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EON's 'The Rhythm Section' (2020)

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  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,213
    boldfinger wrote: »
    MakeshiftPython wrote: »
    00Agent wrote: »
    I wonder if the timing was so off because people associated this with movies like Charlies Angels and other recent gender swapped action films.

    That’s assuming enough people were even aware of this film at all.

    I don’t think people have that much of an issue with female action films. All STAR WARS movies that had female leads (except SOLO, which flopped), WONDER WOMAN, ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, CAPTAIN MARVEL all did pretty solid business but they also had stronger marketing to back them. In this case it just looks like Paramount has set up THE RHYTHM SECTION to fail.
    Yes. That is an interesting comparison. While I´d say WW was a legitimate blockbuster, IMO Cpt M was a very mediocre film, and Alita even less accomplished. From what I read, TRS seems not worse than CM and A:BA. So perhaps with the right amount of marketing it would have been fairly possible to sell it way beyond its quality. I doubt it´s worse than The Bourne Legacy, and that didn´t exactly crash, did it?

    To be clear I was talking about box office success rather than critical success. Those movies I cited as examples all did very well, especially with STAR WARS and CAPTAIN AMERICA passing the billion dollar barrier.
  • boldfingerboldfinger
    Posts: 5,767
    @MakeshiftPython, yes, I understood it that way. My point is that exactly because of that there seems to be no plausible reason why TRS shouldn´t have sold well too ;-).
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,213
    Oh, but there are plausible reasons. We can see it for ourselves... or in the case of the minimal to almost nonexistent marketing... NOT see. ;)
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    edited February 2020 Posts: 17,815
    There's (still) hardly any online articles in Norwegian mentioning this film, but FINALLY, in an article which is really just about an Instagram image Blake Lively posted from the set, it is mentioned in the last paragraph that there's still no premiere date for Norwegian cinemas…
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    edited February 2020 Posts: 5,185
    Just read that 'Film Stars don't die in liverpool' didn't even make half it's production budget back. Ouch, seems like EoN can't catch a break outside of Bond lately.

    But as a creative Person i understand why they needed to make those films. I hope NTTD will be a huge success and make a ton of money for them though. And i'm sure it will.
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    MakeshiftPython wrote: »
    Again, abysmal marketing.

    Seems like it.

    Bond obviously generates it's own buzz, but the marketing build up for NTTD also seems very laid back
  • RyanRyan Canada
    Posts: 692
    DaltonCraig007 wrote: »
    boldfinger wrote: »
    DaltonCraig007 wrote: »
    Lowest opening week-end of all time, one of the lowest grossing movies of all time, one of the biggest flops of all time & one of the least profitable movies of all time.

    I guess it's time to wonder how did this film get made? Who green-lighted this? Who gave it a $50 million budget? Why did they dump it on the Super-Bowl weekend? Why release a 2nd one-minute long trailer a week before release?

    This is very sad as I wanted to check it out, now I am wondering if I'll even get a chance to watch it. Will it be dumped on Netflix for foreign countries? Will it even get a DVD/Blu-Ray release outside of the US/UK given the audience for this is basically non-existent and the colossal amount of money it has already lost?
    Why do you wonder how this film got made? According to those who saw it, it doesn´t seem THAT bad. There are lots of films which are not THAT bad but still get shown, if not in cinemas then on Netflix et al. That the marketing campaign wasn´t efficient doesn´t make it necessarily a bad film. It will show up somewhere in time.

    I never said it was a bad film, I'm actually hoping I can see it somewhere at one point. A big screen release seems impossible at this point, so perhaps it can drop on Netflix or straight to Blu-Ray in my country. I'm just trying to understand how this film flopped so badly. And why it received such a wide-release when it was obvious for the past couple weeks that the film would bomb hard at the box office.
    Zero marketing therefore zero hype and zero interest. Perhaps some studio politics and meddling but otherwise I wouldn't worry too much about it. It'll show up on Blu-ray soon enough.
  • UnivexUnivex
    edited February 2020 Posts: 6,710
    Getafix wrote: »
    MakeshiftPython wrote: »
    Again, abysmal marketing.

