'Serenity' Listed as One of the Most Unfortunate Movies Titles Ever
POSTED BY: cbsteve
UPDATED: Wednesday, March 5, 2008 20:16
VIEWED: 32159
PAGE 1 of 1
This one took me by surprise. The writer of this article basically blames the title of the movie "Serenity" for it's failure at the box office. If you look at the list of ten movies he choses at least four or five of them are classics, which unfortunately failed at the box office, succes at which is the Hollywood mark of excellence. Of course, making movies is all about making money, right? What? Not about artistic vision and good old fashion story telling? Well, guess that's why crap like the Star Wars prequels are such big money makers, but don't hold a candle to great movies like Serenity. Here's the link.
http://www.reelzchannel.com/article/457/the-10-most-unfortunate-movie-
%20titles-ever
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Guess I'll reply on this thread, rather than the other.
gotta admit, I don't think much of the title either.
Makes me think I'm about to see an Alcoholics Anonymous movie of some sort.
But what else are ya gonna call the BDM? After alll, *C*A*N*'*T* just call it " The B D M".
Alternate titles, Browncoats?
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
"The Amazing Adventures of Anti-Gravity!River and the Merry Band of Big Damn Heroes"?
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
What a load of Dog Bollocks, most of these films in my opinion didn't do very well at the Box Office because the Distributors (Fox,Universal,Sony,WB, etc) didn't back the films, didn't give them the publicity they needed. Take Serenity for instance, Universal decided screw expensive advertising lets try this new virtually untested technique called Viral Marketing by uploading these weird videos on the internet of the River sessions which nobody understands apart from Browncoats and hope people start talking about the film a lot which backfired big time. Come on I never ever saw one single poster on a bus stop, etc and only saw the Serenity trailer on TV once.
And not too many people know this but Serenity was originally gonna come out around April just before all the Big Blockbusters hit the silver screens but the film was delayed because of some production work and the music so was put back to September which is one of the lowest months for Box Office take, Serenity was doomed before it even came out.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.myspace.com/darkfly7
Knightfly on Xfire, www.xfire.com/profile/knightfly/
Want pics, vids, ringtones,ect releated to Serenity and Firefly...
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=26986
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by cbsteve:
This one took me by surprise. The writer of this article basically blames the title of the movie "Serenity" for it's failure at the box office. If you look at the list of ten movies he choses at least four or five of them are classics, which unfortunately failed at the box office, succes at which is the Hollywood mark of excellence. Of course, making movies is all about making money, right? What? Not about artistic vision and good old fashion story telling? Well, guess that's why crap like the Star Wars prequels are such big money makers, but don't hold a candle to great movies like Serenity. Here's the link.
http://www.reelzchannel.com/article/457/the-10-most-unfortunate-movie-
%20titles-ever
Also it was not big because of its limited releases. If it's on 14 screens at one theater, it's going to make more money than 2 screens in an entire metropolitan area.
Besides, the BDM is still making money at the box office. There is an artsy theater here in KC that showed it in September of this year. I would say at least 50 people were in the audience, which wasn't bad seeing as the theater only held 55.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Ok that was a difficult read. *takes deep breath*
Not only does he take a pop at Serenity but he also goes and has a dig at one of the greatest books ever:
Love in the Time Of Cholera.
Come to think about it, he probably doesn't even know it's based on the book. I shouldn't get so upset.
However if I had a penny for everytime I heard someone say how Serenity makes them wanna take a nap or sit in a field.... 
*walk away, just walk away*
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by AgentRouka:
"The Amazing Adventures of Anti-Gravity!River and the Merry Band of Big Damn Heroes"?
Or how about Serenity: Firefly Class
But then maybe they couldn't even use Firefly anywhere in the title at all.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by NewOldBrownCoat:
Alternate titles, Browncoats?
"The Battle Of Serenity"
"Malcolm Reynolds And The Reavers Of Doom"
"After The Earth That Was"
"Space Pirate Wars"
That's all I got Chrisisall
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Well maybe they should have gone with something like
Serenity- The reaver menace
Serenity Apocalypse
Serenity Strikes Back
So the man's an idiot...what else is new?
____________________________________________
Nope, don't use cologne. Women I date think the smell of sawdust is sexy. That's probably why I don't... date many women.- Gibbs
You start talking about capes and tights and I'm out of here. -Ando Masahashi
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
It's a great title if you're a Browncoat but for everyone else not so much. Unfortunately the title is akin to an inside joke, it really doesn't give an outsider any indication of what the movie is about. Here is how I imagine a conversation between 2 non-Browncoats would have sounded when the BDM was released.
