speak truth as opposed to pretty much most of the american critics who were ranting and raving on and on about parallel content that was not even in the movie or didnt even address the core fact that this was one of the years biggest borefests!!!
I can hardly wait for the next razzie awards because i know for a fact, tarantino’s movie will win quite a few nominations…LMAO…
here is one interesting take on the disaster from one of your fellow geekmates…
[quote]PROOF OF DISINTEREST
06.25.07
By Jeremy Smith
Contributing sources: Variety
It’s not often that Variety’s foreign box office recap moves me to tears, but this week’s column pulverized me as if it were the final chapters of Great Expectations. Be prepared to have your heart ripped from your chest cavity and stomped on like it just insolently requested the services of your shine box:
“With tentpoles dominant, counterprogramming forays such as Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof have struggled. Released as part of Grindhouse Stateside, Death has turned in tepid numbers in Europe, with an international cume around $10 million from 10 markets. In France, it was off 53% in its third frame for a $3.5 million cume; Italian biz in its fourth weekend was mild as it lost more than 100 playdates and brought in just $65,000.”
So much for the “they’ll play better and more profitably on their own” theory.
I hate to keep writing about the financial failure of Grindhouse, but I’m exasperated by the way it’s been mis-promoted and resoundingly rejected by viewers regardless of showering habits. Slapped together (with fake trailers and other garish accoutrement) or released separately, I just can’t imagine audiences being turned off by Death Proof and/or Planet Terror en masse. I understand one film playing better than the other based on personal preferences, but discarding the whole shebang just seems… wrong. Given the recent success of 1408, it’s not exactly an opportune time to question the marketing prowess of The Weinstein Company, but since when did the French thumb their already upturned noses at a brilliantly shot pop cultural pastiche that ends with a fucking Serge Gainsbourg song? Go ahead and make an ass out yourself by cracking a Jerry Lewis joke, but have you ever seen The Ladies Man? The bastards were right!!!
We recently learned that the Death Proof theatrical re-release in America was effectively kiboshed by the September DVD release, but some of us were holding out hope. Well, that hope done [/quote]
well box office numbers don’t determine whether a film was good or not at all, its a personal opinion. Death Proof i guess was something that others didn’t understand, or maybe just didnt like. Personally, i think its QT’s weakest that he both wrote and directed but i still think that it is an amazing movie (9/10). It was def. something different and maybe people in the U.S. and Europe just can’t appreciate it for what it is. In the end, all that matters is that i love it and think that it is amazing, as do many others in the forum. He tried something totally different and crazy, which ultimately, for me, was extremely exciting and enjoyable. The only thing that worries me about its apparent failure is that it may effect his getting funding for his massive war epic “Inglorious Bastards”. Hopefully that isn’t the case. QT said that IB was his best stuff yet and i believe him when he says that, so i only hope that he can make it without restrictions, and hopefully money won’t be an issue.
QT has the courage to make films that matter to him. After all, he views himself as the ultimate audience member. I applaud his decision to make Death Proof and I don’t think he needs to defend it against critics who are generally fickle and lacking in any creative ability of their own.
The real validity of the film will be if it stands the test of time with its core audience. If people are still talking about it 15 or 20 years from now then we will be able to see the true impact it has on cinema. Initial box office sales don’t reflect the true value of a film, it only reveals what is popular or unpopular at the moment. I think part of the reason it flopped commercially is because it was under advertised and this damn war in Iraq is turning many people away from violent themed movies.
Oh well, can’t bat 100% all the time! Personally, I loved Death Proof & Planet Terror. I just hope the failure of Grindhouse financially doesn’t negatively effect QT’s ability to make and release his war epic. My nightmare is that he will be shunned by Hollywood and treated as a “hackâ€
In the States there was very little advertising. Most people didn’t have any idea what it was about and from my perspective they were hesitant to see it. However, everyone I know who watched it loved it! How are they advertising each film in Europe? Do you know if Planet Terror went straight to DVD or is it also playing in theaters?
