Weekend Boxoffice Chart

[Evil Avatar]

Clay paid off at the box office for Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. The clay-animated family film debuted as the top weekend movie with $16.1 million.

Here is the Weekend Boxoffice Chart for the weekend of October 7th to October 9th.


Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit $16.0/$16.0
Flightplan $10.7/$60.9
In Her Shoes $10.0/$10.0
Two for the Money $8.7/$8.7
The Gospel $7.5/$7.5
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride $6.5/$42.1
Waiting... $6.0/$6.0
Serenity $5.3/$18.0
A History of Violence $5.0/$16.6
Into the Blue $4.8/$13.9
The Greatest Game Ever Played $3.9/$8.6
Just Like Heaven $3.4/$43.6

[Heretic Machine]

I can't believe Serenity already slipped that far down the charts...

[DoubleUranium]

I hope DVD sales for Serenity are awesome b/c the movie is clearly going to be a loss in the theaters. Damn.

[Zanzibar]

I can't believe Serenity already slipped that far down the charts...

Yeah. It's just criminal.

[TalkingOctopus]

Yeah. It's just criminal.

Yeah it really is. It is a much better movie than any of the recent star wars, but it is having dismal ticket sales :(.

[Steve_Erhardt]

#8?!?!

God fucking DAMN it! Serenity deserves to be doing SO much fucking better.

I think I'm going to stand outside the theater with a 2x4 with a nail through it and tell people to pony up for Serenity... or else.

[Murtaug]

I caught 'Waiting' Saturday, I have to say I've not laughed out loud that much in a theatre, or heard the entire theatre laughing that much in a long time. Out of the five people I went with, only one disliked it.. but he's never worked in the food service industry.

I should also say that if you are going into the flick because Dane Cook has a role, prepare to be dissappointed. Don't get me wrong, he is great in the flick, but there is not much of him in there.. when he is though, classic. "Welcome to the thunderdome, bitch!"

It's a gross out film plain and simple.

Cheesy? Yeah. Funny as hell? Oh yeah.

[Murmillo]

A crime! A fucking crime!.

[Montgomery_Python]

You guys heard the studio of the Wallace and Gromit guys burnt down this morning? It's a shame.

[hund_]

I think I'm going to stand outside the theater with a 2x4 with a nail through it and tell people to pony up for Serenity... or else.

i think the scifi channel running the series before the movie may have hurt it.the trailers made me want to see the movie but after catching a few episodes of the series wasnt impressed.

seemed like a ice pirates rip off[and ip suked].

[Kelegacy]

You know what would be cool? If, as a movie aged in the theaters, it dropped in price. So, if a movie was out for a few weeks and was number 8 or 9, I could see it for 4 bucks instead of 10. I might think about going to the theater more in that case.

But no. So I haven't been to the movies in over 2 years. TWO FUCKING YEARS!

[Spooky]

You know what would be cool? If, as a movie aged in the theaters, it dropped in price. So, if a movie was out for a few weeks and was number 8 or 9, I could see it for 4 bucks instead of 10. I might think about going to the theater more in that case.

But no. So I haven't been to the movies in over 2 years. TWO FUCKING YEARS!

That would be a remarkable display of unmitaged supply/demand dynamics. I'm surprised someone hasn't tried it yet on a chain wide scale. Here in GA, outside of Atlanta Carmike Cinemas (with 700 theatres nation-wide) has a policy of designating one of its theatres in any area as a $1.50 showing. Movies (both blockbusters and bombs) are moved to this theatre after their box office proceeds reach a certain low-point and generally remain there for several weeks.

That said, its a travesty more people haven't gone to see Serenity. Its probably Joss Whedon's most mature intellectual property: the dialogue, the ensemble character dynamics, the passion, the humor, the dead and the mad hope are all almost unseen in modern TV (and not too many films have it either). If you haven't purchased, borrowed, or rented the TV series on DVD you should kick yourself in the nuts. AFter viewing it go see the movie and lose yourself in a fascinating setting.

[Draft]

#8?!?!

God fucking DAMN it! Serenity deserves to be doing SO much fucking better.

I think I'm going to stand outside the theater with a 2x4 with a nail through it and tell people to pony up for Serenity... or else.http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=news&id=4662

[11thfinger]

Yeah, I'm shocked about Serenity......... *cough*

It amazes me how many people drank the Buffy Kool-aid and are surprised that this movie and show are complete commercial failures.

[KarmaGhost]

That's a drop of almost 50%. Wow.

[Ernst_Jager]

Probably because the only people that give a rats ass about Serenity have ALREADY SEEN IT. The appeal of this movie to the general public is nill. Honestly, I am surprised it did as well as it did.

[omnithrope]

Yeah, I'm shocked about Serenity......... *cough*

It amazes me how many people drank the Buffy Kool-aid and are surprised that this movie and show are complete commercial failures.

Why do you say that?
I couldn't stand Buffy, but really liked Firefly/Serenity.

Are you angry about something?

[PantherModern]

Same. I don't think I have ever seen an episode of Buffy, and I don't plan to. Firefly is just a great show in its genre. And Serenity is a great movie. It doesn't pretend to be epic or world changing, it is just a good, fun movie (with some emotional moments tossed in). I just think that no one is giving the movie a try. Most of the people I have talked to who just went to it on a whim wound up loving it. I don't think someone has to be a "Whedonite" to like the flick. And besides, if someone is a fan, is that inherently bad? Most people really dig something, and if the thing they choose is Joss Whedon shows, then I can think of worse things to rally behind.

[Tennistoad]

AH yeah I guess all the publicity about how great it is and how audiences drove hundreds of miles didn't convince anyone who didn't watch the show. I guess reading the reviews in the papers that told them the show was cancled after 11 episodes didn't help either.

/Buffy sucks, Angel sucks, Ice Pirates aka Serenity sucks...
//Bring on the Battlestar Galactica Movie..

[Crabby]

Is it true that the original screenings didn't have a musical score tacked into them? If so, I'm going to chaulk the hype up to insane fanatical fans. That movie would not have been able to stand up without the musical score that came with it.

