Film Are Hollywood making too many superhero films and when will they stop? | Never, apparently

Zen

Full Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2008
Messages
14,445
Top Gun was off screens after a couple weeks here so every theatre could show Jurassic Park and Buzz lightyear on seven screens simultaneously. I've no idea if its actually the large trend some people insinuate, but I did observe concrete evidence of it recently.
This kind of thing gets said so often and I get you implied it.... but yet everytime I look at the locals - Vue, Odeon, Cineworld and a bit further a field an Everyman - there is never such a strong dedication to 1 or 2 films, outside of some absurd midnight showfest for the 2015 Star Wars where they had a showing every hour after midnight and didn't close at all, i think it kind of flopped since they've never done it again. The vue tends to be the most varied, but it has 16 screens I think, so anywhere between 6-10 films dependant on how many they do need to give the blockbusters.

There's not much they can do... the less screens you have, the less you can afford to show some Cannes nominated film that not many will show up for. They are trying to be varied though, at least the 4 chains above I mentioned, I've seen some random shit in them, even if mostly reasonably quiet with numbers in attendance, but I just think this 'Marvel takes up every screen more or less' is a strong myth.

Due to all these Blockbusters relentlessly coming out creating a little group from my circle who go to every one.... I managed to swindle them into coming to see Godfather 50th anniversary with me early this year.... and some other oddities (for them at least) - so there's some easy money for films that otherwise wouldn't have got them thanks to all this shit.
 

Bilbo

TeaBaggins
Joined
Sep 27, 2004
Messages
14,207
To me, at the end of the day it seems more down to audiences preferring unoriginal stories, told in boring ways. Hollywood, Marvel, Disney, theatres etc are all just following the money imo.
This generation seem to get off on the notion of having to watch a TV series before you can fully "understand" a movie that comes afterwards. It makes them feel in the know. Pretty clever from Marvel really.

By the time they've been as exposed to enough content as we have to realise its all actually just shite, Marvel will be out of ideas and wealthy enough not to care.

Meanwhile, I feel like I see fewer and fewer good movies every passing year and I'm getting a little tired of looking for them
 

LawCharltonBest

Enjoys watching fox porn
Joined
May 17, 2012
Messages
14,883
Location
Salford
How much of these Hollywood/superhero films are shot in England?

Just off the top of my head I know some of Gotham's buildings in Christopher Nolan's Batman series were London. I believe Bruce Wayne's mansion and exterior was from the English countryside? And that his restaurant was a London restaurant. And that a fair bit of Avengers was shot around England/UK

Reason I ask is that I used to work with someone who himself previously worked for a few film companies and said that loads of the Hollywood films scenes are actually shot in England. But I've never fact checked it.
 
Last edited:

Sylar

Full Member
Joined
May 15, 2007
Messages
40,254
Love how much time people on here spend talking about things they don't like. What a way to spend time :cool:
 

Solius

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Staff
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
86,285
Love how much time people on here spend talking about things they don't like. What a way to spend time :cool:
Sorry we upset you by not liking your favourites. This is what happens on a forum unfortunately.
 

Sylar

Full Member
Joined
May 15, 2007
Messages
40,254
Sorry we upset you by not liking your favourites. This is what happens on a forum unfortunately.
I'm clearly not the one upset, I'm finding this all funny at how grumpy you all are :lol:
 

Solius

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Staff
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
86,285
I'm clearly not the one upset, I'm finding this all funny at how grumpy you all are :lol:
You missed the laughing emoji off your original post then. Seemed like a nerve had been touched. Plus you've kind of got a superhero/villain name.
 

Vidyoyo

The bad "V"
Joined
Jun 12, 2014
Messages
21,283
Location
Not into locations = will not dwell
How much of these Hollywood/superhero films are shot in England?

Just off the top of my head I know some of Gotham's buildings in James Cameron's Batman series were London. I believe Bruce Wayne's mansion and exterior was from the English countryside? And that his restaurant was a London restaurant. And that a fair bit of Avengers was shot around England/UK

Reason I ask is that I used to work with someone who himself previously worked for a few film companies and said that loads of the Hollywood films scenes are actually shot in England. But I've never fact checked it.
First of all... James Cameron? :lol:

Second, you're right. Batman's manor was shot at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham. Close to where I live.

