Forum - View topicNEWS: IMAGI's Astro Boy Film Opens at #6 with US$7 Million
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Ktimene's Lover
 Posts: 2242 Location: Glendale, AZ (Proudly living in the desert) |
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I wonder if the fact that they had to get A-List celebrities and the Americanization of Astro Boy is the main reason it sucked on opening weekend.
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Hexon.Arq
 Posts: 79 |
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I've been thinking it was likely due to the ads clumsily (if honestly) depicting a derivative and uninteresting movie, more than anything else. I wasn't sure how many kids who have seen Pinnochio and/or A.I. or other films of that ilk would be clamoring to see Astro Boy after the way it's been sold, but I guess we have an answer.
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RadicaLElly
 Posts: 194 Location: Coral Springs, FL |
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Dunno, but Nicholas Cage was terrible as Dr. Tenma. spoiler[You'd think someone who's child was just killed in front of him would be more than mildly upset.] |
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Tenchi
 Posts: 4543 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
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I think it's more because modern American audiences just aren't all that interested in the character of Astro Boy, and also because the period just before Hallowe'en is a poor time to release animated children's movies that don't in some way have some kind of monster theme.
I suspect this movie might have opened in the $12 to $15 million range in February or March, when the big Christmas releases are out of theatres and there's not all that much competition for younger audiences. |
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Paploo
Posts: 1875 |
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Saw it with some friends, and it was a very good movie overall. I imagine it might do a bit better in the end of word of mouth is good.
There were a lot of nice touches for anime fans [if you like Tezuka]- -one of the doctors working at Tenma's lab was Dr.Tezuka, complete with beret and a design very similar to his appearances in his asides. - Astro meets up with Mr.Hamegg [Gasoline Lamp] who runs a robot fight arena rather then the circus, but still a nice nod to Tezuka's star system and his appearance in Astro Boy Vol.1 -Mr.Mustachio played a smaller role -the pig that is in Tezuka's manga at random pops up several times on billboards. I think there were a few more references my friends caught that I overlooked I also liked the strong enviromental/anti-war message, the occasionally dark humour [the 2d animated introduction was fantastic- sets the tone for how robots are treated well], and the cartoony designs that translated Tezuka's aesthetic to a Hollywood CGI style well. Add in the more serious subject matter like the abandoned/lost children Astro befriends, and the very corrupt politician [a common stock in Tezuka manga] , and it was a great adaption. If you're an anime fan, it's definitely worth going to. It now makes me hope Imagi can go forward with the Gatchaman movie- I see Astro being profitable in the end with merchandise and homevideo taken into consideration. |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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That could have done the damage. I can't expect very much would encourage young viewers to opt for something unseasonal at this time of year, especially if they're unaware of the franchise's history. |
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hikaru004
 Posts: 2306 |
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I second the wish for Gatchaman and add T28 to the list. |
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sdhd
Posts: 169 |
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This movie would have double its first weekend earning if it was during Thanksgiving or Christmas weekend. Since the movie is gear toward family and children.
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CCSYueh
 Posts: 2707 Location: San Diego, CA |
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Don't forget Where the Wild Things is in it's 2nd week & considering the nature of that film, I wouldn't be shocked if a lot of parents waited for the reviews before heading out or maybe saw it themselves first.
Same with this one. Times are tough. Lots of parents are probably looking to pick up Ice Age 3 (4? What are they up to?) on dvd this week so maybe the kids don't get to see a movie in a theater this week. |
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atunderdogk
 Posts: 74 |
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Yeah, I just got back from seeing the movie with a few friends. It was better than I thought it was going to be. I may be able to say that because I haven't read the Astro Boy manga and have come in contact with the 1980's and 2003's animated version to some degree. But it was enjoyable. It wasn't super cheesy like children's movies normally are. The humor was kind of random but sometimes it fit. Nicholas Cage was kind of awkward as Dr. Tenma, but he wasn't even in the movie a WHOLE lot. More frequent towards the beginning and the end. And of course, the movie was beautiful. For it to be "not" Pixar or Dreamworks, it was animated really well. And I felt like facial expressions were conveyed really well. The characters didn't look so flat throughout the movie. At least Astro didn't. I went in there not expecting too much out of it and a way to pass the time, and it really flew by for me. I'd see it again.
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Paploo
Posts: 1875 |
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Dr. Tenma isn't even intended to be an entirely likeable character in the manga/anime anyways, and while the movie softended him an eensy bit, you still know he's quite off his rocker, so I kind of liked Cage's performance [mostly because it didn't always scream "I am Nicolas Cage". Though at one moment I did think "Hey, Nicolas Cage is playing a guy with a whack of hair!", which is always funny]. |
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Otaku_X
 Posts: 298 |
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I don't like the designs of the movie, but as an Astro Boy fan, i'm going to go see it Tuesday anyway.
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Dargonxtc
 Posts: 4463 Location: Nc5xd7+ スターダストの海洋 |
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A little typo on the front page. The second one is right. I chalk up the lackluster performance up to being released on a very tough children's week. You would be an absolute idiot not to see Where the Wild Things Are (most people don't watch more than 1 movie a month). And the six week old Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is still nothing to sneeze at. |
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walw6pK4Alo
 Posts: 9322 |
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That's probably the only way it was going to do even that well. |
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stararnold
 Posts: 227 Location: LaSalle, Quebec, Canada |
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Hopefully, this movie will get to a higher box office ranking by next week. Although I haven't seen this movie, I agree it's a must-see for the die-hard Sci-Fi Anime fans. I mean, who of this modern generation doesn't love any of the great Anime/Manga legends like "Astro Boy", "Gatchaman", and "Space Cruiser Yamato"?
Sadly, lots of the legendary Sci-Fi sagas that orginate in Manga/Anime during the 1950s-1980s end up losing their popularity and fan support (even in North America) as if most viewers perceive them as too old-fashioned. |
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