Pacific Rim Beaten by Adam Sandler at Box Office

[Pyrokinesis]

+1 to OP mentality. I do find it sad given how great the video was in terms of action quality. I mean it easily out does transformers in sheer volumes when it comes to robot action scenes. Would almost dare to say that 50% of the movie is just amazing CGI robot action that everyone wants. Not like transformers sad 30% or less.

 

[NeedsaBetterName22]

Cue endless stream of geek elitism over their entertainment choices...

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Interestingly enough, I've heard from some folks I know that live in asia where the film has opened the cinema's are packed.

That makes scene as it seems to be focused on the foreign market. The fact that Kojima calls it the Ultimate Otaku Movie should pretty much explain it: this movie is aimed towards a lot of mecha and kaiju fans which reside in large numbers in Asia, especially China, Korea and Japan. I've seen the movie and it definably lives up to the moniker; I saw references to Evangelion, the jaegers look like old gundam designs and the Kaiju look like Old Godzilla designs but with modern textures and movements.

Regardless, Pacific Rim is not going to flop at this rate, a total of 129 million is sure to make up the costs of production and del Toro will have enough goodwill to make the Mountains of Madness movie he wanted to do.

 

[Flatfrog]

Here is the odd thing; this movie, as discussed by me and my friends, was pretty much banking on an extremely small portion of the American audience but a Large portion of the Asian market.

Good call. I didn't consider that and you're right, that could make an enormous difference. It's a bit like that weird Top Cat movie that came out last year - it was completely baffling to see that anyone had made it, but it all fell into place when you learned it was made primarily for a South American market where Top Cat is a much bigger deal, and only really released elsewhere as an afterthought.

 

[Imre Csete]

I'd watch it this instant, but I'm gonna watch it with my anime geek friend after he returns from abroad work this fall.

Well, camaraderie built with drinking games while watching mecha animes is a hard one to die.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

I'm telling everyone I can to go see it.

If you're looking for a rich character-developing narrative, Pacific Rim isn't that kind of movie. It's an amazing action movie, and well worth seeing for that alone. IT HAS A GIANT ROBOT USING A TANKER BOAT AS A SWORD! NUFF SAID.

I could argue that it had least have some character development. Yeah, Mako, Stacker, and Becket aren't the best characters but they had interesting backstories and had enough development to be considered more grown at the end than at the beginning.

Compared to Transformers ( I don't want to bring the argument up but it's the closest comparison) and you get Sam with very little development, Fox's character is just a walking doll and the Transformers themselves don't grow and are standard as hell.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Oh lol, and let me guess, they are killed off like 15 minutes into the film because Russians make great casualties.

My ex told me the other day she was invited to watch this film by an acquaintance of hers. I thought inviting a girl you fancy to watch a huge mecha drama is a very adorable thing to do so I said go for it. Hope she does.

They and the Chinese pilots barely get any lines. Plus the Russians are of course monstrous ubermensches (Sasha being played by 5'9" Heather Doerksen and Aleksis by 7' wrestler Robert Maillet). I will give for having the central characters being comprised of two Aussies, a Brit, a Japanese woman, and ONE American...but at the end of the day the American is the main character.

Anyway, hopefully this has legs. Apparently it's been kicking ass in Asia. I would like to see a sequel if just to see what other Jaeger designs they could come up with.

fair enough that the Chinese and Russian pilots are not given any lines but they get across what they are: military minded people who work well in formation (the Chinese triplets playing basketball in perfect sync and Russians having bodies that look out of Spetsnaz training)

the Aussies were interesting with recognizable personalties. Idris Elba does the tough Marshall role with a heaviness and commitment that I like. Kikuchi's Mako is basically a more expressive form of Rei Ayanami (the blue highlights were a dead giveaway) but I still understood her pain and Hunnam conveys the pain of being with people somewhat well.

All and all, the characters are pretty much out of TVtropes but still enjoyable.

P.S. if we have future Jaeger designs, del Toro should look to the Gundam Series, great stuff there with beam sabers, fin funnels, and mobility that rivals fighter planes

 

[Ebonrul]

Meh...

