Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Release!!

[Garth Blackwood]

one of them is literally called "boycott dark shadows movie".

i can't recall the specific titles of the other. sorry.

Weird group... Why do they hate it so much? Are they fans of the original series who just hate Tim Burton?

[David]

Facebook is a breeding ground for all kinds of hate and negativity. I'm really turning off to the whole fad.

[Cousin_Barnabas]

It's odd because I don't see anything negative on Facebook.  Then again, I don't use it for social groups or anything like that - just to keep in touch. 

[ZackGolem]

I'd be surprised if this movie actually took 150 mil to make. I don't see it on screen. Sure, the sets look great but what major studio film doesn't have good looking sets? The CGI sequences are brief and not especially elaborate or ground breaking. Much of the film is people sitting or standing around talking, soap opera style. Seems more likely the budget was closer to the intially reported 50 mil in which case they'd be closer to breaking even and going into the black, and paving the way for sequels. Yay! It also doesn't seem likely the studio would take such a major gamble on an unproven commodity as a Burton/Depp helmed DS reboot. You'd think they would stick with a fairly modest budget first time around. But I actually have no idea. In any case, having just seen The Avengers, it's obvious (and should have been so to the highly paid WB studio muckity-mucks) that DS should have never been pitted against such a large scale spectacle. Maybe they will release the DVD around Halloween when people are more into the spooko (as DC used to say).

[usffan]

I'm not sure you can look at the movie as a "bomb" just yet for a variety of reasons.  First, as has been pointed out several times, ALL movies have paled in comparison with The Avengers, which took in $400MM domestically in two weeks and has set a number of box office records.  Even The Hunger Games hasn't made that in the United States in nearly 2 months of release, and it had most of that time to earn income before The Avengers came out.  Second, let's look at a few other films that are in release right now.  Battleship, which supposedly cost $200MM to make, made $9MM in its first night of release compared with Dark Shadows' $9.6MM.  The Dictator has taken in just under $12.8MM in its first 3 days of release (and I believe was promoted more heavily than Dark Shadows - to the point that I was sick of the commercials).  Dark Shadows took in just under $30MM in its first 3 days.  To be fair, that was 3 full weekend days compared to The Dictator's Wednesday release, but I'm willing to bet Dark Shadows will still be ahead after 5 days, when both will have had a full weekend for comparison.  In only 8 days, Dark Shadows has already surpassed The Three Stooges, The Cabin in the Woods and The Raven.  Plus, as MB points out, this movie has a fair amount of potential to make money in the DVD/Blu Ray market, so I am not in any way worried about the "bomb" label just yet.  I think when people think of films that bombed in 2012, John Carter is going to far surpass any other. 

And, to answer why some people are worried about the commercial success, I for one am hoping that it's enough of a success that it will allow whatever hurdles remain to get the restored version of Night of Dark Shadows released.  I really want to see that movie as it was originally intended.  I would not be as opposed as others to a sequel, either. 

[LOOKE300]

having depp and burtin was a mistake to bad depp did,nt make this movie years ago when he was at his boxoffice prime. im sure there will be no other ds films the wb and no other studio will be interested and depp makes so many movies he has proberly has already moved on to the lone ranger.

[David]

The way Hollywood is these days, they could easily spend 50 million on salaries for Burton/Depp/Pfeiffer!

[Gerard]

I couldn't care less what a handful of people on Fazebook have to say.  I don't belong to Fazebook and never will (call me a contrarian).  Depp/Burton didn't deliver a film they wanted - so what?  Let them gloat because it wasn't the number-one-box-office-smash.  I loved it.  I really don't care what a bunch of people who can only find meaning in their lives by posting every day that they had toast with butter for breakfast. So, I'm suppose to take what they say with any consideration?  Go and tell others that you added jam to your toast and butter; maybe somebody will care.  These people, for the most part, boast and brag that they haven't even seen the movie.  So how do they know?  From what other anti-DS-movie people told them?  Oh, right.  I scraped together enough money to go and see it again today by myself.  I'll go without food for lunch or supper.  Watching the beautiful, poignant, appropriate opening credits with Nights in White Satin playing was well worth it.  As for those Fazebook members who think creating a "social network" group with 70 people will somehow punish those who didn't give us the original (which was flawed beyond belief, but we true fans still have always loved it) in just another same-old, same-old form, get a life.  No one cares about what you do every day. 

