Serenity Still Has Legs

POSTED BY: iamspacecase
UPDATED: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 02:41
VIEWED: 7464
PAGE 2 of 4

PREV PAGE 1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE

DAVE7101

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:34 PM

Up here in Canada... can't find a set of the DVD's anywhere... every single retailer is sold out. Asking a sales drone almost universally produces a 'we can't keep them in stock' type of response.

I've been trying to find a set of dvd's for over a week... it must bode well that a shipment of dvd's to futureshop (think circuit city) is snapped up the moment they hit the floor.

i'd love to have a set, but im happy they are out of stock just the same.... bring back the series!!!!

EMBERS

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:42 PM

the whole point of DVD sales is that they are purchased by people who do not go to the movies:

DVD sales have become a billion dollar industry
(with virtually no over-head they are pure profit):
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-01-08-dvd-success_x.htm

I've been searching for totals of Firefly DVD sales and I haven't found actual numbers (I've heard it is closing on 1/4 of a million sold but I don't know what that is based on)
It is currently in the #4 position at Amazon in the USA:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/new-for-you/top-sellers/-/dvd/all
/ref=dp_pd_sr/103-3980050-1966268

so obviously I shouldn't be counting my chickens before they are hatched...
I'm just saying that in 2-3 years I'm expecting the total DVD sales will make Universal think it is time for a sequel...
I'm just saying that there is no reason to despair,
and every reason to be patient.

**********************************************
watch the R. Tam Session vids: http://www.hittarivertam.nu/
and buy the 'Serenity' comics published by Dark Horse!

CONOR

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:46 PM

dont forget us in Europe,its stil no.1 in the UK and here in Ireland and only the other night at 10pm at my 6th viewing it was completely packed out(this in the end of its 2nd week).So when the total for over here is added it can only help including all the positive reviews so i'm optimistic we will get something,i'm hoping for a new series as it means more.All the best.

conor chaney

SEVREN

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:57 PM

Everyone really needs to stay positive about this. Negativity seems to spread quicker and more easily than postive energy, so let's focus on the positive. I'm a relative newcomer. I had seem maybe a part of one episode on SciFi when I saw the movie, and now I am a fan and Browncoat for life. I'm sure I'm not the only one, and I kind of like having seen the movie before anything else. Now I've got all the books, the series and am taking my sister to the show tonight for my fourth and her second viewing. This is a sci-fi movie, with no "main stream" actors (I wouldn't trade anyone in the movie for any main stream actor). Except Bore-Wars, sci-fi movies have not fared that well recently. The slow demise of Star Trek is evidence of that. I think the movie has done quite respectible in light of all the factors. We've all got to hang on, think positively and just keep flyin'.

SEVREN

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:58 PM

make that "seen"....spell check couldn't save me there!

CHRISISALL

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 11:05 PM

Remember Pitch Black? A little sci-fi flick that got a big sequel?

Serenity 2 WILL happen...just wait (and BUY the dvd, like more than once- and no LENDING! Tell peeps you can't be without it for even one night, you might suddenly need to watch it!)

We'll drive up those gorram #'s Chrisisall

QUEENOFTHENORTH

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 11:16 PM

I'm still planning on seeing it at least two more times, if not more, if it ever comes into the theatre in my small town. I know lots of other people that are still planning on seeing it as well. The biggest problem, in my mind, is availability. It's in hardly any theatres around Central Alberta. Had it come to my town right away, I'd have seen it probably six times already, and brought people with me too. As it is, I've only seen it once because I don't have the money to waste on gas driving to the city six times. But hopefully it will come to my town still so I can support it some more.

There's no place I can be since I've found serenity.

EBANZAI

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 11:22 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by embers:
the whole point of DVD sales is that they are purchased by people who do not go to the movies:

That's true. But if a movie doesn't make a big enough splash, the DVD buyers might not necessarily look that way. Either way I'm still hoping for 2mil+ copies sold.

Quote:
Originally posted by embers:
DVD sales have become a billion dollar industry
(with virtually no over-head they are pure profit):
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-01-08-dvd-success_x.htm

I'm more inclined to believe the Edward Jay Epstein article I cited in my other post - according to him DVD profits are 2/3 revenues (still excellent by any standards). Also according to him, in the first quarter of 2005 home video profits outgained box office profits by about 2.5 to 1.

Quote:
Originally posted by embers:
I've been searching for totals of Firefly DVD sales and I haven't found actual numbers (I've heard it is closing on 1/4 of a million sold but I don't know what that is based on)

I thought I'd read that initial Firefly DVD sales were a shocking 300,000 which then rose more slowly to about 500k. With the added attention of Serenity, maybe it's approaching 750k...

Quote:
Originally posted by embers:
I'm just saying that in 2-3 years I'm expecting the total DVD sales will make Universal think it is time for a sequel...

We're in complete agreement there. My profit/loss guesstimates on Serenity may not be at all accurate, but they make me feel good about the movie's chances to at least break even if not swing to a profit in the next two years.

Quote:
Originally posted by embers:
I'm just saying that there is no reason to despair,
and every reason to be patient.

And I hope no one interpreted any of my comments as despair or negative thinking. I'm very hopeful and very optimistic - I'm just trying to hone that optimism around realistic expectations and realistic estimates.

JADEHAND

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 11:55 PM

Ok, I'm not sure, so I'm asking....
What about the 1,000,000+ Blockbuster video, Hollywood video, and Mom and Pop video stores everywhere. Each of them will be putting an average of 15-20(smaller stores and towns maybe less)copies of Serenity on the shelf as rentals, and they aren't free to video stores. Doesn't that $$ go to Universal. I worked at a video store for a while, but I'm not sure how that aspect of it works. Anyone have actual information on this?

Visit WWW.Marillion.Com for a better way to live
"Dreaming the dream that only the sleepless know."

UNSARDONIC

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 12:06 AM

This is a worthwhile thread, dealing with a bunch of my own feelings.

First I'm very intrigued by what you had to say about how well it's doing in Europe (I even exchanged emails with somone from Estonia where they apparently have some rabid Browncoats).

I posted a note in another thread Sunday stating that, because of the $22+ million in US grosses & the $28+ million in worldwide gross, the movie had already covered its negative cost and was beginning to make a dent in its P&A budget. The negative cost was an INCOMPREHENSIBLY low $39 million - as reported in a 2-page LATimes feature article called "Down-home Directing" - I gave the article title because it was very EXcellent and, as of yesterday, it was still available on the L.A.Times website for downloading. Hell... I've gone multiple times because the thing's a frickin' master's class on economical filmmaking - I'm truly dumbfounded by how they all achieved this.

I liked what the fellow had to say about how we all needed to focus on the positive (as it was easier to spread negativity than positivity). However "non-blockbuster" the numbers may be, because of Joss's amazing ability to shoot a movie for cheaper than anyone else, it may well be profitable in rather short order... especially if it's still #1 in England and other places.

As to how full the theaters are, I live in Hollywood and here, I went (my 4th time) to a Sunday (3rd weekend) matinee that was nearly full - and the entire audience still applauded the credits! I took that to mean there were a bunch of new viewers there and that was very reassuring, because maybe it's not moving so fast in some towns but here, it's got quite a following.

So, to do my bit to "spread the positivity," I've decided that I'm going every weekend while it's in the theater. "Star Wars" is done - "Lord of the Rings" is done... this is my newest alternate universe.... and a master's class in creating one cheaply.

PREV PAGE 1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE