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John Carter of Mars Thread

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MR SigS

MR SigS

Posted
Posted
The movie did well in Europe but bombed in the U.S. I thought Disney's TV commercials essentially told the entire story in 30 seconds. There was no reason for anyone to pay to see it in the theaters.

 

I also thought they could have promoted it more as "from the creator of Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs".

 

Cheers!

N.

 

 

Mike Royer is a HUGE fan of JCoM and anything ERB. He mentioned to me (and maybe this has been discussed here already) that the movie was basically sabotaged from within. I paraphrase: The "New Regime" didn't want the "Old Regime" to get credit for a big film so marketing was kept to a minimum. This was the kind of film that the fast food places usually sell toys for.

 

We both thought the film was great, but he's downright BITTER with Disney for the way they dropped the ball.

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JiveTurkeyMoFo

JiveTurkeyMoFo

Posted
Posted
The movie did well in Europe but bombed in the U.S. I thought Disney's TV commercials essentially told the entire story in 30 seconds. There was no reason for anyone to pay to see it in the theaters.

 

I also thought they could have promoted it more as "from the creator of Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs".

 

Cheers!

N.

 

 

Mike Royer is a HUGE fan of JCoM and anything ERB. He mentioned to me (and maybe this has been discussed here already) that the movie was basically sabotaged from within. I paraphrase: The "New Regime" didn't want the "Old Regime" to get credit for a big film so marketing was kept to a minimum. This was the kind of film that the fast food places usually sell toys for.

 

We both thought the film was great, but he's downright BITTER with Disney for the way they dropped the ball.

 

I think if you read the early parts of this thread, you'll see the sabotage musings echoed a lot. Toy and movie-tie in merchandising is often started 1.5-2 years before the movie release, to allow ample time to develop, produce, and vet the final product before release. The fact that there were no toy tie-ins, no fast food promotion, no real marketing of any sort other than the trailers (which I never even saw except for a few weeks before release), seemed like either a huge blunder or intentional sabotage.

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lambfan68

lambfan68

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Mike Royer is a HUGE fan of JCoM and anything ERB. He mentioned to me (and maybe this has been discussed here already) that the movie was basically sabotaged from within. I paraphrase: The "New Regime" didn't want the "Old Regime" to get credit for a big film so marketing was kept to a minimum. This was the kind of film that the fast food places usually sell toys for.

 

We both thought the film was great, but he's downright BITTER with Disney for the way they dropped the ball.

 

This happens all the time in Hollywood with changes in studio chiefs, etc. Between cancelling films that have all ready been green-lit and sabotaging films that are ready to be released, their egos cause film studios to lose hundreds of millions of dollars over this sort of thing. What I can't understand is why the shareholders haven't called for the heads of the "new" regimes who do this. Screwing with the company's revenue stream over a matter of personal politics isn't good business.

 

 

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Sqeggs

Sqeggs

Posted
Posted
The movie did well in Europe but bombed in the U.S. I thought Disney's TV commercials essentially told the entire story in 30 seconds. There was no reason for anyone to pay to see it in the theaters.

 

I also thought they could have promoted it more as "from the creator of Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs".

 

Cheers!

N.

 

 

Mike Royer is a HUGE fan of JCoM and anything ERB. He mentioned to me (and maybe this has been discussed here already) that the movie was basically sabotaged from within. I paraphrase: The "New Regime" didn't want the "Old Regime" to get credit for a big film so marketing was kept to a minimum. This was the kind of film that the fast food places usually sell toys for.

 

We both thought the film was great, but he's downright BITTER with Disney for the way they dropped the ball.

 

I think if you read the early parts of this thread, you'll see the sabotage musings echoed a lot. Toy and movie-tie in merchandising is often started 1.5-2 years before the movie release, to allow ample time to develop, produce, and vet the final product before release. The fact that there were no toy tie-ins, no fast food promotion, no real marketing of any sort other than the trailers (which I never even saw except for a few weeks before release), seemed like either a huge blunder or intentional sabotage.

