Article on Chud about Serenity and its Fans

POSTED BY: AnthonyT
UPDATED: Thursday, October 13, 2005 20:52
VIEWED: 13043
PAGE 1 of 4

1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE

ANTHONYT

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 5:32 PM

http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=news&id=4662

OUT OF GAS
10.09.05

By Devin Faraci

It’s been interesting, this past week, to watch the Browncoats go through all the stages of grieving as laid out by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. First there was denial, where they claimed that, hey, ten million dollars and coming in second to a shitty movie that had already been released the week before was OK. Next came anger. I found myself at the receiving end of this stage of grief after I had what they (and Joss Whedon) took to be the incredible gall to call it as I saw it – ie, that Serenity’s opening weekend tagged the film as one that would not make back its money at the box office. (And this weekend's performance - staggering into the top ten at 9, indicates that I was right. Look for Serenity to make 25 million domestically.)

The bargaining stage was, for me, the most disturbing stage. This is when the Browncoats began buying tickets to the movie to give to complete strangers, or even worse, seeing the film seven, eight or nine times in a weekend. It just seems that no one should ever see a movie that many times in that short a time frame. A movie isn’t a song – it isn’t built for such repetition.

Depression was next. The official Serenity Browncoats boards and sites like Whedonesque and FireflyFans were filled with people saying they felt like they were kicked in the chest, or were at the end of their tether. Some people – probably the ones who had previously posted such disturbing things as that the death of a character in the film made them cry for a week – reported what sounded like serious depression.

By the time Friday’s numbers (which I would say were dismal, but I don’t want to have one of my favorite artists jumping down my throat again) came in, most of the Browncoats had come to the acceptance stage. They finally understood that this was going to be the end of the road for this property, that Serenity would more or less be the swan song for these characters.

Like I said, it’s been fascinating to watch. I don’t think there’s ever been a fanbase like the Browncoats (and at this point I feel like I should try to have some sort of definition. Not everyone who bought the Firefly DVDs – people like me, for instance – is a Browncoat. The Browncoats are mostly self-identified, and the Browncoats I’m talking about here are the sort of rabid fans who call it “our” movie, as if they made it), and in the last week it’s taken the kind of hit that I don’t think any fanbase has taken since Star Trek first got cancelled. But even that is no comparison, since there was no Internet then, which means that most of Star Trek’s fans were sort of doing their nerd thing in a vacuum.

There are still some Browncoats in the denial phase. There’s a very vocal contingent, some of whom e-mail me a bunch, who claim that Serenity will get a sequel because the film will do well on DVD. Now, I don’t disagree that the film will do well on DVD. Serenity will, I think, be one of the better selling DVDs of the holiday season, and it won’t even be a bells and whistles edition. The problem here is that these folks have a serious disconnect when it comes to understanding how all this stuff works. It’s true that movies now make most of their profit on DVD. In fact, almost every single movie makes money when it comes to DVD, TV sales and foreign box office.

You need to take a minute and think about that. With the new math of big ancillary dollars, almost every movie released ends up making some sort of money. That’s even beyond the studio’s voodoo accounting (for those not in the know, many studios cook the hell out of the books to show that their films DON’T turn a profit so they don’t have to share that profit – do a Google search for Art Buchwald and lawsuit for some eye-opening info). So why doesn’t every single movie get a sequel? Why am I not right now reporting on the filming of the next Riddick chronicle?

Here’s what you have to understand about Hollywood, here’s the essential paradox that makes it all come together – it’s

ANTHONYT

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 5:39 PM

So, what do you all think about this article? Is he right? Does he at least have some valid points?

--Anthony

"Liberty must not be purchased at the cost of Humanity." --Captain Robert Henner

THELURKER

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 5:59 PM

My first thought is that he seems to think that a minority of overzealous and abusive fans are representative of all Browncoats. It has been my experience in my short time here that most of you are a lot more positive and upbeat in your attitude towards both Firefly and Serenity. I think most people here have realistic expectations that a sequel is possible, but by no means a sure thing.