"You wanna check out that new movie Serenity?"
"What the hell is that some faggy chick flick?"
"I read online it's about people on a spaceship fighting against an evil government of some kind."
"That sounds like Star Wars. I didn't like that so why should I pay to see this?"
"I guess you're right let's see something else."
A bit oversimplified but I have a feeling scenarios like this happened quite a bit.
_________________________________________________
We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by NewOldBrownCoat:
Alternate titles, Browncoats?
"A River Runs Through It, and Then Kicks Reaver A**"
"Like A Leaf In A Hurricane"
That's all I got...
I'd rather be a smartass than a dumbass...
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Some possible alternate titles to Serenity that may have appealed to a wider audience:
Bad Boys In Space
Reaver Madness
A Little Girl and Her Spaceship
Star Whores
Black Hole Banditos
No Tickee, No Spaceshipee
Dirty Dancing Girl
Freedom Fighters of The Future
Journey T'wixt The Netherlands
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
"Like a Leaf in a Hurricane"
You made me use an Emote for the first time.
Now for my alternate title -
"They're the Bad Guys"
"I'm not going to say Serenity is the greatest SciFi movie ever; oh wait yes I am." - Orson Scott Card
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by Darkfly:
What a load of Dog Bollocks, most of these films in my opinion didn't do very well at the Box Office because the Distributors (Fox,Universal,Sony,WB, etc) didn't back the films, didn't give them the publicity they needed. Take Serenity for instance, Universal decided screw expensive advertising lets try this new virtually untested technique called Viral Marketing by uploading these weird videos on the internet of the River sessions which nobody understands apart from Browncoats and hope people start talking about the film a lot which backfired big time. Come on I never ever saw one single poster on a bus stop, etc and only saw the Serenity trailer on TV once.
And not too many people know this but Serenity was originally gonna come out around April just before all the Big Blockbusters hit the silver screens but the film was delayed because of some production work and the music so was put back to September which is one of the lowest months for Box Office take, Serenity was doomed before it even came out.
I totally agree. I saw a poster for Serenity when I drove past the theatre and just thought, "cliched sf action flick; I'll wait and hire the dvd." I never saw anything else and I didn't know Firefly. Much as I like the River Tam Sessions, they only preach to the choir. Universal stuffed up.
Re. the article comment: Star Wars was heavily pushed; 2001 was a comercial flop until it was remarketted to the hippy culture with the tagline "The ultimate trip"; Star Trek had over a decade of syndicated tv success prior to being a movie and was then heavily pushed. Marketting remains the key to commercial success, not quality.
Having said that, it's nice to see Serenity in a list with so many good films.
www.cpfc.org - my life
www.nbhs.school.nz - my work
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I definitely would have watched something called Space Whores.
__________________________________________________
Were there monkeys? Some terrifying space monkeys maybe got loose?
www.bikerplanet.net
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I can't say much for most of those titles. 'Serenity' isn't particularly appealing I suppose, though I can't think of anything better suited at this juncture. As a firefly fan I just accepted it but I'm sure it appeared somewhat dubious for newbies.
However I feel I have to go on the defensive for Blade Runner - it's probably one of the best titles ever, Science Fiction or otherwise. It's unique and strange, and sure it doesn't make sense right away but it sounds tough and violent and catches your attention.
The writer says for some people it "...conjures up unpleasant images of bloody feet..." but I doubt that very much. It's like saying when you heard 'Star Wars' you conjured images of stars shooting each other with machine guns or when you heard 'House of Flying Daggers' you immediately thought of a family of knives with wings flying around their home.
With the exception of children and the child-like I don't think many people automatically generate literal translations in their mind like that. I could be wrong but I don't think that it's the case.
Anyway I wasn't around back then so I don't know what people were actually saying about it but for me I thought it was an extremely cool title.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
When I first saw the previews the title confused me. The preview I saw was great, and hooked me right in, but then I was like "What the heck is Serenity?" I concluded that it was the girl's name. Then I saw the movie and found out her name was River and the ship was Serenity.
I guess the point, though, is that the trailer hooked me. If they'd shown that trailer more, I think it would have hooked others.
