cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/26891333

“Novocaine” is off to a good start at the box office with an estimated $8.5 million opening weekend, but the marketplace is in a terrible slump.

  • straightjorkin@lemmy.world
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    2 hours ago

    8.5 million is 2m more than the budget for the best picture winner this year. Why are high budgets not being critiqued? Not every movie needs to break a billion, and frankly they shouldn’t all break a billion.

  • MooseyMoose@lemmy.world
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    21 hours ago

    Hight ticket prices, high snack prices, no pause button, sticky floors, other audience members. Hmmm. Wonder why things are bad for theaters?

  • simple@lemm.ee
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    1 day ago

    Between this and mickey 17 flopping, there really has to be a wake-up call for cinemas that people don’t want to go. No point in paying an expensive ticket and outrageously priced popcorn if your failed movie will end up on streaming 4 weeks later.

    • psyspoop@lemm.ee
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      22 hours ago

      Not sure if I’d call Novocaine a flop yet considering it had a relatively modest budget of $18m. It might make enough to break even or profit still. The bigger indictment is Black Bag with a budget of $50m and opening lower than Novocaine.

      I think instead we’re seeing more evidence that the mid budget movie doesn’t have a place in theaters anymore and the only movies worth putting in theaters are tentpole blockbusters or lower budget movies that don’t have to make a ton to break even.

      • Couldbealeotard@lemmy.world
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        15 hours ago

        Mid budget hasn’t had a place in cinemas since DVDs went out of style. I think that was in the early 2010s.

        Hollywood has made the mistake in believing COVID was some kind of reset button on cinemas, when in fact COVID taught people watching movies at home was a better experience for anything except IMAX/VFX blockbusters.

        • insaneinthemembrane@lemmy.world
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          6 hours ago

          COVID meant a lot of people may have saved money and gone and bought a decent system for home. And realised just how good it is. It’s so expensive to go to the cinema, there has to be more to it than just the film.

    • kratoz29@lemm.ee
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      1 day ago

      No, what I think cinemas will get from this is that people are not interested in original films anymore (I am unsure if both movies are… I am leaning towards that they are) and then keep selling us the same movies over and over again.

      • psyspoop@lemm.ee
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        22 hours ago

        I think Novocaine is original. Mickey 17 is an adaptation of the novel Mickey7

  • doug@lemmy.today
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    1 day ago

    I was burned too recently by the boring Love Hurts to try another action comedy so soon.