Tag Archives: paramount

Aug 21 2012
Movie Movie News

Hey Paramount, We Need to Talk…

Hey Paramount,

A few years ago you guys were doing big things, dropping big franchises, and raking in billions of dollars.  Flash forward to yesterday and I have no idea what your film strategy is.  You used to have the Marvel franchise, and then you sold it.  You used to have DreamWorks Animation, and you couldn’t reach an agreement and lost that too.  You used to release summer movies, and now I barely even know what you did this past summer?  Don’t sit there and look at me like everything is normal.  Look at what you did last Summer!

2011

Thor (Hit)

Kung Fu Panda 2 (Sequel Hit)

Super 8 (Original Hit)

Transformers 3 (Shitty Sequel Megahit)

Captain America (Hit)

Cowboys & Aliens (Bomb)

You were 5 for 6 at the plate, with one grand slam, and three extra base hits.  You looked good.  Now lets look at this Summer.

2012

The Dictator (Bomb)

Madagascar 3 (Sequel Hit)

Katy Perry: Part of Me (Bomb)

You were 1 for 3.  It doesn’t even look like you are the same player!

 

Now I’m looking back on your year and remembering that all I hear about is production problems.  GI Joe 2, a genuinely cool looking movie, you pulled 5 weeks before released to tack 3D onto it, and more Channing Tatum scenes.  World War Z has been moved what seems like a million times, and has ballooned into a close to 250 million dollar film.  About zombies.  Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters was made like two years ago and STILL isn’t out yet.  And to top it all off, everything I’ve heard about you rebooting Ninja Turtles as Alien Turtles sounds like dogshit I never want to see.  Paramount, you need to get your shit together.  I don’t even like all your movies, but at least you used to make enough of them, that would at least be something for me.  The objective is to buy franchises and properties, and hang on to them.  You don’t let them go for nothing (DreamWorks, Marvel).  Get it together!

 

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Aug 21 2012
Movie Movie News

DreamWorks Animation Moves To FOX

After months and months of unsuccessfully securing a new distribution deal with Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks has reached a 5 yr deal with 20th Century Fox worth billions.  Starting in 2013, all animated films produced by DW will be distributed by Fox through 2017.  What this means:

20th Century Fox now has DreamWorks Animated and Blue Sky (Ice Age, Rio) under it’s banner and becomes the dominant home in animated films.  Yes, Disney/Pixar still puts out mostly better films, but they only make one a year.  Now Fox has the luxury of being able to put 3 animated films out each year and really rake in the dough.   Considering that most DW films have or will have sequels (Shrek, Madagascar, HTTYD, Puss in Boots, Kung Fu Panda), this deal has already paid for itself.

DreamWorks is now completely split between film and animation divisions.  Disney distributes DreamWorks’ live action films, and Fox distributes the animated films.

Disney will have to ramp up it’s own efforts in Disney Animated, to make it not look like Fox is completely owning them.

Paramount has nothing. Which leads to my next article…

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May 30 2012
4 Comments
Movie Movie News

GI Joe: Retaliation and Why I’m A Fanning Tatum

So since the worst news ever dropped last week that G.I. Joe 2 was being shifted out of it’s prime summer tentpole spot of June 29th, 2012, to the murky waters of March to be retooled for 3D, the only thing I’ve been able to think was, BULLSHIT.  There was absolutely no way it was going to take 9 months to reshoot a film for 3D.  Two years ago when Clash of the Titans (garbage movie) came out, it only took them 6 weeks to convert it for 3D.  There was absolutely no way that Paramount would move a film almost a full year just to add in 3D.  Hell, if they did 8 weeks of reshoots starting last week, they would still be able to get it out this summer and capitalize on August money, which is a notoriously slower box office month.  The only competition I can even think of is The Bourne Legacy and that is an unproven sequel-boot, much like this G.I. Joe film.

Well Deadline.com pretty much broke the news today that everyone suspected.  The G.I. Joe 2 test screenings were doing well with the exception of one major issue: they KILL Duke (Channing Tatum) in the first 15 mins.  This was kind of obvious from looking at the trailers.  They spend no time whatsoever even showing Duke, and they pretty much only highlight The Rock.  I don’t have an issue with that really, but the Box Office certainly would.  Between The Vow and the hilarious 21 Jump Street, Tatum has proven he is a legitimate draw at the box office, so killing him 15 mins in, will subvert any of the good will the movie was already starting to build up.  The fact that he’s not even in the movie enough to use in the ad campaign is telling.  He wasn’t even on the most recent posters, which have pretty much every character on them. So Paramount, caved and have decided not only to convert the movie, but keep Channing Tatum’s character alive long enough so that he can establish a relationship with The Rock.  I hope this all works out cause I think they finally nailed the proper tone for one of these films and I would hate for massive reshoots to turn what looks like a fun movie into a shitburger.

We’ll have to wait and see.

 

p.s. I like Channing Tatum and I have no arguable reason to back up that statement other than I like Step Up, Step Up 2 The Streets, and 21 Jump Street. One of those three films is good.

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