Anyway, the show was only *11* episodes guys. That isn't long enough for anyone to gauge the show's worth.

[PantherModern]

It's amazing how polarizing this movie has been. I just don't understand how people can so vehemently hate a film. Fine if you don't like it, but this isn't inspiring fine art here--it's a popcorn movie. Does it really deserve that kind of hate or love?

One thing that I would love to see in people who post that anything sucks would be them having the balls to say how experienced they were with that thing that sucks so bad and gave them the authority to make that kind of assertion. At least then we can know that an individual has the requisite knowledge to be a reliable source of info. Personally? I try to experience something several times before I pass judgment. But hey, I'm an intelligent, reasonable person.

And as far as a BSG movie...what the hell for? They are doing more quality work in a 1 hour television drama than Hollywood can pull out of two on any day. BSG is right where it needs to be. It was conceived as a TV show (not unlike Firefly), plotted a TV show, and will play out in a format suited to a TV show. When they try to cash in with a movie is when the property is dead as far as I am concerned.

[Murtaug]

Anyway, the show was only *11* episodes guys. That isn't long enough for anyone to gauge the show's worth.

Obviously it was for someone, or else it might still be around. Never watched an episode though; I remember when it was being hyped, it just really did not strike me as anything I cared to watch. Perhaps my own mistake, but I have been known to fall into shows that are long dead and absolutely love them. Same with the movie - when I first heard it was being made I thought maybe I would give it a shot, obviously it was good enough to go from a failed television show to a feature movie; maybe I was missing out on something here.

But then reviews started coming in, and while they generally were positive, most of them that I read said it was a good follow up to the show, but not a good beginning to a movie franchise. I rarely read reviews for movies until after I see the flick, I would rather judge a film on what little hints I have been given and then decided if I agree with the reviews. Maybe that's just me.

I think now that all this hype I keep hearing about this movie and series is all driven by the cult following it has. Everything you hear about it is how great it is.. but I ask: why was it cancelled then? I guess I will have to answer that for myself and give the series a rent one of these days.

The point of all this rambling? I have no damn clue.

[KamaItachi]

You guys heard the studio of the Wallace and Gromit guys burnt down this morning? It's a shame.

Holy shit. That sucks.

[noxa]

Anyway, the show was only *11* episodes guys.

14 (pilot + 13). I don't know if it was only 11 that aired (never watched it on TV) or where that number came from, but I've seen 14 ^_^

And I agree - the music was fantastic.

I did like the movie, and I find it annoying when people claim that only people who like Joss will enjoy it - my roommate tried to get me into Buffy and that other stuff, and it was a total nonstarter. Utter crap in my book, completely uninteresting, unimaginative, and the characters were annoying. In fact, a reason to NOT see the movie would be because he did it - until a friend made me watch the firefly pilot the Thursday before the movie. Going from the pilot into the movie was incredible - it ended up being like a 4 hour movie. Without having seen the pilot I would have not only ignored the release, but also have never been able to see it (coming in with no idea who the people were or what the universe was would have been annoying, distracted from the story, and the jokes wouldn’t have been as funny).

I liken it to Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children - if you've played the game, the movie is incredible - if you haven't, you suck and you wouldn’t understand anything. Instead of spending an hour of my valuable time explaining things I already know, they can develop a meaningful story.
It may turn some people off, but I thought it was great and led to a memorable film. I know I went and ordered the series on Amazon right away, and it's damn fun.

[PantherModern]

I think now that all this hype I keep hearing about this movie and series is all driven by the cult following it has. Everything you hear about it is how great it is.. but I ask: why was it cancelled then? I guess I will have to answer that for myself and give the series a rent one of these days.



Well, a fan will tell you that it was FOX's fault for airing the shows out of order and playing the time slot game they play with shows they want to see die. But, the simple fact is that it was a show that blended genres that most people in this country can no longer stand: Sci-Fi and Westerns. The Western was driven into the ground in the 60's and Hollywood has absolutely no faith in them anymore. And most executives simply don't get sci-fi. I mean, just look at how FOX has fought to try and kill X-men. The prez of FOX hates the franchise and has wanted to see it fail from the beginning. Singer made a great film that was successful and turned it into one of their best franchises. Now they have pissed Singer off and given the third film to Brett Ratner for pete's sake. I mean come on.

But the public doesn't really care for them either. When is the last time a Western was really succesful? Deadwood? Sure, but only because it actually plays out like the Sopranos in the 1800s.

And Sci-fi? Enterprise is dead, BSG hung by a thread until the critics got behind it (and still doesn't have AMAZING ratings), Farscape is toast, Andromeda won't be around long...I could go on.

So what happens when you blend these genres? Disaster! Unless, of course, you are predisposed to like the two things separately. But, it was a well written show, a fun show, and a show that had a great cast. I enjoyed it for what it was, period. I'm sad to see it fail, but certainly not crushed.

[Morrolan]

I think now that all this hype I keep hearing about this movie and series is all driven by the cult following it has. Everything you hear about it is how great it is.. but I ask: why was it cancelled then?
Four reasons:
1) It was airing in FOUR different time slots over its short run, so nobody could ever find it.
2) Three of those four were in direct competition with established, very popular shows.
3) Fox aired the show out of order, airing the pilot LAST, meaning that people left the 'first' episode aired feeling confused and under-informed.
4) It's a sci-fi show from Joss Whedon. This means that the sci-fi elitists turned their noses up at it because it was associated with Buffy, and the average tv-watchers turned their noses up at it because it was sci-fi.

I would suggest buying the DVD set before watching the movie. It's not required to understand the movie, but there are some events which will DEFINITELY have a bigger impact if you've seen the show, not to mention that you'll get all the little in-jokes and references that are in there.

The show is definitely worth seeing. I'd say it's the best sci-fi television series ever, even over its short run, but then again, that's not saying much. I wish people would stop mentioning that it's a Whedon creation. The only reason I stayed away as long as I did was because of the Buffy/Angel references.