Now, he does make some valid points regarding what the film will probably gross domestically, and about DVD sales, however, I think he's seriously underestimating this particular DVD. It isn't just going to sell well. I think it will sell like hotcakes. There is a new Hollywood model starting to take effect and Serenity could well be part of it. I have personally spoken to many fans of the show and sci fi fans in general, who have no desire to see this movie, or ANY movie in a theater. The reason they give is that it's actually cheaper for them to buy it than to take the whole family out to the theater and with movie prices, gas prices, inconsiderate moviegoers, etc., it just isn't worth the hassle to go out, when they can have it at home in a few months.

Anyway, word-of-mouth campaigns, which films like Serenity need, take time. You don't expect films like this to hit big and stay big. The full scope of the work of the Browncoats will not be known until December. Then...well, we'll just see.

XEROGRAVITY

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 6:00 PM

Some valid points. Some not-so valid. Lots and lots of rantific blathering. In a word...

windbag.

XG

No such thing as gravity. The "Earth-that-was" just sucks.

STEVE580

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 6:07 PM

I'm sure most have read this already, but I figured I'd post it here again anyways, as it is in response to this article:

Joss Whedon:
So I was flouncing (that’s lurking but fancier) about WHEDONESQUE
(for which I have forgotten my password yet again) and I couldn’t
help but see the little CHUD.com hate-bomb that Devin wrote. I don’t
mind that he doesn’t love the film, but things like “It failed in a
big way” and “It’s over” are about as charming — and journalistic –
as “I was right.” I am being totally realistic when I say the
weekend grosses did not meet expectations — but those expectations
were based on models that don’t apply to this situation because,
seriously, nothing does. The industry is not calling this a failure,
just a slightly soft version of a normal opening in a generally weak
weekend.

Now I did meet Devin, and he’s not a dumb guy. But he seems to have
a real animus against you Browncoats, and that’s the thing I wanted
to comment on, ’cause that doesn’t sit well with me. He actually
blames you guys for making sci-fi fans stay away from the movie.
Says you should be ashamed for having adopted a name, that you will
start finger-pointing and bickering now that you’ve ’caused’
the ‘failure’ of your film. He blames other things as well — the
title, the ads — but that’s fine. If one –ONE — of you guys reads
that column and takes it to heart I’ll not sleep. You guys did an
amazing thing this weekend — and the exit polls showed how much you
guys were out there, and how much business you dragged in with you.
Not to mention everything you did for the months - sorry, YEARS –
before it opened. I’m crazy proud of you. Yes, there is an
exclusionary element to some fandom that is inevitable, but this
group has fought that as well or better as any, and maybe I’m a
nerd, but being compared to a Trekker (or even a TrekkIE) doesn’t
offend me a bit.

We all know this remains an uphill battle. We all know that next
weekend is crucial — and a lot of it will rest on us. A lot will
rest on the studio reaching people we can’t. And factors we can’t
see coming. But I don’t especially appreciate people calling Time of
Death while I’m still operating. I don’t like smug defeatism. And
nobody disses the ‘coats without me wading in. That’s all.

The question remains: Did Early die out there in space, or did some
passing ship show up at the last second? There’s no answer yet, but
I sure as hell know how I’d write it.

-j.

GROOSALUGG

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 6:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by TheLurker:
I have personally spoken to many fans of the show and sci fi fans in general, who have no desire to see this movie, or ANY movie in a theater. The reason they give is that it's actually cheaper for them to buy it than to take the whole family out to the theater and with movie prices, gas prices, inconsiderate moviegoers, etc., it just isn't worth the hassle to go out, when they can have it at home in a few months.

