THE SUICIDE SQUAD directed by James Gunn (2021) 3 3

[▫️]

On 8/8/2021 at 2:43 PM, drotto said:

Because it determines what gets sequels and what types of movies studios decide to make.  It does not mean there are not great films that were bombs, and moneymakers that were . Unfortunately, money is always an issue, even more now during the Pandemic. WB may look at Suicide Squad, Black Widow, and the negative reception of WW2 and decide not to make as many hero films going forward. Companies always view consumers as voting with their wallet, and that is how they make decisions.  IF SS2 makes liitle money (even if you loved the film), you really think they will green light SS3?

I know how the system works. I’m just not worried about it. If they don’t make anymore sequels based off prior box office, I won’t lose sleep. 

[drotto]

On 8/8/2021 at 2:49 PM, Scam Likely said:

I know how the system works. I’m just not worried about it. If they don’t make anymore sequels based off prior box office, I won’t lose sleep. 

But based off WW2, BW, SS2, and even Jungle cruise, the box office and theaters are on life support.  I know the Pandemic is the main reason.  The question is did it accelerate trends already happening, meaning this is permanent, or given another 2 or 3 years will things bounce back.

[Bosco685]

Quote

The studio so far has not disclosed streaming viewership numbers for its 2021 slate of films, including the DC Cinematic Universe tentpole. However, HBO Max chief Andy Forssell revealed Sunday that Suicide Squad boasted the second-most viewed opening of any film premiering day-and-date on HBO Max. Sources say Mortal Kombat is No. 1, although no one is certain of the viewership tally.

 

“As the country faces new challenges due to the COVID variant, we’re happy to continue to offer fans the option of viewing movies in their homes,” the executive said. “Many chose to do just that as Suicide Squad emerged as the second most viewed film over an opening weekend on HBO Max since we began day-and-date releases with theaters.”

 

“This weekend’s performance of The Suicide Squad shows yet again the unpredictability of a theatrical marketplace whose success rises and falls based on an ever-evolving set of disparate factors including not only the usual film-centric metrics, but also the impact of concerning pandemic news on consumer behavior,” says Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian. “Of course, the day-and_date release of any film has implications, but in today’s environment it’s too simplistic to analyze a movie’s performance based on that variable alone since there are so many moving parts.”

 

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On 8/8/2021 at 3:16 PM, drotto said:

But based off WW2, BW, SS2, and even Jungle cruise, the box office and theaters are on life support.  I know the Pandemic is the main reason.  The question is did it accelerate trends already happening, meaning this is permanent, or given another 2 or 3 years will things bounce back.

That’s the question. I keep hearing this is the new normal. I don’t believe anyone has those answers. 

[drotto]

On 8/8/2021 at 4:47 PM, Scam Likely said:

That’s the question. I keep hearing this is the new normal. I don’t believe anyone has those answers. 

It seems like the entertainment industry has taken the biggest hit.  Most other things when allowed to open have bounced back quickly.  Not so with entertainment.  It is the one major industry that looks to be permanently changed.  If so parts on the industry are screwed. 

[Xenosmilus]

On 8/8/2021 at 6:21 PM, drotto said:

It seems like the entertainment industry has taken the biggest hit.  Most other things when allowed to open have bounced back quickly.  Not so with entertainment.  It is the one major industry that looks to be permanently changed.  If so parts on the industry are screwed. 

Yes and know.  It's not bouncing back as fast because nothing decent is being released  exclusively in the theaters. Maybe there are 2 exceptions, F9 and TQP2 which seemed to do OK.  All the good stuff they are trying to whether out the storm I think.

[Gatsby77]

On 8/8/2021 at 3:16 PM, drotto said:

But based off WW2, BW, SS2, and even Jungle cruise, the box office and theaters are on life support.  I know the Pandemic is the main reason.  The question is did it accelerate trends already happening, meaning this is permanent, or given another 2 or 3 years will things bounce back.

This.

I argued in the Black Widow thread weeks ago that:

1) it was far from a box office bomb; and

2) its under-performance was systemic rather than a reflection of the film itself.

I stand by both of those points. And I don’t think the traditional theatrical box office will bounce back anytime soon.

The landscape’s changed.

Hell - A Quiet Place 2 is already available for rent via Red Box - for $2, or streaming - for $4.

And Fast 9 will likely be available in both venues in a month.

Still - I worry that Warner Bros. will look at Suicide Squad’s take this weekend and quietly scuttle any sequel plans. 

Because it’s on track to lose the studio >$100M.

Deadpool worked because it was insanely cheap to make. Not so here.

Edited August 9, 2021 by Gatsby77

[Red84]

Loved the movie. So much fun 

[theCapraAegagrus]

So, my friend saw it on Friday and gave it a 3/5. I watched it on Saturday and have to agree.