[rubek]

Serenity only just came out in Australia, but we didn't get the TV series here... I don't think, (though like most here, I don't have cable, too $$$) It doesnt seem to be doing too well, but from ppl's comments here and penny-arcade, I might just check it out.
Shame about the Aardmann studio. I had no idea Aardmann helped make the Peter Gabriel "Sledgehammer" video! :)

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/wheres-wallace/2005/10/10/1128796469839.html

[agentgray]

Seeing Serenity fail at the box office made me realize just how small our demographic is.

That's why hardcores never get any love...

Whedon is the ultimate fan. He creates what he loves.

[Sazime]

I liked Serenity, I really did. But watching it just made me pissed off that the show didn't continue. That's what it needed, not a movie.

A History of Violence deserved a wider release and more publicity. It's a great film. Violent and explicit, but great. Two of the most underrated movies of the fall I think.

[TrackZero]

I've just got to go against most others on this. I didn't watch the series, I've only seen the movie. And, quite frankly, it's good, but not THAT good. I could tell it was loaded down with fan service (which means nothing to the casual movie goer), but for everyone else, it only had a few interesting scenes, the rest was just semi-witty lines and repetitive exposition.

While I'd agree it deserves better than 8th place, I found it certainly no more interesting a movie than Flightplan to be (and this is just straight up honesty, I'm not trying to be a troll about this).

I wish I could take off other peoples fanboy goggles for just a minute so they could see this. There are some glaring holes (above and beyond the norm) in this "universe" that just don't make sense (warning: spoilers). Why does everyone talk like a stereotyped cowboy in the future? Why do these raging humans still retain the calmness to be able to pilot spaceships and not kill each other? How could everyone just forget that a planet being terraformed just "didn't work" and disappeared magically off everyone's navagation systems? Would noone's relatives ask "Hey, I wonder what happened to bob and joanne on that planet they were terraforming?".

On the upside, the best parts of the movie are the few action sequences, which were "edge-of-your-seat" goodness. There were some good jokes as well. But I certainly wouldn't make this a "must see" movie and threaten people with a nail through the head for not wanting to see it. ;)

[TrackZero]

I liken it to Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children - if you've played the game, the movie is incredible - if you haven't, you suck and you wouldn’t understand anything.

Actually I never played FF7 (beyond the first little bit, the moment I had to cross-dress, it was game over for me), but I really enjoyed the Advent Children flick. While, I never watched Firefly, and I really didn't love Serenity. Things can stand on their own (or should expect to, if they want people to enjoy it).

[TrackZero]

What is with all the hate for Buffy and Angel? I never saw them as being the same either. There was a lot about Buffy that I didn't like, but Angel usually lacked those things. I thought they were very different shows. And Firefly/Serenity was nothing like either of them.

Ditto, I only semi-enjoyed Buffy, while I thought Angel was a great show. They were designed for different audiences.

[novicius]

Point is, what quality sci-fi is coming out after Serenity? Studio execs (that apparently hate sci-fi) will now point at Serenity and say there's no money in it. If sci-fi fans are so fucking fractured and splintered that they'll piss on each other's backs in a weak and feeble attempt at internet one-upsmanship, then I guess yeah, we're only worth sci-fi that has teddy bears beating up stormtroopers. :rolleyes:

Yes, BSG is great -- but Firefly is also written very well. You are splitting the thinnest of hairs to like one and not help support the other. :mad:

[Neverborne]

I think I speak for the movie-going masses when I say, "No one gives a shit."

[Hellstorm]

I saw Serenity. Aside from the snappy dialog and one liners, it was okay. Not great, not mindblowing. Heck parts of it were boring if not for the one liners. Anyway, Sci-Fi is not a hot commodity right now. It's been done too many times, from X-Files to the New Nightstalker (which is horrid). No one has broken new ground in Sci-Fi and that's the problem. Witty comebacks will only carry you so far and Joss, AFAICT, does the witty part right but doesn't try to do anything really new.

[Murmillo]

Your right, why try to do anything new? Lets just bring out another crappy dialoged 99% cgi wookie on jedi action because we know that will make $100 million at the box office just because George Lucas can take a crap.

[hund_]

Point is, what quality sci-fi is coming out after Serenity? Studio execs (that apparently hate sci-fi) will now point at Serenity and say there's no money in it. If sci-fi fans are so fucking fractured and splintered that they'll piss on each other's backs in a weak and feeble attempt at internet one-upsmanship, then I guess yeah, we're only worth sci-fi that has teddy bears beating up stormtroopers. :rolleyes:

Yes, BSG is great -- but Firefly is also written very well. You are splitting the thinnest of hairs to like one and not help support the other. :mad:

because Serenity sucked[at least box office wise]doesnt mean the end of tv scifi.

shows i liked that didnt do well[but would have made better movies than Serenity] ;)

farscape
babylon 5
starship troopers the toon

[Abdiel]

Farscape and Firefly were both excellent, character-driven shows that just happened to be science fiction.

They were fine examples of the fact that some things are best done in a tv format. The Farscape miniseries is still four of my favorite hours of television of all time. The opening CG was jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

[Crabby]

I've just got to go against most others on this. I didn't watch the series, I've only seen the movie. And, quite frankly, it's good, but not THAT good. I could tell it was loaded down with fan service (which means nothing to the casual movie goer), but for everyone else, it only had a few interesting scenes, the rest was just semi-witty lines and repetitive exposition.

While I'd agree it deserves better than 8th place, I found it certainly no more interesting a movie than Flightplan to be (and this is just straight up honesty, I'm not trying to be a troll about this).

I wish I could take off other peoples fanboy goggles for just a minute so they could see this. There are some glaring holes (above and beyond the norm) in this "universe" that just don't make sense (warning: spoilers). Why does everyone talk like a stereotyped cowboy in the future? Why do these raging humans still retain the calmness to be able to pilot spaceships and not kill each other? How could everyone just forget that a planet being terraformed just "didn't work" and disappeared magically off everyone's navagation systems? Would noone's relatives ask "Hey, I wonder what happened to bob and joanne on that planet they were terraforming?".

On the upside, the best parts of the movie are the few action sequences, which were "edge-of-your-seat" goodness. There were some good jokes as well. But I certainly wouldn't make this a "must see" movie and threaten people with a nail through the head for not wanting to see it. ;)


Heh, I tried to bring up that bumpkin dialect issue with some "fans" once and I was totally railed out of Dodge for it. There really isn't any reasonable explaination as to why the language would retrograde like that after 21st century society. To top it off, they mumble oriental-stylez.

You can't tell me that because some planets in this new solar system are farther away than others it immediately made people start referring to hot days as sodbusters again. There is clearly intellect in the created universe of this show, even among the crew. They just drift in and out of educated speech when it fits for Whedon. That makes it quite tacky. Borderline contrived when you get down to the minutia of each instance.

[tenchiker]

Your all a bunch of assfisting noobs. If you didn't go see Serenity you probably play Gaytendo too.

[Malovech]

Hey what about that "A History of Violence" movie, that was cool huh?

[novicius]

Because Serenity is crashing and burning means that we won't have much sci-fi on the big screen. Please try and keep up.

:: Farscape was beautiful and well-done but at times too far out and campy; the "good" eps are the ones that deal largely with the Peacekeepers (they're the most coherent). Besides, we had a movie, "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars."

:: Babylon 5 had its 5 seasons and final ep. Firefly was as well-written with an even smaller budget. JMS tried to get a Babylon 5 movie done, but funding fell through. (http://worldsofjms.com/usenet/post/050226b.htm) Regardless, I'd go see it, multiple times.

:: Anything to do with Starship Troopers is sad. Anything. (Yet I watched ST in the theater. Can I have my money back?)

:: Speaking a form of broken English mixed with Chinese reflects that a.) English is the standard language for business now and for the foreseeable future, and b.) China is a rising force who will only become more influential as the years go on. Would you rather have the entire show in broken Chinese with subtitles? Yeah, that'd go over well. :rolleyes:

Point is, why bag on Serenity when the pickings are slim as all hell? Talk about reinforcing the idea that sci-fi doesn't sell... :mad:

[Xerxes]

"You got a wrap up, people, which is a lot more than most cancelled shows ever get (including far superior shows like Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared)" -chud website

Again in the words of Randell Curtis from the Simpsons, "Now I know you're crazy."

[Xerxes]

I wish I could take off other peoples fanboy goggles for just a minute so they could see this. There are some glaring holes (above and beyond the norm) in this "universe" that just don't make sense (warning: spoilers). Why does everyone talk like a stereotyped cowboy in the future? Why do these raging humans still retain the calmness to be able to pilot spaceships and not kill each other? How could everyone just forget that a planet being terraformed just "didn't work" and disappeared magically off everyone's navagation systems? Would noone's relatives ask "Hey, I wonder what happened to bob and joanne on that planet they were terraforming?".

The planet was on the edge of the solar system. Far removed from the others and the planet was fully terraformed and everything. Alliance tested on that planet, and they control all the other planets as well. Sure ask questions, then those fucks in the black suits will pay you a visit. I can't explain the cowboy speak. Think though, the independent planets didn't have fancy buildings and were pretty much lawless like the old west. They got cattle and such so they were pretty much like frontiersmen on the crappy planets. I'm sure they can drop their fancy grammer when smelling like manure and running saloons. Now the Reavers not kiling themselves is something. I mean giving up on life and raping and eating people, then wearing their flesh don't seem like opposites exactly.

[Heretic Machine]

Spoilers

How could everyone just forget that a planet being terraformed just "didn't work" and disappeared magically off everyone's navagation systems? Would noone's relatives ask "Hey, I wonder what happened to bob and joanne on that planet they were terraforming?".


They didn't forget, if you'll remember both Mal and Zoe had a vauge recollection of a failed terraforming on a planet called Miranda. The official cover story is that the terraforming failed, and the atmosphere went bad. They just didn't tell anyone about the fact that the people there became Reavers.

[Voodoo]

I really enjoyed the movie, but I saw Firefly do the same mistake that Star Wars did...

The TV Series was all about them being out in space doing odds and ends jobs. There wasn't a big giant save civilization plot. Mel and Zoe had already attempted to do that and decided it was best to stay out of that sort of business...

Then comes the movie... Turns into the crew of the Serenity will go against the mean ole republic mono y mono with a big four fisted fight at the end between the Good Guy and Bad Guy. The movie suffered from the regular ole Save Everyone syndrome that many Sci-Fi series and movies suffer...

Fortunately, the TV series didn't suffer this problem and remains one of the best Sci Fi series I've ever seen.

What was the original Star Wars movies about? Saving your damn friends, even if that means getting your hand chopped off, getting stuffed inside a smelly Llama or even finding out the chic you had the hots for is really your sister.

What was the new ones about that just concluded? Good vs Evil and save the Republic crap. There wasn't anything remotely personal about it.

Firefly the series is a great western...

Firefly the movie is a typical Sci-Fi movie, but a good one at that.

[jwbxx]

If you didn't go see Serenity you probably play Gaytendo too.I nominated this post for post of the century. 10 points for originality, I've never heard gaytendo ever used in a post.

[hund_]

Your all a bunch of assfisting noobs. If you didn't go see Serenity you probably play Gaytendo too.
look up into the eyes of your father and say please dont cum in my mouth daddy.

[51|RandoM]

Eh, I wouldn't be amazed to see it stay in theaters longer than most movies. It has a dedicated fanbase that will see it multiple times, if you keep showing it.

It'll pull 4-5 million in every week for at least a month, if you just let it run.

[Eric_T_Cheng]

Why does everyone talk like a stereotyped cowboy in the future?

North Americans were British settlers yet none of us talk with British accents but instead there are dozens of different English "dialects" in North America. People on the frontier worlds speak a more crass Western/cowboy type of English compared to those from the civilized worlds (ie Inara and Simon).

Why do these raging humans still retain the calmness to be able to pilot spaceships and not kill each other?

A pack of hungry wolves won't attack each other but help each other to bring down prey...

How could everyone just forget that a planet being terraformed just "didn't work" and disappeared magically off everyone's navagation systems? Would noone's relatives ask "Hey, I wonder what happened to bob and joanne on that planet they were terraforming?".