I am selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes. I am out of control. And sometimes I'm a little hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I was around when "Blade Runner" first came out and saw it in its first run, when they still had that awful voiceover by Harrison Ford. Many peole wnet to see Blade Runner because it starred Harrison Ford, Han Solo of Star Wars. we all expected the same thing, sci/fi space battles and laser blasts. What we got was this deep thinking man's sci/fi which I couldn't appreciate at the time because I was 16 years old. I love the movie now but when I saw it the first time I almost left the theater. I think it was the expectations for that movie that killed it more than anything. After the first week, not to many people went.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
However, the dude DOES call us the "Cult-Like" followers of Joss WHedon. That gave a giggle, if anything. Mostly, the dude seems to be full of hot air. Movies don't flop due to names. It's either that they suck, or, as in our case, folks don't seem to get the word.
Shame.
-Danny
and every time I play with passion I start breaking strings,
and my voice cracks when I sing from my heart
guess that's the price I've got to pay to know that I'm alive
this melody is tearing me apart
THRICE RULES!!!!!!!!!
Gott weise ich will kein Engel sein.
http://www.myspace.com/otherrandomdude
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Mary Parent, Vice-Chairman of Universal Pictures, could have truthfully said, "Sorry, Joss, we can't use Serenity as a title for your movie because Serenity® disposable absorbent underwear has enormous brand recognition in North America. You've seen the ads with gray haired ladies doing Tai-Chi exercises. An action movie with the name of an adult diaper will turn away a large segment of our target audience - everyone not wetting themselves. On the bright side, we will totally capture the 65 years and older demographic if we stay with Serenity for a title."
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I do think that thee guy does have some valid points. But some of those names there are absolutely fine. They were not the factor that was lacking.
I did not watch Firefly for about a year because of the name. I did not watch Serenity in the cinema as I had not watched firefly, and the name "Serenity" did nothing for me.
I know people who have not watched "Dexter" and "House" because of their names.
As for a better name, I can't think of one. Could be because "Serenity" grows on you as a name. (Just like the music in Firefly. The first time, my reaction was not all too good.)
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
NBZ said "I did not watch Firefly for about a year because of the name. I did not watch Serenity in the cinema as I had not watched firefly, and the name "Serenity" did nothing for me."
Yeah, I had the same response. I had never heard of Firefly because I was living overseas when it was on. I did heard about "Serenity", but I never saw it till it came out on DVD. Someone told me it was based on a Joss Whedon TV show. When I asked what it was about, he just said, "Something about a brother and sister hiding on a spaceship." "Wait," I said. "Didn't Joss Whedon do some silly show about a high school girl killing vampires?" "Yeah, that's the guy." "Well, I think I'll wait for this movie to come out on DVD." And that's about it. I had never watched Buffy or Angel or Firefly so I had no idea what this guy was about. Now I have a lot of old TV programs to catch up on. Thankfully I did find a more enthusiastic fan of Firefly and she turned my head in the right direction. So here I am hauting the Firefly fan site every day for the last five months.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Nah. Films like "Serenity", "Blade Runner" and "Brazil" flop because of the instant gratification culture of the movie business which expects movies to make back their money in the opening weekend, and dumps them if they don't. That only works for popcorn fodder that can be entirely summed up as "(Insert Big Star Name) and lots of shit blowing up" and where the trailer is usually better than the film.
Anything with a bit of substance that can't be pigeon-holed doesn't stand a chance. You can't get "word of mouth" marketing going if the film is only in the cinemas for two weeks.
I'm sure that "Blade Runner" must have paid for itself eventually, and who knows how much Serenity took on DVD? The fly in the ointment was that "Serenity" probably shifted twice its weight in "Firefly" box sets - but that probably ended up in Fox's pocket rather than Universal's.
If, in 25 years' time, they're just releasing the "Serenity - Ultimate Directors Cut RNA memory implant box set" the maybe Joss will be vindicated.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:Well, I was 21, and I instantly loved it- so much so, that until Serenity came out, it was my favourite film of all time. The voice over is not awful- it lent a 40's film noir feel to the flick, and the reason it was commercially unsuccessful was that the 'hero' got beat up by EVERYBODY and it rained all throughout the movie.
Originally posted by cbsteve:
I was around when "Blade Runner" first came out and saw it in its first run, when they still had that awful voiceover by Harrison Ford. Many peole wnet to see Blade Runner because it starred Harrison Ford, Han Solo of Star Wars. we all expected the same thing, sci/fi space battles and laser blasts. What we got was this deep thinking man's sci/fi which I couldn't appreciate at the time because I was 16 years old.
December is Blade Runner month Chrisisall
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Agree with Chrisisall on that one - Blade Runner for its time was mindblowing and I like both versions - with voiceover and without.
