Will "Grindhouse" Split Up and Hit Theaters Again?
As far as the overseas release plans for "Grindhouse" are concerned, the Weinsteins were always planning to split the flick into two and sell 'em as solo movies. And now with the underwhelming opening weekend for the double feature behind us, it looks like they might want to do the same thing over here.
As much as I really dug the movie(s), I'm not all that surprised at its slow start ($12 million opening weekend) at the box office. A three-hour blood-soaked double feature would be a tough sell on any weekend ... let alone one of the Easter variety.
But the Weinsteins have a plan! According to one very thorough and fascinating report, Bob and Harvey are considering a simple scheme: Slice "Grindhouse" up into two movies (they can call 'em "Planet Terror" and "Death Proof"), wait a few weeks/months and then re-release 'em into the multiplexes -- as if people will flock to one $8.00 movie when they just recently refused to go see the flick when it was 2 for $8.00. (Did that make any sense?)
Throwing all his ammo into the mix, Mr. Weinstein is thinking about tossing those "missing reels" back into the flicks should they show up in American cinemas again -- anything to make a little extra coin back from a fairly expensive project that really stumbled out of the domestic gate. But don't feel too bad: The movie's damn good -- which is really all that matters to a guy like me -- plus between overseas income, video, cable, etc., the Weinsteins are sure to cut a profit eventually.
Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
As much as I really dug the movie(s), I'm not all that surprised at its slow start ($12 million opening weekend) at the box office. A three-hour blood-soaked double feature would be a tough sell on any weekend ... let alone one of the Easter variety.
But the Weinsteins have a plan! According to one very thorough and fascinating report, Bob and Harvey are considering a simple scheme: Slice "Grindhouse" up into two movies (they can call 'em "Planet Terror" and "Death Proof"), wait a few weeks/months and then re-release 'em into the multiplexes -- as if people will flock to one $8.00 movie when they just recently refused to go see the flick when it was 2 for $8.00. (Did that make any sense?)
Throwing all his ammo into the mix, Mr. Weinstein is thinking about tossing those "missing reels" back into the flicks should they show up in American cinemas again -- anything to make a little extra coin back from a fairly expensive project that really stumbled out of the domestic gate. But don't feel too bad: The movie's damn good -- which is really all that matters to a guy like me -- plus between overseas income, video, cable, etc., the Weinsteins are sure to cut a profit eventually.
Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
Related Items
| Celeb: | Harvey Weinstein |
| Bob Weinstein | |
| Quentin Tarantino | |
| Robert Rodriguez | |
| Movie: | Grindhouse |
(1-20 of 66 posts) | Reply
on Apr 10 2007 04:54 AM [b]Panic measure, anyone?[/b] Okay, disclaimer: I haven't seen this movie yet as it hasn't opened in the UK, and I'm sure it's all a great time - I don't have a downer on it or anything, but... Maybe the viewing public is starting to expect a little more from these guys than Constantly Referencing Stuff? Added to that, the running time's a whopper. Perhaps they could've turned in a more condensed version of the double-feature experience that came in at no more than 140 mins or so. Grindhouse's poor box office take could be the final nail in the coffin of the Anthology Film, which is a shame, because I had a LOT of fun with stuff like Twilight Zone: The Movie, Cat's Eye and Creepshow when I was a callow, video-obsessed kid. They each managed to cram in four 'episodes' in around 100 mins. Maybe Tarantino and Rodriguez could have taken that route, with two features each. (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 05:45 AM As many people have observed, I think this had DVD written all over it from the beginning. It'll be uncut & unrated (hopefully), and you can watch just one of the movies in a sitting if you want. That said, don't cheat yourself - if you're into these kinds of movies, go to the movies and watch it. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 06:08 AM In reply to this comment (#860894) I don't know how it is in the UK, but here, we used to have a tradition were every saturday or Sunday, our friends would all get together, head over to the movie theatre, and watch films all afternoon before going home to dinner. This is a tradition that has all but been lost with the takeover of corporate run theatre chains that do everything possible to make sure that you only get ONE film per ticket. Rodriguez and Tarantino were trying to re-capture that tradition with the Grindhouse. I for one miss the Sundays when me and my friends would camp out at the theatre, watching whatever films they played, no matter how good or bad they may be. Its a shame we've all but lost that. Also, considering the attention span of the average American today, the only mistake Tarantino and Rodriguez made was not including a short intermission between the two films. And no, the trailers don't count, nobody wants to miss those. The films you mentioned- Cats Eye, Creep Show, (NOT Twilight Zone:The movie, that sucked) are all classics in there own right, but have nothing to do with the double-feauture tradition Tarantino was trying to recapture. "Plantet Terror" and "Deathproof" are NOT short stories, they are FILMS; "The Grindhouse" is simply the experience. (Reply to this) |
on Apr 10 2007 06:22 AM I don't understand what people's problem would be with the length. Plenty of three hour movies do well, LoTR, Braveheart, .... etc This movie even gives the ADDs a break with switching movies and fun trailors. It has to be that people aren't interested in the movies themselves theme-wise or whatever. Personally I enjoyed the Grindhouse experience and thought that it wasn't too long, although I do think that Death Proof fell well below my expectations. If they broke the movies into two seperate movies I'd be fine with it and probably go see Planet Terror again, but I don't think that this will help their appeal to the people who aren't already going. (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 07:01 AM If anything, PLANET TERROR should've been trimmed by 30 minutes. About halfway through you wonder if DEATH PROOF is even going to begin. But by seperating them your essentially ruining the experience Tarantino & Rodriguez were trying to create. This was simply the best film of the year thus far and best film going experience since THE DEPARTED. Hopefully they dont fuck up any future DVD plans due to this decent opening. (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 07:08 AM i think the monetary expectations on this one were too high... other than pulp fiction, none of QT's movie were "blockbusters", and as for RR, his only big smash was Sin City, and you can argue that it had nothing to do with RR and everything to do with frank miller, the cast, and the style... given the nature of the movie, im not surprised at all that its not doing as well as people thought it might... also, the actors arent exactly A listers. rose mcgowan, freddy rodreguiz, josh brolin, zoe bell, sydney poitier... sure, it has an uncredited bruce willis, and an underutilized rosario dawson and kurt russell, but pulp fiction or sin city's cast this is not... i still loved it though (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 07:25 AM In reply to this comment (#860896) [b]Hey ChinaRises[/b] The UK has never really had a tradition along the lines of what you’ve described – we used to have a pretty healthy midnight movie circuit, but again, because of corporatisation, that’s on its last legs. I’m glad I live in London, where even chain cinemas feel duty bound to liven up their schedules, as the suburbs have virtually no escape from the multiplex. Whatever the case, it’s great that everyone who has posted here had a fun time in the Grindhouse. I’m really looking forward to it. EDIT: I remember my folks describing their cinema visits when they were kids as showing newsreels, followed by cartoons, followed by the B-movie, followed by the A-movie … but that’s not the same as having two B-movies back to back! (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 07:35 AM I still haven't seen GH yet, but mostly that's because of my job schedule and frankly lack of $, especially considering I'll easily spend over 100$ later on this summer just on tickets to watch movies like Spidey3 etc. I think a factor of why it underperformed this last weekend was frankly overpromotion. after seeing endless trailers and interviews and articles about GH, there was no curiousity left in me as to what the experience would be. The manic buzz surrounding the movie literally made me lose interest. They didn't wait for good word of mouth to propel the ticket sales - rather they told us up front what an awsome movie it was, and I guess maybe that turned some people like me off. Hope this mini rant made some sense to people, cause I'm not very good at expressing ideas that run deeper than a single sentence (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 07:54 AM People should NOT wait for DVD for Grindhouse. If you don't see it in theaters you will regret it. It is a cinematic experience. (Reply to this) |
on Apr 10 2007 08:08 AM Patience is a virtue I am planning on seeing Grindhouse tonight after work. I'm super psyched about it. The only reason I didn't see it right when it came out was because I was out of town celebrating Easter with my girlfriend and her family. I wish that the opening weekend for a film wasn't such a huge factor in determining whether or not the presentation is "valid" or "worthy." I've spoken to lots of other people who share my sentiment and are planning on seeing the film during it's theatrical run, but were not able to make it to opening weekend. I certainly don't mind a film that runs three hours (in fact, I kind of love it!), but it does mean that I have to time my movie trip appropriately. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have a feeling that this movie will continue to rake in some considerable profit during its theatrical run that will more than compensate for the merely "decent" opening that has been mentioned. (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 08:09 AM In reply to this comment (#860902) Most definitely a cinematic experience. All the bad edits and cheesey lines make this double feature a pleasure. Perhaps the poor performance was due to the release of a horror movie double feature on the Christian Easter holiday? (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 08:13 AM [b]Split for DVD[/b] From what I've heard "Grindhouse" won't be on DVD, they're separating Death Proof and Planet Terror, both with cut footage back in. Maybe that's just what the Weinsteins are saying to get more people to go, but if that's really going to be the case, I highly suggest checking out Grindhouse before you miss it (I'm talking to YOU Netflix people). (Reply to this) |
on Apr 10 2007 08:25 AM [b]ADD[/b] Maybe the target audience is lacking the necessary attention span. (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 09:38 AM [b]Easter release?[/b] What were Tarantino and Rodriguez thinking by releasing this type of movie on Easter weekend? This time is tailor made for movies like Blades of Glory. Knowing that opening weekend box office take is so vital, they could have waited at least one more week. I think the numbers will increase this weekend. I haven't seen it yet, but plan to ASAP. This one is definitely one to see in the cinema. (Reply to this) |
on Apr 10 2007 09:42 AM They need to open up more showings of this movie if they want a profits. Every theater down here in Orange County only has ONE SCREEN playing this movie - think about that. A 3 hour movie, showing at 4PM 7PM and 10PM... This same thing happened with King Kong, except King Kong is King Kong and the King automatically got 3 screens for every theater he was playing in. That and people don't mind sitting in a dark room for 3 hours watching a giant gorilla tear shitup when they should be getting to sleep for work the next day. Also about 90 percent of America gets off work after 6PM, so the chances of making a 7o'clock showing for any movie, no matter how thrilling, is pretty slim for a lot of people. I skipped Grindhouse because of this very reason this past weekend when i actually had time to see a movie - I went and saw Blades of Glory instead (much to my regret) because they had an 8:00 showing that i was able to make, and another one an hour and a half later, just in case. (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 09:45 AM What is this myth about the "corporatization" of cinema? Yes, prices have gone up, but that's just inflation and the fact that people will pay it. If anyone actually remembered the "glory days" of Hollywood they would remember actors being contracted to do a dozen movies a year and the Night of The Lepus for every Casablanca. We live in a golden age where there is something out there for every taste be it for goofball comedies (Will Ferrell) or violent exploitation films (QT and RR). Enjoy the ride and don't get pissy just because someone's taste isn't to your own. It doesn't make them moronic. If there wasn't that large population of commoners we couldn't feel like the socially unaccepted outsider genius' we all are. Happy Easter. Fear The Bunny!!!!! (^)(^) (o O) (> <) (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 09:49 AM In reply to this comment (#860905) Yeah, Weinstein said in a quote in yesterday's USA Today that they will be released separately on DVD, warning that people need to go to theatres to get the experience. This may be a desperate tactic after a disappointing weekend as I can see this only enraging fans and losing the studio even more money on what was potentially this film's (these films') biggest revenue-earning asset from the moment the project was greenlit: DVD. The Weinsteins would surely have made all their money back from the DVD sales alone, but this strategy, if true, is going to backfire. People like me who dug "Grindhouse," did so not just because it was a cool, fun movie (though it is all that), but it was the whole grindhouse experience and experiment with all the key elements intact that made it feel so fresh. I don't want to buy two DVDs with that all split up and some of the fake trailers on RR's DVD, some on QT's, or have them relegated to "special feature" or "easter egg" status. I want to watch it the way it was intended. My first thought after reading the Weisntein quote was that they would release the films separately - as well as release "Grindhouse" the theatrical version to DVD. But that is not what that article said. Everyone is waiting for one big, uncut, unrated, extended DVD of the entire film intact, the way it was intended to be, not two separate homage flicks (like we need another zombie pic by itself – taken out of context these films won’t be what they were meant to be or what they were together). But if Weinstein is for real, then those of you who have not yet seen this better take his threat to heart and go see this thing in theatres. It is well worth it, especially if you can never see it this way again. I'm sure that is far-fetched - even if he is telling the truth about the two separate releases, they will probably be available for purchase together in a 2-pack, they will probably each be their own special edition with added stuff, and I'm sure 6 mos. or a year from now, they will release the big, ultra, way-it-was-meant-to-be-seen edition of the film to please fans and make more money (maybe this is clever marketing on their part after all), but you never know and do you want to risk it? Or how long do you want to wait to see it when you can simply get up off your ass and go see it right now? (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 09:52 AM I say FUK Weinstein. (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 09:56 AM In reply to this comment (#860908) I get what you are saying and agree, but your excuse for not seeing it, especially if you would have gone to "Blades" even an hour and a half later "just in case" means you could have seen "Grindhouse" if you really wanted to and the time was not an issue. People who really want to see this will. But getting those who are just curious or are out and about and decide to go to some random movie, yeah, this movie probably won't make money off them. But it may not have anyway. This plays to a specialty audience. But I agree, if they wanted this movie to have the kind of weekend they were hoping for, they should have made it more accessible. I've heard a couple people bitch about the times, but then again, they weren't commited to going to see it. I bitched about the times, but I wanted to see it and found a way. It's not that hard. (Reply to this) |
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on Apr 10 2007 10:08 AM In reply to this comment (#860912) Not really, as Grindhouse is twice as long as Blades of Glory. But you kind of made my point for me, in the fact that yea, people who are Rodriguez and Tarentino extremists WILL find a way to go see it. Don't get me wrong, i do want to see it, i love both of the directors myself, BUT even if i had gone to a 10 oclock showing of Blades of Glory i would have still been getting out of the theater at a quarter past eleven... Grindhouse i would have been getting out a full hour later, maybe later. lol Trust me, i wish i would have just bit the bullet, i normally could give a crap about work the next day if it's a movie i really want to see, i pulled it off with Zodiac at a ten-thirty showing. But i just think it would be a great benefit to ANY film with an extended running time like this, because it gives the audience a bigger window of opportunity to view it within reasonable hours. (Reply to this) |
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