1/8/06 Rental & Sales Chart Update by LoveThatFireFly

NEWS HEADLINE DISCUSSIONS

1/8/06 Rental & Sales Chart Update

POSTED BY: LOVETHATFIREFLY
UPDATED: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 14:22
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 16592
PAGE 1 of 1

Thursday, January 12, 2006 2:31 PM

SERENITY RENTALS:

http://www.dvdexclusive.com/charts_renters_weekly.asp

This week: 23
Last week: 17
Weeks in release: 3
Weekly Revenue DVD: 1.31 million
Weekly Revenue VHS: 0.03 million
Total weekly Revenue: 1.35 million

Revenue decline compared to last week: 56% drop

DVD/VHS Rental Revenue to date: 8.05 million
US Box Office Gross: 25.50 million
Rental revenue as a % of Box Office: 31.60%

SERENITY SALES:

http://www.dvdexclusive.com/charts_sellers_weekly.asp

(I have noticed that not all retailers report sales of this DVD each week. Some of them sell previousy owned - not sure how that it counted.)

This week:14
Last week: 6
Weeks in release:3
Amazon:3
Buy.com: 3
DVD Empire: 6
Half.com:14 Tower:8

I will post this weekly as I find the updates. As soon as it drops off the top charts, I am sure it won't be available...

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Thursday, January 12, 2006 4:21 PM

ASIMOV

Okay, let's take a look at the numbers, shall we?

Serenity cost around $39 or $40 million to make. (Those numbers almost surely don't include all the advertising costs, but they're the commonly reported figures.)

Let's tally the reported box office and rental gross:

DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: $25.5 million
OVERSEAS BOX OFFICE: $13.3 million
+ DOMESTIC DVD/VHS RENTAL: $8.05 million
____________________________________________

= TOTAL REPORTED GROSS: $46.85 million

That's probably not correct: Surely not all of that money actually goes back to Universal. For instance, Universal presumably won't get all of that $8.05 million from rentals. But if most of that money does go to Universal, what can we conclude? Some thoughts:

(1) Even including advertising costs, Serenity must be out of the red by now, or at least close.

(2) The tally above, if I'm understanding LoveThatFireFly's post correctly, does not include DVD purchases. The addition of those DVD purchases would surely drive total gross much higher, especially considering the high ranking of the DVDs at Amazon and elsewhere.

(3) That total gross also doesn't include international sales of the DVD, which are just about to get underway in most places.

(4) Nor does it include the sale of the TV rights.

When all is said and done, Serenity will have made a decent profit for Universal.

More importantly, the movie has created a huge new fan base hungering for more. Look at how the gangbuster sales of the Serenity DVD have dragged Firefly -- a cancelled TV show that was released on DVD more than two years ago! -- back into the top ten sellers on Amazon:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/amazon.asp

All in all, it seems to me that it would be a great business move for anybody who can to bring Firefly back to TV to do so.

Of course, I may be looking at this whole situation through roseate glasses -- especially given the fact, repeatedly established with steaming heaps of empirical evidence, that TV execs aren't exactly burdened with an overabundance of brains.

So maybe we shouldn't assume the numbers will speak for themselves. Maybe we're approaching the time for the next phase of fan action.

If the perseverance and hard work of the fans helped to turn Firefly into Serenity, then maybe we can turn Serenity back into Firefly.

- A new website for a new fan campaign?

- A letter-writing campaign to TV execs, pointing out the great numbers?

- A petition?

I don't know. But the time to act is now -- while momentum is still building, while millions of people are being introduced to the 'verse for the first time. We have a great opportunity here, an opportunity to do the impossible. We shouldn't squander it.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Thursday, January 12, 2006 11:40 PM

SNOZZAMAN

Just a quick and simple reply, Why take it of the air in the first place after what was it? 8 episodes? C'mon, even friends was'nt popular for the 1st 10 episodes or so(mid table ratings. So why not give a great show like this a chance. Hell even Star Trek TNG(a show that wenmt on for 199 episodes) was given a chance even though that languished near the bottom of the charts for ages.

So all I have to say to Universal, Warner, MGM, and whoever else. Stop thinking about profit all the bloody time and for once think about the fans!!

(sorry about going on like that!)

and yeah lets start a petition!!

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, January 13, 2006 3:04 AM

CAUSAL

Much as I hate to be the voice of cynicism...

