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Author Topic: Which looks better - THE INCREDIBLES or THE POLAR EXPRESS? Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 09-25-2004 11:53 PM                     Y'know, I sort of lost interest in this thread, but I decided to come back only to make the statement on why exactly I lost interest in it: Why in the living hell does it matter which movie makes more money? Um, Hello!? Movies are NOT a sport. One movie is not a team unto itself scoring points against another movie. It is indeed very extremely possible for two movies released at nearly the same time to both make a huge shitload of money. Perfect example of this? Go back to the summer of 1994. Both "The Lion King" and "Forrest Gump" each made over $300 million in domestic North American box office returns. I'm just pointing this out because I think it is just plain arrogant, and a little stupid, to assume if "The Incredibles" is successful, then "Polar Express" must definitely tank. That's not any guarantee at all. I do think "The Incredibles" is going to have a more built-in audience thanks to the incredible track record of Pixar. But then I think "Polar Express" has a lot of potential as well. The movie just has to be hyped to the public properly. I hope the show does well. If I heard right, "Polar Express" is supposed to have an IMAX-3D version timed day-in-date with the standard 35mm version. If that is true, I have to give them points for ambition in presentation. It is a quality very sorely lacking in all the stupid hype about digital video projection -oh, I'm sorry, "D-Cinema".  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 09-26-2004 12:30 AM                     Lion King and Forest Gump certainly had crossover but for the most part they played to different audiences. Incredibles and Polar Express are competing nearly head to head and have the exact same target audience-acutally as mentioned Incredibles will have a wider appeal than Polar likely.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 09-26-2004 01:42 AM                     It's not arrogant to go around calling people stupid when -- just one post later -- it is pointed out that your example (from a whole decade ago) isn't analogous to the situation before us? Reminder -- the immediate concern is that a one-screen theatre operator must choose only one of these two films and he's probably not the only one faced with this choice. Thus, it really does become a sort of 'sport' with a winner and a loser. The winner plays; the loser doesn't.  |  IP: Logged Brian Michael Weidemann Expert cat molester Posts: 944 From: Costa Mesa, CA United States Registered: Feb 2004 posted 09-26-2004 04:36 AM                        Yes, IMAX 3-D, day and date. And about a month-and-a-half left and still, only here or there has anyone even "heard" about it. Where's the promotion? The only advertising our theatre has is the IMAX trailer for it (which is on Harry Potter, which we're not even playing any more). Other than that ... ? And, I agree with Manny. Mr. Blakesley's original post merely asks which one might do better since his theatre's attendance will be affected; and of course he wishes to program the higher grossing movie. quote: Bobby Henderson I'm just pointing this out because I think it is just plain arrogant, and a little stupid, to assume if "The Incredibles" is successful, then "Polar Express" must definitely tank. I think it just happens to be that some people believe one will do MUCH better than the other. But you're right: it doesn't necessarily mean that one's success means the other won't do well at all ... unless, as Dustin pointed out, that these two movies will attempt to "share" audiences a little more closely than Lion King and Forrest Gump did.  |  IP: Logged Kevin Markwick Film Handler Posts: 43 From: Uckfield East Sussex England Registered: Sep 2004 posted 09-26-2004 07:41 AM                        quote: Why in the living hell does it matter which movie makes more money? Um, Hello!? It matters a hell of a lot when your living depends on making the right decision.  |  IP: Logged Greg Davis Film Handler Posts: 96 From: Vista, Ca, USA Registered: Sep 2004 posted 09-26-2004 12:12 PM                     I agree. I mean if we got something other than pirates last summer we wouldnt be in business now. I would have to say Incredibles, because people will see it just for the sake of it being a pixar. Its a comedy, and if you watch the Polar Express trailer it looks kinda... corny.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 09-26-2004 12:30 PM                     Look, it's one thing for an independent theater to make a choice on which of the two movies to book. It is another thing entirely to just pop off comments like "The Incredibles is going to kick Polar Express' ass." I stand by my assertion that it is indeed pretty stupid to assume that if one of these movies succeeds then the other must fail. I seem to recall Harry Potter and LOTR installments being released in the same season. There's been plenty of other successful science-fiction or action movie that have been released at times when other films of the same genre have done well. The only thing that is going to doom "Polar Express" is if the movie itself sucks. And none of us know that.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Fuentes Mmmm, Dr. Pepper! Posts: 1168 From: Corpus Christi, TX United States Registered: Jan 2004 posted 09-26-2004 12:57 PM                     Bobby, its not that it must fail, but I think the success of Incredibles will indeed contribute to it. Lets say that I have a 2 screen theater, and I will be showing Incredibles and Alexander opening the same day. They are both doing really well, and selling out nightly. Would it be smart for me to get rid of one of those prints for a movie that might do well, rather than 2 that are making a killing. I dont think it would a smart move. So I dont pick up Polar Express. Guess how much Polar Express made at my theater. Nothing. Compared to Incredibles selling out repeatedly. And thats just at my theater.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-26-2004 09:35 PM                        Aside from the business concerns, it is just interesting to speculate and guess which movies will do business. Remember that online game, I forget the name of it, where you booked movies into pretend theatres and competed for points? Anyway, we are going with Incredibles, and hopefully will play Polar over Thanksgiving, so with any luck it will be all around.  |  IP: Logged Mike Spaeth Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1129 From: Marietta, GA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 09-26-2004 11:02 PM                        Jeremy - good scenario - but they pushed Alexander back to 11/24  |  IP: Logged Dave Williams Wet nipple scene Posts: 1836 From: Salt Lake City, UT, USA Registered: Jan 2000 posted 11-28-2004 01:24 PM                        quote: Mike Blakesley Anyway, we are going with Incredibles, and hopefully will play Polar over Thanksgiving, so with any luck it will be all around. So did you pick up Polar for thanksgiving weekend. I see that it picked up for that weekend up to about 20 mil, not enough to knock incredibles down however. Incredibles at about 215 Polar at about 85 For me it is a sport, since I cannot actually run anymore and play the sports I like to play, so instead I like to guage money reaction to film and play it as a sport. So there Ciao baby Dave  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 11-28-2004 05:13 PM                     quote: Brad Miller Both will do well, but you want to know which will do better? The Incredibles. Just you watch. Mmmmm, hmm.  |  IP: Logged Justin West Master Film Handler Posts: 271 From: Peoria, IL, USA Registered: Jul 2001 posted 11-28-2004 08:10 PM                     Well, I just saw the Polar Express tonight...and it was a pretty good movie...excellent for kids for the Xmas season...but I have to tell you, there is the scene near the end where the young man is preparing to get off the train (as it has stopped at his house) and he is saying good-bye to a young black girl (who had befriended him during the trip)...and all of a sudden, a pattern of brown dots flashed on the screen, over the image! I wasn't "looking" for it but there it happened! CAP code, I assume? Too bad.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-29-2004 12:36 PM                        Dave: No, we played "National Treasure" starting the 19th and through the weekend. It has done almost as well as Incredibles did for us! So it was definitely the right choice. I think we are going to play Polar on the 10th. To me, the closer to Christmas the better. The rise in its gross over the Thanksgiving weekend may bear this out.  |  IP: Logged Barry Martin Expert Film Handler Posts: 203 From: Newington, CT USA Registered: Jul 2002 posted 11-29-2004 11:17 PM                        Mike we had the same situation, I really didn't want to let Incredibles go but didn't want to regret missing National either. Incredibles, Polar, and National have all done very well for us, thank goodness! Been a couple months since we really had a good drawing movie.  |  IP: Logged

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