 

We must go to different movies because I saw the JCoM many times including well before the film was released. I saw it and, honestly, it wasn't very good. I think when Disney execs saw the final version they made the right move in releasing it in the spring rather than the summer. I'm very interested in reading the book on it, though.

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VintageComics

VintageComics

Posted
Posted
The movie did well in Europe but bombed in the U.S. I thought Disney's TV commercials essentially told the entire story in 30 seconds. There was no reason for anyone to pay to see it in the theaters.

 

I also thought they could have promoted it more as "from the creator of Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs".

 

Cheers!

N.

 

 

Mike Royer is a HUGE fan of JCoM and anything ERB. He mentioned to me (and maybe this has been discussed here already) that the movie was basically sabotaged from within. I paraphrase: The "New Regime" didn't want the "Old Regime" to get credit for a big film so marketing was kept to a minimum. This was the kind of film that the fast food places usually sell toys for.

 

We both thought the film was great, but he's downright BITTER with Disney for the way they dropped the ball.

 

I think if you read the early parts of this thread, you'll see the sabotage musings echoed a lot. Toy and movie-tie in merchandising is often started 1.5-2 years before the movie release, to allow ample time to develop, produce, and vet the final product before release. The fact that there were no toy tie-ins, no fast food promotion, no real marketing of any sort other than the trailers (which I never even saw except for a few weeks before release), seemed like either a huge blunder or intentional sabotage.

 

We must go to different movies because I saw the JCoM many times including well before the film was released. I saw it and, honestly, it wasn't very good. I think when Disney execs saw the final version they made the right move in releasing it in the spring rather than the summer. I'm very interested in reading the book on it, though.

 

Interesting. I enjoyed the movie greatly.

 

 

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burntboy

burntboy

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Posted
For those interested in the story of how this happened, I recommend Michael Sellers' _John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood_.

 

http://www.amazon.com/John-Carter-Hollywood-Michael-Sellers/dp/0615682316/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

 

 

51K2eawa5WL._SY346_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_.jpg

 

Thanks so much for the heads up and the link. I'm going to order a copy asap, as I expect based on the sample and customer reviews that it'll be right up my alley.

 

Add me to the list of folks who thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

 

I believe this (or something like it) has already been suggested, but both Trailers and Posters could have been emblazened with;

 

"Before there was Star Wars, before there was Superman, before there was Flash Gordon, there was John Carter of Mars... from the creator of Tarzan, etc.

 

It would be wonderful for there to be a sequel, but i can't see someone taking the huge financial risk on a property that has already failed so miserably for whatever reason. :(

 

 

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kerplunc

kerplunc

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My dad gave me his copy of A Princess of Mars when I was around 10 or so, and I have been a huge John Carter fan ever since then. I thought the movie was fantastic, and I was real bummed when it did so poorly at the box office.

 

A lot of the reviews I remember reading mentioned how the movie was filled with sci-fi cliches, and that really made me mad. This series is why most of those cliches exist!

 

That Gods of Hollywood looks like an interesting read, I may try to pick it up in the future.

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Bosco685

Bosco685

Posted
Posted
The movie did well in Europe but bombed in the U.S. I thought Disney's TV commercials essentially told the entire story in 30 seconds. There was no reason for anyone to pay to see it in the theaters.

 

I also thought they could have promoted it more as "from the creator of Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs".

 

Cheers!

N.

 

 

Mike Royer is a HUGE fan of JCoM and anything ERB. He mentioned to me (and maybe this has been discussed here already) that the movie was basically sabotaged from within. I paraphrase: The "New Regime" didn't want the "Old Regime" to get credit for a big film so marketing was kept to a minimum. This was the kind of film that the fast food places usually sell toys for.

 

We both thought the film was great, but he's downright BITTER with Disney for the way they dropped the ball.

 

I think if you read the early parts of this thread, you'll see the sabotage musings echoed a lot. Toy and movie-tie in merchandising is often started 1.5-2 years before the movie release, to allow ample time to develop, produce, and vet the final product before release. The fact that there were no toy tie-ins, no fast food promotion, no real marketing of any sort other than the trailers (which I never even saw except for a few weeks before release), seemed like either a huge blunder or intentional sabotage.