The real sting is that it was beaten by another half-assed SNL reunion special. Even American Otaku describe it as a B minus effort. While it will be vindicated by worldwide box office numbers in the long run, it won't be the darling of the American cinema this summer. And while there's probably a little irritation that the only original nerd movie out this summer didn't make a significant cultural impact, it's the fact that middle-aged men telling fart jokes beat it that gets under everyone's skin.

Still, even Moviebob couldn't have expected any different (okay, no one saw the sequel to Grownups taking the number two spot) since even he had to beg American audiences to go see it. While not exactly an untested formula to the pocket protector crowd, this is pretty high-concept for your standard popcorn-muncher. It may not be a no-brainer to us, with all of it's in-jokes and references to Kaiju and Mecha, but yeah, those things are well outside the grasp of your average US moviegoer.

Still, expect huge US box office numbers when American audiences and critics try to show how 'with it' they are when it blows up internationally. Theaters will have more showings, and the PR machine will run with the international numbers.

Also, expect the PR for "Enders Game" to change based on how domestic audiences respond (perhaps by placing a gag order on Card). It already looks like Halo with tweens in the previews so...about twice that. I predict the opposite of what's happening here. The faithful will hate the previews but absolutely love the movie.

I hate to say it, but if projects like this are going to succeed, advertising to the nerds isn't a good idea. We only needed one shot of a skyscraper sized robot/monster to throw our money at it.

 

[DrOswald]

I don't think I've ever disliked a movie as much as Pacific Rim. Sorry, people - and MovieBob, I know you love giant monster movies but Jesus, you should not have let this movie get away with being as dumb and cliched as it was.

I genuinely don't understand the big love this movie is getting here. I mean - sure, giant robots punching monsters in the face, it's fun enough in its way but *everything* about this movie was stupid. The plot was just like spending half an hour on TVTropes - when Idris Elba came in suited up I literally facepalmed. That fucking 'British Professor' character *actually said 'By Jove' at one stage*. And wrote equations on a giant blackboard.

And the big sword. The Big Fucking Sword! They might as well have joined the robots together into a giant MegaZorg.

Ok, I am calling you out here. Why exactly is a giant robot having a sword so dumb? And how is it any more dumb than, say, a man dressing up as a bat and fighting crime? Or a man getting really angry and turning into a green rage monster? Or Hawkeye using a bow against technologically advanced aliens?

How is Pacific Rim being cliched worse than, for example, Captain America, which is basically a movie about a walking cliche? Or the Avengers? I mean, Nick Fury actually reports to a room full of shadowy figures. The Avengers save the world with the power of friendship. All the aliens die when the mothership explodes for no reason. In fact, you could say that the plot of The Avengers is like spending a half hour on TV tropes. Why are Pacific Rim's cliches so much worse?

Please, explain.

 

[hooglese]

Why does adam sandler need to exist!

 

[Flatfrog]

Ok, I am calling you out here. Why exactly is a giant robot having a sword so dumb?

Because it was the final straw that destroyed any last remnant of hope that I was watching anything other than a Power Rangers movie. It was *exactly* the same as the moment from any Power Rangers episode where the monster defeats their current arsenal of weapons so they bring out one more even more stupid master weapon. The one that has become a particular (mis)quote in our house is, I think, from Mystic Force - 'unleash the bee'. And you always find yourself saying 'if that weapon's so damn effective why didn't you use it from the start?

And how is it any more dumb than, say, a man dressing up as a bat and fighting crime? Or a man getting really angry and turning into a green rage monster? Or Hawkeye using a bow against technologically advanced aliens?

Oh, it isn't. And I can cope with silly big dumb movies just fine. But they need to have some kind of lightness of tone that makes you willing to play along.

I know what this reminded me of:

How is Pacific Rim being cliched worse than, for example, Captain America, which is basically a movie about a walking cliche? Or the Avengers? I mean, Nick Fury actually reports to a room full of shadowy figures. The Avengers save the world with the power of friendship. All the aliens die when the mothership explodes for no reason. In fact, you could say that the plot of The Avengers is like spending a half hour on TV tropes. Why are Pacific Rim's cliches so much worse?

Well, I can't go comparing it with everything, but ok, let's pick The Avengers (I thought Captain America was pretty stupid too TBH). That worked because it engaged me with the characters, who were well drawn, with conflicts between them between them that gave us some reason to care about them above and beyond the crisis they were facing. It felt that the story followed the characters, not the other way round. It helped that there was a villain with a motive and some kind of personal connection to the characters, and that the escalations of the peril were not just quantitative ('What category monster is it?' 'Category five!') but qualitative (Oh, so his plan was not this but that).

Is that enough? I could probably give you more but I'd have to watch Avengers again if I wanted to go into any more detail.

 

[duct tape guardian]

hey man, I did my part I saw it 3 times this weekend, and am probably gonna see it a couple more times this week.

 

[JemothSkarii]

who the hell watches Adam Sandler movies?

Pacific Rim is stupid movie. a good-stupid movie. it is worth watching.

I do, quite often actually but I generally stick to the classics. Kind of enjoyed Grown Ups, but have you seen Reign Over Me? Very powerful movie.

OT: The sequel to Grown Ups looks terrible, and the Adam Sandler movies these last few years seem....uninspired. Pacific Rim looks kind of cool I'll have to check it out.

 

[LazyAza]

This is absolutely disgusting, everyone responsible for this happening makes me ashamed to be part of this species.

Grown Ups 2... beat Pacific Rim? Grown Ups 2 beat Pacific Rim?! That's it!

I can see the argument for it perhaps being considered quite niche and therefore not getting the broader attention, but I still find that a surprising notion given how utterly dominated the box office is these days by superheroes and other traditionally nerdy topics.

It's just in the US.
Outside of the US, Grown Ups 2 earned 1.7 million$, while Pacific Rim earned 53 million $... in 3 days!!! PR is doing fine, it will make a lot more than GU2 in the long run.
Movies can bomb in the US and still be worldwide hits. It's not the 80's anymore.

Aw man I built this space ship for NOTHING! Here I was all set to go colonize Mars. Haha but seriously that's awesome, but boy, what the heck America.

 

[DrOswald]

Ok, I am calling you out here. Why exactly is a giant robot having a sword so dumb?

Because it was the final straw that destroyed any last remnant of hope that I was watching anything other than a Power Rangers movie. It was *exactly* the same as the moment from any Power Rangers episode where the monster defeats their current arsenal of weapons so they bring out one more even more stupid master weapon. The one that has become a particular (mis)quote in our house is, I think, from Mystic Force - 'unleash the bee'. And you always find yourself saying 'if that weapon's so damn effective why didn't you use it from the start?

And how is it any more dumb than, say, a man dressing up as a bat and fighting crime? Or a man getting really angry and turning into a green rage monster? Or Hawkeye using a bow against technologically advanced aliens?

Oh, it isn't. And I can cope with silly big dumb movies just fine. But they need to have some kind of lightness of tone that makes you willing to play along.

How is Pacific Rim being cliched worse than, for example, Captain America, which is basically a movie about a walking cliche? Or the Avengers? I mean, Nick Fury actually reports to a room full of shadowy figures. The Avengers save the world with the power of friendship. All the aliens die when the mothership explodes for no reason. In fact, you could say that the plot of The Avengers is like spending a half hour on TV tropes. Why are Pacific Rim's cliches so much worse?

Well, I can't go comparing it with everything, but ok, let's pick The Avengers (I thought Captain America was pretty stupid too TBH). That worked because it engaged me with the characters, who were well drawn, with conflicts between them between them that gave us some reason to care about them above and beyond the crisis they were facing. It felt that the story followed the characters, not the other way round. It helped that there was a villain with a motive and some kind of personal connection to the characters, and that the escalations of the peril were not just quantitative ('What category monster is it?' 'Category five!') but qualitative (Oh, so his plan was not this but that).

Is that enough? I could probably give you more but I'd have to watch Avengers again if I wanted to go into any more detail.

That lightness of tone stuff is not true if you think about it. Dark Knight was as heavy a movie as you can get and you have specifically, in this thread, used it as a positive example against Pacific Rim. While Dark Knight has a good deal of humor none of it is lighthearted. Pacific Rim, on the other hand, never takes itself too seriously, breaking up even the most intense action scenes with lighthearted jokes. So that cannot be the reason you find the robot with the sword so much worse.

