30 votes

Box office: ‘Megalopolis’ bombs with D+ CinemaScore, ‘Wild Robot’ soars to no. 1

30 comments

  1. [5]
    aphoenix
    Link
    I just got back from watching The Wild Robot. It is a delight on every level; the animation is beautiful, the cast is perfect, the story is great, the way it was adapted is fantastic, the sci-fi...

    I just got back from watching The Wild Robot. It is a delight on every level; the animation is beautiful, the cast is perfect, the story is great, the way it was adapted is fantastic, the sci-fi aspects are well done, the action is enticing. This is based on my 10-year old son's favourite book, and both he and his best friend gave it a full seal of approval. I would say I had a similar level of enjoyment from this as I got from Wall-E; it's a wonderful animated movie, but it's also good on the merit of being a science fiction movie.

    I have been excited to go see this movie for a while, and it lived up to the hype. This was my first trip to the movie theatre this year, and it was well worth it. We watched it in 3D which I often dislike, but this was well done and certainly added to the experience.

    I remain unimpressed with the price of movie tickets and concessions. Spending $140 (CAD, for 2 adults, 3 kids) for a night out sucks hard.

    21 votes
    1. [2]
      cloud_loud
      Link Parent
      Yeah I enjoyed it a lot, it’s probably my favorite animated movie of the year. It brought me to tears, which is probably because of how much of an emotional mess I am right now, but I think the...

      Yeah I enjoyed it a lot, it’s probably my favorite animated movie of the year. It brought me to tears, which is probably because of how much of an emotional mess I am right now, but I think the film itself is very emotionally satisfying.

      8 votes
      1. aphoenix
        Link Parent
        I also cried, though my daughter pointed out that I cry for Tim Hortons commercials, which is bold statement from someone who has never experienced a house that had commercials. I agree - the film...

        I also cried, though my daughter pointed out that I cry for Tim Hortons commercials, which is bold statement from someone who has never experienced a house that had commercials. I agree - the film is very emotionally satisfying - it builds its story and gets you ready for the emotional payoff the whole time. I think the book really set it up well in that regard.

        how much of an emotional mess I am right now

        I am sorry to hear you're having a tough time - if you ever want to write down how you're feeling and send it to a pseudo anonymous online person who will read, commiserate, will try not to offer advice unless explicitly prompted, and is explicitly on your side, feel free to slide into my DMs.

        2 votes
    2. [2]
      tachyon
      Link Parent
      With prices the way they are, I don't understand why people spend money on concessions when it's much cheaper to bring your own stuff into the theater.

      the price of movie tickets and concessions.

      $140CAD

      With prices the way they are, I don't understand why people spend money on concessions when it's much cheaper to sneak bring your own stuff into the theater.

      2 votes
      1. aphoenix
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        Because part of the joy of going to the cinema, especially for the kids, is to get the popcorn there. None of the concessions were for either adult. We got the "Wild Robot" specials for each of...

        Because part of the joy of going to the cinema, especially for the kids, is to get the popcorn there.

        None of the concessions were for either adult. We got the "Wild Robot" specials for each of the three children. It was still preposterously expensive, though unlike the last time I went to a theatre, it was not as expensive as the tickets, which were also just massively expensive.

        Edit: after considering whether concessions were "more expensive" I think that they were - it was about $20 per kid for a popcorn / drink / candy / crap toy combo. The fact that we only got concessions for 3 people out of 5 doesn't mean that concessions were cheaper.

        4 votes
  2. [3]
    cloud_loud
    Link
    Megalopolis has the worst audience scores of the year btw, so definitely worse received than it’s already mixed critical reception.

    Megalopolis has the worst audience scores of the year btw, so definitely worse received than it’s already mixed critical reception.

    13 votes
    1. [2]
      smoontjes
      Link Parent
      I learned not too long ago the CS is based on some of the first audiences to see the movie and I just want to share that here for those that might not know. So this means the CS of most movies is...

      I learned not too long ago the CS is based on some of the first audiences to see the movie and I just want to share that here for those that might not know.

      So this means the CS of most movies is heavily biased as those to watch a movie on the day (or weekend? I forget) it comes out is the audience that has likely been looking forward to the movie and been hyped about it. A good example of this in action is MCU movies, something I think most people here can agree are very hit or miss these days. Only 3 MCU movies have received a B rating and so ~90% of MCU movies were given an A.

      I think we can all agree that that's not really how good most MCU movies are and so yeah... CinameScore has a very heavy bias which in my opinion makes it absolutely mind blowing that this movie got a D+!