[quote=“GRINDHOUSE”]
Do you think the fact that it was split in two in Europe kind of made a boycott to not see the film?
[/quote]
Well as an American, believe me I had alot of advertising in my state. I couldn’t wait to have seen Grindhouse, I had the movie poster framed way before it even came out.
And I went to see it the weekend it came out (I went Easter) and it was packed. Everyone enjoyed it. It was the best event in the movies you could of seen. The people in the place laughed to whole time, even when people died and stuff. LOL! But I guess people are stuck up and don’t know what is good and what is not.
Everyone is afraid to see sex, action, horror, and stuff for some reason. But not me. I went Easter day, because I don’t do nothing on Easter, and I love all the sex, action, Horror I can get. LOL!
[quote=“KILL BILL vol.3”]
The only thing that worries me about its apparent failure is that it may effect his getting funding for his massive war epic “Inglorious Bastards”. Hopefully that isn’t the case. [/quote]
Oh, but it WILL be the case because everyone and their mama wants Tarantino to go fake his death and vanish from the world forever.
Haha, it’s funny you should quote the Prague paper, greendestiny. I went to watch this a couple of days ago in Prague and the cinema were Death Proof crazy. Everyone got a free Death Proof sticker, the employees were wearing Death Proof T-shirts, there were a lot of Death Proof posters, they had a huge Grindhouse stand and to top it off, they had the Death Proof Soundtrack playing. It was great. There weren’t many people at the showing though, maybe about 30 but it was well received. Everyone stayed until the end credits ended.
I for one absolutely loved the film and can’t wait to watch it when it is released in the UK. The friend I went with loved the movie. He had been to a film festival earlier where he watched 25 films. He said Death Proof was one of the top 5 he watched. He will be recommending it to his friends.
So in essence, I don’t give two shits how well it’s done at the box office. The fact of the matter is, the majority of people who have watched it, liked it. To call it a borefest is one ignorant thing to do. That just means you can’t appreciate the greatness that is there.
Anyway, I love how pathetic greendestiny is. He gets kicks out of coming here and basking Death Proof when he hasn’t even SEEN it! Haha, that is one sad loser. Either way, the car chase scene was better than the one in the Matrix Reloaded.
In the States there was very little advertising. Most people didn’t have any idea what it was about and from my perspective they were hesitant to see it. However, everyone I know who watched it loved it! How are they advertising each film in Europe? Do you know if Planet Terror went straight to DVD or is it also playing in theaters?
Many people are forgetting Death Proof doesn’t have to make all the money alone. Planet Terror hasn’t even been released in Europe yet. It’s opening in Finland next week. Ad from yesterday’s newspaper:
Yeah, and it has been such a flop. Let’s consider the past boxoffice numbers of any QT movies. They’ve never been that high, at least critic and viewers have always kept their enthusiasm about his movies.
[quote=“GRINDHOUSE”]
Do you think the fact that it was split in two in Europe kind of made a boycott to not see the film?
[/quote]
That simply cant be true. Tarantino cant on one hand blame the fact that people werent interested in watching two films back to back in the north america and then turn around to claim that the europeans wanted to do exactly that so much so that they refused to see the movie split in half.
Why cant it simply be that the majority of film audiencies were not impressed at all by this movie and simply didnt see it because word of mouth from the majority that saw the movie was bad.!
Why should it be every little pathetic and wild eyed unrealistic excuse but not that the movie simply was a boring farce?
[quote=“Laydback”]
But GreenDestiny has friends in the UK who hate Tarantino too. Don’t underestimate!
[/quote]
Here we go again with the doe eyed wishful thinking....(arent you the same clown who was predicting that kill bill would win an oscar? Have you come to the realization that this would never happen?)
Now you are off on another disillusioned trip thinking that this movie has a chance in the UK....its flopped pretty much every where else but you think it will suceed in the UK....yeah right....Keep on dreaming. While you are at it, why not make more oscar predictions for Grindhouse..
May be tarantino wins oscar for best director......NOOOOOOOT!!!!
