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IronManBeta -> RE: Serenity, The Movie... (7/18/2006 5:49:57 PM)
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From what I understand Fox never should have been in the sci fi business at all. Much to their surprise each episode cost far more than a reality tv show to produce and the guys at the top just didn't get it. Fox didn't publicize it, played the episodes out of order, and then dropped it as quickly as they could.
The funny thing is that the DVD sales of the series were awesome and fans started holding "Firefly" parties all over the place. There was great web support and a real community formed around the series. This was enough to get the movie made and the shooting went very smoothly because the guys upstairs at Universal Studios apparently didn't want to be associated with it. As I recall it was released in the latter part of August which is famously the time when dog movies are released by studios if they are going to be released at all. The summer blockbuster season is over and the fall one has yet to begin. People are tired of movies and receipts are always low that time of year. It was supported by a perfunctory marketing effort but nothing more and disappeared from the theaters within a couple of weeks. It quickly went to DVD and I don't know for sure but I think DVD sales have been awesome thanks mainly to word of mouth.
The movie's total world wide gross (which I presume includes DVD sales here and abroad but I could be wrong) was $39 million US. The cost to make the movie was $39 million US. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=serenity.htm
My conclusion? Hollywood politics were very much at play here and nothing is going to change it. It would be wonderful if the Firefly production could break away and find a new sugar daddy, but the business case for that would be awfully hard to make until the price of cutting edge special effects falls a great deal more. It is the only thing on TV I have enjoyed for five years or more and the movie enchanted me and I would love to see it get going again. Like a lot of good things though there is no point to actually holding your breath until it does.
P.S. I bought a rules book for a Serenity role playing game at Origins at the end of June. It is officially licensed and very well done with lots of detail and photos. I believe it won a GAMA award too. RPGs aren't my thing but I just had to have this. There may be other extensions coming out too. The RGP is written by Jamie Chambers and published by Margaret Weis Productions. I talked with the person at the booth briefly and he seemed very encouraged by the uptake.
Oddly, the credits acknowledge a chinese translation and the mind reels at what that might portend. The Firefly universe after all was controlled by the descendents of the Chinese and all that swearing in the shows was mock ("Gorram") Chinese. Maybe they know something we don't.... Will the next movie be in Chinese with English sub-titles?
Cheers all, Rob.
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