Quote:
Originally posted by snozzaman:
So all I have to say to Universal, Warner, MGM, and whoever else. Stop thinking about profit all the bloody time and for once think about the fans!!

Yeah, right. Like that'll ever happen.

________________________________________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, January 13, 2006 4:49 AM

SITTINGDUCK

Quote:
Originally posted by asimov:
Serenity cost around $39 or $40 million to make. (Those numbers almost surely don't include all the advertising costs, but they're the commonly reported figures.)

Don't forget that the budget also doesn't include costs of distribution. Or for that matter the production, advertising, and distribution of the DVD.

Quote:
Let's tally the reported box office and rental gross:

DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: $25.5 million
OVERSEAS BOX OFFICE: $13.3 million
+ DOMESTIC DVD/VHS RENTAL: $8.05 million
____________________________________________

= TOTAL REPORTED GROSS: $46.85 million

That's probably not correct: Surely not all of that money actually goes back to Universal. For instance, Universal presumably won't get all of that $8.05 million from rentals. But if most of that money does go to Universal, what can we conclude?

The percentage I've heard is about half, which sounds right. Much as we might like to bitch about the prices, surely no one who is thinking clearly believes the movie theaters run entirely on the revenue from the concession stands.

Quote:
When all is said and done, Serenity will have made a decent profit for Universal.

With the more pessimistic percentages, it looks more like breaking even or a marginal profit. At best only warranting a direct-to-video sequel.

Quote:
More importantly, the movie has created a huge new fan base hungering for more. Look at how the gangbuster sales of the Serenity DVD have dragged Firefly -- a cancelled TV show that was released on DVD more than two years ago! -- back into the top ten sellers on Amazon:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/amazon.asp

I wouldn't gauge the size of the fan base from DVD sales. Keep in mind the number of posts here proclaiming the intent of buying multiple copies of the Serenity DVD. Sure some of those multiple copies are going to be gifts, but I'm reminded of something C.S. Lewis said regarding The Screwtape Letters. He noted that while sales were quite good, it didn't necessarily mean that anyone was actually reading them. He commented that The Screwtape Letters was the sort of book that godparents gave as a confirmation gift and was frequently used as a dust collector in the guest bedroom.

I hope you'll pardon my pessimism, but I tend to find that sort of thinking is all too warranted.

The rabbit is cuddly. Kids like little cuddly sidekicks. I mean... The rabbit... It's a time-tested... Okay, the rabbit bites.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, January 13, 2006 7:05 AM

ZEEK

I think it's at least a good sign here. I mean this doesn't even include international sales right? Which should be especially interesting considering some of those countries didn't even get the film in theaters.

I also think that this should point out to the potential studios who might want to produce more Serenity that the fans are more into the small screen. Perhaps a mini-series, return to TV, direct to dvd somethingorother, etc. I really liked the previous idea of the series being revived as an online only production where each episode costs a couple bucks to download or something.

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, January 13, 2006 7:20 AM

WILDHARE

What we dont see in any of the numbers is Video sales. I can find no place that shows what the numbers are on video sales gross. We get numbers. #2 #6 whatever but I can't find anyplace where that is converted to dollars.

If you take 2 million copies world wide which I think is likely to be a low number and multiply that by 19 dollars a pop your talking 38 million dollars.

That takes it somewhere around 75 to 80 million gross. 25 million over cost to produce.

Now my numbers could be off but I don't believe they are way off.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, January 13, 2006 7:40 AM

BOWIE

(Quote)The percentage I've heard is about half, which sounds right. Much as we might like to bitch about the prices, surely no one who is thinking clearly believes the movie theaters run entirely on the revenue from the concession stands. (end Quote)

Actually I work at the theator, and they do. If you want to bitch about the prices of tickets, bitch to Holywood. The movie theator buys the movie. It only buys movies it thinks will bring peeps in, which is why somtimes movies arent shown, but the movie peeps have a rule that only they get the profs from the tickets. The movie theator must keep itself going off of popcorn and soda, which is why prices there have risen. The sad thing is the theators always get the blame for the high prices, no the people who actually get the money.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, January 13, 2006 8:58 AM

GOSHDARNSTUD

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the take by the theater dependent on how long the movie has been out. The first couple weeks almost all of the money goes to the studio, then down the road the theater gets to keep most the cash. Hence why you can't use free passes the first couple weeks or release, the theater would still have to pay for your seat to the studio. Maybe that's why Serenity lasted so long in some theaters, Browncoats were still filling up seats, and making the theater money, if contributing very little to the total take of the movie.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, January 13, 2006 11:03 AM

STORYMARK

Quote:
Originally posted by goshdarnstud:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the take by the theater dependent on how long the movie has been out. The first couple weeks almost all of the money goes to the studio, then down the road the theater gets to keep most the cash. Hence why you can't use free passes the first couple weeks or release, the theater would still have to pay for your seat to the studio. Maybe that's why Serenity lasted so long in some theaters, Browncoats were still filling up seats, and making the theater money, if contributing very little to the total take of the movie.

