Dredd - Box Office

[TordelBack]

Optimistic position adopted: Lookin' good for Dredd's enduring cult status! 

Really is a pisser to see something that gets so much right and has been received so well do so poorly.  Everyone involved deserved a bigger hit. 

As to 3D, I understand why this movie had to be in 3D to get made, and I thought 3D was well-applied in the movie itself, but the experience in general annoys me. 

First, I wear glasses, which makes cinema-supplied glasses unbearably annoying.  In go the disposable contacts, which adds to the hassle and the expense.  Whether it's connected to my eyesight or not, I always have a problem focussing on fast motion in 3D showings, and I often find it too dark. Also, I find any light-spill at all in the theatre tends to feck depth-things up badly in that area. 

Second, (and not applicable here), my kids don't like wearing 3D glasses (not an issue with Dredd). My son regularly takes his glasses off in 3D showing and peers at the dark fuzziness.  Having shelled out more, this irritates me considerable. 

Third, even where there is a 2D option offered, I usually feel I'm missing out on the intended experience if I plump for that one (although if the kids are with me I tend to take that hit).  I have enjoyed some 3D movies, including Dredd, Tintin and Cave of Forgotten Dreams, but generally the whole process wears me down.       

None of this is Dredd's fault, and it didn't stop me seeing it of loving it, but I can see how some people may be put off completely.

[dracula1]

District 9 Opening Weekend: $37m

Dredd Opening Weekend: $6m.

Thanks for the calculations guys. Bloody ell' those figures really put it into perspective! Was the economy a bit more buoyant when District came out?! 

[Jim_Campbell]

None of this is Dredd's fault, and it didn't stop me seeing it of loving it, but I can see how some people may be put off completely.

What's made me particularly angry about 3D is that I think a lot of the issues with 3D are nothing to do with the format itself. First time I saw Dredd, the 3D was excellent: really, really good. It added a lot to the experience. Saw it again a week later, same cinema, different screen, and experienced a lot of the things people complain about as being their 'problem' with 3D, ie: fuzzy, headache-inducing, not very 3D.

What was clear to me was that the thing hadn't been set up properly. I don't know exactly what's involved in setting up/calibrating a RealD 3D projection system, but this one showing showed visible ghosting that got worse the further 'back' from the plane of the screen an object was supposed to be.

If you're going to charge me a premium for a feature you're selling as adding value to my cinema experience, then fucking well do not allow some disinterested youth on minimum wage to set up the projection system in a half-arsed way that actually reduces my enjoyment of the film.

I have to wonder what proportion of people who think that 3D is intrinsically fuzzy and/or headache causing have actually just been the victim of badly set up projection systems.

Cheers

Jim

[The Sherman Kid]

Out of the top ten for Friday.

Staggering.

Absolutely staggering.

I didn't think it would do so badly in my worst nightmares.

How utterly depressing.

Seconded

Unreal I thought this would continue to do steady business at the very least.

[painbros22]

Saw it last nite in Denmark, peak time, was just me, but they had a marketing guy in the lobby who gave me a metal Dredd badge, a t shirt and soundtrack album and a copy of Hunger Games, yeah i went eh on the last bit too ( apparently the first 5 where supposed to get them ), nice to get free stuff though, Dredd badge is a replica and looks awesome.

[painbros22]

Doh, poster not tshirt, can i buy an edit button for a dollar ?

[Stan]

Oooo, nice haul.

[spoiler]Adam Sandler must die.[/spoiler]

[Something Fishy]

Saw it last nite in Denmark, peak time, was just me, but they had a marketing guy in the lobby who gave me a metal Dredd badge, a t shirt and soundtrack album and a copy of Hunger Games, yeah i went eh on the last bit too ( apparently the first 5 where supposed to get them ), nice to get free stuff though, Dredd badge is a replica and looks awesome.

Wish they had that here.

There were thirty in for loopers and when we went in, none yet for Dredd..  I could have switched lines and grabbed some swag.

[Something Fishy]

So what does this all mean for the future of Dredd?

The more I look the more I fear a narrow group of middle aged men mostly in Uk are keeping it alive.   

It isn't going anywhere yet, but will it really be around when we all turn our toes up?

[JOE SOAP]

Strange how all those Case-Files sold out in the US.

[Something Fishy]

I'd love it if that meant the brand was growing but I fear it is a core of comic fans giving it a look.

I hope it goes mainstream but I don't believe it will.

[CYCLOPZ]

F%$£ This needs a sequel!!

[Something Fishy]

Strange how all those Case-Files sold out in the US.

I'll be bloody delighted if it leads to a new generation of fans in the Us and a sustained success over there though. 

[TordelBack]

Yeah, I know it's been said before, but despite what the box-office situation may mean for future cross-media adaptations, I suspect that its long-term effect will be to strengthen recognition of Dredd as an interesting and relevant character, and not just something people remember as either some long-gone comic they read as a nipper or a so-bad-it's-an-internet-meme of a film. 

The film was a masterclass in 'always leave 'em wanting more', and the feeling of being (-shudder-) 'leet' because you got and actually saw Dredd3D and hardly anyone else did may  play well with wider online geekdom (see also: The Raid).  It's a good film, and faithful to the source material - it has to have some effect on positive perception of the strip.

Rebellion seem to have played this one very carefully, there has been no (obvious) splurging of money on tie-ins or rebranding.  A modest bump in returning readers and fresh overseas interest, boosted by shelf-date online availability of the weekly, would be a welcome, and quite plausible, outcome.  Circulation is purportedly so small that if even a tiny proportion of those few who actually saw the movie buy some more 2000AD comics it should be good news.

[dracula1]

Might be down to timing . With the best product in the world (which Dredd definitely is), if the it doesn't appear at the perfect time it could go tits up. In this case the likes of The Raid,  economic issues and the US audiences responses had a major impact.