      8 votes
      1. nocut12
        Link Parent
        I think the people seeing Megalopolis opening day is a pretty different group that than ones seeing Spiderman opening day. And besides, Cinemascore does market research — it's not really intended...

        I think the people seeing Megalopolis opening day is a pretty different group that than ones seeing Spiderman opening day. And besides, Cinemascore does market research — it's not really intended to be a "how good was this movie" thing, it's more of "how good was your product/market fit and release strategy" thing. It's pretty common for poorly reviewed movies to have a great Cinemascore ratings (notably faith-based movies regularly get A+ ratings but poor reviews from critics).

        I think that's also why the opening weekend thing makes sense for them — after a week or two, the distributer already knows (more or less) how the movie is going to do. But good info on the opening weekend could give them useful information about if/how/where to expand, how to play things in the marketing campaign, etc. while there's still time to adjust things.

        2 votes
  3. [6]
    Tuaam
    Link
    Curious if this movie will be considered a 'Cult Classic' in approximately 30 years...

    Curious if this movie will be considered a 'Cult Classic' in approximately 30 years...

    6 votes
    1. [5]
      cloud_loud
      Link Parent
      It has a following now. There are some people really going to bat for it calling it a misunderstood masterpiece. Including Richard Brody, the film critic for the New Yorker.

      It has a following now. There are some people really going to bat for it calling it a misunderstood masterpiece. Including Richard Brody, the film critic for the New Yorker.

      6 votes
      1. [2]
        drannex
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        I will likely be one of those, saw it twice already, planning a third next week. It's a phenomenonal film, with a lot of ideas, and very much a Shakespearen-like play moreso than a movie. Some of...

        I will likely be one of those, saw it twice already, planning a third next week. It's a phenomenonal film, with a lot of ideas, and very much a Shakespearen-like play moreso than a movie. Some of the scenes are out of order, so on first watch it's very jumbled and a mess, but on a second it is so much more fluid and interesting. Highly suggested checking it out twice.

        Is it a great movie? Eh, to be seen, it's okay. Is it an Experience that is unlike any other in cinema? yes, absolutely.

        Its a 2+ hour long fever dream with a lot of ideas and a lot of references. This is a film that will be studied for decades, with very few answers ever to be gleamed. It's both ahead of and entirely out of its time.

        12 votes
        1. vili
          Link Parent
          I'm with you. I saw Megalopolis yesterday and I want to see it again soon. I don't remember the last time I had so much fun watching a film! It's lovely, it's surprising, it's playful, it's...

          I'm with you. I saw Megalopolis yesterday and I want to see it again soon.

          I don't remember the last time I had so much fun watching a film! It's lovely, it's surprising, it's playful, it's beautiful and it made me smile. I can understand if it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I think if you go in not expecting much of a narrative story, and leave your expectations of cinematic realism at home, it can be such an enjoyable and joyous experience.

          It's very theatrical, for sure, in a way that early 20th century film was. I also thought that it's a bit like if Baz Luhrmann directed Everything Everywhere All At Once, but from a script written by an academician and an art director that they brought in from the 1920s. That's the angle that the film's marketing should have taken!

          Anyway, I think it was just wonderful, with my primary stress on "wonder".

          3 votes
      2. nothis
        Link Parent
        I‘m ready to give it a try. The vibe I get from the trailer is that it’s Synecdoche, New York but with more epic lighting. Maybe not a comfortable movie but a memorable one?

        I‘m ready to give it a try. The vibe I get from the trailer is that it’s Synecdoche, New York but with more epic lighting. Maybe not a comfortable movie but a memorable one?

        3 votes
      3. tachyon
        Link Parent
        Makes sense. Brody has awful taste.

        Including Richard Brody, the film critic for the New Yorker.

        Makes sense. Brody has awful taste.

        3 votes
  4. Eji1700
    Link
    I’m sorta not shocked seeing as how I want to see this and didn’t know it was out

    I’m sorta not shocked seeing as how I want to see this and didn’t know it was out

    4 votes
  5. [4]
    IudexMiku
    Link
    I think Megalopolis is lucky to get a D+. It's genuinely the worst film I've seen. Its dialogue, politics, characters, narrative and social commentary are all either incoherent or rancid. On the...

    I think Megalopolis is lucky to get a D+. It's genuinely the worst film I've seen. Its dialogue, politics, characters, narrative and social commentary are all either incoherent or rancid.

    On the bright side, I am looking forward to Transformers One when it finally releases outside of the USA. I've always had a soft spot for the franchise.

    3 votes
    1. [3]
      FishFingus
      Link Parent
      Mark Kermode didn't have kind things to say about it. In fact, he called it worse than Jack. I sort of want to watch a free version online now, to see just how far up itself the film actually is.