From the time I spent working in a theatre, that sounds about right. Back then (about 7 years ago) the Studio got 80-90% of the gross for the first 2 weeks, and then the percentage shifted more toward the exhibitor's benefit.

"Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle."

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, January 13, 2006 11:12 AM

STORCH

I'm not an expert on this subject in the US, but I can speak for German cinemas, and as an example mention the film "Hulk", which was not only crap, but also a huge discussion topic here. The studio had raised the percentage they got from that movie to more than the generally agreed maximum, and that was (give or take a few) 55%. For that reason, a lot of big German cinemas did not show "Hulk" at all for a week or so, until an agreement was found and we, too, got the great pleasure of enjoying this masterpiece

Anyway, my point being: Apparently at least in Germany, the studios only get max half the money made by a film.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, January 13, 2006 1:07 PM

BOWIE

It may be different in other states, but down here in cali right now the theator gets the money from the popcorn and soda, and thats it. They have to spend money to get the film. The reason they keep films that are more populare and bring more people is, most of those peeps buy food and drink. I think that actually might be down here only, cause down here its like movie heaven, and every theator has to try and get movies to come to them, not the other way around like might be expected in other states.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, January 13, 2006 1:18 PM

FOURBARRELL

Worldwide: $38,795,959 Box office report as of 1-13-06.

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, January 13, 2006 1:25 PM

KANESKI

There's also the thing of DVD not having been released yet in some parts of the world. 8th Feb for Australia for example.

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, January 13, 2006 1:40 PM

SHOGUN

Perhaps we are going about this all wrong. A lot of us buy the movie Serenity for our friends, relatives and so forth. When a lot of them haven't even seen firefly yet. The firefly sales have been outstanding considering the cancellation of a show and the fact that they are way up there on Amazon.com for copies being sold. I believe we are trying to put the horse behind the cart instead of the other way around. We should be introducing people to the firefly universe and then to follow up with Serenity. It makes much more sense even as a movie that was meant for someone who never saw firefly. It gives meaning and emotion to the characters from Wash to Jayne. All of them. I wish that I saw firefly first, and then Serenity. We don't have to buy firefly for everyone, but lend a copy. Have two copies, one for home and one to lend. After seeing yours, it may inspire them to go out and buy there own. Put a time limit on it when you want it back so that they don't aquire your copy but purchase there own. If they want to keep watching some episodes, they will have to buy their own copy. I know that I keep repeating myself here, but I figure you get the point. Even if they don't purchase Serenity right away, you can buy it as a gift to them. They are sure to watch it if they own firefly. Remember what it is to you. It will be something to someone else to. Let the movie do the talking. One can only buy so many movies, and like someone else mentioned. You may purchase the movie for someone, but if they don't watch it, then it really has no value and especially no-repeat value for them or anyone else they can talk to. So keep pursuing firefly and Serenity will follow...stay shiny everyone. Its still early!

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, January 13, 2006 1:53 PM

WILDHARE

As I have stated before. I have two copies of firefly. One for myself and one I loan out. Only I dont give them the last disk. If they want to see if they have to buy it. Those that don't want to buy it never make it past the first disk anyway.

Two copies one for me one to loan. Thats how I do it.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, January 13, 2006 1:58 PM

TANSTAAFL28

I read somewhere that Fox gave Joss Weadon the chance to do "Firefly" simply to have him produce one more season of "Buffy." The network didn't lift a finger to promote "Firefly" when it first aired. Nor do I believe a concerted effort was made to promote "Serenity" when it first came out.

Thanks in large part to the Sci-Fi Channel for rebroadcasting the series, sales of the series on DVD shot through the roof, and this spawned enough interest to make "Serenity" which didn't do so well in the theaters, but has done respectably since it was released on DVD. This has also given new life to sales of the series on DVD once more.

