djm19 t1_jb3fko4 wrote on March 6, 2023 at 3:20 AM

Reply to comment by frezz in What other examples like Henry Cavill on The Witcher are there of an actor being opposed to the way their character is portrayed - especially when the actor is in the right? by unitedfan6191

Plenty were, and thats why its well reviewed and made a lot of money. But theres definitely fans who didn't want his character or story to progress.

jmcgit t1_jb5lg3p wrote on March 6, 2023 at 4:39 PM

Box office for a franchise like this with a captive audience generally has nothing to do with the content of the movie, people who are invested in the story are going to check it out regardless of what word of mouth says. I've always said that box office for a franchise like this is more of a reflection on whether people liked the last one.

Like, this happened a couple times in DC, where Batman vs Superman is successful because of the brand, the title, and the trailer, but if people didn't like the movie they're not going to turn up for Justice League. Same deal with Suicide Squad, if they don't like the Ayer movie, they're less likely to check out the Gunn movie. And then in Star Wars, surprise surprise, Episode IX's numbers were down 25-30% compared to VIII.

djm19 t1_jb5nsa9 wrote on March 6, 2023 at 4:55 PM

IX had terrible word of mouth and reviews coming out the gate. It absolutely affected it.

jmcgit t1_jb5pdoy wrote on March 6, 2023 at 5:05 PM

Perhaps, but I'd say that it would have only impacted people who were on the fence about seeing the movie. The bigger problem Lucasfilm had was that so many more people were on the fence this time, because they didn't like the last movie.

Poor word of mouth is never going to talk you out of watching a movie you're genuinely excited for.

djm19 t1_jb5q94z wrote on March 6, 2023 at 5:11 PM

Well I can only speak for myself as a huge star wars fan, but when I heard the word of mouth, it sounded like they butchered the story and it made me not see the movie for weeks.

After the first two movies got in the sequels had great reviews from critics and fans, there seemed to be a consensus already forming before the third even released that they totally flopped on the ending. None of my friends were interested in going.

jmcgit t1_jb5sbfc wrote on March 6, 2023 at 5:24 PM

And what I'm trying to say is that the "consensus" that was forming before the third even released was not just a reflection of the content of IX, but of the state of the franchise following the release of VIII.

A year before TFA released, people were excited for the return of the beloved franchise. A year before TLJ released, people were excited for the story to continue. A year before RoS released, people had a bad feeling about this. And when reviews came out that agreed with their bad feeling, it impacts the movie.