It comes from a Cameron/Osborne initiative to open up filming in the UK to production companies from outside the UK. This was, I think, an attempt to mirror what used to happen at Elstree Studios in the 60s/70s where they shot movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey and scenes from stuff like Star Wars/Indiana Jones. We've always done it in one way or another.

Productions funded by non-British sources have been growing significantly over the past decade. In 2016 they accounted for 85% of the money spent on film production in the UK, up from 67% in 2006.

Some further economic reasons why Hollywood likes to film here:

Tax rebates. This is the strongest and bluntest method a government has to attract peripatetic productions. This typically involves giving the production money back, based on how much they spend locally. Currently in the UK we have a generous scheme which gives producers a cash rebate of around 20% of the money they spend on making the film in the UK. More about that here:

Exchange rates. When you’re looking to spend $200 million somewhere in the world, the ever-fluctuating exchange rates suddenly become a major factor. Some make the claim that the boom in UK inward investment in the past decade is largely down to the weakening Pound against the Dollar. I don’t have enough data to be able to test this just yet, but on the face of it, the theory looks credible. For example, compare the changing exchange rate between the Canadian Dollar and the British Pound below, with data from the previous chart showing the UK eclipsing Canada as Hollywood’s favourite foreign location.

Source - https://stephenfollows.com/much-uk-film-economy-comes-abroad/
 

Sylar

Full Member
Joined
May 15, 2007
Messages
40,254
You missed the laughing emoji off your original post then. Seemed like a nerve had been touched. Plus you've kind of got a superhero/villain name.
Yet I'm talking about something I like
You're spending time about something you don't like

Nerve touched indeed ;)
 

Sylar

Full Member
Joined
May 15, 2007
Messages
40,254
This is how things work sometimes?
Sure, who do you think is ultimately happier?

This thread like others could be summed up with the following

I know the official excuse most people give to justify being so embarrassingly grumpy over this is that a lot of much more interesting projects are left without financial backing because of it. Because we all know that if they weren't doing Marvel stuff, Disney would be releasing series like Six Feet Under and movies like Quo Vadis, Aida? on a weekly basis. Of course. Just admit that, like me, you're just miserable sods who hate people enjoying things, it's much more accurate and honest.
I found this thread and a lot of posts funny. And still do
You took my post seriously enough to reply thinking I was offended because I didn't post a laugh emoji? ;)

I can make it all less subtle if that's required.
 

Solius

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Staff
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
86,285
Sure, who do you think is ultimately happier?

This thread like others could be summed up with the following



I found this thread and a lot of posts funny. And still do
You took my post seriously enough to reply thinking I was offended because I didn't post a laugh emoji? ;)

I can make it all less subtle if that's required.
Whoever enjoys their life I guess, which is possible for everyone. Posting about stuff like this is irrelevant really.

I'm sure you've posted plenty about things you don't like on here.
 

LawCharltonBest

Enjoys watching fox porn
Joined
May 17, 2012
Messages
14,883
Location
Salford
First of all... James Cameron? :lol:

Second, you're right. Batman's manor was shot at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham. Close to where I live.

It comes from a Cameron/Osborne initiative to open up filming in the UK to production companies from outside the UK. This was, I think, an attempt to mirror what used to happen at Elstree Studios in the 60s/70s where they shot movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey and scenes from stuff like Star Wars/Indiana Jones. We've always done it in one way or another.

Productions funded by non-British sources have been growing significantly over the past decade. In 2016 they accounted for 85% of the money spent on film production in the UK, up from 67% in 2006.

Some further economic reasons why Hollywood likes to film here:

Tax rebates. This is the strongest and bluntest method a government has to attract peripatetic productions. This typically involves giving the production money back, based on how much they spend locally. Currently in the UK we have a generous scheme which gives producers a cash rebate of around 20% of the money they spend on making the film in the UK. More about that here:

Exchange rates. When you’re looking to spend $200 million somewhere in the world, the ever-fluctuating exchange rates suddenly become a major factor. Some make the claim that the boom in UK inward investment in the past decade is largely down to the weakening Pound against the Dollar. I don’t have enough data to be able to test this just yet, but on the face of it, the theory looks credible. For example, compare the changing exchange rate between the Canadian Dollar and the British Pound below, with data from the previous chart showing the UK eclipsing Canada as Hollywood’s favourite foreign location.