I think this bodes well for our chances of getting either a series, or another movie (hopefully both) out of the deal.

"You can't take the sky from me..."

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Saturday, January 14, 2006 9:55 AM

SHOGUN

Thanks for your reply Wildhare, thats a good idea not giving the last dvd out. How do you give it out so that you don't lose any of the dvds. Only 3 in the box set and they would easily fall out. Do you keep the dvd in a separate holder at home?
I believe that you do understand that is the way to promote Serenity. Promote firefly and Serenity will automatically follow. Firefly only leaves you wanting more. If they don't make it past the disc 1 then I agree, it doesn't matter anyway. Just wasn't meant to be for them and they can go back to watching there reality shows and soap operas.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Saturday, January 14, 2006 10:09 AM

BOWIE

I think we need to aslo reach out to the fallowers of other sci fi genres. I know from being a Roswell fan that Rosewell fans would love this movie. Is there some way we could specifically target those kinds of people, who are in fact the people most likely to get firefly?

If you play Nationstates.net check out the region Firefly.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Sunday, January 15, 2006 9:20 AM

DANFAN

Quote:
Originally posted by SittingDuck:

With the more pessimistic percentages, it looks more like breaking even or a marginal profit. At best only warranting a direct-to-video sequel.

A direct-to-video sequel would suit me just fine. Surely the budget would be less (making for a less spectacular movie visually). But then again, my love of the Firefly 'verse was always first about the characters and dialog. The effects just made it all better.

By example, Serenity (the pilot episode for Firefly, not the theatrical movie) was an engrossing two hours for me. If a direct to video movie could be made of that quality (story, characterization, effects), I would shell out the money for it in a heartbeat. And at the much reduced expense of such a movie, it could turn a profit far more easily than a theatrical release... hence improving the odds of even more DTV releases.

Sounds like a win to me. I'm just hoping that Universal execs are willing to think a little outside the box...

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, January 16, 2006 4:37 AM

MICRONAUT

I've said it before, and I'll now say it again... Firefly works best on the small screen... Intimate stories, complex characters, interwoven plots... these are the hallmarks which made Firefly great in the first place...

I would have rather Joss had not made "Serenity", but rather had poured the $40 million into a DVD set of 12 new episodes - that's $3 mil per plus $4 mil for advertising, a good budget for any TV show. Judging by the response of the fans, it would have been smarter to budget $4-6 mil for upfront costs, plus $2 mil per episode for a rough total of $30 mil, and created 12 new episodes... which would have done well on DVD, but also made a lot of money in syndication and in overseas markets...

I say skip the next big "movie" entirely - film 12 episodes of Firefly and release a 3 or 4 disc set, and I'll be there on release day with a dozen friends, each of us ready to buy a copy or two... Hell, I'd like to see what happened in the 6 months between the end of the series and the movie, and have them fill in the gaps and use an extended cut of the movie as a concluding episode.

Firefly's characters are meant to be savoured over the course of time, not devoured in a two hour feeding frenzy... any marketing manager who isn't a kiss-ass brown-tonguer could have told Fox/Universal that much...

_________________________________________________
Much work remains to be done before we can announce our total failure to make any progress...

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, January 16, 2006 6:14 AM

WILDHARE

Right now I have both of my sets of firefly loaned out and am waiting to get one back to loan again. I have yet to lose a disc nor have I gotten one scratched.

Right now I'm working backwards. Most people in my circles have seen Serenity but have never heard of firefly. So I get them watching firefly then buy it then buy Serenity to complete the set for their collection.

It's just working better that way for me.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, January 16, 2006 6:45 AM

LAWLER

Quote:
Originally posted by Wildhare:
As I have stated before. I have two copies of firefly. One for myself and one I loan out. Only I dont give them the last disk. If they want to see if they have to buy it. Those that don't want to buy it never make it past the first disk anyway.

Two copies one for me one to loan. Thats how I do it.

That is really a great idea. I bought a couple the Firefly series, which, of course led to them buying Serenity themselves.

But, I like your idea better.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, January 16, 2006 6:47 AM

I'm torn on the Serenity 2 vs Firefly 2 thing. Like pretty much all browncoats I'd be hugely grateful for either, just for a return to the 'verse. But which one more?