It was my standard of excellence for Sci-Fi until I got hooked on the BDM. As for title - Serenity doesn't give much away, but a more sensational subtitle about "9 people against the 'verse" or somesuch thing might have brought in people who didn't find it their cup of tea and spread bad word of mouth. Joss writes for discerning fans - damn him!:-)
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
"Black Hole Banditos"
Umm... yeah, I have to say that sounds like a really really bad porno... but it made me giggle!
I think Serenity is a fine name, but then, I'm not your general Hollywood fodder.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
In a way I kind of agree with the article. Don't get me wrong, I think Serenity was a perfect title for the movie, but I have wondered if the sort of ambiguous title might have turned off people who weren't familiar with the show. I'm not saying it would have been huge, but I think that it might have made more of an impression. Because frankly, the movie is perfect. Storytelling, acting, special effects, direction. All of it was perfect. It's really surpising to me that the movie did not do better. But think about it. If you've never heard of Firefly, never seen the trailer. If you're looking online at what movies are playing and see a movie titled "Serenity" are you going to think: "This is a sci-fi action movie"? Probably not.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
lol, how is "Browncoats" more specific as to what the movie is about? hahaha. People would have been like, "A movie about brown coats, how gay" haaha
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Serenity: Firefly class? I don't see why people are getting butt-hurt. Other than his comment that the title made him think of "nap-time", his article was not insulting the movie and he was right. I mean, Serenity was the right title for the movie, but like he said: Star Treck, Star Wars, Alien; people know what they're going to see there. Adding something about "Firefly Class" or "reavers" to the title does nothing for people who never saw the show.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Sure it was a stupid title, it only had meaning to those who already knew the series - to the rest it was something soppy or a bladder weakness product ( http://www.serenity.com/ ) but then jossy boy instinctively sets himself up for minor success.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
hey folks, we mighten like wat hes sayin but he makes a valid point, serenity for me does make me think of peace an sleep, blade runner, sounds like a skating movie instead of a brilliant sci-fi movie and as for his numba 1 the shawshank redemption, dull title or wat, but in oppinion the greastest movie ever made,jmho
irishwash
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Strange but true. Dog Bollocks is actually a good thing.
Bollocks - Bad
The Dog's Bollocks - Good
Saw that on an Eddie Izzard bit.
The wife and I just got done watching Firefly on DVD. Yet another great show that cut us off in the end.
Bollocks.
Serenity is next.
Firefly Fan
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
Some possible alternate titles to Serenity that may have appealed to a wider audience:
Bad Boys In Space
Reaver Madness
A Little Girl and Her Spaceship
Star Whores
Black Hole Banditos
No Tickee, No Spaceshipee
Dirty Dancing Girl
Freedom Fighters of The Future
Journey T'wixt The Netherlands
I have an alternative title for Serenity. Call it "Killer Angels." Why that title? Firefly was developed after Joss Whedon read The Killer Angels according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killer_Angels . Renaming Serenity to Killer Angels would have appealed to those who never heard of Firefly and want a violent movie.
I purchased the novel Killer Angels BECAUSE OF THE TITLE. I knew nothing about prizes it won. I saw no trailers for it and no TV commercials. If the novel had a different title (the title given the movie version was "Gettysburg") I would never have looked at the first page. Joss had two perfect reasons to recycle that novel's title on his movie - it is the original inspiration for Firefly; and River, Zoe, Inara, and Kaylee are the killer angels.
There is another Killer Angels, a 1989 Hong Kong movie with three female cops fighting a gang. The trailer is at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098298/trailers It has Moon Lee as a weak version of River Tam. Joss Whedon could have claimed, "Summer Glau's kung fu is stronger than Moon Lee's, therefore my movie is better!"
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:Well, if you are a male between the ages of 16-35 (which is the average movie-goer), saw that there was a movie titled "Serenity", and knew nothing about the story, would you not think that it was a chick-flick?
Originally posted by cbsteve:
This one took me by surprise. The writer of this article basically blames the title of the movie "Serenity" for it's failure at the box office.
Quote:The SW prequels earned a lot of box office gold because the main title had the words "Star Wars" in it. Would you really want to see a movie that was only titled "The Phantom Menace" or "Attack of the Clones"? (Heck, even Mark Hamill laughed at the title of the second movie when he first heard it.)
Well, guess that's why crap like the Star Wars prequels are such big money makers, but don't hold a candle to great movies like Serenity.
Entertainment Weekly does agree that a title can effect the box office income. They even did a poll and article on it. Would you really want to see a movie simply called "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"? (Which is the subtitle of an anticipated film to be released next year.) The EW article is at this site if you're curious about that film: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20057927,00.html.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by perkusrex:
Strange but true. Dog Bollocks is actually a good thing.