    Seems like it.

    Bond obviously generates it's own buzz, but the marketing build up for NTTD also seems very laid back

    Laid back is an eufemism, really. It’s been abysmal. A poorly made and poorly received poster, a bts short film about only one location, and some character posters. Oh, and a very well received trailer. Most people I know that are not Bond aficionados, but do go see the films, have no idea when it’s coming out, or that it’s Craig’s final film. The only buzz everyone seems to know of is the female 007 thing.

    Sure, everyone’s still saying Bond sells itself and that they don’t owe us anything. But I still say that the marketing was always a big thing in the Bond franchise. They are way laid back this time around. Not that it’ll have bad consequences for the film, but hey, if I had this sort of business, I’d take care of it the old way, champagne and fireworks. Wasn’t that what EON was all about? I mean, where’s the kiss kiss? Where’s the bang bang? ;)
  • Red_SnowRed_Snow Australia
    Posts: 2,545
  • boldfingerboldfinger
    edited February 2020 Posts: 5,767
    Univex wrote: »
    Getafix wrote: »
    MakeshiftPython wrote: »
    Again, abysmal marketing.

    Seems like it.

    Bond obviously generates it's own buzz, but the marketing build up for NTTD also seems very laid back

    Laid back is an eufemism, really. It’s been abysmal. A poorly made and poorly received poster, a bts short film about only one location, and some character posters. Oh, and a very well received trailer. Most people I know that are not Bond aficionados, but do go see the films, have no idea when it’s coming out, or that it’s Craig’s final film. The only buzz everyone seems to know of is the female 007 thing.

    Sure, everyone’s still saying Bond sells itself and that they don’t owe us anything. But I still say that the marketing was always a big thing in the Bond franchise. They are way laid back this time around. Not that it’ll have bad consequences for the film, but hey, if I had this sort of business, I’d take care of it the old way, champagne and fireworks. Wasn’t that what EON was all about? I mean, where’s the kiss kiss? Where’s the bang bang? ;)
    Interesting point, that last one. Yes, it´ll be interesting to see how this turns out. LTK allegedly suffered from poor marketing more than from anything else. One could argue that we have this jubilee, but even I have to think now what exactly the jubilee is about. 25th Bond film, right? Are they using that fact for marketing? I think it is mentioned here or there, isn´t it?
    Or perhaps the wave of SF is still in motion, and it is indeed enough when upon release media outlets mention that the 25th installment is now in theaters.

    Oh, sorry, just noticed that I´m drifting off topic.

    Anyway, today I checked German websites kino.de and filmstarts.de for anything regarding a release date for The Rhythm Section. kino.de didn´t even have the poster. filmstarts.de says there is no theatrical release in Germany. If that means the film will be on German Netflix in a month, I won´t complain.

    Now that I know what the title means I want to see it even more. I thought all the time the heroine goes undercover as a member of an orchestra, or something ;-). Yes, it wouldn´t have hurt if they had explained that in the first trailer.

  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    The Rhythm Section opens softly at $2.9 million.

    https://www.boxofficepro.com/weekend-box-office-estimates-bad-boys-for-life-gretel-hansel-rhythm-section/

    This is now officially the worst opening weekend of all time for a wide release of 3000+ screens, beating the previous record holder by $500,000.

    Capture-d-e-cran-2020-02-01-a-19-21-26.png


  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    It doesn't really reflect very well on EON does it?
  • ResurrectionResurrection Kolkata, India
    Posts: 2,541
    DaltonCraig007 wrote: »
    The Rhythm Section opens softly at $2.9 million.

    https://www.boxofficepro.com/weekend-box-office-estimates-bad-boys-for-life-gretel-hansel-rhythm-section/

    This is now officially the worst opening weekend of all time for a wide release of 3000+ screens, beating the previous record holder by $500,000.