 

We must go to different movies because I saw the JCoM many times including well before the film was released. I saw it and, honestly, it wasn't very good. I think when Disney execs saw the final version they made the right move in releasing it in the spring rather than the summer. I'm very interested in reading the book on it, though.

 

Interesting. I enjoyed the movie greatly.

 

Same here. I thought it was a good movie, as did my wife. And neighbors thought the same thing, as we were talking about it at one of our block parties and people were wondering why this didn't get more attention.

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ComicConnoisseur

ComicConnoisseur

Posted
Posted
The movie did well in Europe but bombed in the U.S. I thought Disney's TV commercials essentially told the entire story in 30 seconds. There was no reason for anyone to pay to see it in the theaters.

 

I also thought they could have promoted it more as "from the creator of Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs".

 

Cheers!

N.

 

 

Mike Royer is a HUGE fan of JCoM and anything ERB. He mentioned to me (and maybe this has been discussed here already) that the movie was basically sabotaged from within. I paraphrase: The "New Regime" didn't want the "Old Regime" to get credit for a big film so marketing was kept to a minimum. This was the kind of film that the fast food places usually sell toys for.

 

We both thought the film was great, but he's downright BITTER with Disney for the way they dropped the ball.

That same rumor is going around for the Lone Ranger movie as well. John Carter and Lone Ranger were approved before both the Marvel and Star Wars franchises were bought.

Now that Disney got Star Wars and Marvel they seemed that they really didn't care about John Carter and Lone Ranger anymore.

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marvelcollector

marvelcollector

Posted
Posted
The movie did well in Europe but bombed in the U.S. I thought Disney's TV commercials essentially told the entire story in 30 seconds. There was no reason for anyone to pay to see it in the theaters.

 

I also thought they could have promoted it more as "from the creator of Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs".

 

Cheers!

N.

 

 

Mike Royer is a HUGE fan of JCoM and anything ERB. He mentioned to me (and maybe this has been discussed here already) that the movie was basically sabotaged from within. I paraphrase: The "New Regime" didn't want the "Old Regime" to get credit for a big film so marketing was kept to a minimum. This was the kind of film that the fast food places usually sell toys for.

 

We both thought the film was great, but he's downright BITTER with Disney for the way they dropped the ball.

 

I think if you read the early parts of this thread, you'll see the sabotage musings echoed a lot. Toy and movie-tie in merchandising is often started 1.5-2 years before the movie release, to allow ample time to develop, produce, and vet the final product before release. The fact that there were no toy tie-ins, no fast food promotion, no real marketing of any sort other than the trailers (which I never even saw except for a few weeks before release), seemed like either a huge blunder or intentional sabotage.

 

We must go to different movies because I saw the JCoM many times including well before the film was released. I saw it and, honestly, it wasn't very good. I think when Disney execs saw the final version they made the right move in releasing it in the spring rather than the summer. I'm very interested in reading the book on it, though.

 

Interesting. I enjoyed the movie greatly.

 

 

Me too.

 

I thought it was very well done.

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Bosco685

Bosco685

Posted
Posted
For those interested in the story of how this happened, I recommend Michael Sellers' _John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood_.

 

http://www.amazon.com/John-Carter-Hollywood-Michael-Sellers/dp/0615682316/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

 

 

51K2eawa5WL._SY346_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_.jpg

 

I need to get this book. But this review was very eye-opening.

 

The Gods of Hollywood: An addicting read from start to finish

 

With 'John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood,' Michael Sellers presents an absolutely intriguing look into the faults that tainted the production and release of Disney's John Carter.

 

Sellers' insightful analysis of the problems that faced 'Carter's production deserves attention. For the first time, fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs are presented with a hefty amount of evidence that proves 'John Carter' could have resulted one of 2012's greatest summer hits--had Disney not failed to sabotage its own film.