Bollocks - Bad
The Dog's Bollocks - Good
It gets worse:
(Make a) Dog's Breakfast (of it): a complete mess
(Done up like a) Dog's Dinner: Smart/fancy/glamourous
Those dogs are mixed up cats.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I agree that some movies have unfortunate titles, but I don't agree that it's the case with Serenity (or Blade Runner or Brazil for that matter). More often, I think, people don't go to see movies, because they don't think it's going to be anything special.
A couple things hurt Serenity's chances. The first: no hype. I remember during the summer of 2005, I was looking up major magazines to read some hype about Serenity, but it never came. The second: some fans may disagree with me, but I did not like the trailers for the BDM. They really should have shown scenes like Inara's incense at the house, or Kaylee and Jayne in the cargo bay, or when they visit Book in Haven, or even Simon and River in the locker. Instead, the trailers made the movie look like a Matrix wannabe. I was excited to see the first trailer, but then I thought of all the people I know who would be turned off by this trailer. Where was anything that made it look unique -- made it look like Firefly?
The Soup -- always a hoot and we don't all die from it.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
The way i see it (and i'll go as far as to Wager Joss say it too).
Is that Serenity existed due to the Fans so the title works for them.
As for anyone that see's a movie because of the title well what is there to say. Mind you 'Unleashed' with Jet Li was originally entitled 'Danny the Dog' but marketing said it wouldn't work.
Also yeah there wasn't much hype at all here in Australia the first i heard about it when it was a movie review in the local paper that gave it a rave review and i was really cut up because there had been no previous advertisement.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by GThing:
A couple things hurt Serenity's chances. The first: no hype. I remember during the summer of 2005, I was looking up major magazines to read some hype about Serenity, but it never came.
I get the impression that Serenity was treated as an experiment in viral marketing in the US: Q: Can a film with no big-name stars based on a cancelled TV show succeed on word-of-blog alone? A: No. QED. Don't worry, we'll get our money back on DVD sales.
There was reasonable publicity in the UK - TV ads, an appearance on breakfast TV, and a rave review on the BBCs "Film 2005". Sadly, the ads and posters made it look too much like "Buffy in Space" (and Buffy was marketed as a kids programme over here). ISTR it actually opened at No 1 in the UK, but then "Wallace and Gromit" came out the next week and wiped it out (so at least it lost to a good film).
Also remember that 2005 was a bad year for box office generally - other, better-hyped movies failed that year. The "boom or bust" strategy would have been if they kept their nerve and put it up against "Revenge of the Sith" and then milked the "David vs. Golliath" publicity angle for all it was worth. The media so like a story!
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by Darkfly:
What a load of Dog Bollocks, most of these films in my opinion didn't do very well at the Box Office because the Distributors (Fox,Universal,Sony,WB, etc) didn't back the films, didn't give them the publicity they needed. Take Serenity for instance, Universal decided screw expensive advertising lets try this new virtually untested technique called Viral Marketing by uploading these weird videos on the internet of the River sessions which nobody understands apart from Browncoats and hope people start talking about the film a lot which backfired big time.
I agree it was the studio advertising or lack of that messed things up
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I have to say that 'serenity' as a name of a scifi film dosn't do it for me, it was my dad who dragged me along with my family to watch it, he didn't really know what it was about it was the part were Mal turns to Jayne and says "do you want to run this ship?" jayne says yes and mal replys "well...you can't!" Aswell as some other good one liners from Wash and Zoe.
When I went the name serenity and the humor I'd seen in the Advert made me think I was gonna be bored, then the reavers and Rivers crazy person scared me so much I refused to see it again, it wasn't untill my Dad rented it and the Name Serenity made me forget which film it was that I watched it again and Loved it!!
How come things never go smooth
"my feet are warm, two pairs of soacks warm." Claire Bennet
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:Quote:Well, I was 21, and I instantly loved it- so much so, that until Serenity came out, it was my favourite film of all time. The voice over is not awful- it lent a 40's film noir feel to the flick, and the reason it was commercially unsuccessful was that the 'hero' got beat up by EVERYBODY and it rained all throughout the movie.
Originally posted by cbsteve:
I was around when "Blade Runner" first came out and saw it in its first run, when they still had that awful voiceover by Harrison Ford. Many peole wnet to see Blade Runner because it starred Harrison Ford, Han Solo of Star Wars. we all expected the same thing, sci/fi space battles and laser blasts. What we got was this deep thinking man's sci/fi which I couldn't appreciate at the time because I was 16 years old.