Personally I prefer Serenity to Firefly. Sure I enjoy the witty dialogue, but a full blown space battle is really more my thing. So out of personaly preference, a movie sequel would be good.

But what about the success? Serenity 2 would probably be bigger than the first, as more people have heard of it now and there wouldn't be so much 'what the hell is Serenity?' going about.

But the show would undoubtably pull in wayyy more viewers than the first time round. It could be one of the most succesful shows of all time, compared to a movie which would do well to get top 100.

The there's things to consider like merchandise. Which would spawn more, show or movie? Just by comparing the vast amount of Buffy/Anegl figures to the currently pathetic line of Serenity figures (not even a River!).

So unless the Serenity DVD has a lot of life left in it, I think Firefly season 2 would be the best direction for the series.

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, January 16, 2006 5:46 PM

COOLHAND

While I was extremely happy to watch "Serenity" my heart was really longing for more Firefly. I would completely agree that it would be much better to see a bunch more Firefly episodes between Objects in Space and “Serenity” than to see “Serenity 2”.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, January 16, 2006 6:45 PM

SNAP

I want to see more firefly with a movie at the end of each season. =)

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, January 16, 2006 6:50 PM

FOLLOWMAL

Hey, you're new Snap, welcome!

We're all one big ( mostly) happy family, glad to have you!

I love seeing new folk join us, means the message is getting out.

"You're on my crew...Why're we still talkin' about this..." Mal

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, January 16, 2006 7:08 PM

CHINDI

And FollowMal brings up an EXCELLENT point.. the sales listed above are as of now.. new ppl are falling in line everyday!!! new recruits!! new Browncoats EVERY DAY... and they go out and infect their friends who become browncoats who infect THEIR friends and on and on.. there is a momentum thing here... the fact that this fanbase is SO DAMNED strong so many years after cancellation is truly AMAZING.. and it does NOT go unnoticed...

oh, and of course WELCOME HOME ALL YOU NEW Coats!

Chindi Holding til Mal gets back.. right next to FollowMal

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, January 16, 2006 10:05 PM

THECOLLECTOR

I've been saying this for a while... But... I don't think we'll hear anything on a sequel or a TV show till like late '06 to mid '07... (I know it sounds like an eternity) that is (i'm being optimistic here) if the DVD sales are strong all the way through this year.

Now with that being said I don't doubt the power of browncoats. Because people are popping up here all over the place.

I say we play the patience game just a tad bit longer... Joss has other things on his mind right now with Wonder Woman and Goners... Once his major parts are over (that is the Pre-Production and the Production parts) I think that he can start to look back to Firefly/Serenity.

If Wonder Woman reaps a huge profit for the Studio he might be able to use some of that as bargaining leverage. (Like... If I film a sequel for you... can I do a TV series with your full backing?)

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 5:06 AM

SITTINGDUCK

Quote:
Originally posted by Micronaut:
I've said it before, and I'll now say it again... Firefly works best on the small screen... Intimate stories, complex characters, interwoven plots... these are the hallmarks which made Firefly great in the first place...

Too true. Probably my biggest objection to Serenity was that it was way too epic in scope. The series was decidedly unepic in nature which was part of the appeal.

The rabbit is cuddly. Kids like little cuddly sidekicks. I mean... The rabbit... It's a time-tested... Okay, the rabbit bites.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 5:38 AM

MICRONAUT

Anyone remember "Pitch Black"? Small movie, cool characters, an intimate look at fear and survival... Remember the sequel? "Chronicles of Riddick"? Big, bombastic, epic...? Box-office flop? Why? Too much of a radical shift in style... the CoR movie, while neat in some ways, was nothing like its forerunner, with the possible exception of the escape from the prison planet sequence... if they had expanded that sequence and made the movie about the rescue of the girl and the escape, focusing on the characters like they did in the first one, they might have had a hit on their hands. Instead, the studio got stuck with a $100 million budget and little, if any chance of a return on their investment.

Same thing happened to Serenity. I think Joss needed to wrap the big story arc up, just in case it was the end of the road for Firefly, but in doing so, he created an epic monster that had little resemblance to the originating series, at least as far as the style and structure. With Firefly, you felt for and with these characters... with Serenity, the intimacy was gone... there was no sense of drama or tragedy as far as the characters were concerned - the overall plot and theatrics took away any chance of making a connection to the characters, which meant that when one of them hurt or was in jeopardy, there was no emotional resonance, no reason to care whether or not they lived or died. That is what ticked me off more than anything else... when I watched Firefly, I was watching the adventures of nine friends... with Serenity, I was watching nine action figures that resembled my friends. I felt cheated, and still do...