When the government controls the experimental world, they control its histroy. With 30 million settlers on the world, most of their relatives would probably be on that world too. Anyone off world asking questions and government agents would make them disappear.

[Eric_T_Cheng]

I never got into Buffy or Angel. If anything those shows initially turned me off to Firefly when a buddy tried to get me to watch the series. Eventually I relented, and despite like warming to the "cowboys in space armed with contemporary guns" I fell in love with the series. The show was everything that wasn't Star Trek or Star Wars -- there was no clear cut black and white Good vs Evil. The captain was an asshole. He's what Han Solo would have been in his youth if he had actually the balls to shoot Greedo first ;). The series was about nine characters who don't all get along (a few times they may try to sell each other out for a bounty...).

[TrackZero]

Point is, what quality sci-fi is coming out after Serenity? Studio execs (that apparently hate sci-fi) will now point at Serenity and say there's no money in it.

Oh, I don't know, let's see what's been out/coming out this year:

Star Wars Episode 3
War of the Worlds
The Island
A Sound of Thunder
Aeon Flux
Doom
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
and of course, Serenity itself.

Yeah, looks like we're really suffering for some Sci-fi. Woe are us.

[TrackZero]

North Americans were British settlers yet none of us talk with British accents but instead there are dozens of different English "dialects" in North America. People on the frontier worlds speak a more crass Western/cowboy type of English compared to those from the civilized worlds (ie Inara and Simon).

That doesn't answer my question at all. Why would people in the future "frontier worlds" (sounds western, therefore they must be!) revert to talking like stereotyped cowboys? That's the same logic that if I moved to someplace that was very green, I'd start talking like I was Irish.


A pack of hungry wolves won't attack each other but help each other to bring down prey...

Again, that's not correct, it was quite precisely described in the movie that they had enhanced, uncontrollable rage. Even if they were somehow still in control of it, why would you simply attack/kill anyone else who isn't as pissed off as you? It doesn't make any sense. Also, even if you did, why were none of the other people who became uber-calm attacked and torn to shreds? They found them all just "laying down".

When the government controls the experimental world, they control its histroy. With 30 million settlers on the world, most of their relatives would probably be on that world too. Anyone off world asking questions and government agents would make them disappear.

That's quite doubtful. People would obviously notice when 30 million humans just drop off the map without question, period. The news agencies alone would have a field day with it.

Sorry to say, but there are logic holes that you can't fill without some large degree of forgiveness.

[Sazime]

Man, I love being in a forum full of experts!

[Xerxes]

Track I answered your questions too...

Again in the future, they are crappy outer planets... Dust bowls. Again look at Inara and Simon compared to others.

Savages flying spaceships, sounds like the Klingons damn nears. Sure they had all the crap about honor but still. Not to mention they needed to get live humans to rape and eat.

THE ALLIANCE CONTROLS THESE NEWS ANGENCIES YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. Did you not see the Operative wipe out dozens of hideouts on backwater planets. 30 million on planet, far removed from the others. Then they blamed it on a terraforming going wrong.

[Imelman]

The saddest thing about seeing the movie for me was to get a glimpse about where the TV show was going (since the movie was supposed to bring closure to the show). I would have preferred to see that storyline played out over a longer period of time than 2 hours. All of the so called continuity errors that were mentioned are bullshit. HALF the world population speaks chinese, the language is spoken by more people than any other language. English is becoming a trade language though. Usually if you want to learn another language and your first language isn't English then you will learn to speak English. The reason that certain characters speak like they are from the "old west" is because they live on a frontier of sorts. The outer planets are literally colonies and the settlers are just like American settlers were. Simon and Inora don't speak like the others because they aren't from the frontier. Language constantly evolves and the way they speak in Firefly/Serenity isn't EXACTLY the way they spoke in the old west anyway. Look, if you want to find continuity errors in a sci-fi movie, go watch Star Wars. I think the writting for this movie was akin to Sideways. The character evolution of Malcolm Reynolds was so incredibly well done in the short span of 2 hours that it gave me chills. **SPOILER** That final line where River says "The storm is getting worse" and Mal responds with "It'll clear up soon" is such a drastic change from the beginning of the movie and the motivation for that change is brought about because he "believed" like the Shepard told him to. And then there's the fact that he and the assasin are like two sides of the same coin. They both believe so stongly that what they are doing is right that they are willing to sacrifice everything.

I could go on like this for hours, but what I mean to say is that this is by far the best movie of the year and right now is the best movie I can think of (deffinately the best Sci-Fi movie I can think of).

[Imelman]

THE ALLIANCE CONTROLS THESE NEWS ANGENCIES YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. Did you not see the Operative wipe out dozens of hideouts on backwater planets. 30 million on planet, far removed from the others. Then they blamed it on a terraforming going wrong.

Not to mention the fact that nobody could check the facts since there were reavers in the way, so they just had to believe whatever they were told. I mean how could a government get away with lying to it's people about WMDs... I mean the death of a planet?

[Eric_T_Cheng]

That doesn't answer my question at all. Why would people in the future "frontier worlds" (sounds western, therefore they must be!) revert to talking like stereotyped cowboys? That's the same logic that if I moved to someplace that was very green, I'd start talking like I was Irish.

But I don't see why it's an issue. I think it's cool that not everyone speaks proper English on that show (although it bugged me their Mandarin Chinese was horrid). A few of the characters had British and Russian accents.

Did you have a probably with the original Star Trek series that Scotty had a stereotypical Scottish accent and Chechov had a stereotypical Russian accent? If anything, I was more bothered that EVERY SINGLE alien spoke fluent North American English with no trace of an accent. At least the actor who played Ambassador Londo on Babylon 5 gave his character an accent.

Again, that's not correct, it was quite precisely described in the movie that they had enhanced, uncontrollable rage. Even if they were somehow still in control of it, why would you simply attack/kill anyone else who isn't as pissed off as you? It doesn't make any sense. Also, even if you did, why were none of the other people who became uber-calm attacked and torn to shreds? They found them all just "laying down".

The Reavers only killed those who are alive (and I'm sure the ratings board had enough issues with the decomposed corpses and skeletons in the movie without mangled bodies).