Source - https://stephenfollows.com/much-uk-film-economy-comes-abroad/
:lol: I've edited his name now - Genuinely knew that was wrong, but I couldn't think of Christopher Nolan's name at the time and my brain kept saying James Cameron, so I thought "I'll put James Cameron for now before I lose my train of thought" and then google his actual name at the end" and then forgot and now I look like a dweeb

And thanks for the other information

I really wish England / UK made more top level films themselves because there are some lovely filming locations around.
 

dumbo

Don't Just Fly…Soar!
Scout
Joined
Jan 6, 2008
Messages
9,362
Location
Thucydides nuts
But the well established argument is that this thing I hate is not some passive thing that you can ignore away but is an active impingement on the things I really do like. So it's more that you're laughing at my things being ruined.
 

dumbo

Don't Just Fly…Soar!
Scout
Joined
Jan 6, 2008
Messages
9,362
Location
Thucydides nuts
Hahaha Marty your precious filums are going down the toilet and they'll be struggling for theatrical presentations forevermore. While I get to wank in my Iron Man PJs forever.
 

Dumbstar

We got another woman hater here.
Joined
Jul 18, 2002
Messages
21,133
Location
Viva Karius!
Supports
Liverpool
Love how much time people on here spend talking about things they don't like. What a way to spend time :cool:
It's crazy. There are literally 50 romcons coming out a day and no one bats an eye lid. It's because no one has to actually watch them. Water off a duck's back.

These marvel films are like comic books that came out every week in the 80s. No way I'm able to read them all but boy did they excite me.
 

Beans

Full Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
3,512
Location
Midwest, USA
Supports
Neutral
97 is about when CGI finally became good enough to make a large scale fantasy movie look good without you having to be Spielberg or Lucas So people were excited to finally get a version of these things that look good, and there's been some over compensation.

The budgetary difference may only reflect the fact that these are CGI heavy films, which is an expensive endeavor. It only works because they're popular enough to sell way more tickets.

Personality, I only go to see movies in the theatre that need to be seen in the theatre, and that means CGI and bid special effects films. The rest I can catch at home.
 

sullydnl

Ross Kemp's caf ID
Joined
Sep 13, 2012
Messages
34,063

Aside from anything else, maybe the constant output is part of the reason the CGI in something like this looks like it's straight from a not-particularly-good video game. The constant pumping out of material in quick order can hardly lend itself to care, craft and attention to detail.

With the amount of money they make and the size of their operation you's think the MCU stuff would at least be less ugly to look at.
 

Sweet Square

Full Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Messages
23,375
Location
The Zone

Aside from anything else, maybe the constant output is part of the reason the CGI in something like this looks like it's straight from a not-particularly-good video game. The constant pumping out of material in quick order can hardly lend itself to care, craft and attention to detail.

With the amount of money they make and the size of their operation you's think the MCU stuff would at least be less ugly to look at.
Yeah marvel is shite towards its special effect teams. Poor labour conditions with teams underpaid and over worked, plus the directors don’t work with the special effect companies.

 
Last edited:

Tyrion

Full Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2014
Messages
5,180
Location
Ireland
This generation seem to get off on the notion of having to watch a TV series before you can fully "understand" a movie that comes afterwards. It makes them feel in the know. Pretty clever from Marvel really.

By the time they've been as exposed to enough content as we have to realise its all actually just shite, Marvel will be out of ideas and wealthy enough not to care.

Meanwhile, I feel like I see fewer and fewer good movies every passing year and I'm getting a little tired of looking for them
I'm not sure which movies are better than the Marvel ones, at least among the other summer "blockbusters". Jurassic Park? Transformers? Fast and Furious? Marvel are the only fun ones.
 

Tyrion

Full Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2014
Messages
5,180
Location
Ireland
It's crazy. There are literally 50 romcons coming out a day and no one bats an eye lid. It's because no one has to actually watch them. Water off a duck's back.

These marvel films are like comic books that came out every week in the 80s. No way I'm able to read them all but boy did they excite me.
The main reason people moan about Marvel movies is that they're so successful. They're better than a lot of the rubbish that would replace them if they stopped.