Maybe we can do something to bring Firefly back...support Serenity

POSTED BY: Philo
UPDATED: Sunday, September 19, 2004 20:22
VIEWED: 4270
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PHILO

Thursday, September 16, 2004 7:43 PM

Let’s all agree on a few things:

We all love and miss Firefly.
We all are anxiously awaiting the release of Serenity.
We all would LOVE to see Firefly come back to TV somewhere.

So given these facts, here is an idea on how we might be able to actually do something about that last one.

Entertainment executives look at revenue, bottom line, advertising income, etc. They want to know how much money a given project will make for them in real dollars.

These days, few things speak louder in entertainment than opening weekend box office gross for a movie. It is a real and indisputable measure of public enjoyment and interest in a movie. If a movie had a great opening weekend box, execs might start to think about sequels, spin-offs, etc. To that end, here is the plan:

When Serenity opens, everyone should buy (at least) 10 tickets on opening weekend.

It’s only about $100 a person, something that would be easy to save up if you start now. Certainly something I am willing to spend on a great product.

Think about it, if there are 50,000 Firefly fans out there, and each of us buy 10 tickets @ (a conservative) $8 per ticket average, that is $4 million dollars. And I have to believe that there are a lot more than 50k fans out there. 100k fans? $8 million. We want a $30 million opening, lets find 375k fans and have them do this. That’s it.

If entertainment executives see a big opening weekend ($30+ million) it would be great proof that Firefly is a viable financial product. They might start wondering if they can bring it back to TV, make a sequel, who knows.

The point is this is a real, tangible, bottom-line way we can show our support for the show.

Who is with me? Spread the word…

ZEEK

Thursday, September 16, 2004 7:58 PM

Problems:
1.) Most people won't do this. We might get some number in the hundreds to do this but when you go for people's pocket books they disappear real quick.
2.) You may not have heard but common rumor is Fox owns the TV contract on Firefly for 10 years. Joss isn't going to work for the Fox TV execs again so that's pretty much out.
3.) If we did get it back to TV under the false impression that there are more fans out there than there really are it would just get disapointing TV ratings and get cancelled yet again. Perhaps for good.

We may be able to get a sequel and maybe even a trilogy out of this strategy but that's about it. I plan on getting as many friends as possible to go see Serenity. If at all possible I'll split them up to so I'll have to go multiple times with all of them.

Plus as Jewel Stait said go the second weekend too. Execs want to see some lasting power to. So second weekend $$$'s are almost as important as first.

GWENHARKER

Thursday, September 16, 2004 8:13 PM

Each of us buys 10 tickets for ten friends. and then if those 10 friends buy 10 tickets, who do they give them to?

SHINY

Thursday, September 16, 2004 9:47 PM

I appreciate the sentiment, but I really think we should focus our energies on getting 10 friends/co-workers/total strangers to watch the DVDs and fall in love with the show so they will shell out their OWN $10 to see the movie. In addition to saving you $100, that's 10 more people to help spread the word!

Jayne, your mouth is talkin. Might want to look into that.

CHEWIE

Thursday, September 16, 2004 10:10 PM

I agree with Shiny... Thats exactly how I became a HUGE Firefly fan. My best friend bought me a copy for my birthday after driving me crazy with "Have you bought Firefly yet?" "Have you fallin in love with them yet!?!" I watched and I fell in love! I just bought 5 new sets for family and friends.

Chewie

LITTLEMANLOVESFIRE

Thursday, September 16, 2004 10:58 PM

I don't think it coming back to TV is impossible.

If the movie is a success along the lines of The Matrix (which is exactly how big I see it becoming) and FOX offered Joss the terms he'd want - 5 years guaranteed, good time slot, and no meddling (for example) then I don't think his experience there would put him off. He's not stupid. A long running TV show is what he wants, I believe - it's also what we want. Films could still happen concurrently, a la Star Trek. I believe he'd view it as a victory, surely? He doesn't have to like the people who's money he's spending does he?

I mean, I think it's unlikely, but don't say it's impossible. When it was cancelled whoever thought we'd be here waiting for the film, eh? Firefly is to my mind the greatest TV show ever made - nothing has ever reached that level of artistic depth. These stories deserve to be told.

AGEHN

Thursday, September 16, 2004 11:08 PM

I just finished watching some of my favorite episodes for the third time.. such a great show. I decided to see what there was about it online; I figured it's a such a great thing that there must be a fanbase somewhere on the 'net. I didn't even know there was gonna be a movie until I read this.. There must be a way to get it back on air... it would be shiny in the best possible way. It makes me happy to watch the DVDs, until I remember that there won't be more anytime soon. If we all won the lottery....
I dunno, there must be a way.

PLUTOMOMENT

Friday, September 17, 2004 12:09 AM

It was made pretty clear at dragon con that it wont happen. The deal when fox sold the rights to universal was that it could not be made into a tv series for x number of years. I beleive Nathan said 10 years at the friday panel and I know Jewel repeated it at the Serenity Now! panel Sunday night.

IZCHAN

Friday, September 17, 2004 4:32 AM

GOD ... now I know I hate fox to the extreme. They are now pratically saying, if I can't have it no one can. If they don't wish to do make the tv series happend, then let other people take up the project and make it happend.

Ass holes with money.

the fact that firefly failed in the first place was because they were sabotaging it right from the beginning.

Someone should really have a "solid" talk with the foxs higher ups.

Serious ass holes.

BROWNCOAT1

Friday, September 17, 2004 1:37 PM

Welcome to the board Agehn.

As to a return to TV, it looks very, very bleak. From what the BDHs said at Dragon Con, Fox's stipulation for giving over the movie rights to Universal was no return to TV for a number of years. The exact number has been guessed at 5-10 years, but I have not heard anything concrete or official.

At this point it would seem the best we can hope for is the trilogy of movies. In order to get those movies we have to do all we can to insure the first BDM is a big success.

Shiny's advise is the best in my opinion. Many of us do not have an extra hundred buck to blow on a movie. We need to concentrate our efforts on getting new fans by winning them over w/ the DVD set. The more fans we have the more tickets we sell the better the odds of Universal greenlighting the other two movies.

Now I am not trying to dissuade anyone from buying extra tickets if they can afford it. I for one plan to see the movie at least 6 to 10 times the first two weeks it is in theatres. I also plan on taking my wife, kids, friends, and anyone else I can convince to go. I will also buy an extra ticket in memory of Lux for each showing. I will take Nathan's advise and bring my own snacks so I can afford to go to see the money for movie tickets.

It is imperative that the movie sales are strong those first two weeks. This was expressed very clearly by Jewel and Adam at Dragon Con. If you can only afford to go several times, split it up over the first two weeks.

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

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