And of course, there's artistic license. How do you make cannibalistc boogeymen scary if they would just feed on each other?

That's quite doubtful. People would obviously notice when 30 million humans just drop off the map without question, period. The news agencies alone would have a field day with it.

The government control the media. People are sheep. They fear/believe the government and what the media feeds them. How many people really give a shit what's happening outside of their own backyards? It's not that far off from what we have here today (see the scandals surrounding the GWB and Blair administrations the past three years).

[TheKeck]

You know what would be cool? If, as a movie aged in the theaters, it dropped in price. So, if a movie was out for a few weeks and was number 8 or 9, I could see it for 4 bucks instead of 10. I might think about going to the theater more in that case.

But no. So I haven't been to the movies in over 2 years. TWO FUCKING YEARS!

It boggles my mind that many places DON'T have "second run theaters". (Usually just called "dollar theaters", but you'll rarely find one that actually just charges a buck anymore.) I think it's such a great system, and that they should have them everywhere.

[rein]

I think Firefly was a great series and Serenity was a good movie. I missed the Fox showing of the series and bought the dvd set. I think it helped me see how good the series was since I got to watch the episodes in order the first time around.

I agree with the person above who said they would have liked the movie stretched out over a longer period of time. It would have been so much better if they could have given the story line a personal feel like the series. It would have made it feel less like a movie of good guys vs the evil empire and given more intimate details of the character relationships and interactions.

At least the worst case scenario is fans of the series got some closure. Not bad for a defunct series that didn't even air a full season on tv.

Now, bring back the quirky freaky links series... ..yea.. nothing to do with Josh or Firefly but I watched it.... ...I think I was the only one.

[The Iron Weasel]

Can i post here still even if i haven't seen Serenity or Firefly? I feel like such a outsider now.

[novicius]

Oh, I don't know, let's see what's been out/coming out this year:

Star Wars Episode 3
War of the Worlds
The Island
A Sound of Thunder
Aeon Flux
Doom
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
and of course, Serenity itself.

Yeah, looks like we're really suffering for some Sci-fi. Woe are us.
This?! This is your argument?! Woe is us is right -- did you even see The Island or A Sound of Thunder? You're telling me Doom is gonna set the new standard for quality writing in sci-fi? Heh, did anyone tell you you're supposed to blow workin' joes for money to buy crack and not the crack dealer himself? :rolleyes:

Of those, SW Ep. 3 is questionable entertainment and only Hitchhiker's Guide and Serenity are what I'd call "good writing".

We ARE suffering for good sci-fi. :mad:

[Xerxes]

We ARE suffering for good sci-fi. :mad:

And what would you call good?

[fitbabits]

You know what would be cool? If, as a movie aged in the theaters, it dropped in price. So, if a movie was out for a few weeks and was number 8 or 9, I could see it for 4 bucks instead of 10. I might think about going to the theater more in that case.

But no. So I haven't been to the movies in over 2 years. TWO FUCKING YEARS!
Kelegacy, my little love muffin, we have dollar theaters in North Carolina. If my puckered ass isn't enough to get you to visit here, then a dollar theater may do the trick.

I live in hope!

[Subbacultcha]

In other news, the Wallace and Gromit warehouse burned down:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4326624.stm

[NoName]

Posted yesterday evening and I'm already 7 pages behind on the post. Anyways, it's been said by people more in the know than me that this weekends box office sales for Serenity would determine the series' fate as a movie franchise. I'm loosing hope for a sequel...

[51|RandoM]

I hate to break it to you, but that isn't what cowboys sound like.

Asking why they sound like cowboys is a dumb question, since they don't sound like cowboys anyways.

[Xerxes]

I couldn't imagine anything but a headache after watching that Wallace and Grommit still. Maybe if it was gumby or something but a old british dude with a sweater vest and a dog. O_o

[Spigot]

Hey! No maligning Wallace & Grommit.

[NoName]

Kelegacy, my little love muffin, we have dollar theaters in North Carolina. If my puckered ass isn't enough to get you to visit here, then a dollar theater may do the trick.

I live in hope!
You have a dollar theater? Way over here I have to pay a full 1.50 to see older movies... but then again the dollar fifty theater just got renevated not to long ago, so I suppose they need the extra money ;).

[KamaItachi]

Hey! No maligning Wallace & Grommit.

Seconded. There's more character and fun in that mute dog and his batty owner than anything churned out by Disney on the last few decades.

This has been my most eagerly awaited film this year after Sin City.. I must see it.

[PacerDawn]

I was lukewarm on Firefly when it first came out. The first episode I saw (train robbery) was met by me with a resounding "meh". I didn't like the fact that the ship didn't have weapons and the characters were all wooden. I think I taped a few more ep's but never got around to watching them.

Then, Sci-Fi started to re-air them so I said to myself "Self, you should give that show a second chance" so I did. And I'm glad I did, that is one good show. The stories are interesting and the dialog is well written. True there are holes here and there, but there really isn't a sci-fi series out there that doesn't have them.

Went to see the movie this weekend. I wasn't going to at first because I thought it looked more like a big TV movie, and to be honest, it was shot in the style of a TV movie, but oh my goodness was it ever so enjoyable.

Crap, now I'm addicted and will probably purchase the DVD set and the movie when it comes out.

Why do they speak western? Because there had to be some way to distinguish the "civilized" class from the "frontier" class. If they made up some kind of dialogue, people wouldn't get it, so they used what was familiar. Why are the reavers so civilized and don't turn on each other? Who cares? Why didn't people notice an entire planet vanished? Um, they did. They were told the terraforming failed and then the reavers popped up so nobody really went out there to dispute the claim.

The reason it seems like the plot should have been expanded to multiple episodes is because it was originally supposed to be. The movie plot is the story arc that Whedon had planned out to span 2+ years of the series all crammed into 2 hours.

People are staying away from this movie because it's a spin off from a TV series that not many people saw. I saw it with my wife and son and they both enjoyed it, despite the fact that they have never seen the series. It does stand on it's own, the introduction gives good background, and we even get to see how Simon rescued River Thames (er, Tam). Hopefully word of mouth will keep it going, but even so, it should do well in DVD sales. That's what got it made in the first place.