Exactly. That describes my normal attitude toward movies perfectly--the last thing I saw in the theater was The Green Mile in, what, 2000? Now in this case, because I'm such a fan, Serenity was worth going to the trouble for, but a lot of people who don't know anything about Firefly and are only moderately interested in the BDM based on what they've seen and read, they're just going to wait and buy or rent the DVD. It's just so much more convenient, and in most cases, a more enjoyable experience to watch something in the comfort of your own living room than in a theater full of (possibly loud and obnoxious) strangers...

GIANTEVILHEAD

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 6:15 PM

I do agree with him about how some of the fans are way too aggressive but thinking that they had a big effect on the boxoffice is just wrong. The rabid fans definitely had a negative effect but not comparable to the negative effect the crappy trailers and commercials had.

"I swallowed a bug." -River Tam

XEROGRAVITY

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 6:20 PM

Ya know. Honestly, responding to this is a collossal waste of nonrefundable lifespan. The guy invokes a "big name" school of psychology as the premise of his analysis of we "overzealous" fans. He is clearly narcissistic.

We supposed to be moved to great acts of defiance by a longwinded troll? Nonsense. Don't waste your time on this pseudo-intellectual and his psychobabble.

Let him rant and rave about movies like Yentl and Ishtar. I'm sure he can write labrythnine volumes of "penetrating insights" into the redeeming social value of garbage like that.

XG

No such thing as gravity. The "Earth-that-was" just sucks.

HOWARD

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 6:21 PM

The article is excellent, intelligent, well writted and he is right about how gullable about the marketing seduction many browncoasts are. I for one do not take lightly the failure on Joss's part to respect established facts from the series.

The author is too negative about the potential of direct to DVD but very correct about the undermining of direct to DVD by Universal in releasing cheesy sequels and prequels. UNIVERSAL execs are idiots to treat DVD like 1980's VHS they should instead treat it as a mass market version of Laserdisc and a parallel to cinema release.

The author also underestimates international box office and international DVD.

The percentage of total revenue has long past the 50% mark for foreign income. It reached 50% in the early 1990's. Now with so many markets expanding the USA portion of box office is decreasing.

For example North American and European multiplex movie theatres are mostly drab and many people feel more pull by DVD and have bought top end home cinema systems. In contrast in Asia and Asia Pacific there is a new era of magnificent movie palaces in awesome multiplexes with super luxury and airline style 1st class/club class and economy ways of seeing a movie and having dinner and wine etc. While DVD sales in say South Korea are low compard to Europe or North America their cinemas are increasingly being transformed into high tech digital movie palaces so box office matters there more. While in Europe DVD matters more.

Even if only 100 million Chinese become English fluent and Western in their taste in the next ten years not only will film studios be consulting their desires but more and more movies will be made in China in English for the world.

Then an increasing number of Chinese language films will be seen in the USA as more and more Americans learn Mandarin at University and in their corporate complexes.

If 500 million Chinese become English fluent and Western in their taste the USA box office shall be downgraded to an after-thought.

In fact both Joss and UNIVERSAL are stupid and cowards for not taking a chance and making a truly bilingual English/Chinese SERENITY. The truth is a movie released even today with 50% Mandarin dialogue would have made MORE money not less.

The Chinese and Indian economies are set to take over world trade in years ahead.

A FIREFLY world for sure.

LYNNEC

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 6:41 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Howard:
In fact both Joss and UNIVERSAL are stupid and cowards for not taking a chance and making a truly bilingual English/Chinese SERENITY. The truth is a movie released even today with 50% Mandarin dialogue would have made MORE money not less.

The Chinese and Indian economies are set to take over world trade in years ahead.

A FIREFLY world for sure.

While the economies of China and India are already becoming force with which to be reckoned, I don't see Serenity having much opportunity to find a market in China. Why? When one of the central premises of the movie is of independant individuals functionally giving the middle finger to an overbearing central government, it might not be seen as acceptable fare for the populous of a country with just such a government, known for its restriction of information/media/etc.

Just a thought....

~ Lynne C. ~
---------------------
http://www.geocities.com/fic_girl_2003/index.html
http://www.cafepress.com/blood_love_etc

1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE