An anonymous man here in Washington State purchased $2,500 worth of Serenity movie tickets in the hopes that his actions would jumpstart the movie’s flagging box office.
This is the effort of a true fan. A fan with more money than sense…
The analysis from movie industry watchers at Box Office Mojo notes that Serenity cost $39 million to produce, has earned $18 million in it’s first two weeks (losing half it’s audience after the opening weekend) and is on track to rake in only $28 million in total box office. This has got to be a shock for the movie studio, who was undoubtedly told that the movie’s fan base was passionate about the TV show upon which this movie was based.
Over the next few years the studio will make back their money and then some in DVD sales and TV rights. For that they can thank fans like the anonymous man in Washington… a fan with plenty of disposable income and the passion for a product so great he was willing to spend a huge chunk of money on that single brand name of quality entertainment he was so passionate about.
Remember folks… IMAO is also brand name of quality entertainment!
You know, IMAO has been hyping this movie for a very long time.
I never saw an episode of Firefly and the one time I saw a commercial for the upcoming Serenity movie it didn’t really interest me at all.
FrankJ kept insisting that I have to see this movie. I’m not the sort of tard that goes to the theater just because someone tells me to (I’m a completely different sort of tard).
But just to make sure I was right in ignoring FrankJ’s pleas (embarrassing as they were for him) I started watching Firefly on the SciFi channel.
It didn’t take me long to love the show and I immediately had to hurry and watch all the episodes so I would be well informed when I went to see the movie.
I took my mom with me (who has never seen an episode) and she has been recommending it to everyone from LITERALLY the minute we left the theater.
I do feel for the fool and his money (who were soon parted), but even though it seems there is no hope for a sequel let alone a return of Firefly to television, I highly recommend that any IMAO readers who are still holding out make plans to see this movie before it leaves your local Megaplex.
Thanks IMAO and especially FrankJ. You have given me a wonderful gift and I will doubt your word slightly less in the future.
Heh, because of Frank’s pleas I bought Firefly on Dvd, watched it through twice by myself over two weekends, then got a couple of friends to watch it through with me and finished the series a third time just before Serenity came out (the day before to be specific) and then went to see it opening day. So, Frank, thanks for introducing me to Firefly because it is something that is not to be missed.
Scott, I was going to chastise you for posting a 1:30 in the morning, but then I saw JMK’s post at 3:09AM!!!!!
You people need help.
Scott, I was going to chastise you for posting a 1:30 in the morning, but then I saw JMK’s post at 3:09AM!!!!!
You people need help.
Double post?!?
What’s up with your server? I keep getting server errors when trying to comment. So I open a new window and check the page to make sure it didn’t take the post (due diligence!) before posting again and I STILL get a double post.
Not my fault.
Undercover Hippie –
So if I understand you correctly posting after midnight is a worthy of chastisement but double posting is explained away with, “not my fault”. That’s quite ummmm…. liberal.
Haven’t seen the movie yet, but I’ve seen a few episodes of the TV show and was remarkably unimpressed. It’s no Stargate SG-1, Babylon 5, Farscape, or Battlestar Galactica, that’s for sure.
I’ll give the movie a chance this weekend, time permitting…
Charles.
i wonder how he wrote out a check for $2500 when his hands were bound in a straight-jacket?
Perhaps we should all purchase $2,500 of Serenity tickets– that, or 25 bucks worth of IMAO t-shirts.
Wow! Went to Blockbuster last night, couldn’t find anything I wanted to see, so I picked up the Firefly box set. Almost done with disc 2, and can’t stop watching. Guess I’ll have to see the movie too. Thanks Frank! You’ve hooked me on a wonderful series.
As for comparing it to other series – I never like Babylon 5 or Farscape. SG1 – rates pretty evenly – especially if you only consider the first season of SG1 (to be fair, Firefly didn’t get a chance to mature)
I bet if they’d rent out the Firefly DVD’s at any of my local video stores, I might get more interested in seeing Serenity at the theater. But wonderful recommendations notwithstanding, I think I’ll wait until it comes out on video, because it’s so hard to find babysitters that I only go to the theater to see movies I’m already sure I’ll enjoy.
Some movies are fine to watch at home, some others need to be seen on the big screen. I have an excellent home theatre 61″DLP screen and digital surround sound using Klipsch speakers and Carver amps….trust me….you want to see this in a theatre, a theatre with a big screen!
Serenity is one of only two or three movies I saw in the theater in all of 2005. And it’s the only one I remember.
I loved it. But all my associates are retards, so my recommendations are seldom worth a damn to movie producers. 🙂
Undercover Hippie, you hiring?
I apologize for having a degree, but promise not to use it on the 6 figure job if you hire me.
OK, finished the DVD series. Now I’ve GOT to see the movie. Man, it would be great if Sci-Fi picked this series up and continued it. Like they did with SG1…
Apparently interest in the movie has picked up DVD sales of the series to the point where they’ll still end up at least breaking even, between series DVD sales and movie DVD sales when it comes out.
From what I’ve gleaned Fox only sold the rights to produce movies to Universal and only to re-run the series on Sci-Fi, they are not allowed to make new episodes. Joss is not likely to agree to produce any more episodes for Fox. They burned him so badly that he seems to have all but written off TV in general and Fox in particular. Their short sighted dedication to “reality” TV and “urban”/”alternate” lifestyle sitcoms prevented them from standing by a proven writer/producer when his product didn’t fit their myopic vision.
From what I’ve gleaned Fox only sold the rights to produce movies to Universal and only to re-run the series on Sci-Fi, they are not allowed to make new episodes. Joss is not likely to agree to produce any more episodes for Fox. They burned him so badly that he seems to have all but written off TV in general and Fox in particular. Their short sighted dedication to “reality” TV and “urban”/”alternate” lifestyle sitcoms prevented them from standing by a proven writer/producer when his product didn’t fit their myopic vision.
Movies traditionally make 3 times as much money on a DVD release as they do for a theatrical release, and then overseas tv and broadcast rights contribute another 25 to 30% of a film’s overall profits . . . after the theatrical release. So “Serenity” will make its money back, no problem, and we’ll most likely see a sequel, if not another television series.
All good news, as far as I’m concerned. Joss Whedon rocks (even if his politics don’t).