OZ Release!

[Judge Fudge]

Film was released last night(Thursday 25th). The rating is MA 15+ and @ a run of 95 mins, it would appear that the film is uncut. The question is how can the film be an 18 everywhere else and not here? This will allow me to take my 14 yr old son to the movie on Saturday night. It will also be interesting to see if the MA15+ rating relates to better box office than in other regions.

[Frank]

The question is how can the film be an 18 everywhere else and not here? This will allow me to take my 14 yr old son to the movie on Saturday night. It will also be interesting to see if the MA15+ rating relates to better box office than in other regions.

Good point, Fudge. Let us now what you and your wee fella think and what the general reaction is like.

[AlpineNewt]

I find it kind of crazy that while I'm getting impatient for the DVD release some places have only just got it in cinemas or are still waiting. Might have to take a trip abroad for a final viewing

[Judge Fudge]

Nae bother Sauchie. It's definitely cinema going weather this weekend in Melbourne and I think I'm right saying there are no similar films being released as the likes of Resident Evil, Looper and Total Recall etc have already done the rounds.

[Judge Fudge]

I would also like to add that Australia is known as "The Lucky Country". Lets hope some of that luck rubs off on Dredd and it makes it to number one!

[Frank]

Nae bother Sauchie. It's definitely cinema going weather this weekend in Melbourne and I think I'm right saying there are no similar films being released as the likes of Resident Evil, Looper and Total Recall etc have already done the rounds.

We get everywhere don't we, Fudge?

Even if Dredd were to overcome the pester power of Frankenweenie, which opens this week too, Aussies seem to have completely lost their shit over Paranormal Activity 4. An honourable number three, or four behind Taken 2, seems like the best we can reasonably hope for. The entire population of Australia is only a little more than that of London and the Home Counties, but if the same percentage of your compatriots turn out as in the UK they should add about $2 million (US) to the film's overall profit. Which would be useful.

[Judge Fish]

Lucky me, I get picked for Jury duty on the week that Dredd finally comes out down here. And it is the second time I've been called in the past year, to boot.

I'm hoping to find time to see it on Monday, if everything works out, and I don't get selected for another trial, but nothing is guaranteed at this point.

I should push to send all concerned to the iso-cubes on pure principal. 

[Judge Fudge]

Aye Sauchie, there are a good few fellow country men and women down here. Loads of English and Irish as well(have only met one Welshman down here so far).So hopefully some of them will relate to bums on seats.

So finally got to see the movie. Decided on 2d for my first viewing, as like many of you out there, I am not a massive 3d fan. I was not disappointed. Not much to say about the movie itself as most of what I loved about it has already been said, but having read 2000AD since prog 300, I can share the sentiment that they pretty much nailed it, particularly Karl Urban, who WAS Dredd. Fan or not, this was an absolutely cracking film, which really did/does deserve a sequel. My 14 yr old, who has not read the comic, absolutely loved it and now wants to go again with his pals. He has seen a good few of this years release, and said that this was without a doubt his favourite of the year.

So now for the(maybe) bad news. The viewing wasn't exactly packed. Probably 30-40 people tops. To be fair though, there could be a number of reasons for this. The viewing was early evening and the cinema is currently being renovated. On the plus side, there are more showings of the 2d version than 3d. Have to say though, I've not seen a single billboard with Dredd on it, and have seen only one advert on TV(though that's not saying much as I barely watch it anyway), so maybe the shit marketing theory is right. Would wait till the weekend results are in, as of course, these are just personal observations.

So in conclusion, we got a Dredd film to be proud of. Bitter-sweet though, as the team who brought us this could have, I believe,  really taken an audience to even greater heights with the sequels. Will still live in hope until we get a definite on that one. 

One last thing. I reckon I will be going again, however, I'm not convinced by going to see it in the 3d. Am I wrong about this?
   

[Spikes]

One last thing. I reckon I will be going again, however, I'm not convinced by going to see it in the 3d. Am I wrong about this?

Though im not the biggest fan of 3D, i thought it worked pretty well for Dredd where it needed to. (never did get to see it in 2D). Worth checking out at least once, id say.

[Dandontdare]

I'm not a big 3d fan normally either, but I'd say it's definitely worth it in this case - the slo-mo drug bust justifies the extra bucks on its own!

[Frank]

So now for the(maybe) bad news. The viewing wasn't exactly packed. Probably 30-40 people tops. On the plus side, there are more showings of the 2d version than 3d. Have to say though, I've not seen a single billboard with Dredd on it, and have seen only one advert on TV (though that's not saying much as I barely watch it anyway), so maybe the shit marketing theory is right.

More showings of 2D than 3D? I wonder if the Aussies are more stereoscopy-sceptic than Northern hemisphere dwellers, or if the Oz distributors have decided the 3D-led release hurt the box office elsewhere? If that pattern repeats across the whole of the country, the Australian release could prove an interesting What If...? scenario. Cheers again, Fudge.

[Judge Fudge]

Quick look at the current show times show an even split between 2 and 3d. There were more 2d showings yesterday(Saturday 27th).As I have stated, the rating and the fact there seems to be a lot more 2d showings than other regions might well add to the cause of poor marketing with this films poor box office, if it under performs over here as well.

[Judge Fudge]

3D show times

Sun 28 Oct
12:30pm   
4:50pm   
9:10pm
   
Mon 29 Oct
12:30pm   
4:50pm   
9:10pm
   
Tue 30 Oct
12:30pm   
4:50pm   
9:10pm
   
Wed 31 Oct
12:30pm   
4:50pm   
9:10pm   

[Judge Fudge]

2d show times

Sun 28 Oct
10:20am   
2:40pm   
7:00pm
   
Mon 29 Oct
10:20am   
2:40pm   
7:00pm
   
Tue 30 Oct
10:20am   
2:40pm   
7:00pm
   
Wed 31 Oct
10:20am   
2:40pm   
7:00pm

[13school]

I'm yet to see a dud review of Dredd in any of the Australian media, so fingers crossed the positive vibes here make up for the lack of advertising. Plus I've had a couple of non-comics reader people say to me they were planning to see it due to a fondness for the character from when they read the comic as a kid, so hopefully 2000AD's newsagent sales here in the 80s and 90s might pay off too.

To be fair, Dredd's probably getting no more or less advertising than any other mid-range action film from a smaller distributor (the best comparison I can think of ads-wise is the Jason Statham film Safe, which was from the same distributor earlier this year, and I don't remember seeing a whole lot of ads for it).

Checking my local's screening times for Dredd, it's getting two 2D sessions a day and three 3D, which seems about average for a film available in both formats. Or at least, that's what the last Ghost Rider movie got...