The problems I see sci-fi fans having with this movie are: Too many talking heads, not enough action. There was way more story in this movie than your normal mindless sci-fi popcorn flick, which is probably why it went over so well with the critics. And, no aliens. It's rare to find a sci-fi show set in outer space without an established alien presence. There are zero aliens, and zero alien environments in Firefly, which many hard-core sci-fi fans may find bland.

I'm a convert. I was in the "bland" camp originally, but now I look at this as one of the best sci-fi series to ever come out, and I'm getting the DVD's. Why did it only last 11 eps? Because Fox is notorious for canceling series they do not understand (Space: Above and Beyond, Brisco County, etc). Just because a TV show is cancelled on Fox doesn't make it a bad show, trust me.

[fitbabits]

You have a dollar theater? Way over here I have to pay a full 1.50 to see older movies... but then again the dollar fifty theater just got renevated not to long ago, so I suppose they need the extra money ;).
Well, it's called a dollar theater, but it's $1.50. I guess calling it a dollar-fifty theater doesn't have the same zing to it. :)

[fitbabits]

Your all a bunch of assfisting noobs. If you didn't go see Serenity you probably play Gaytendo too.
What the fuck? Who let you in? Off you go and pull your pudding.

[Subbacultcha]

I couldn't imagine anything but a headache after watching that Wallace and Grommit still. Maybe if it was gumby or something but a old british dude with a sweater vest and a dog. O_o

Ah, I loved Gumby! I didn't realise it when I was a kid, but Gumby was a real head-trip.... really, really surreal at times. Just loved the theme song: "He could walk through a wall if he wanted to". Well, of course.


Gumby certainly deserves a remake, maybe an adult-oriented feature film (A post modern self-parody sort of thing, for example. Anyone who's seen an Adult Swim cartoon will know what I mean).

[Xerxes]

Explaining reavers doesn't really explain what's up with River. I really don't dig Fox. Most tv in general. The excutive in tv most really be smoking something or I don't get it. Friday nights is tv hell, nothing can survive there except Sci-fi's primetime line up of Stargate(s) and battlestar galactica. Fox kept moving firefly everywhich way, a couple time on friday night until it died. Not airing the pilot as the pilot was supid as well. John Doe died on friday nights as well. Guess they tired of the bernie mac show cause they killing that off there as well. This is why UPN and WB show cheap saturday cinema movies during these times. And why would upn put there most current sucessful show up against Lost. And how do you lead in from something as lame and unfunny as George Lopez to Lost. And what's up with all the Lost wannabes. I mean Invasion even tries to use the same music.

[Xerxes]

Ah, I loved Gumby! I didn't realise it when I was a kid, but Gumby was a real head-trip.... really, really surreal at times. Just loved the theme song: "He could walk through a wall if he wanted to". Well, of course.


Gumby certainly deserves a remake, maybe an adult-oriented feature film (A post modern self-parody sort of thing, for example. Anyone who's seen an Adult Swim cartoon will know what I mean).

Yes Gumby probably would be great to be high to, but that's beside the point. The show was cool. I mean he walks in a book, and bam. Beat the block head brothers up and leaving them in there. Then comes out and plays in a band with a dinosaur, a pony, and a blob.

[Roc Ingersol]

It doesn't pretend to be epic or world changing, it is just a good, fun movie (with some emotional moments tossed in).
The movie may not masquerade as something important, but tell that to the rabid browncoats.

They're not satisfied being attached to a 'good' movie. They wanted it to be a phenomenon, and damn us all for ignoring high art.

Weird people, them browncoats. Kinda remind me of people who attach value judgements to consumer electronics purchases.

[Librum]

I liked Serenity, I really did. But watching it just made me pissed off that the show didn't continue. That's what it needed, not a movie.

A History of Violence deserved a wider release and more publicity. It's a great film. Violent and explicit, but great. Two of the most underrated movies of the fall I think.

Serenity might be great, and I'll probably rent it, but I really, really can't understand why anyone thought History of Violence was remotely good. It gets my vote for one of the worst movies ever.

[Xerxes]

Just because the "browncoats liked the movie, are we to consider them biased. I mean people who liked star wars could admit phantom menance was ass. Why can't fans of the show like the movie. I bring this up because the IMDB rating of the movie is like 8.5 and it's the 110 top movie. Some folks are claiming that's fan service and what not, but fans of the show still liked the movie. The count is to be how many folks like the movie and gave it a honest rating. If they hated the movie I'm sure they can give a bad rating as well.

[TrackZero]

I hate to break it to you, but that isn't what cowboys sound like.

Asking why they sound like cowboys is a dumb question, since they don't sound like cowboys anyways.

Apparently, you can't read. I said STEREOTYPED cowboys. Thanks for getting with the program.

[TrackZero]

This?! This is your argument?! Woe is us is right -- did you even see The Island or A Sound of Thunder? You're telling me Doom is gonna set the new standard for quality writing in sci-fi? Heh, did anyone tell you you're supposed to blow workin' joes for money to buy crack and not the crack dealer himself? :rolleyes:

Of those, SW Ep. 3 is questionable entertainment and only Hitchhiker's Guide and Serenity are what I'd call "good writing".

We ARE suffering for good sci-fi. :mad:

My point was that Sci-fi continues to come out (it being good is always the circumstance of the writers, director, actors, producers, etc.) regardless if some of it sucks or not. So claiming that the whole industry is going to hate "good" Scifi just because people didn't go crazy for Serenity is just silly.

[Xerxes]

Sad thing is bullshit Sci-fi like Cruise and Spielberg make a $150+ million dollars. I mean War of the Worlds was super garbage.

[TrackZero]

But I don't see why it's an issue. I think it's cool that not everyone speaks proper English on that show (although it bugged me their Mandarin Chinese was horrid). A few of the characters had British and Russian accents.

Did you have a probably with the original Star Trek series that Scotty had a stereotypical Scottish accent and Chechov had a stereotypical Russian accent? If anything, I was more bothered that EVERY SINGLE alien spoke fluent North American English with no trace of an accent. At least the actor who played Ambassador Londo on Babylon 5 gave his character an accent.

