Deadpool on track to eclipse Passion of Christ as highest grossing R-movie ever

[Underseer]

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friend...hrist-as-highest-grossing-r-rated-movie-ever/

Oh my. I think we can guess who is going to claim that this is "evidence of the persecution of Christians."

 

[Keith&Co.]

Time to start a rumor that the sequel has a scene where they crucify Deadpool. Who gets angry when someone stabs him and rips himself free of the cross. "Hey, I was GONNA try to stay up there for three whole days, but you done pissed me off!" Slay:slay:slay.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Seriously, Passion of the Christ was the highest grossing R rated film?

 

[Underseer]

Seriously, Passion of the Christ was the highest grossing R rated film?

You're surprised?

Don't you remember that all the churches encouraged their congregations to go to the movie specifically to make it the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time? As if doing so would somehow prove Christianity? You can't have forgotten all that hullabaloo.

 

[ronburgundy]

Sadly, the Studios are now scrambling to mimic Deadpool, rather than realize that its success lies in its originality.

 

[prideandfall]

Sadly, the Studios are now scrambling to mimic Deadpool, rather than realize that its success lies in its originality.

but it's not original, on any level, so i don't see what lesson they should be learning with that regard.

it's a boilerplate origin story with an incredibly lame and generic villain that has zero viable characterization or motivation - not original.
it has a quippy swearing anti-hero who's cheeky attitude covers the fact that the plot of the movie is just about them being selfish - not original.
highly stylized and well directed action that is fun to watch - not original.
even the fourth wall breaking, the winking references to other movies in this movie's franchise orbit - all not original.

what deadpool did that nobody (studios or op-eds included) seems to what to recognize or acknowledge is to be well done - it was trying to be funny, and it was funny. it wanted to be good action, and it had good action. it tried to be fun to watch, and it was fun to watch.
the success isn't because of its genre or some cliche commentary on the particulars, it's because it was generally well written and had an appealing hook.

 

[ronburgundy]

Sadly, the Studios are now scrambling to mimic Deadpool, rather than realize that its success lies in its originality.

but it's not original, on any level, so i don't see what lesson they should be learning with that regard.

it's a boilerplate origin story with an incredibly lame and generic villain that has zero viable characterization or motivation - not original.
it has a quippy swearing anti-hero who's cheeky attitude covers the fact that the plot of the movie is just about them being selfish - not original.
highly stylized and well directed action that is fun to watch - not original.
even the fourth wall breaking, the winking references to other movies in this movie's franchise orbit - all not original.

what deadpool did that nobody (studios or op-eds included) seems to what to recognize or acknowledge is to be well done - it was trying to be funny, and it was funny. it wanted to be good action, and it had good action. it tried to be fun to watch, and it was fun to watch.
the success isn't because of its genre or some cliche commentary on the particulars, it's because it was generally well written and had an appealing hook.

If you pull apart and evaluate each component separately, then no film, no art, or any human creation has every been original. Everything new is just a new combination of other things.
Name the list of other films that simultaneously combined all the properties this film did, and those properties also include the factors that lead to an R rating, which very uncommon for action-hero films.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Seriously, Passion of the Christ was the highest grossing R rated film?

You're surprised?

Yes, but I suppose it comes down to not adjusting for inflation. A movie like Die Hard or The Godfather, maybe. Though looking at the numbers, Godfather followed by Beverly Hills Cop looks like it should be, when taking inflation into account.

Don't you remember that all the churches encouraged their congregations to go to the movie specifically to make it the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time? As if doing so would somehow prove Christianity? You can't have forgotten all that hullabaloo.

I didn't realize it drew that much.

 

[prideandfall]

Name the list of other films that simultaneously combined all the properties this film did, and those properties also include the factors that lead to an R rating, which very uncommon for action-hero films.

well this was basically kingsman: the secret service (but with deadpool), or mystery men (but with swearing and blood), or Super (but actually good) - i'm not just saying that individual components were unoriginal, i'm saying everything about the film from concept to execution was pretty boiler plate... but, i'm not saying that to slag it or as a bad thing.
it's a fun great movie, i enjoyed it immensely, but i think that the reason it was a great movie that i enjoyed immensely is because it was a well done R rated action comedy, which is a genre that i greatly enjoy - not because it was original (which it wasn't, on any level)

 

[ZiprHead]

Should it be based on ticket sales and not money?

 

[Bomb#20]

Seriously, Passion of the Christ was the highest grossing R rated film?

You're surprised?

Don't you remember that all the churches encouraged their congregations to go to the movie specifically to make it the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time? As if doing so would somehow prove Christianity? You can't have forgotten all that hullabaloo.

Gee, all I remember of it was Mel Gibson in his Mad Max truck, chasing down Stan and Kenny, after they showed up at his house and took back their $18, because TPotC was so godawful.

Yes, but I suppose it comes down to not adjusting for inflation. A movie like Die Hard or The Godfather, maybe. Though looking at the numbers, Godfather followed by Beverly Hills Cop looks like it should be, when taking inflation into account.

Oh, for the good old days when movies were only $9.

 

[ronburgundy]

Name the list of other films that simultaneously combined all the properties this film did, and those properties also include the factors that lead to an R rating, which very uncommon for action-hero films.

well this was basically kingsman: the secret service (but with deadpool),

This is the only one close of those you listed, and it lacks both the 4th wall breaking aspect and the superhero aspect. Kingsman was more in the spy 007 genre with better action and a slightly less serious tone than typical Bond flicks (though Bond always had a comic element). It did not go as directly for laugh out loud moments as Deadpool, lacked any romantic element, and had comparitively little sex or nudity by comparison, short of the anal sex innuendo at the very end and a 1 second shot of the woman's butt.

or mystery men (but with swearing and blood)

IOW, lacking at least 2 components, plus lacking the sex, plus lacking the fantastical fight scenes, and general not at all very similar to Deadpool.

, or Super (but actually good) -

Other than wearing red tights, there is little in common between Super and Deadpool. Deadpool was both a lighthearted comedy and a super hero action flick. Super was neither of these. It was a depressing psychological examination of an ulikeable angry sod, pretending to be a superhero as an excuse to commit assault.

 

[ronburgundy]

You're surprised?

Yes, but I suppose it comes down to not adjusting for inflation. A movie like Die Hard or The Godfather, maybe. Though looking at the numbers, Godfather followed by Beverly Hills Cop looks like it should be, when taking inflation into account.

According to this link, Exorcist is the highest box office R film after adjusting for inflation. Maybe as important as inflation is adjusting for the total number of competing films in theaters at the same time (much higher now), and the fact that many people who now watch at home via illegal means.

Or we could just ignore box office as meaninglessly incomparable from one year to the next.

 

[bilby]

Should it be based on ticket sales and not money?

Of course it should; but the industry wants to see the box office record fall as often as possible, so by counting dollars rather than tickets, they can take advantage of inflation.

There is no benefit to any studio today if the all time box-office smash is (still) a movie made before WWII. But if a movie release last year has a record box-office, that's a very nice advertising hook for selling the DVD this year, and for selling the movie to the TV stations next year; Not to mention the repeat theatre viewings, and the massive merchandise, soundtrack recording sales, and concession tie-ins. And if you don't have the record box-office, you can always be the record box-office hit for an R rated movie; Or for a G rated movie. Or for an animated film. Or for a Rom-com. Or for a movie with a left handed black lesbian disabled midget as lead sound recordist (on location). Or whatever.

None of this is real; it's marketing all the way down.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Sadly, the Studios are now scrambling to mimic Deadpool, rather than realize that its success lies in its originality.

The biggest original thing about this film was convincing a studio that there would be a market for an R rated comic book movie without being able to point to a successful R rated comic book movie. That hymen's been pierced so other projects can be sold to the studios, as long as you can say, "It'll be like Deadpool, but with (fill in the blank for a small distinction)."

 

[Jayjay]

Sadly, the Studios are now scrambling to mimic Deadpool, rather than realize that its success lies in its originality.

The biggest original thing about this film was convincing a studio that there would be a market for an R rated comic book movie without being able to point to a successful R rated comic book movie. That hymen's been pierced so other projects can be sold to the studios, as long as you can say, "It'll be like Deadpool, but with (fill in the blank for a small distinction)."

Call me a cynic, but I predict that blank is most likely to be "PG-13 rating".