How refreshing to read that someone here actually LIKES the voice-over! I saw the movie in the theater in 1982 when it opened due to Starlog's profile of the movie. I loved it immensely. I had the original VHS video and played it to death... Many years later I was DUPED into buying the "Director's Cut"....what a bunch of crap! There is SO, SO MUCH of the movie that you WOULDN'T HAVE A F**CKING CLUE ABOUT if not for the narrative...little insights into Gaff & Bryant & Rachel & his ex-wife who calls him sushi and ALL the replicants...SO MUCH of the movie is in that narrative that I don't see how ANYONE...including Ford himself can say the narrative is lame.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:The voice-over elevates it from just 'one of the greatest sci-fi's of all time' to 'one of the greatest films of all time', IMHO.
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
How refreshing to read that someone here actually LIKES the voice-over!
It adds an incredible texture to the film.
Battyisall
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Just found this topic and I would have to agree. I think Serenity is a great name for the movie now that I'm a fan. But when it came out I had never heard of Firefly. I was working out of town and had some time to kill. I went to the movies and had a choice between History of Violence and Serenity, both were about to start. I thought Serenity must be a chick flick and went to see History.
When I came out I saw a poster for Serenity and kicked myself for not realizing it was a Sci Fi movie.
Had the name appealed more to the masses (me at the time) instead of the Browncoats (Me at the present) I would have seen it.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by Colt999:
Just found this topic and I would have to agree. I think Serenity is a great name for the movie now that I'm a fan. But when it came out I had never heard of Firefly. I was working out of town and had some time to kill. I went to the movies and had a choice between History of Violence and Serenity, both were about to start. I thought Serenity must be a chick flick and went to see History.
When I came out I saw a poster for Serenity and kicked myself for not realizing it was a Sci Fi movie.
Had the name appealed more to the masses (me at the time) instead of the Browncoats (Me at the present) I would have seen it.
I'm not sure what that title would have been. I mean, does "I Am Legend" conjure up visions of the last man on earth? It sounds more like a boxing movie, maybe about Ali, to me. As others have said, movie failings have little to do with titles.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
ChrisRunner......I liked your statement about the reasons Blade Runner failed at the box office....in addition I'd like to add the following:
a) "Big" hair was "in" then, & Dekkard's buzzish cut was a bit strange to see then.
b) His funny little checkered & multi-colored tie was too "mind-boggling" to comprehend for the average beer-swilling average Joe neaderthal.
c) The movie, in general, like Roy's many amazing soliloquies, is a huge collection of endless fascinating visual & philosophical images and concepts, and trivial tidbits galore...Oceans 13 it t'wasn't.
d) And yes...I was alive and aware then, so to me it's a fact that there wasn't any advertising what-so-ever....anywhere,...nothing... other than sci-fic mags.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Bit of a side note here but i would advise everyone to read Killer Angels it's one of the best books i've read.
Back to Serenity. I think that the main reason that it's called Serenity was aside from being a Tie in to the series. The movie is about Mal and River getting a measure of 'Serenity'. River gains some measure of Serenity by having the weight of the Miranda knowledge taken from her shoulders. Mal gets back to a better place mentally, by being proud of standing up for a cause as illustrated by his conversations with the agent. Also he's proud of how he handled River. In a smaller way the tensions between Simon and Kaylee are resolved a little bit :P. well that's how i sees it.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by cbsteve:
I was around when "Blade Runner" first came out and saw it in its first run, when they still had that awful voiceover by Harrison Ford.
I think I'm the only Blade Runner fan that actually PREFERS the one with the voiceovers :P Ah well to each his own.
I will say, the title Serenity is a bit weak. It just has no flash..though neither does Firefly really. Its too bad that flash is needed to make a movie a box-office success, but the honest truth is the general public makes decisions based on split seconds of marketing. If they didn't see the trailer for Serenity, chances are the name alone was not going to "grab" them.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Yeah, Jongsstraw said about Blade Runner:
d) And yes...I was alive and aware then, so to me it's a fact that there wasn't any advertising what-so-ever....anywhere,...nothing... other than sci-fic mags.
I remember going to see Blade Runner because my older brother read about it in Starlog, the big sci/fi mag back then. He said it had Harrison Ford so I was in. A bit disappointed the first seeing, no space battles or lasers, but now I appreciate what a great movie it is. And I still like the no-voiceover version. I think the voiceover was good to fill in the gaps and to understand it better, but I like to watch a movie and see it from my point of view, to try to catch all those different layers. Every time I see Blade Runner (at least once a year) I see something new and that's great.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I had heard of the sci-fi series Firefly but knew nothing about it. I don't hear a lot about new movies and never heard of Serenity. I found the movie in a rental place and the description looked interesting. I absolutely loved the movie though I thought it would have worked better as a mini-series. It was only after watching the bonus features I discovered that the movie came out of the series Firefly. I rented the first disk of the series and loved it too. I now own Serenity and have ordered the Firefly series.
As for the title, I don't think that it was a bad title. Although I feel that it didn't give the impression that it should have. I seriously doubt, though, that the title was responsible for poor performance at the box office. I also don't have any suggestions for a better title. Anyway, those are my thoughts on the subject.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by pachelbel:
I'm not sure what that title would have been. I mean, does "I Am Legend" conjure up visions of the last man on earth?
That particular title conjures up the White Zombie song "I am Legend". When I first heard about the movie I figured Rob Zombie was set to direct another film.
_________________________________________________
We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Damn double post!
_________________________________________________
We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by singate:
That particular title conjures up the White Zombie song "I am Legend". When I first heard about the movie I figured Rob Zombie was set to direct another film.
Well, there ya go. Titles mean different things to different people. How do you let everyone know what the plot is? Well, advertise maybe?
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I wasn't aware that Morgan Freeman wasn't a popular actor in 1994. Plus, wouldn't the name Stephen King draw people to the movie, bad title or no? Could've been advertising and/or timing with the release that could've hindered the box office results.
Also, what's the big deal about box office= success? I don't go to a movie just b/c other people like it; I've done that before, and I've been burned. (*cough "War of the Worlds")
And I don't think "Serenity" was such a bad title. Could've been better, I guess, but I'm not crazy about the suggestions already mentioned above. No offense.
K
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:Nope; me and Jong do too.
Originally posted by Muggi:
I think I'm the only Blade Runner fan that actually PREFERS the one with the voiceovers :P Ah well to each his own.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:I saw it at an advanced screening where we filled out cards about whether it was good or not- I checked 'excellent' all the way. All I knew was that Ford was in it- at the time that was enough for me, but yeah, zilch advertisio.
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
And yes...I was alive and aware then, so to me it's a fact that there wasn't any advertising what-so-ever....anywhere,...nothing... other than sci-fic mags.
Thread hijackin' Chrisisall
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
...he blasted Shawshank Redemption's title?
F*** Him.
"I do the job... and then I get paid. Go run your little world."
-Malcolm Reynolds
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
What's important is not necessarily that the title conjures images relevant to the genre, but that the title attracts the interest of the targeted demographic.
For instance, as a guy, if I'm looking up what movies are playing, knowing nothing about them, and I see "Serenity", nothing about the title intrigues me enough to see what it's about. "I Am Legend", on the other hand, is interesting enough for me to want to see what the movie is about.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
clearly the man's an idiot, I like the title "Serenity" and that not the reason why it flopped in the box office, it flopped because of poor marketing like everyone has been saying. I only saw commercials for Serenity on the Sci Fi Channel on Fridays during firely so ya.
It's not flopping in DVD sales so the man should stop talking, he doesn't know what hes talking about. And besides, its just the internet, anyone can publish stuff on the internet, if it were in a magazine I'd be more worked up about it.
Did anyone notice that the first 3 were sci fi(ish) films?
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Apart from it being the name of the ship which is a code for the only place Mal can get some soul peace after the battle in the valley...
It reminded me of the titles "Soylent Green" and "The Minority Report".
I mean "Serenity" is what induced the situation on Miranda as well as being the final state.
So in the great tradition of "Blade Runner" and "Soylent Green" the title is a wonderful tangential reference to a big philosophical point of the work. It works on many levels. But the others had prior notoriety as novels.
For me the title "Serenity" was an unusual enough ocurrence of a word to make me want to know more.
How about
"Independents"
(okay the pun version would be "Independents' Day")
"The Lonely Bunch"
"Love and Death in Outer Space"
"The Little Guys"
"Reluctant Heroes"
I liked the Noir voiceover in Blade Runner. 
