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"Serenity" Movie Breaks 30 Million dollars : Sequel to Come ?

Jon Christensen

Tuesday 25 October 2005, by Webmaster

Joss Whedon’s Serenity broke $30 million worldwide this past weekend. According to fan boy sites, this achievement may put it on track for a sequel. Maybe if all of you clap your hands while shouting "I do believe in fairies!" it may happen.

Rant: But, I hope not. When will you guys finally realize that the television show was canceled because no one watched it. Yes, you guys somehow tricked Universal into spending $39 million to make a movie, this doesn’t include the Press and advertising budget, and again no one showed up.

Sure, they may be able to recoup the budget and expenses after releasing it on DVD. I hope they rape you guys with a standard edition release before the special edition, Universal knows you’ll hand over the cash.

Please just give it up and realize that you’re only one of a few people who liked this series. The fact that you guys are willing to spend 100 times more money on the series/movie than an average movie-goer would on their favorite product/film does not make up for the lack of an audience. So please just give it up.


18 Forum messages

  • Hear hear. Yes, give it up, you deluded people, and make way for films that people actually want to watch in droves. Come on Universal, give us something popular: Pop Idol The Movie! The Simple Life Goes Large! Dude, Where’s My 17th Car? (In case you can’t tell, Marge, this is my sarcastic voice...)
  • Was this supposed to be biting sarcasm or something?

    Seriously, what the hell is WITH the personal vendettas against this series? It’s become a magnet for a small but vocal and vindictive assho— er, media critics.

  • You don’t have to go and see the sequel if u don’t want to do ya! BUT WE WILL!!!!!!
  • I honestly don’t get the hate being generated towards this film and its fans by some of these online commentators. You’d think, as film and genre fans, that they’d want to support the effort for new, quality films and franchises in a medium that’s more and more reliant on adaptations and remakes (most of them rather bad ones, at that). I’m not saying that everyone should be campaigning for Serenity, but the constant stream of doomsaying and bile being spewed forth by two-bit online columnists like this clown is just so damned utterly frustrating. I just don’t understand the mindset.

    Seriously, this guy needs to learn to just take it or leave it. I can see no rational purpose in throwing a kindergarten-level hissy fit over the fate of a franchise one seemingly has no investment in whatsoever. Just see a movie you’re actually interested in and shut the hell up, already.

  • The problem is the "hardcore" Browncoats have made Firefly/Serenity a target. It’s become easier to make fun of, than it is to give it a chance and actually watch it. That’s what happens when you try to "recruit" every living person to your TV show. It lumps you in that Trekkie catagory.
  • > "Serenity" Movie Breaks 30 Million dollars : Sequel to Come ?

    25 October 2005 19:07, by Shasta Popsicle

    There was "press and advertising"? By the way, Jon, that’s generally called marketing. And maybe if there WAS some, the ’coats wouldn’t have had to do all the work.

    But anyway, I’m glad that Serenity can now make way for quality films such as Saw II.

  • It hasn’t finished overseas grosses. 24 million in the US, along with 6 million in only 4 foreign territories is NOTHING. It opens in at least a dozen more markets over the next four months. Don’t forget the money Universal gets from Cable, DVD/Video Rentals, DVD sales, CDs, toys, comics, books, etc. etc. They’ll do more than scrape by with what they spent. The marketing was something like 10 million in the US. The DVD sales are going to be through the roof. This series will live on in one way or another.

    Sequel? Maybe not, but if fans hadn’t voiced their opinions in the first place we never would have had a first movie. Weirder things have happened.

  • One word to describe this guy; Wanker. Who is he to dictate what people should and shouldn’t like? On various occasions I took 8 other people who had never even heard of Firefly to watch Serenity. Not a single one of them was even a sci-fi fan. Yet every single one of them loved the movie regardless. Out of those 8, a further five then went on to buy the DVD set on the strength of the film. Three also went back for a second viewing last weekend. It should be rated on what it is, an excellent movie sadly screwed over by some bad advertising choices (honestly whoever was behind the UK trailer has no business being allowed near our screens again... and the poster is terrible beyond words.) rather than "oh it’s a film for deranged fans wah wah wah". No one is forcing this idiot to have anything to do with it, the TV series or the fans. Who is he that we should have to accept his judgement, when he clearly has no idea what he’s talking about anyway? Again; Wanker.

    Billie V.

  • I said before (and I will again), it’s too early to close the door yet on sequels. Fine, it may be unlikely but we all knew this was never going to be easy. Earning 80 mill in the 1st 3 or 4 weeks would’ve been a dream, but they’re already almost halfway there. It wouldn’t surprise me if a decision isn’t made till sometime well after the release date of the DVD. And that means there’s still time. As to the online press hacks, let em bitch. It doesn’t change anything. He has a point about pushy cult fans if it’s too in your face, but the point someone made above about marketing is also true. If you don’t like it, then don’t watch. Now let’s go make us some big damn hero sequels! :)
  • Who is this fuckwit? Number One box Office move in the UK. Maybe the cocksucker could pull his head out of his arse long enough to look at the facts.
  • us browncoats will never never give up..... the movie was just as good if not better then the tv show. im already clapping my hands and saying i believe in faires for a sequel if hollywood can keep doing sequels for movies like star wars( come on the new ones sucked!!) and im a star wars fan... then serenity can be the better star wars
  • Uhhhh, maybe the author should get a life and leave ours alone? Just a thought....
  • Serenity finally came to my town this past weekend - the 2 times I saw the movie, I chatted with the other folks who attended. About 20 people total (hey, i live in a way small town). They were all over 40 years of age and had NEVER seen the series. They were sci-fi lovers and that’s why they saw the movie. All thought the movie was awesome!! Oh, and the 20 people - double what DOOM had at this same theater.
  • Sounds like Jon Christensen has"Joss" issues. I seriously hope Jon isn’t looking for a fight.Though it may be true and sad that so many haven’t seen the genius that is "Whedon", yet...to continually drag his name down and slam his fans is simply pathetic (not to mention an obvious cry for attention.) I personally love Mr Whedons’ work and have found him to be one of the few, non -hollywood conforming writers of this era. He has, indeed set the bar when it comes to storytelling and character-archs. Several programs to date have tried using the same format to better their own, but have fallen short (to a sad lack of depth).

    It is one thing when the crowds that don’t recognize greatness until EVERYONE else sees it. These are usually the people that don’t want to "think" while watching. They don’t want to "learn" any deep thing about the characters of the show nor about themselves,subsequently. And to these people, I give applause. They are the source of the continuing mind numbing reality shows and and endless spin-offs of cop/csi/courtroom dramas today. "Hooray" for the same three scripts that keep television on and hollywood in business!!!!!

    God forbid that shows that speak beyond themselves ie. Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Arrested Development, Kitchen Confidential, Veronica Mars, Medium (even Family guy), make it any longer than an ever so deep show like "Desperate house....or or every other Forensics program. Yes, please, let’s bash and disrespect publicly, the writers who ACTUALLY write and create original, intelligent stories and even life changing series that actually require ACTORS to act and viewers to THINK. Yeah Jon, sounds smart. (by the way if you are not using your mind, I am being sharply, sarcastic as you’re comments read. I’m sure it feels the same to you.)

    You’ve been heard now, by us. (I’m sure JW doesn’t have the time nor the interest in responding to you, so let us answer for him,"JON...you may shut up now. Get over it." You may reply to my email should you have more words to say, but please spare us the "catty" condescend, Jon. We enjoy Joss, you don’t. We get it.

    (personally I think you protest too much, you may actually LOVE Joss and his work. Most, writers do. Especially the ones that have fallen short of their own goals. I believe we call it envy.)

  • what would you know just because most of the world isn’t smart enough to relise something good, doesn’t mean its bad it just means your a trend follower and not original. with crap movies coming out lately when some good stuff comes along(firefly/serenity)few get it, and condem them.

    Brown coats for ever!

  • Why bother engaging this wank? He clearly doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Hardly a soul saw the series because Sly Like FOX screwed with it - just like they’ve screwed with pretty much every science fiction-orieneted series they’ve put on with the expection of The X-Files which they left untouched for nine years so as to let it progress into an awful parody of itself. I wouldn’t go by audience reaction. This audience of which you speak so highly are the same downed yokels who broke the box-office slump not with the brilliant Batman Begins, but with the bland and flacid Fantastic Four. There went that part of your defence. And let’s not overlook that aside from burning up DVD sales both upon their release as well as surrounding Serenity’s release, just about every bleeding critic praised the film. So please let everyone keep in mind that the above are the ramblings of one man who didn’t like the film and/or the series, and instead of simply stating his opinion as a well thought out slice of intelligence that fans could kindly disagree with but still respect, he has instead taken up the task of defending himself with a pitiful offence. How sad. How wasteful. Give me just one Serenity or Firefly over all of Lucas’ simplistic rehashing and redressing of classic myths. And with that lingering in mind, the reason the movie whacked out derives from the sad fact that too many want the same-old, same-old; fearful to swallow something new and different. Unforunately, that, my friends, is the sole reason behind the film’s lacklustre success.
  • I can honestly say that before Serenity came out, I never payed much attention to the Firefly series. I love Buffy and Angel, but I just never gave Firefly much thought. (don’t know why, my bad.) Anyway, I went to see Serenity because of all the good buzz I heard about it, and I was blown away. As soon as the movie ended, I went out and picked up the DVD collection and watched it within a span of two days. (I had to take a break to go to work, bummer) I now love this show as much as BTVS, and I still firmly believe that Joss is the best writer that has ever graced both the small screen and the silver screen. Maybe "Mr. " (and I use that term loosely) Christensen is being paid by Fox to slam Serenity because they know they screwed up when they canceled the show. Or, maybe he’s just an idiot. I vote for the latter.
  • I can honestly say that before Serenity came out, I never payed much attention to the Firefly series. I love Buffy and Angel, but I just never gave Firefly much thought. (don’t know why, my bad.) Anyway, I went to see Serenity because of all the good buzz I heard about it, and I was blown away. As soon as the movie ended, I went out and picked up the DVD collection and watched it within a span of two days. (I had to take a break to go to work, bummer) I now love this show as much as BTVS, and I still firmly believe that Joss is the best writer that has ever graced both the small screen and the silver screen. Maybe "Mr. " (and I use that term loosely) Christensen is being paid by Fox to slam Serenity because they know they screwed up when they canceled the show. Or, maybe he’s just an idiot. I vote for the latter.