Bottom line: It met my expectations, but its release attempted to break every rule in the book. I’d heard Free State was a damn good movie from the talented Gary Ross and it seemed provocatively counter-intuitive on many levels. With that in mind I went to see Free State Of Jones last weekend, wading past filmgoers paying to see Independence Day, Finding Dory and two other new films. You have to acknowledge that kids know Finding Dory‘s Pixar predecessor, but probably not Dahl’s classic prose.īART: I like decisions that are counter-intuitive, even though they’re usually high on risk and low on return. But in this day and age, I guess it’s too risky to hold anything back. If BFG had come out back then, I bet he would have built anticipation by keeping the reveal of the giants a secret. Will those crowd scenes be replicated this weekend?įLEMING: I remember when Spielberg launched E.T. Studio publicists would not have been thrilled by the question of one tourist gaping at the celebrity arrivals: “My kids have never heard of Tarzan.” The upshot of last night: the traffic jam was monumental. Tarzan (from Warner Bros) has been shielded from the press until now but the premiere attracted the usual red-carpet mob. The Extra-Terrestrial, but millions of families worldwide will be downright delighted. It won’t create the worshipful following of E.T. The BFG is a meandering movie, heavy on whimsy but light on narrative drive. But despite his shiny new Oscar and strong performance here, Mark Rylance isn’t a bankable star and what kid saw Bridge Of Spies anyway? Are Dahl’s edgy fables big in China? Tarzan seems more perilous, despite Alexander Skarsgard’s admirable washboard abs.īART: I opted to go to the Spielberg movie, which was widely respected at its Cannes premiere but not venerated. I saw it in Cannes it’s a fun family film with grand VFX. I wonder if Spielberg wishes he had put a shark in BFG, a movie that goes into July 4th weekend as one of two big question marks, despite the filmmaker and a Roald Dahl classic as subject matter. Shark Week on Discovery Channel always works, and this stirred audiences. Now, we’ve seen many attacking sharks, going back to Spielberg’s Jaws, but we haven’t had a good one in awhile. The ID4 sequel didn’t have Will Smith, and the materials didn’t really show anything that felt new. With the exception of Inception and a few others, it’s very hard to market imagery that doesn’t provide a sense of deja vu. It made moviegoers say, I gotta see that. It felt fresh, with imagery, like the space ship hovering over and blowing up the White House. I remember when the original ID4 came out 20 years ago. And Independence Day: Resurgence followed Warcraft as another in a growing number of big-ticket escapist pictures that perform far better offshore than in the U.S. The Shallows, about a shark attack, managed to succeed for Sony in the same kind of counter-programming move that STX Entertainment tried unsuccessfully with Free State Of Jones. 'Dory' Eats $300M+ & Will Gobble Up 'BFG', 'Tarzan' & 'Purge' Over Independence Day - Box Office Preview Warner BrosįLEMING: No question it has been slack tide following last year’s record-breaking year.
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