Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Release!!

Just wondering why she felt the need to invent another identity in the first place. Was she trying to elude her parents? Afraid of being sent back to the mental institution?

How bad is "Dark Shadows"? It makes you long for a "Twilight" movie. That's bad.

Despite the fact that I have yet to see it, that seriously made me  .  I want to enjoy it like many of you, but I fear I may have a similar reaction.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120511/ENT02/205110317/1034/Review-Depp-Burton-s-Dark-Shadows-terribly-dull

Now with both audience and critic reaction in the rotten categories on RT, I wonder if Warner Bros. is happy with the route they took with this film.

Yes she was afraid of having her escape and real name found out by liz and fired. i just had a tought. if her interview was pre arranged like in the tv show, how do u explain her making up her new name on the train? perhaps it was not a pre arrainged interview and she was just showing up to aply but i think willie says something like we been expecting u when he opens the door. sorry if these are spoilers but i dont know how to hide the text in spoiler format.

I think Willie actually apologizes for not picking her up at the train station, so he was clearly expecting her arrival.  I'm fine with her using an alias, as a combination of a fear that she might be sent back there and that Liz might fire her if she realizes her past.  I mean, maybe that exact scene could've worked better if she'd been rehearsing her introduction, and instead of looking up at a poster, she looked down at an ad that she was keeping with her papers, somehow (to remind herself of why she chose the name).  I dunno.  As I said, I loved this angle itself, and had no problem combining the two characters.  I just thought that one aspect- seeming to come up with the name on the fly- was clunky.

Has anyone seen this in IMAX? Is it worth the extra expense?

saw it in IMAX friday. it was spectacular especially the opening 18th century sequence. to me it was worth the extra expense.

I agree joe. As I posted Friday night, I thought the film was amazing in IMAX! 

Thanks, guys. I'll try to get there this week.

Just wondering why she felt the need to invent another identity in the first place. Was she trying to elude her parents? Afraid of being sent back to the mental institution?

perhaps her past was so painful she just wanted a "fresh start" and thought a new identity that didn't carry all the emotional baggage was the way to go.

IS THERE any CHANCE of another film with the bad box office?

I do think the biggest mistake regarding the film has been its marketing. 

First of all, it all started rather late, only two months before its premier.  In the highly competitive film market (made more so by the high cost of deciding what, and what not, to see), one needs to get the upper jump.  Of course, too much saturation can also spell doom.

Second of all, shooting for the supposedly lucrative market of 18-24 is like putting all of one's eggs in one basket.  They ain't the only ones going to movies (like I said, everyone, save for one, in the theater when I saw the film was not only well-over 24, but well over 35).  Folks older often have more expendable income, especially in today's economy, but when all they see are films that appear geared towards an audience that doesn't include them, well, of course they're not going to go.  Even though a huge percentage, if not a majority (and probably a huge majority) of people (kids, actually) have never heard of DS, and Warners apparently wanted to somehow reach out to them, there still are hordes of people my age who have heard of it, who experienced it, who loved it and certainly don't mind having more.  I can't tell you how many people my age, even a decade younger, when I told them I was going to see this film suddenly became excited and had no idea there was a new film.  I'm talking like this past Thursday and Friday.  Many of them, a decade and even more younger, had their only exposure through the '91 version and remembered it fondly and enjoyed it (and were terribly upset when it was canceled).  They thought that seeing a new version of that version was a great idea and would say:  "if I've got time, maybe I'll go see it."  How did the marketers miss all of them (both OS and '91, and a combination of both)?  I think if there had been some ads among the many aired and in print aimed at this audience that referenced the original - maybe a tag-line like "Some Legends Never Die" or some-such, maybe a few photos or quick live-action captures - they would've heard and gone seen. 

Third, refering to the corporate-minded target audience of 18-to-24's, when it comes to Johnny Depp, he's still a box-office draw, but he's hardly the 21 Jump Street star he once was.  He's just this side of the hill of a half-century old (ancient by Hollywood standards).  He's older than what Jonathan Frid was when he created Barnabas Collins.  Thinking that somehow Depp can still draw in teens is not thinking.  Most teens today would have no idea what 21 Jump Street is.  Their parents were teens when it aired.  Even all the Pirates movies are old news by now. 