Of course, that said, I also know the restrictions of movie making, and know that there is only so much that can be done... I don't blame Joss for this... he did a great job under the circumstances and I think that the movie accomplished as much as it could, it being a compromise between the intimacy of the series and the demands of the popcorn munching throngs... No, ultimately, I blame Fox for cancelling it in the first place. The tale of "Serenity" should have been told over a couple of seasons at least... not a couple of hours. And that is what I feel cheated about the most...

Here endeth the rant....

Quote:
Originally posted by SittingDuck:
Quote:
Originally posted by Micronaut:
I've said it before, and I'll now say it again... Firefly works best on the small screen... Intimate stories, complex characters, interwoven plots... these are the hallmarks which made Firefly great in the first place...

Too true. Probably my biggest objection to Serenity was that it was way too epic in scope. The series was decidedly unepic in nature which was part of the appeal.

The rabbit is cuddly. Kids like little cuddly sidekicks. I mean... The rabbit... It's a time-tested... Okay, the rabbit bites.

_________________________________________________
Much work remains to be done before we can announce our total failure to make any progress...

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 9:34 AM

SITTINGDUCK

Quote:
Originally posted by Micronaut:
Same thing happened to Serenity. I think Joss needed to wrap the big story arc up, just in case it was the end of the road for Firefly, but in doing so, he created an epic monster that had little resemblance to the originating series, at least as far as the style and structure. With Firefly, you felt for and with these characters... with Serenity, the intimacy was gone... there was no sense of drama or tragedy as far as the characters were concerned - the overall plot and theatrics took away any chance of making a connection to the characters, which meant that when one of them hurt or was in jeopardy, there was no emotional resonance, no reason to care whether or not they lived or died. That is what ticked me off more than anything else... when I watched Firefly, I was watching the adventures of nine friends... with Serenity, I was watching nine action figures that resembled my friends. I felt cheated, and still do...

Of course, that said, I also know the restrictions of movie making, and know that there is only so much that can be done... I don't blame Joss for this... he did a great job under the circumstances and I think that the movie accomplished as much as it could, it being a compromise between the intimacy of the series and the demands of the popcorn munching throngs... No, ultimately, I blame Fox for cancelling it in the first place. The tale of "Serenity" should have been told over a couple of seasons at least... not a couple of hours. And that is what I feel cheated about the most...

It might have been a good idea if Mr. Whedon had watched Knockin' on Heaven's Door first. That movie is a textbook example of how to make an epic science fiction movie without it actually being epic, if you can follow that.

The rabbit is cuddly. Kids like little cuddly sidekicks. I mean... The rabbit... It's a time-tested... Okay, the rabbit bites.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 1:17 PM

DEVIDARKWOLF

I suppose the movie is doing alright for itself, but not spectacularly. It also took the show some time to catch on, I'm sure the same will happen.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 2:22 PM

MYCROFTXXX

All this discussion on whether the movie made money, although interesting, is pure conjecture nothing else. The key to getting our beloved show back is to keep reminding the folks that shell out the money to make these things how much we want them to do it again. I'm fairly new on the 'boards here but one thing that would be helpful if it isn't already somewhere around here (anyone know where the gorram search engine is?

)is who to send my letters of interest in the return of the show to?

The key is to keep making a big noise because, just like the old saying goes "the squeaky wheel gets the grease".

I, for one, have no problem with sending post mail to more than one potential backer of the series/movie a week if necessary. I've done this before and once you get into the habit of writing up the envelopes (DON'T print labels!) make your point in the first sentence of the letter. I realize they don't really read these things but do track how many come in. A little demographics doesn't hurt (how old you are, your sex, how much you make-be truthful) as they sometimes do record this info.

I'm not saying this is gonna work but a continuous barrage of interest does more 'n you think in the world of market research. Afterall, why pay some marketing consultant big bucks to go out and find "the next big thing" when it is simply plopped in your lap?

Besides, it makes me feel like I am doing something for the cause.

So, if there is a canonical list of contacts at F*x, SciFi, HBO, et al, point me to it.

Thanks for putting up with my ramblings...

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

YOUR OPTIONS

SHARE THREAD

NEW POSTS TODAY

USER

POST DATE