I have no idea why this is so overrated by critics and many moviegoers. I only laughed about 5-10 times. For how ridiculous the premise is, it's not that funny to make up for the concept.

[Bosco685]

On 8/8/2021 at 10:19 PM, Gatsby77 said:

This.

I argued in the Black Widow thread weeks ago that:

1) it was far from a box office bomb; and

2) its under-performance was systemic rather than a reflection of the film itself.

I stand by both of those points. And I don’t think the traditional theatrical box office will bounce back anytime soon.

You have even noted previously a film must do at least 3.0X production budget to be successful.

Current results: 

Assumed results: We'll wrap in the supposed $60M premium access it received.

Although there have been two other financial misses previously in the MCU (The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: The First Avenger), this is a case of...

[WEBHEAD]

I saw the Suicide Squad yesterday, as a long time Marvel fan and DC (somewhat) this movie reminded me so much of the Inferior 5. The first Suicide at least had a plot, this was a train wreck. The only anti-hero that worked was Harley Quinn the rest could have been cartoon cutouts. Further it was mentioned earlier DC lack of continuity with it's shows keeps them mon the bottom shelf. 2 stars. The preview for The Batman was the most exciting  part of the show.   

[WEBHEAD]

Thank God kids can't see this movie

[Bosco685]

On 8/9/2021 at 7:15 AM, WEBHEAD said:

Thank God kids can't see this movie

I'm like many giving this a 3.0/5 but this...

Edited August 9, 2021 by Bosco685

[Bosco685]

On 8/9/2021 at 6:18 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

So, my friend saw it on Friday and gave it a 3/5. I watched it on Saturday and have to agree.

I have no idea why this is so overrated by critics and many moviegoers. I only laughed about 5-10 times. For how ridiculous the premise is, it's not that funny to make up for the concept.

I'm not getting it at all either. What did they see that everyone else didn't?

There are at least two characters that were killed off that were a bummer as well. They could have followed on into a third film, or shown up in other films.

[D84]

It was better than Black Widow and Wonder Woman 1984, but the more I think about it, I prefer the first one. Yeah, it's a mess, but it has more charm. 

The one real plus it has in it's corner is this is the first time I liked Harley Quinn in a movie.

Spoiler

Dear God, why does John Cena have a career? His best performance to date is those Experian Boost commercials, where he's upstaged by a purple cow. He has the personality of a lamp shade. Please Hollywood, stop trying to make him happen. He will never be Dwayne Johnson.

 

[Bosco685]

On 8/9/2021 at 9:50 AM, D84 said:

 

He will never be Dwayne Johnson

I was thinking about this recently after reading another article about the time Arnold Schwarzenegger had lunch with Dwayne Johnson as a 'huge dude action star handoff' event.

It is rare having someone that huge bringing such a massive personality as well where people can't help but appreciate them. Not because overly muscular people can't. It just doesn't happen enough.

So I wonder if people force themselves to see something in the performance of such stars (John Cena, Dave Bautista) that's not there. Though with Bautista he has had some great roles recently to show he does have more depth.

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 8/9/2021 at 9:50 AM, D84 said:

It was better than Black Widow and Wonder Woman 1984, but the more I think about it, I prefer the first one. Yeah, it's a mess, but it has more charm. 

The one real plus it has in it's corner is this is the first time I liked Harley Quinn in a movie.

  Reveal hidden contents

Dear God, why does John Cena have a career? His best performance to date is those Experian Boost commercials, where he's upstaged by a purple cow. He has the personality of a lamp shade. Please Hollywood, stop trying to make him happen. He will never be Dwayne Johnson.

 

Starro as a villain is much better than Enchantress, too.

Bloodsport being a literal Deadshot stand-in was kind of annoying, though the performance was nearly as good as Smith's.

TSS does a better job of actually being a suicide squad. It's clear to me that this film is a sequel, but I don't think that they convey that at all, so it's somewhat confusing. Both movies feel like incomplete stories.

In a perfect world, you take elements from both SS movies and there would be a great movie.

[theCapraAegagrus]

Also: Yes, John Cena is a bad actor. However, I don't think that his performance swayed the movie in either direction. He seems somewhat obsessed with his character, though, so 'good for PR' I guess.

[Broke as a Joke]

A silly dumb movie.  2 out of 5. So over the top in terms of violent scenes that it fell flat.  Cena should go back to wrestling, he's an awful actor.  I'm glad Disney won't let Gunn do an R Guardians movie because this would be the type of garbage we would get.

Edited August 9, 2021 by Broke as a Joke

[D84]

On 8/9/2021 at 9:13 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

Also: Yes, John Cena is a bad actor. However, I don't think that his performance swayed the movie in either direction. He seems somewhat obsessed with his character, though, so 'good for PR' I guess.

I found the character and his performance so uninteresting that HBO Max would have to pay me to watch the series.