 

Providing his readers with a well-rounded analysis of the John Carter debacle, Sellers clarifies what exactly affected the film, to what extent, and how it could have been prevented. By comparing 'Carter's trajectory in Hollywood to other 2012 tent-poles, the evidence presented is astounding--one can only question how the failure could have happened. Clearly, Disney did very little to help 'John Carter' find success. In fact, after reading 'The Gods of Hollywood,' I cannot help but think they purposefully doomed the film from the get-go.

 

I am left saddened by probability that 'The Gods of Mars' might never be produced on the big screen. I am frustrated by the overabundance of negative stigma surrounding the amazing film that is 'John Carter.' But, I am happy that this book was written--by a ERB fan, no less!

 

It is truly amazing to see that I was not alone this year, advocating support for the film in March. The Army of Barsoom was too; and together, we continue to do so because we believe in John Carter, we believe in Edgar Rice Burroughs, and we believe in the magic that is Barsoom.

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Davenport

Davenport

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Posted
For those interested in the story of how this happened, I recommend Michael Sellers' _John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood_.

 

http://www.amazon.com/John-Carter-Hollywood-Michael-Sellers/dp/0615682316/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

 

 

51K2eawa5WL._SY346_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_.jpg

There's a bit of BOOK SAMPLE PROLOGUE on your link that's pretty eye-popping. Small snippet from it:

 

" Troubled, I decided to do a little more checking. Until this point I had only been paying intermittent casual attention to the campaign -- what had I missed? Was I witnessing a one-time stumble, or an ongoing problem?

 

On IMDB Pro, I checked John Carter's "MovieMeter" ranking. It was ranked 986 as of November 27, the most recent ranking, meaning 985 movies were receiving more hits and IMDB message board activity than John Carter. This seemed low for a $250M tentpole film 100 days out from its release date. It should be higher, I thought. A lot higher.

 

I decided to compare John Carter to two comparable upcoming "tentpole" films -- Lionsgate'sThe Hunger Games, slated for release two weeks after John Carter on March 23, and Disney'sThe Avengers slated for release two months after John Carter on May 4. John Carter didn't need to be ranked higher or even as high as either of these two -- but it should be in the same general vicinity and seeing how these films rank would give an "order of magnitude" indication of where the other high profile films slated for a spring release were ranked.

The results? The Hunger Games was ranked 17,

while The Avengers was ranked 26.

 

I pulled up the IMDB Pro Data Table View for each film, which includes a week by week summary of ranking and links to each article on the film that appeared in entertainment media outlets for the week. These articles don't just happen - they are seeded by the publicity team who release to the media stills, concept art, interviews, etc, all according to a predetermined plan and schedule.

 

I picked a random week, October 9, and compared John Carter, The Hunger Games, and The Avengers side by side. The Hunger Games publicity team had generated 72 articles placed for the week; The Avengers had placed 149 articles; the John Carter team had generated a total of 9 article placements.

 

Nine? "

 

 

 

 

 

 

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JiveTurkeyMoFo

JiveTurkeyMoFo

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The author of that book apparently also created a fan trailer for the movie which was miles ahead of the weak 30-second clips from Disney that I saw. Take note that he was using both HD and non HD footage to compile his work. Pretty sad that it is still better then the official ones.

 

 

I think I'm going to get the movie this Christmas season once the sales begin. 1,757 reviews and 4.5 stars on Amazon, compared to the Avengers 4,691 reviews and 4.5 stars rating. Which one was the # 3 movie of all time and which one was labeled the biggest flop in cinematic history by it's own studio? Amazing how our perceptions are molded by our corporate masters...

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Theagenes

Theagenes

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Posted
The author of that book apparently also created a fan trailer for the movie which was miles ahead of the weak 30-second clips from Disney that I saw. Take note that he was using both HD and non HD footage to compile his work. Pretty sad that it is still better then the official ones.

 

 

I think I'm going to get the movie this Christmas season once the sales begin. 1,757 reviews and 4.5 stars on Amazon, compared to the Avengers 4,691 reviews and 4.5 stars rating. Which one was the # 3 movie of all time and which one was labeled the biggest flop in cinematic history by it's own studio? Amazing how our perceptions are molded by our corporate masters...

 

So true.

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