 

[Underseer]

Sadly, the Studios are now scrambling to mimic Deadpool, rather than realize that its success lies in its originality.

but it's not original, on any level, so i don't see what lesson they should be learning with that regard.

it's a boilerplate origin story with an incredibly lame and generic villain that has zero viable characterization or motivation - not original.
it has a quippy swearing anti-hero who's cheeky attitude covers the fact that the plot of the movie is just about them being selfish - not original.
highly stylized and well directed action that is fun to watch - not original.
even the fourth wall breaking, the winking references to other movies in this movie's franchise orbit - all not original.

what deadpool did that nobody (studios or op-eds included) seems to what to recognize or acknowledge is to be well done - it was trying to be funny, and it was funny. it wanted to be good action, and it had good action. it tried to be fun to watch, and it was fun to watch.
the success isn't because of its genre or some cliche commentary on the particulars, it's because it was generally well written and had an appealing hook.

Holy crap, did you go to a Deadpool movie expecting to be impressed with the plot?

It's Deadpool. The plot and all the characters are nothing more than excuses for Deadpool to be a wiseass. He's a very violent and vulgar version of Bugs Bunny in a superhero costume. Do you honestly remember the plot of any Bugs Bunny cartoon? If you do, did the plot impress you?

 

[Underseer]

Sadly, the Studios are now scrambling to mimic Deadpool, rather than realize that its success lies in its originality.

The biggest original thing about this film was convincing a studio that there would be a market for an R rated comic book movie without being able to point to a successful R rated comic book movie. That hymen's been pierced so other projects can be sold to the studios, as long as you can say, "It'll be like Deadpool, but with (fill in the blank for a small distinction)."

Nah.

I'm pretty sure even the FOX executives remembered that Blade produced three movies.

The shocker here was that FOX took risks with their precious X-Men franchise. That I wasn't expecting.

So I guess the next question, will the Deadpool sequel be brave enough to mention that he is pansexual/omnisexual?

 

[ronburgundy]

Sadly, the Studios are now scrambling to mimic Deadpool, rather than realize that its success lies in its originality.

The biggest original thing about this film was convincing a studio that there would be a market for an R rated comic book movie without being able to point to a successful R rated comic book movie. That hymen's been pierced so other projects can be sold to the studios, as long as you can say, "It'll be like Deadpool, but with (fill in the blank for a small distinction)."

The second they start making a bunch of R comic book movies, then the fact that they are R comic book movies will not contribute to box office success. It helped with Deadpool, precisely because there had been almost no others. They might learn that an R rating isn't a death knell, but they should not infer that R rated comic based movies are a good bet. They should learn that deviating from the formula of past successes can payoff, because it reduces the direct competition the film will be up against and can allow you to span multiple segments of the market that past films only tapped a portion of.
All the major studios have mostly become too short sighted and risk averse, trying to make sure that no single film loses, so they play it boringly safe. Deadpool was an untested combination of previously successful components. They cannot mimic the reasons for Deadpool success, because Deadpool now exists and its prior non-existence was a factor in its success. They lesson is to create other films that are different from past or existing films, some will flop but you cannot have a Deadpool without accepting some flops along the way. The problem is that the the conglomerate corporate mentality has come to rule in Hollywood, and its obsessed with Quarterly profit statements, which discourages risking even one quarterly loss, even if a huge hit ever couple years more than makes up for it in terms of long term profits.

 

[prideandfall]

Holy crap, did you go to a Deadpool movie expecting to be impressed with the plot?

as per usual, what in the hell are you talking about?
this is the nth time you've replied to a post of mine in this sub-forum with a response that in absolutely no way addresses or is relevant to my original post, it's getting a little weird.

It's Deadpool. The plot and all the characters are nothing more than excuses for Deadpool to be a wiseass. He's a very violent and vulgar version of Bugs Bunny in a superhero costume. Do you honestly remember the plot of any Bugs Bunny cartoon? If you do, did the plot impress you?

what part of my post confused you as to the point being "it's not originality that made the movie awesome, it was good execution of the premise"?
i wasn't saying it's not original to slag the movie, i was simply arguing against the statement that anything about it is original, because "it's original" isn't a good point to make about why Deadpool is a great movie, because it isn't original.
it's a great movie and there are a lot of reasons why, but "it's original" isn't one of them.