      Mark Kermode didn't have kind things to say about it. In fact, he called it worse than Jack.

      I sort of want to watch a free version online now, to see just how far up itself the film actually is.

      4 votes
      1. Johz
        Link Parent
        I realise you can't judge a film based on one clip, but the short clip he showed when reviewing it seemed to completely sum up the point he was making. It felt like it was written based on Those...

        I realise you can't judge a film based on one clip, but the short clip he showed when reviewing it seemed to completely sum up the point he was making. It felt like it was written based on Those Teenage Era Jaden Smith Tweets back in the day.

        And presumably that's not some snippet that Kermode chose himself, but a promotional clip sent to them by the film publicists. They wanted people to see that clip, they thought it would bring people to come and see the film...

        3 votes
      2. balooga
        Link Parent
        I had no idea Jack was a FFC film. Yikes.

        I had no idea Jack was a FFC film. Yikes.

        1 vote
  6. [11]
    Promonk
    Link
    It saddens me how badly stuff like this is copy edited these days. There are so many weird little syntactical errors in this thing. I know media budgets are slim these days, but would it really...

    It saddens me how badly stuff like this is copy edited these days. There are so many weird little syntactical errors in this thing.

    I know media budgets are slim these days, but would it really sink the boat to hire on a couple of English majors to double-check that your articles make sense?

    10 votes
    1. [8]
      cloud_loud
      Link Parent
      There’s a nonzero chance ChatGPT is used to write this now

      There’s a nonzero chance ChatGPT is used to write this now

      17 votes
      1. Promonk
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        I spent some time as a copy editor many years ago, and I think these are mostly good old-fashioned human mistakes. A lot of syntactic errors happen because a phrase will get edited for clarity,...

        I spent some time as a copy editor many years ago, and I think these are mostly good old-fashioned human mistakes.

        A lot of syntactic errors happen because a phrase will get edited for clarity, but the syntax of the rest of the sentence isn't updated to accommodate the change. It happens a lot when writers are expected to edit their own work, because they know what they're trying to say, and their brain kind of autocorrects the funky grammar.

        It's why "copy editor" exists as a job description. You need a fresh set of eyes to look over your copy and make sure it all makes sense.

        Alas, the calling is not lauded for being the bedrock of civilization it truly is.

        19 votes
      2. [6]
        Jordan117
        Link Parent
        Ironically, flawless grammar is one of the hallmarks of ChatGPT. Might expect some of the cleverer content mills to intentionally ask for the occasional typo to throw people off the scent.

        Ironically, flawless grammar is one of the hallmarks of ChatGPT. Might expect some of the cleverer content mills to intentionally ask for the occasional typo to throw people off the scent.

        11 votes
        1. elcuello
          Link Parent
          I mean…Holy shit we as a species are just so amazingly stupid I don’t know why it keeps surprising me.

          I mean…Holy shit we as a species are just so amazingly stupid I don’t know why it keeps surprising me.

          4 votes
        2. [4]
          tachyon
          Link Parent
          Are you serious?

          flawless grammar is one of the hallmarks of ChatGPT.

          Are you serious?

          1 vote
          1. [3]
            Jordan117
            Link Parent
            Yes? I've used it near-daily for over a year and I don't think I've ever seen it make a typo.

            Yes? I've used it near-daily for over a year and I don't think I've ever seen it make a typo.

            3 votes
            1. [2]
              tachyon
              Link Parent
              Grammar mistakes and typos are different things.

              Grammar mistakes and typos are different things.

              1. Jordan117
                Link Parent
                I don't think I've ever seen it make a grammatical mistake, either.

                I don't think I've ever seen it make a grammatical mistake, either.

                1 vote
    2. [2]
      tachyon
      Link Parent
      Unfortunately, yes. Copy editors cost money, and owners—always the ones looking to cut costs—will gladly lay them off first and put the onus of copy editing on the reporter and the editor.

      I know media budgets are slim these days, but would it really sink the boat to hire on a couple of English majors to double-check that your articles make sense?

      Unfortunately, yes. Copy editors cost money, and owners—always the ones looking to cut costs—will gladly lay them off first and put the onus of copy editing on the reporter and the editor.

      3 votes
      1. Promonk
        Link Parent
        I'm well aware how undervalued copy editors are. I was on track to take up the profession when the bottom fell out on print and the pay dried up. It's a shame. I liked the work. I think copy...

        I'm well aware how undervalued copy editors are. I was on track to take up the profession when the bottom fell out on print and the pay dried up. It's a shame. I liked the work.

        I think copy editors are a lot more useful than the suits realize, but I won't bother you by rehearsing the reasons why here.

        2 votes