And it can't be the timing of the thing. After all, basically the exact same thing happens in The Avengers when the Hulk, without any explanation at all, suddenly can control his Hulk rage. Why couldn't he have done that before? oh, right, because we had to have a scene where Thor fights Hulk. It doesn't need to make sense, it was cool and fun. But the sword was not cool and fun for you.

I would like to propose an explanation:

You like the cliches and tropes in the Avengers more than the ones in Pacific Rim. You dislike event driven plots and you are more willing to put up with the dumbness of superhero movies than the dumbness of giant robot movies, all of which are completely valid positions. You like what you like. But we like what we like.

My problem is when you come in here and criticize us for liking what we liked. You call us out for letting a movie get away with being dumb and cliched when you have done exactly the same thing when it was the thing you liked. You let the Dark Knight and the Avengers get away with being dumb and cliched because you like those movies. And I agree with you. I like those movies a lot. Just don't criticize me for letting something I like get away with being dumb and cliched because you don't like it.

 

[Mr Dizazta]

I had to force my parents to go see Pacific Rim Friday. Know what they did the next day? Went and saw Grown Ups 2 and had that balls to say it was better.

 

[Jacco]

Although I haven't seen the Adam Sandler film... I did see Pacific Rim - due to friends wanting to go see it.

I thought it was pretty god damn awful if I'm honest. Cheesy lines, stereotypical casting, unnecessary stupid visual jokes.

I know people will probably rage at me for saying that but it really wasn't my cup of tea at all. Summarising the film is as simple as 'Smashy smashy' - so I think it should take its box office position as a win for such a poor film.

I agree with you 100%. I thought it was fucking awful. It belonged on the SciFi channel so whatever money it makes it should be very greatful for.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

snip

It was fun, but I don't see the gushing. Maybe it is because we finally have a benchmark for giant robot combat. Michael Bay could watch it and take notes. Combat has weight, feeling, spectacle, and you can actually tell what is going on.

I guess that is what I'm getting at. The reason people are going ape over it is because it shows that there is a spark in what looks like a dying industry.

Yeah it bases itself of several movie types, but it is new IP. This industry has devolved into a blob of remakes, "re-imaginings", trashy comedies, and sequels/prequels, with the rest of the movies while being some "new" things they tend to be artsy-fartsy "look at me Oscar people, please give me an award".

I remember when I use to go to the theater at least 8 times a year, but then it started becoming unappealing(and not because of the prices). Looking back, in the past 5 years, I may have seen ten movies. Last year I saw two movies, The Avengers, and The Hobbit.

This year, I've only seen Despicable Me 2 because my friends asked me if I wanted to go, and I had nothing better to do. Next week I will go see Pacific Rim. Then from what I know of that is coming down the film line, the next and last movie of the year I will see is the next Hobbit movie.

On a side note:
I think I know one reason I've become disinterested in movies in the past few years. When I saw DM2 yesterday, I sat through more than twenty minutes of movie trailers, so many that they've blurred together so I don't remember how many. I know at least four were cash grab kid flicks that are trying to grasp onto the gold of what came before, and one was the Ender's Game movie.

First off, that felt like there was a glut of movies coming out. I know I remember that when I was younger, I actually liked the movie previews and was excited to see what two or three movies they previewed. But now it's like they have to advertise almost the entire movie lineup for the next three months or so.

Secondly, I noticed that it really does seem like most of Hollywood doesn't know how to make movie trailers anymore. I think just about all the trailers I saw, I felt like they had already shown me every scene in the movie, at least every scene they thought was the best, which makes me not want to go see the movie even if I'm interested. At that point I'm like, well I've already seen the good parts on the big screen with the trailer, now I can wait to view it on Netflix or get the DVD.

 

[Tien Shen]

Meh, Pacific Rim brought in $91 million [http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=pacificrim.htm] worldwide. GU2 only managed to get $43 million [http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=grownups2.htm] worldwide. Pacific Rim hasn't even opened in China and Japan. So globally, PR will certainly crush GU2, but for a lot of folks, the US market seems to be only thing that matters.