with this guy. This is not a cash cow you want to threaten.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Oddly, you cannot buy the first POTC soundtrack on iTunes. It gives a message saying that it's not available in this country if you try to add it to your cart. No clue if that's related to the lawsuit or just a random coincidence, but it's damn odd that they aren't trying to rake in the cash from it, given the popularity of the second movie.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

That is odd, given that they're pimping out the DVD like mad. It's back in the top ten sellers, I think.

[redmapletree.livejournal.com]

Johnny is way too pretty for that role.

What's your trader name on HSX?

[chenpion.livejournal.com]

Just joined again (after being away for years), thought I'd see how I'd fare with you in my league =)

Re: What's your trader name on HSX?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

jmorrow, which has nothing to do with anything--I hadn't thought up "cleolinda" at that time (I've been playing for nine or ten years now). I think "Jane Morrow" may have been a character I was working on at the time, although you can see how well that turned out if I can't even remember who she was. I may also have a cleolinda account, but jmorrow's the good one.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

Oh dear! I want to see The Prestige NOW. Bale and Jackman? And what looks like excitement and shenanagans and mystery? *drools*

[verbminx.livejournal.com]

I've known about the casting in The Prestige for some time, and I like both the actors, but I have to say that when I read the book for a review about 8-9 years ago I wouldn't have pictured either of those actors in the parts (or Bowie as... Tesla?) There is a very similar book that I liked better, Veronica by Nicholas Christopher, but I don't know how filmable it would ever be. (I mean, it has an animated tattoo on a girl's back, stuff like that) I think I would have pictured someone more like, on one end, Jeremy Irons, and on the other, Jude Law. At any rate, The Prestige is an exceptionally bizarre novel.

All Disney-branded stuff is always a little more expensive than similar items of comparable quality, though also impressively durable. WDW is full of really astonishingly expensive collectibles that you rarely see anywhere else, even in the Disney Store.

I'm not surprised POTC2 is the year's top-grossing film so far (though I am kinda surprised that the previous winner was X-Men 3, which was mostly pretty bad). I just want to see how it does throughout the year... is there anything on the horizon that might beat it? I can't think of much until next year (Spider Man 3, Harry Potter 4, POTC3) - though I honestly think, from what I've heard, that the May release date for POTC3 is optimistic. They still have a lot to film!

[verbminx.livejournal.com]

Ouch! I bow before my own awesomely bad punctuation. Sorry 'bout that.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

On the topic of general linkspam, thought you'd get a kick out of this (http://pics.livejournal.com/particle_person/pic/0000wayp). American Apparel is having a "BFF sale" where you get 25% off if you bring your BFF. My feeling is that it kinda sucks if all your BFFs are at least several hundred miles away.

[manasseh.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's just the whole "rival magicians" factor, but The Prestige kinda reminds me of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. If Norrell were hot, that is.

Re: the dude suing Disney. I almost feel sorry for him. Does anyone really deserve the legal whuppin' he's about to receive?

[vampychick.livejournal.com]

Disney is going to liquidate this guy.

And serve him as smoothies at the stockholders meeting.

*sits back and watches for Disney to summon the legal version of the kraken*

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I think that truly would be the Kraken of Natural Selection.

[sea-of-tethys.livejournal.com]

What pseuicide story?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_wank/970081.html, from two entries back.

[trailer-spot.livejournal.com]

I was wondering myself what the third part will make at the box office. But I was surprised how many people on my flist made entries in which they said they were at least somewhat disappointed with the sequel so I'm not convinced that part three will make more than the second. But it will of course depend on if they'll be able to make a more straightforward movie.

And the story of Overstock and Patrick Byrne that you mention in another entry is absolutely fascinating. I'm following Wall Street for more than a decade now and I can't recall something like that. History suggests that if a CEO focuses so much on sueing people instead of the operations of his company, his company is in deep trouble. But so far he's hell-bent on winning his case and even welcomes an investigation by the SEC.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

See, my theory is that the third movie by definition will be more satisfying, and enough people will go just because that good word of mouth will spread, along the lines of "This one's better than the second one!" I mean, if this one's making this much money and people didn't even like it...

Of course, this does kind of depend on people being happier with the third movie, which they very well might not end up being.

[green-queen.livejournal.com]

At the same time, third/last installments tend to be better liked than second installments, barring any Ewok jubilees, because if nothing else, they have an ending.

Thirds tend to be crowd favourites, seconds tend to be critical favourites. At least, I think that's how it goes.

[marumae.livejournal.com]

Sam NEIL, is in The Tudors?! Now I HAVE to see this (I was only...mildly interested I admit it *hides*) "The Prestige" makes me a quiver XD, I've been seeing pictures of it from the bale_daily community but thanks for linking the trailer!