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

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

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

[fox-gloves.livejournal.com]

Yes, for real. Disney has already optioned out the possiblity of movies 4,5, and 6. No idea on whether or not Depp and Bloom will return as their contracts only keep them for three movies. However, if they choose they can again renew their contracts up through movie 6. Although, by that time they probably will all be sick of the movies, but regardless.

And yep, many sources. Like I know guys IN the movie who play Flying Dutchmen.

[thunderphoenix.livejournal.com]

I'm sort of thinking that if they do make a second trilogy, they'll go with a much different cast of characters with a few familiar faces thrown in.

Like, uh, that other big movie series that had two trilogies.

[fox-gloves.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping that THAT is the course of action they take. But as far as I know, the option for the next 3 has already been picked up so we shall see if they take a shot at it or not. I actually HIGHLY doubt they'll bring in Depp and Bloom, but if they so choose, they can just expand stories.

[thunderphoenix.livejournal.com]

They could make it about....space pirates!

Oh, wait. They tried that already. It didn't work.

At all.

[fox-gloves.livejournal.com]

I just want them to bring in the character Darth Helmet. That's all I want.

[youngcurmudgeon.livejournal.com]

Awww, was that a Firefly crack? It makes my icon sad. :-)

[thunderphoenix.livejournal.com]

Nah, when I said "They" I meant "Disney" and when I said "That" I meant "Treasure Planet" (Which sunk Disney's 2D animation department until Pixar came in and said "Bring it back!").

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Awesome. I have to ask, you see, because otherwise it's just "I heard from... you know... someone."

[fox-gloves.livejournal.com]

Nah, it's cool. I hear way too many things about these movies now that I'm almost to the point of being sick of it.

"Waah Waah! Disney did this! Disney did that! Disney fired me because I talked to reporters and got my stuff stolen and I talked to the reporters and told them things about the movie! I took pictures I wasn't supposed to! WAAH!"

Ya know, stuff like that. But one never gets sick of hearing the gossip... ^^