Fourth, using only out-of-context comedic snippets to make this film appear as a more fun-loving version of Twilight, was a marketing error.  I saw this movie, along with 31 other friends and aquaitances.  None of us considered it a comedy.  It was more horror-action.  All the Indiana Jones films contained great deals of comedy, including slapstick, but did that make them comedies?  They weren't marketed as such, and they all made tons of money (well, maybe not the last one because by the time it came out, the audience had moved on, but it was still an enjoyable film).  They had, in trailers, a little bit of everything.  Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed the humor in the DS film (as did my co-movie-goers) and considered it spot-on.  My co-goers laughed at the right moments, groaned in grief at the right moments, cheered at the right moments, and registered shock at the right moments.  All the right moments are there, so why couldn't the PTB at Warners use them in a nice balance in various trailers? 

One of my friends, who went along with us on Saturday, called me today and said that after his church service was over and coffee and donuts were being devoured, he talked constantly about the movie and how much he enjoyed it and encouraged them to go, including several who were fans of the OS and had no idea that there was such a movie (even though my local theater showing it is only a block away from their church).  Now that should tell us how Warners blew its marketing.  What type of people do they have working in that department?  How much are they being paid? 

Meanwhile, I'm still basking in the after-glo of having seen this wonderful film.  I still think the opening-credits scene of the train carrying Victoria/Maggie to the wilds of the Maine coast, while Nights in White Satin served as the soundtrack, was simply brilliant.  I missed not hearing our "traditional" musical introduction, but this worked just fine and was totally appropriate.  If only the marketing did.

Gerard

I also saw the movie in IMAX and it was defiantly worth it.

About Maggie/Victoria. I got the feeling that she was answering the ad when she came to the house.  Maybe I am wrong??  Films go by so fast.  That is why I want to see it again.  I had to run to the restroom at one point and even though I literally ran to the bathroom I still missed Roger leaving. I think that was a great setup for a future movie, if we get one?

I did read that DS opened # 1 in France. I looked for a link; however, Chris Pennock posted that on his Facebook page! So hopefully overseas will be great and hopefully by the end of the weekend we will have good returns.

I also know several people who are going during the week and next weekend!  Fingers crossed!

PS...Gerard I love your posts and writing.

Gerard, I totally agree with much of what you said about the marketing of this film. It was terribly askew from what it actually should have been. The crowd in the theater when I went to see it was rather small, but then it was still mid-afternoon on opening night, a weekday, and many people had yet to leave work. Nevertheless, there was a decent mixture of young people like myself, and older folks who were most likely there because they were reminded of the original series when the trailers for this movie started appearing on television. The only trailer in which it could be argued that WB took advantage of having a small built in audience was the one that had the title screen saying "He's back!" but then, that could also mean in terms of what happens in the movie.

Third, refering to the corporate-minded target audience of 18-to-24's, when it comes to Johnny Depp, he's still a box-office draw, but he's hardly the 21 Jump Street star he once was.  He's just this side of the hill of a half-century old (ancient by Hollywood standards).  He's older than what Jonathan Frid was when he created Barnabas Collins.  Thinking that somehow Depp can still draw in teens is not thinking.  Most teens today would have no idea what 21 Jump Street is.  Their parents were teens when it aired.  Even all the Pirates movies are old news by now. 

Also, while Depp is closing in quickly on 50, he still is a major Hollywood heartthrob and a huge box office draw. I'll admit that his heartthrob status is probably palpable for folks in their twenties and above, but most teenagers definitely know who he is and have probably even grown up with him at this point. If you go all the way back to Sleepy Hollow (1999) or even the first Pirates movie (2003), there is a large swath of young people who could have been as young as six or seven and who are now between 14 and 24. Look at the major hits during those years: Sleep Hollow, Pirates 1, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005) Pirates 2 and 3 (2006 & 2007), Sweeney Todd (2007), Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Pirates 4 (2011). That's not even including some of the lesser grossing box office films that I personally love like Secret Window, Rango, Finding Neverland, etc.

In the course of about 10 years or so, which let's face it is a long time for someone who is a teenager, thats 9 films that have come out starring Depp. It's safe to say that those who have "grown up" with him would definitely be a large group to market to.

And, if I may be so bold, with the current parenting techniques that I've witnessed over the past few years where the child is super special and gets what he or she wants all of the time no matter what it is or how ludicrous the request, a simple demand of going to the movies to see Johnny Depp's "Dark Shadows" would seem like a small price to pay.

Box Office Mojo reports that the film took in $65 million worldwide in 3 days. It will easily turn a profit, which means more DS films are coming!
I'm sure we'll be as divided on those films as we are on this one, HODS, and the 1991 TV series!

Does that include tonight's receipts??