The issue at hand is that it's a fictional accent. Whereas I can write off Scotty and Chechov because, well ..... they came from Earth from those countries! Doo-rah. Also, the alien thing...universal translators. This was all explained.

Not to say that Star Trek is without it's own holes, but it's from years gone by when just getting Sci-fi on the air was a challenge in itself. I expect more of my shows today. Especially if it's a movie (because, again, I didn't watch the series, my comments are an outside perspective).

The Reavers only killed those who are alive (and I'm sure the ratings board had enough issues with the decomposed corpses and skeletons in the movie without mangled bodies).

And of course, there's artistic license. How do you make cannibalistc boogeymen scary if they would just feed on each other?

Yeah, I agree it would be hard to make an enemy that killed themselves. The least they could have done is half-ass explained why they don't attack each other, which they didn't do.

The government control the media. People are sheep. They fear/believe the government and what the media feeds them. How many people really give a shit what's happening outside of their own backyards? It's not that far off from what we have here today (see the scandals surrounding the GWB and Blair administrations the past three years).

I'm Canadian, so, you know, maybe it's just something that still doesn't quite click with me. I have a hard time believing people are that damn stupid (but then I watched people re-elect Bush in the states).

Though it could be noted that these days the media are being increasingly controlled by the internet. Once a story hits a certain level of popularity, the networks really have no choice but to cover it. They're in it for the ratings, not because someone is telling them what to show.

But again, I mean, c'mon, planet with 30 million people just has "problems Terraforming" so they all vanish and suddenly Reavers appear out of nowhere and you're telling me not a single reporter with access to a space tug can't be bothered to figure the story out? That's quite a stretch.

[Xerxes]

You get in this space tug to go investigate, Reavers will rape your ass and eat you at the same fucking time. I'm sure that wreckage was probably filled with a few dumbass reporters. The Alliance. I mean you just don't get how they are very controlling. Asking to many questions when they say don't is a death sentence. It's not about people being stupid and saying "oh nos a planet with 30 million people died, let me go investigate." How the fuck would you investigate? Not everybody owns a spaceship. Hell them folks are still like us having to work hard just to fly to another part of the planet.

Also Reavers was never confirmed by anyone. It's like the boogyman story. They didn't go in the core planets. The ravaged the lesser worried about outer planets.

[Imelman]

I think the biggest reason that Serenity did so poorly is because of it's lack of star power. That's the same reason why War of the Worlds and Star Wars did so well, those movies both had well known actors in them. The only actors that I knew from other movies were Alan Tyduk (hope I spelled that right) the guy who played Wash, Ron Glass the guy who played Shepard Book, and the guy who played Mr. Universe (I forget his name, but he's also on the show Numbers). None of these actors have ever had a lead role in a movie (and I don't think Ron Glass has ever been in a movie at all) and so nobody cared about a movie that with them in it. It's sad too, because they (the entire cast) are all very good actors.

The other point I want to make is that nobody commented on how good the physics are in the movie and TV series. Aside from the "Gravity Generator" Serenity has some of the most believable physics of any Sci-Fi I've ever seen. Of course that doesn't matter since it is science FICTION, but it impressed me.

[Tennistoad]

Just because the "browncoats liked the movie, are we to consider them biased. I mean people who liked star wars could admit phantom menance was ass. Why can't fans of the show like the movie. I bring this up because the IMDB rating of the movie is like 8.5 and it's the 110 top movie. Some folks are claiming that's fan service and what not, but fans of the show still liked the movie. The count is to be how many folks like the movie and gave it a honest rating. If they hated the movie I'm sure they can give a bad rating as well.

I don't know...This whole thing has the weird gurilla marketing type fog over it.. every time I see anything neg or against this movie in a forum it is a ripped apart and the people are berated like they aren't in the "Click" and the only way to get into it is by seeing the movie... I mean Lotr did great in the theaters and how many people who saw it do you really think read the books? It got great word of mouth and had Star power.. And all of you whiners saying that if we don't support sci fi they won't make it....STFU.. Because if they make good sci-fi we won't have to. Bring back the days of blade-runner and 2001. I'll tell you what could've been a great sci-fi flick I robot.. But no they put in stupid car chases and gun fights when they could've made it more suspenseful and dark,, That would've gotten more people into it..make it a morality tale instead of action..Stick a freakin apple ipod on the robot and it would've made millions....(ed: oh it did make millions nevermind)

[Xerxes]

Tennistoad, supporting Sci fi isn't such a bad deal... I mean if you could set through the last star wars, I'm sure those ($200 million per movie) worth of people could sit down and find Serenity enjoyable. Sure they didn't have the darth vader whine like a bitch seen but you know, whatever.

[valkyrie_cs]

So is Pokemon like officially gay now ? I just finished emerald over an intensive 3 week period and it's currently in my top 5 ever list. I won't bore anyone with the many ways in which I love Pokemon: it's pointless: go check the sales figures... we must all be morons. Weak AI is the only criticism I will accept against a deep strategic wonderous title that captivated my daughter as well. To be specific: the GBA rpg titles are fantastic, the rest are very very bad dross. You can enjoy the Pokemon verse without buying into all the kiddie crap (imo). Oh yeah: W&G was amazing in the fact it was so relaxed and heart warming... very true to it's ethos.

[Xerxes]

valkyrie were did all this pokemon love com from, isn't this the movie thread.. :-P

[valkyrie_cs]

doh... I was responding to the Bioware thread in my brain whilst reading the box office thread... way to wake up quickly in the morning :( There was all this Pokemon hate in there (and also alot of excellent BG2 love).

[TheKeck]

I think the biggest reason that Serenity did so poorly is because of it's lack of star power. That's the same reason why War of the Worlds and Star Wars did so well, those movies both had well known actors in them.

Star Wars did well because of the ACTORS in it????? :confused: :confused:

How about, Star Wars did well because IT'S THE LAST F***ING STAR WARS!



Actually, I would say that both movies did so well mostly because of the big name DIRECTORS they had.