(Paraphrasing):  "Fifteen and no husband?  You must put those birthing hips to use, or else your womb will whither and...die."  Now that's brilliant!  Why didn't Dan Curtis think of that?  It's funny, but it's true.

Gerard

[Nancy]

I have a FB group called the Jonathan Frid Fan group and I am very strict about not allowing negativity towards other members. 

Fortunately, there are facebook pages based on DS that also have admins who don't allow nonsense.

As for the groups that are called ". . .hate so and so" I don't bother with them apart from laughing at the stupidity of its existence.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

This following link comes from jimbo but he didn't think he could post it using his mobile phone. It's to a photo on Facebook of what looks to be them shooting a cut sequence during the party where Barnabas and Vicki were dancing together:

http://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=457966587562754&id=100000482497867&set=o.190716234316441&refid=13&m_sess=soBlJrCJ-KXv8f_2-&ref=nf

You may need to login before it will let you access the page because I had to login first...

And thanks so much, jimbo.    I definitely agree with you that I wish the scene had been in the film. But hopefully it will show up in the deleted scenes...

8 days 23 hours 31 minutes 28 seconds since the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows has been in release(ET)!!

[Midnite]

It makes more sense that something went on between B & V at the party for her to wistfully tell him on the balcony that she knew she had caught his eye, which then led to their first kiss.

[borgosi]

Five of us ending up going tonight. All but one were OS fans. We all liked the movie and I liked it better the second time. The theater was about 1/4 full. As we were leaving one of our group saw a friend in a long line to getting into the theater. She was going to see DS. Here's to a strong second weekend.

[usffan]

While I would have loved to have seen more of Barnabas and Victoria's budding romance, it's hard to envision a 1972-era Alice Cooper song to which they could have slow danced. 

[The Doctor and K9]

I'm wondering why there appears to be a preoccupation here with commercial success of the movie.

In my case, I want it to be a commercial success so that it will fuel other projects. For example, the restoration of NODS could hinge on whether or not this film gives the project enough positive name recognition. I'd also like to see a sequel.

[Cousin_Barnabas]

I find it atrocious how much of this film we didn't see.  I honestly feel that a three hour DS movie would have been fine, and then the climax would have worked better.  It wouldn't have been so uneven and so choppy.  As fans of the show, we can appreciate a lot of the little story details that are merely referenced.  But I can't see how this movie makes a great deal of sense to the general public.  Sure there exists a basic storyline that everyone can follow.  But I can't help but think the average moviegoer who actually cares about plot doesn't feel a little left in the dark when it comes to the story.  There is so little about so many of the characters, namely Victoria.  I feel that her explanation of her past was rushed.  And it looks like it was initially longer.  These flashbacks and montages have a lot in them, and they leave viewers to guess at certain plot points, because they don't fully flesh out the details.  I really, really want to see the Victoria story (and her relationship with Barnabas) told in full. 

In all honesty, I think that the mistakes made with the storytelling decisions are the biggest tribute to the show.  Because this movie manages to recreate so many of the plot development mistakes in the original show.  The only thing it manages to correct is offering an identity to the governess.  Other than that, the underdeveloped romance, the lack of plot for major family members, the monster-mash finale...  All things done in the original that shouldn't have been repeated.  And I frankly think Warner Bros. had a lot to do with it.  Like SGS, I'd like to see a director's cut of this film released, but I doubt that is likely.