    Capture-d-e-cran-2020-02-01-a-19-21-26.png


    I don't care about box office stats anymore to be honest and it is becoming tiresome and killing my excitement to watch this film by constant comparison at box office.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited February 2020 Posts: 15,723
    Resurrection wrote: »
    I don't care about box office stats anymore to be honest and it is becoming tiresome and killing my excitement to watch this film by constant comparison at box office.

    What is there to talk about, the film has no release date in my country, and is unlikely to ever get one due to this film being one of the biggest box office bombs in recent years, if not of all time. I would love to watch the film and talk about the plot, acting, action set-pieces, but there is zero chance of me seeing it until it gets dumped on Netflix or goes straight to Blu-Ray. I've read the few reviews posted here, and I would love to join the discussion once I've seen it.
  • ResurrectionResurrection Kolkata, India
    Posts: 2,541
    DaltonCraig007 wrote: »
    Resurrection wrote: »
    I don't care about box office stats anymore to be honest and it is becoming tiresome and killing my excitement to watch this film by constant comparison at box office.

    What is there to talk about, the film has no release date in my country, and is unlikely to ever get one due to this film being one of the biggest box office bombs in recent years, if not of all time. I would love to watch the film and talk about the plot, acting, action set-pieces, but there is zero chance of me seeing it until it gets dumped on Netflix or goes straight to Blu-Ray. I've read the few reviews posted here, and I would love to join the discussion once I've seen it.

    I am not saying that you shouldn't even i was excited to see it but still nothing about release date in my country as well.
    Trashing about box office isn't going to help imo. I guess we will have to wait and watch it at home then we can discuss. I appreciate your posting information btw. Apologies if you felt bad but constant comparison is simply not getting me excited to watch it even later.
  • boldfingerboldfinger
    Posts: 5,767
    I don't feel affected by any comparisons. I would like to see the film, and I would like to see a documentary on the background of this film crashing at the b.o. like this. The Bond producers. A female killer heroine, not so unlike Bond or Bourne. A film that's apparently not so bad that it has to be an outright flop. What is this, some tax or rights agenda? Like that Fantastic Four film that didn't get released and only got made so someone didn't lose some rights? Although I understand that one was really, really bad indeed.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,641
    A friend of my girlfriend's saw this over the weekend and she didn't have much to say about it. She said it was a bit long and poorly paced, also that the action was a bit boring.
    Anyone seen it?
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    Though it debuted in a very wide 3,049 locations, The Rhythm Section crashed and burned in its opening weekend with a very disappointing $2.8 million in tenth place. With a per-screen average of just $918, the Blake Lively revenge thriller now has the unfortunate distinction of being the worst-ever opener in more than 3,000 locations, “surpassing” long-standing champion Hoot ($3.4 million from 3,018 locations in 2006) for the title. The Paramount release, which the studio acquired for $30 million, suffered from largely negative reviews (33% on Rotten Tomatoes) and came in with an unremarkable “C+” Cinemascore. Notably, last year’s similar Miss Bala debuted with a considerably stronger $6.9 million over Super Bowl weekend despite opening on nearly 900 fewer screens.

    https://www.boxofficepro.com/studio-weekend-box-office-bad-boys-1917-gretel-hansel-rhythm-section/

    Capture-d-e-cran-2020-02-02-a-18-02-20.png
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    This kind of flop takes some doing.
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    edited February 2020 Posts: 17,815
    You really have to wonder about the marketing for this film – or lack thereof. Surely if they wanted this to be a hit they would have 1.) done more marketing, and 2.) released the film in more countries?
  • boldfingerboldfinger
    Posts: 5,767
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    You really have to wonder about the marketing for this film – or lack thereof. Surely if they wanted this to be a hit they would have 1.) done more marketing, and 2.) released the film in more countries?
    I´m pretty sure I saw some announcement for a German cinematic release on a film website a few months ago. So there must have been some development in the meantime.

  • antovolkantovolk
    Posts: 3,164
    Deadline Hollywood deep dive on what happened https://deadline.com/2020/02/rhythm-section-box-office-bomb-blake-lively-paramount-james-bond-007-1202849211/
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    edited February 2020 Posts: 4,588
    The film should have gone straight to Netflix, where it would have gained better traction. The movie is not bad and doesn't deserve this sort of "bomb" label. When a film goes to a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon, the marketing is built in. Viewers browse for movie titles and more would likely come across this as a good option.
  • antovolkantovolk
    Posts: 3,164
    And expectations are different, of course.

    Seeing this for myself shortly...
  • ResurrectionResurrection Kolkata, India
    Posts: 2,541
    It has released here, just not in my city :(
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    edited February 2020 Posts: 17,815
    boldfinger wrote: »
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    You really have to wonder about the marketing for this film – or lack thereof. Surely if they wanted this to be a hit they would have 1.) done more marketing, and 2.) released the film in more countries?
    I´m pretty sure I saw some announcement for a German cinematic release on a film website a few months ago. So there must have been some development in the meantime.

    That's interesting, and a bit strange. If I Google the film, I can only find one recent article about the film in Norwegian from a cinematic website (no mention of an actual release date over here). Other than that, there's only a few fashion/celebrity gossip articles about Lively's looks in the film…
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,475
    Seems weird to wide release it but then bury it in February...where a lot of films go to die. No money in marketing or promotion. They postpone the original release date. I'm saying somebody, somewhere didn't have faith in this project and now the results show it. Too bad and I will try to catch it if it hits Netflix.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,863
    I’ll probably wait until it pops up on cable to watch it, but….

    --- now don’t flame me ---

    I think that a more limited release may have served this movie better. Although it’s a somewhat artificial construct, a reported higher per screen gross may have “peaked” the interest of some general movie goers it a week 2,3, etc…. In the same way some “indie” movies build good word of mouth over time, a higher pre-screen gross often gives the appearance of success. And if that appearance exists (especially among a core fanbase), others may wish to see what all the fuss is about. In short, not every movie has to be positioned like Star Wars or Fast and Furious and mass released to 3,000 screens all at once. From personal experience, nothing sucks like sitting in a large movie theater with only 2-3 other people. And if I already know that’s going to be the case, I typically stay away.

    While the movie was listed in my weekly Fandango and Bing “Now Playing” e-mails, I haven’t seen any print or TV advertising for it.

    Also, releasing it in February – and during a Super Bowl weekend for crying out loud – almost guaranteed its’ poor box office.

    ……Of course, it is also possible that the market for a non-comic book female action hero is not as large as many of us assumed.
  • antovolkantovolk
    edited February 2020 Posts: 3,164
    *whispers* this is a good movie

    Blake and Morano carry this entire thing on their shoulders. But in many ways it really feels like EON's attempt at getting as faaaaaaaar away from any Bond comparisons as possible. Spy-assassin-craft is a bloody, messy enterprise. Hardly the glamour and class Bond and John Wick make it out. Evil organisations with heightened head honchos pulling the strings? Some schmucks out for profit. Can you train to be a good assassin? No. Does Lively's character become one? Hell no.

    Very worthy concept on paper but together with the colder, less actiony & more arthouse-y pace and approach and a certain sense of detachment that more typical genre films like this don't really have, I can see why people were turned off by this. Because you can't really sell a $50m wide studio release like that - that was the bone of contention apparently between EON and Paramount. And that sense anti-climacticness is arguably the only weakness of it I'd say - but maybe that was the point. Because otherwise, with right expectations, I think most peeps would enjoy it! I certainly did.

    It's one of those where you admire them for giving this a wide traditional theatrical release and stuff instead of selling to eg Netflix but people would honestly probably receive the film better (& see it) had it been on there.

    @Dwayne yeah, per that Deadline piece, as soon as Paramount saw bad test screening scores that indicated that this wasn't quite so wide audience friendly they spent as little as possible to advertise it precisely to limit their losses. Wonder if a wide traditional release in the US and UK was contractually obligated by EON.
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