tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33875434.post9103988913092213871..comments2023-11-12T10:00:34.280-05:00Comments on Atomic Pulp & Other Meltdowns: Wednesday Cover: A Princess Of MarsChristopher Millshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15978811373546110421noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33875434.post-37934524683520105472012-03-24T22:57:23.340-04:002012-03-24T22:57:23.340-04:00I think a couple of things hurt John Carter's ...I think a couple of things hurt John Carter's marketing early on. First there was the failure of Mars Needs Moms prompting Disney to change the "John Carter of Mars" title. <br /><br />Then there was the failure of Cowboys and Aliens, which led to them downplaying the whole "civil war soldier transported to Mars" aspect of the film.<br /><br />Both were easy-to-grasp concepts that would've made selling the film a lot easier. Certainly more than the vague "John Carter" ended up doing. <br /><br />(To that end, I actually just got around to seeing the film a few days ago. As I stood in line to buy tickets, I noticed a group of moviegoers staring at the marquee and asking each other, "What's 'John Carter'?!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33875434.post-66216547121081350552012-03-24T00:53:59.475-04:002012-03-24T00:53:59.475-04:00You can't blame marketing for everything. They...You can't blame marketing for everything. They had a tough sell: No name actors in the lead (except the CGI characters), 100-year old sci-fi franchise (possibly the oldest), a hero whose "superpower" is jumpin' real good.<br /><br />Given all that, I found myself enjoying it much more than I expected. Still, my teenage companions liked it OK but found the overstuffed story "confusing" which said a lot about the lack of word-of-mouth on the film.Stephen Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17774967913434492343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33875434.post-80554213960045974392012-03-23T22:17:52.639-04:002012-03-23T22:17:52.639-04:00I really enjoyed the film too. Not everything wor...I really enjoyed the film too. Not everything works, but it does an excellent job of capturing the right tone and spirit.<br /><br />There's a few conspiracy theories that the current management at Disney was actually rooting against the film- since it had been greenlit by employees that are no longer with the company. The whole thing does seem a little odd when you step back to examine it.<br /><br />For example, when's the last time a purported $100 million marketing campaign managed to be so incredibly shoddy and low-profile?<br /><br />Even more bizarre, when's the last time a studio made no attempt to downplay the poor box office of their film? <br /><br />Sony spent weeks trying to spin The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo's luewarm opening into a hit, but Disney waited all of 10 days before declaring- completely unprompted- that John Carter is already the "biggest flop in movie history!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33875434.post-212966582186333292012-03-23T07:10:51.461-04:002012-03-23T07:10:51.461-04:00LOL! Being called "pablum-slurping milquetoas...LOL! Being called "pablum-slurping milquetoasts" also doesn't test well with the pablum-slurping milquetoasts. Yet, truer words...Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13591963015601367554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33875434.post-63146038610768370932012-03-22T15:03:20.757-04:002012-03-22T15:03:20.757-04:00"Warlord" doesn't test well with the..."Warlord" doesn't test well with the pablum-slurping milquetoasts who are stuffed into the screening rooms for purposes of marketing!<br /><br />Buuuuut seriously. You couldn't call him "Warlord" and have a hope in Hell of a studio like Disney making the movie. Sad but true.Jack Badelairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10932441028544500024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33875434.post-79498082249335941512012-03-22T08:05:45.674-04:002012-03-22T08:05:45.674-04:00Michael Whelan's Mars is more...lush (for lack...Michael Whelan's Mars is more...lush (for lack of a better word) than Frazetta's. Don't get me wrong - I love Frazetta. But Whelan makes Mars and her denizens seem more alive, somehow.<br /><br />I agree thatthe film was horribly promoted. How do you take the title "A Princess of Mars" and change it to the bland "John Carter"? Seriously? Not even "John Carter - Warlord of Mars"?? Disney's marketing really screwed the pooch on this.Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13591963015601367554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33875434.post-63203953836308531632012-03-21T23:30:03.369-04:002012-03-21T23:30:03.369-04:00It seems to me that Disney didn't want the mov...It seems to me that Disney didn't want the movie to succeed. The marketing was pathetic, and changing the title from <i>John Carter of Mars</i> to just <i>John Carter</i> didn't help. There was nothing to make the movie stand out.<br /><br />I'm okay with the changes from the original story. And I agree that Lynn Collins did a very good job as Dejah Thoris.wordboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07737046083735775854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33875434.post-43946560381548256962012-03-21T19:17:35.167-04:002012-03-21T19:17:35.167-04:001976 Caroline Munro would have been perfect looks-...1976 Caroline Munro would have been perfect looks-wise, but Lynn Collins is a much better actress.GrayPumpkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12776658442266878498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33875434.post-26928151655775182632012-03-21T16:57:35.727-04:002012-03-21T16:57:35.727-04:00I take a sterner view of the changes made, but I&#...I take a sterner view of the changes made, but I'm also a much more recent delver into the series and so carry that newcomer's zeal.<br /><br />Saw an article recently that states Disney is going to claim a write-off of roughly $200 million on this movie. As production and marketing ran into the 350+ million dollar range, making that bad would be a tough nut to crack.Jack Badelairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10932441028544500024noreply@blogger.com