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Okay...honestly..this guy can simply kiss my browncoat tushie! You want to know why Serenity didn't do well...Because Universal Studios are a bunch of money grubbing, no soul having, absolute piles of go se! With the exception of one trailer, which in my opinion nearly made me need a change of pants after seeing it due to my very excitement. (Well that and the classic Wash line "Things are going to get exciting" "How Exciting" "Oh God we're all gonna die!!!" yes I know I paraphrased ..don't kill me..its still funny) I didn't see one bit of advertising about Serenity. NOT ONE BIT! What...did they all think were like River and would just KNOW what theater to go to in order to see it? I mean honestly, what the hell have these people been smoking? The sign of a movie's true sucess is its longevity at the Movie Rentals and DVD sales. I STILL can't get a copy of Serenity at both my local Blockbuster or Hollywood Rental. I have a copy of the movie...and I refuse to take it out because I'm just that much of a sentimental fool because its just so DAMN SHINY!!
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it Universal!
The difference between "involvement" and "commitment" is like a egg and ham breakfast, the Chicken was involved, but the pig was committed.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
"Serenity - The Chick that Pwned"
Sall I got...
Sayne like the rest of us.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Speaking as a person who got into this series and movie last month I'd have to agree with the guy who wrote the article. Serenity just didn't do it for me. Of course the whole "Martial Arts Matrix-like Chick" that the two commercials I actually saw for it made me even less interested, with the final nail in the coffin being "From the Creator Of Buffy the Vampire Slayer!". Also it came out slightly after the last new Star Wars movie and some critics said it was similar to Star Wars, which put me off because of how much I disliked the prequels (now a-days I claim not to be a fan of Star Wars, just the Empire).
Finally on Blade Runner; I think I saw the voice over version once and I preferred it and its noir style. I honestly don't understand the movie anymore; I recently saw the newest version in theaters and had to have the whole significance of the Unicorn explained to me.
Select to view spoiler:
Also, what's with the idea the Deckard's a replicant? If he was, how come he got his arse beaten so badly in a physical fight by the real replicants? If I had decided to program one to be a blade runner, I'd make him stronger then the other types; no point in having one that is basically just a human-why not just use a human instead?
-----------------------------------------------------------
There's a widow in sleepy Chester
Who weeps for her only son;
There's a grave on the Pabeng River,
A grave that the Burmans shun;
And there's Subadar Prag Tewarri
Who tells how the work was done.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by MidnightObsidian:
Okay...honestly..this guy can simply kiss my browncoat tushie! You want to know why Serenity didn't do well...Because Universal Studios are a bunch of money grubbing, no soul having, absolute piles of go se! With the exception of one trailer, which in my opinion nearly made me need a change of pants after seeing it due to my very excitement. (Well that and the classic Wash line "Things are going to get exciting" "How Exciting" "Oh God we're all gonna die!!!" yes I know I paraphrased ..don't kill me..its still funny) I didn't see one bit of advertising about Serenity. NOT ONE BIT! What...did they all think were like River and would just KNOW what theater to go to in order to see it? I mean honestly, what the hell have these people been smoking? The sign of a movie's true sucess is its longevity at the Movie Rentals and DVD sales. I STILL can't get a copy of Serenity at both my local Blockbuster or Hollywood Rental. I have a copy of the movie...and I refuse to take it out because I'm just that much of a sentimental fool because its just so DAMN SHINY!!
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it Universal!
The difference between "involvement" and "commitment" is like a egg and ham breakfast, the Chicken was involved, but the pig was committed.
The powers that be are a great team with their promotional Skill in marketing manage to keep the series FF secret, never heard of it ,found Serenity on HBO in the fall of 07.BRILANT,This whole war has already been fought without me ever hearing about it.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Ok... So yeah the title kind of turned me off to the movie at first but it turned out, to me, to really fit once I saw the movie. Maybe a more appropriate title would have been "Miranda", not really but it would have helped people seem to get it. Maybe "River", or "Crew" but now it seems as if nothing else would fit but "Serenity"
I don't know. I'm kind of liking this whole poetry idea.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
What’s in a title? The movie Blade Runner is based (loosely) on a story by Phillip K. Dick entitled Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Would you have gone to see that movie? The title Blade Runner is from a story by Alan E. Nourse with a very different theme. I went to see Blade Runner when it first came out expecting to see the Nourse story. I liked the movie, it just was not what I had been expecting.
BTW; Dick got screen credit for the story and Nourse got screen credit for the title.
As others have said the title Serenity ties in well with the series Firefly. If you were no familiar with the series you probably won't understand what Serenity is about just from the title. (I sure didn't. It wasn't until last month when a friend sat me down to watch the DVD that I saw Serenity. I was instantly hooked. But not because of the title. It was a friend's recommendation.)
Phil
--------------------------
Right now I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME