People Are Sharing All The Signs That A Movie Is Going To Be Terrible, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Accurate Ones
Interview With Author
You grab your giant tub of delicious crispy popcorn (salted, not sweet, of course) and with a wide smile on your face, you take a seat in one of the red velvet cinema chairs. It’s been ages since you’ve seen a movie at the cinema and you’re practically vibrating with happiness!
The previews are always awesome, but then the movie starts and… oh, sweet Jesus no! It’s--it’s terrible. Yuck. You should’ve seen it coming—there were plenty of signs after all. And now you feel like you’ve wasted your money and time. Oh well, at least you’ve still got your popcorn, right?
You’re not alone if you’ve started mentally collecting all the telltale signs that a film’s going to be a waste of your time. The folks over on r/AskReddit have shared their own red flags that a movie is bound to be awful and we invite you to scroll down and have a read. Got any other signs that they missed but you’d love to share? That’s what the comment section is for, dear Pandas! Meanwhile, let’s check out these horror movie signs and pick out the most accurate ones.
I had a lovely and in-depth chat about the line between good and bad movies with redditor Thats_What_Sh3_Sa1d who is an aspiring filmmaker and who created the viral thread in the first place. They told Bored Panda that everyone's responses helped them get a sense of where quality does and doesn't lie.
"I wanted to create this thread because I want to make movies myself, and I thought that if I could get some of Reddit's opinions on what makes a bad movie, then I could get a better sense as to what makes a good one. I had wanted to get at least a little bit of attention so I can get some answers to what makes a bad movie, but I didn't expect this much attention," they shared. You'll find our full interview with the original poster below, so be sure to read on.
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When they need to save the world, but it's just America....
When you've basically seen the entire plot of the movie and all main scenes in the trailer.
The thread, started up by redditor Thats_What_Sh3_Sa1d, quickly grew in popularity. At the time of writing, it had gotten over 49.2k upvotes in the span of a single day. What’s more, it got a whopping 21.7k comments. And that proves that redditors really do care about what they watch. (And, let’s be honest… who doesn’t like complaining about the movie industry from time to time?) Keep in mind though, even awful movies can have some merit. We’ve all been there—a movie we’re watching is so mind-numbingly bad that at some point it starts to be good.
In redditor Thats_What_Sh3_Sa1d's opinion, the dialogue and all of the various movie effects help determine whether the project will be a success or not. "I'm not exactly a movie critic, but I will say that the line between a good and a bad movie depends on dialogue, whether or not the lines that characters say to each other makes sense or contributes something to the film, whether or not the CGI or maybe the VFX looks good or not because that really makes an impact on a movies likeability, at least for me," they said.
"And of course if it has a good back story, if it's really going to catch your attention, that also plays a part in a movies likeability," they added.
The preview shows a girl who’s Just Too Focused On Career to find love going back to her small hometown for whatever reason.
When the main actors name is bigger than the title on the poster.
If the whole synopsis is a terrible idea, like making a movie about emojis
They didn't even try to be subtle about the fact that it was just a 1 and a half hour long advertisement.
I was curious to get the redditor's take on whether we all instinctively know whether a movie is going to be a waste of our time or not. In their mind, it all depends on the audience in question. "I personally like action movies, but I also like a little bit of romance, so if I was going to watch a movie about the history of a company, for example, I would think that it would be a waste of time. Whereas some people might think the exact opposite."
As for why filmmakers tend to make the same mistakes over and over (and over) again boils down to their lack of taste which they may not have fully developed yet. "The people making the movie either don't know what makes a good movie, or they think that a bad movie is a good one. Now again, I'm not saying that I'm a movie critic and I know everything there is to know about film, but I, and most people I think, know a bad film when they see one, and maybe some people don't. And in my opinion, for the situation to be able to change, the people making the movie should be informed as to what makes a good film rather than what makes a bad film," they shared.
When it’s a Disney remake. Solid.
Not just Disney. Remakes in general. I don't mind it when the original movie dates from the dark ages and no one heard of it, but when it came out 2 days before...nope. And then we have the remake of the remake of the remake...Aren't there enough books out there to get some inspiration?
If there are multiple trailers for a comedy movie, but they use the same joke in all of them.
If the character points out something that is blatantly obvious. IN A WORLD, WHERE ONE MAN, HAS TO SAVE THE WORLD. Man: ‘I have to save the world.’
Something very interesting that redditor Thats_What_Sh3_Sa1d pointed out to me was movie directors may not be at fault for making bad films. "A film can be bad just because it's bad," they told Bored Panda, pointing to 2017's 'Justice League' as an example.
"Justice League 2017 was not the best movie out there. It was so bad in fact, that they had to re-make it. And the remake was a lot better than the original because it had different directors/ However, just because it was better, doesn't mean that everybody liked it. I'm sure there were people who didn't like the better remake for whatever reason. And that's what I mean when I say a film can be good or bad despite the director," they shared that there's far more nuance involved than we expect. And reality is far from black and white, just like the view on the silver screen.
Blatantly bad re-casting to the point where you wonder if it would have been better to just drop the character (Mummy 3)
Also, the trend with movies and movie sequels reviving protagonists. It's like: "We have run out of plot ideas, let's just kill and revive one of the main characters." I just want to scream: My God, Jesus was a one-time thing, stop recreating it.
Critics did not receive an advance screening in order to write a review. It means the studio is hoping to at least recover an opening weekend of ticket sales before word gets out.
If Adam Sandler is in it.
That's bullshit... he might have shitty movies at times, but he's got fun movies as well... people hate on grown ups, but that thing was fun
Yes and Uncut Gems is brilliant (as is Punch Drunk Love). Just because he’s made a few duds it doesn’t mean they all are.
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c'mon - i get its not to everyone's taste - but Happy Gilmore is brilliant.
I enjoy many of Adam Sandler movies, he has had a few flops like Jack and Jill, punch drunk love and little Nicky but he does have some good ones. A few of my faves are big daddy, blended, grown ups, wedding singer, Billy Madison and 50 first dates.
Nah, can't do Adam Sandler like that. He makes goofy movies, that's the point. No one is expecting an Oscar contender from him (except Uncut Gems). His movies are those that you watch just to laugh.
It's just a shame when it doesn't get to the laugh part
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There are "Adam Sandler movies", which suck, and then there are" movies with Adam Sandler", which tend to be pretty good.
sorry, but Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, and Little Nicky are funny. every. single. time.
TBF. I really liked him in 'Click' and 'Pixels'; he was pretty good in them and they weren't bad films.
i loved the longest yard and the waterboy. big daddy was good too his amazing classics tho happy gilmore, billy madison, wedding singer, 50 first dates and little nicky
That's unfair. If Adam Sandler *wrote* it is a better criteria. As an actor he's made some okay films.
People will laugh at me but I liked that hubie Halloween movie on Netflix. I grew up watching his movies so they're nostalgic to me
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The older ones are great! If you cannot appreciate The Wedding Singer i dont want to be friends! Lol!
Underrated talent. Spanglish was a touching movie. 50 First Dates has so many great performances and jokes. Many more. Even Jack and Jill grew on us...Dunka Chino with Al Pacino!
What happens with A.S. is that practically all his early movies are alike, like he is the good guy, his wife or the potential romance is super hot, Rob Snyder is the friend everybody mock up, there is a cameo of some really famous sports player or a short role of a really famous actor who doesn't give a rat as long as he/she gets paid...
I am not a huge Adam Sandler fan but he had had good movies and bad movies, like any actor who's been around for awhile. Even our best actresses and actors appear in crappy movies now and then. You have to work and not every script that's presented to you is top quality. That's the price you pay for having a long career.
Liked only 1 movie with A Sandler. The others I saw were a waste of my time…. At least it allowed me to say “I told you so” to the person chosing those movies for the group…
Or Ben Stiller. When you were in your teens and 20's, the movies made sense. You're supposed to be adults now and they're just embarrassing.
Punch Drunk Love is a great movie (although, you need to like arthouse movies. Sandle is great in it, he's a really good actor)
The humor in most of his movies is kind of childish to me..however some of my favorite movies are 50 First Dates, Big Daddy, and The Longest Yard..so I'll shut up now
I loved Happy Gilmore when I saw that as a teen, and then it was all downhill from there. Maybe Little Nicky was good, idk, whenever it was on I was busy the entire movie.
The three most terrifying words in the English language: Starring Adam Sandler.
And here I am thinking Punch Drunk Love is the most boring movie he has ever done. I couldn't even watch it all lol.
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Whether the creators of the movie were self-aware or you learn to find the humor in the bad taste, either way, you inexplicably start enjoying yourself. It doesn’t happen with every gosh darn bad movie, but when it does, it’s magical. It’s a cult hit. It’s something you recommend to your friends.
The secret to bad movies being good, according to Uku Tooming in ‘The Puzzle of Good Bad Movies’ published in the Journal of Aesthetic Education, is that they give filmmakers a chance to experiment with the artistic possibilities of the project more than if the film were more mainstream. In other words, good bad filmmaking is intrinsically linked to the freedom of artistic expression.
So while many (probably most) bad films will remain truly amazingly awful because of how unadventurous and downright boring they are (who likes blatant exposition? Nobody!), a small handful might become cult classics because they dared go where others didn’t.
Reviews state that it's "Scariest"/"Funniest" movie of the year. It rarely is
When I can tell how it's going to end by just watching the trailer.
Or when the narrator of the trailer tries to speak in a hyper-badass voice sounding like he's on the toilet having a hard time releasing the load. You pretty much know that he's trying too hard to make a boring no-plot movie appear suspenseful and action-packed.
When the advertising is "[Famous movie] meets [Famous movie]"...
When Harry Met Sally Meets Shrek... (dinner scene plays with Shrek climaxing)
The female lead gets naked in the first 10-15 minutes.
You know they were already running on fumes for plot, so out come the ta-tas.
An exposition in which one character explains everything that's going on to another character that should already know what is going on.
It stars Amy Schumer.
There are a couple of movies that look appealing based on the story line but Amy Schumer plays a lead role and put me off. I actually find her extremely annoying. Kinda the same way I feel about Will Ferrell.
A comedian who hasn't been funny in ten years stars in it and plays multiple roles. (Looking at you Sandler, Murphy, and Myers)
This is something that will most likely get downvoted... but some comedy will be liked by black people and not white people or asian people and vice versa. For example, Norbit was very popular with my group of friends in high school but if you check online with a different demographic, they hate hate it
If it starts with a sex scene.
Starts with too much exposition: "Mary, just because you have a medical degree from Harvard, I'm still your older brother!"
When the opening scene involves a shoot out with so many cuts you litterally cannot see what is happening, or who is shooting at whom.
And ‘bad guys’, even though they are trained in weaponry, are COMPLETELY unable to fire a shot on target. But the ‘good guys’, who, more often than not, are naive in the handling of guns are surprisingly good.
When they hype the movies soundtrack more than the film it’s self
Ex. Suicide squad
If it's from the studio that brought you, "insert decent movie here". Dreamworks still milks Shrek.
What?? Dreamworks make plenty of other good movies, not just Shrek. Madagascar, The Croods, How to train your dragon and Kung fu panda just to name a few.
Shaky cam and quick cut editing. Jumping over a fence? 20 quick cuts. Take it or leave it.
"Get ready to see ____ back in action in the big screen!" This line is used in many bad movie trailers of old properties which are made into movies
ANY movie made that stars Melissa Mccarthy where it happens to also be directed by her husband. She is incredibly funny and extremely talented as is he when they're acting. But when he's in the director's chair, It always spells out "doomed-to-fail."
It's an edgy reboot of a children's property that stopped being relevant a decade ago
It's been in production for too long.
There's always a reason, for a recent example; 'Chaos Walking'. It changed screenwriter, director and production company so many times over 10 years but was sold on it been "A Charlie Kauffman movie starring Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland". Kauffman left in 2013, Ridley and Holland filmed it over years due to so many reshoots and failed screenings. Then Lionsgate said the negative reviews were shocking to them.. Really??
High RT critic score, low audience score
When the trailer gives away the twist or climax of the movie. Remember that Terminator movie where they reveal **** was a terminator in the trailer? That’s when I knew I wasn’t gonna watch it.
Casting a star that has long been retired and can't remember how to act.
If it's being released in January. That isn't the case every time, just most of the time. January is basically the cinematic dumping ground month.
I'm guessing too late for a possible (if any) Oscar nomination and, being just after Xmas, audience levels would be low because money is tight.
When they try forcing memes into it. It's either cringe or so outdated that it just looks stupid.
An early example of this would be the "Jitterbug" musical number from the 'Wizard of Oz': It was cut because of running time and deemed that it would date the film.
If it opens with a narration starting with, "I know what you're thinking..."
It just screams desperation from a crowded writer's room.
Showing what is obviously the best part/climax in the trailer. If it isn't strong enough to catch my interest with the lead-up, it's likely gonna suck.
It’s not likely it’s gonna suck, it’s guaranteed it’s gonna suck.
Whenever they start promoting their movie by constantly comparing it to one of the all time greats in the genre. If you are a fantasy movie and you have to state in the advertising that you are great just like Lord of the Rings, it makes me think you're movie is probably shit. Because you are not LOTR.
If the character points out something that is blatantly obvious
Or using million times recycled paradoxical phrases such as a psychopathic mass murderer telling the righteous, justice-loving vengeful protagonist: "You and me, we are the same..."
It's clearly being released in a desperate attempt to capitalize on a different studio's success. (WB keeps trying to rival the MCU with DC films but their meddling repeatedly ruins them, also the Divergent series trying too hard to be Hunger Games).
DC have such good source material, but they decided to go crazy with the "gritty" approach, and made aquaman (the guy is a standing joke to most DC characters) before the flash or a decent superman film. Green lantern could have been good, but no. Wonder woman was mostly good, but then the sequel...??
The amusing thing is they all seem to miss the real warning signs:
"From the producers of..." i.e. the people who paid for something that turned out good once, not the ones who actually made it.
"From the minds behind..." again.. nebulous people who were somewhere near the production that made something good once, or referencing the original author who had nothing to do with the film.. looking at you Stephen King.
Spoiler filled trailers are nothing new, even for superb films. Watch the trailer for John Carpenter's The Thing (1982).
When they front load a movie with an expensive opening 15mins it's to get more investment money.. "Here look what we can do.. if we get more money" doesn't always mean it will flounder.. but disjointed productions that stop n start rarely land.
When critics call it “delightful”
When they try adding a irl trend in the movie, it's just cringe
When one villain wasn't enough to make a movie, so they shoehorn in multiple half-arse villains instead.
Sometimes two villains can work (maybe I'm wrong, but I liked Batman Returns), but it had to be done right. Three villains is a death sentence
When the characters say the title of the movie less than 20 minutes in.
Cop:"I don't like that stuff in my town, I'm a family guy." Peter: "Hah see he said it!" One of my fave episodes of family guy lol. Oh no now i said the title!
When the commercials all have one or two word reviews.
This is questionable in books, as well, when they advertise reviews that are just one word, like "Refreshing", "Magical" etc.
They release the first 7 minutes of the movie weeks before it's released, and it's so glorious you just know the rest of the movie will definitely live up to that teaser. (I'm looking at you, new Mortal Kombat movie...)
has too many of what unknown critics say on the movie poster or trailer
When the movie was supposed to be a drama and they changed it during filming to a comedy.
When it's a mainstream movie about Time Travelling. ALWAYS missed the point and are irrational!
i.e: Avenger Endgame, Terminators "reboots", Looper,...
Terminator 1 and 2 are mainstream movies with Time Travel, the Time Machine, Endgame, About Time are all great movies.
For me it's when they call it a "comedy" but all the humor is just sex jokes.
I'll take sex jokes over 'lets all laugh at the awkward person' movies.
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Is it just me or do 95% of the movies nowadays just suck? I can remember back in the 90s you can almost guarantee to have 5-8 excellent films a year. Now you are lucky to get 1.
Movies get made by accountants now. They only allow films that they think will make money to be made. That's why reboots, movies based on comic books or games, and bad copies of other studio's movies dominate.
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I feel like a lot of this post was just ripping on good movies. A lot of the movies mentioned here, I personally thought were really good!
You know it's going to be bad when they turn a harmless animated movie into a cursed live action movie that scars everyone for life (yeah i'm looking at you PINOCCHIO).
Yes, why can't people leave animated movies be? They are lovely, not everything needs to be live action
Load More Replies... If a couple's relationshio is based in a "little lie" you know the last 10 minutes of the movie is an exibition of selfless doings to win the other ine's heart again.
When it’s the 109th sequel of a movie that was good, or even just OK. Or if it goes straight to video/DVD/HBO(or other cable station or app)/iTunes with no theatrical release.
I'm so confused by many of these. I loved many of the actors/actresses and many of the movies mentioned. The only thing I agree with a a trailer that is too detailed defeats the purpose. Countless times I watch a trailer and turn to my husband and say "seems like we just watched the whole movie" and keep searching..
When an action movie has one major celebrity there's no jeopardy. You know they can't/won't die as that's movie over. They will succeed/win/beat the baddies.
When it's YET ANOTHER Spiderman remake. Give it a rest, guys. Really.
Also when a studio rushes a movie out the door- Cats, Justice League, etc. People will be more grateful if they wait and make a quality product.
I've heard of another way: the Critic Embargo. Critics are allowed to watch the movie before it's actually released. If a studio lets critic watch and review its movie a week or so before the movie is released, then that means the studio is confident for the movie's success and think the critics will have high opinions of it. On the other side, if they let critics watch just before the movie is released (a day or two), then that means the studio is NOT confident the movie will succeed and is trying to prevent people from getting critics' opinions.
to save a B movie sadly with Bruce Willis "OUT OF DEATH" bad acting, very predictable, don't lose your time to watch it
I can't believe nobody said - if the trailers for other movies at the beginning all look like they'll be crap... you know the one you're about to watch will be crap! I sometimes will go with someone to see I movie I know nothing about and this is true 100% of the time. Targeting same demographic...
If it mentions that someone from Scary Movie had a hand in it, they changed director mid filming, if there is that silly blue sky beam, the sequel with the original cast is made way too many years later, and if the star won't talk about on a late night talk show.
When it's a James Bond film. "What's it about?" "It's a James Bond film."
When they try to pretend that cats don´t have anuses. That said, do you guys have a trashy/bad movie that you actually enjoy? Because for me it is Cats. The music just slaps. Please share yours!
After seeing the original Broadway version, I hate the movie lol
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When they take a movie that is already a classic and try to remake it or rehash it. Like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or trying to do a reboot of Ghostbusters with an all female cast of not so great comedians. Just leave the classics alone and try something new. Also, when they try to remake a classic with an actor who has outgrown the part...like Kurt Russell in Escape from LA.
In general I agree with you on that but the Ghost Busters remake was a lot better than people make out.
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The amusing thing is they all seem to miss the real warning signs: "From the producers of..." i.e. the people who paid for something that turned out good once, not the ones who actually made it. "From the minds behind..." again.. nebulous people who were somewhere near the production that made something good once, or referencing the original author who had nothing to do with the film.. looking at you Stephen King. Spoiler filled trailers are nothing new, even for superb films. Watch the trailer for John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). When they front load a movie with an expensive opening 15mins it's to get more investment money.. "Here look what we can do.. if we get more money" doesn't always mean it will flounder.. but disjointed productions that stop n start rarely land.
When they have massive campaign, that's supposed to convince you it's the best movie ever made. Like Cameron's Avatar.
I saw the word "property" several times, like 'old children's property' etc, what does it mean in this context? Is it when the remake is done by a different studio?
Property can be different media forms, like book to movie, for example. It can also be a series of movies. Like Friday the 13th's "property" would be the whole series of movies. Its actually under a major lawsuit right now to see who own certain parts of the property right now. The orig writer of the 1st one fought (and won for now) the rights to the title of the property (F13) b/c he wrote the script that started it BUT he doesnt own the property of Jason b/c he was not a character in the 1st movie. It can be confusing depending on the situation...
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Another sign of a bad movie is when the trailer uses the phrase "Academy Award winner" before a person's name (especially when the cast and crew has several who are such). They may have won before for other better movies, but nobody's winning anything for this one.
For me it's when they call it a "comedy" but all the humor is just sex jokes.
I'll take sex jokes over 'lets all laugh at the awkward person' movies.
Load More Replies... Is it just me or do 95% of the movies nowadays just suck? I can remember back in the 90s you can almost guarantee to have 5-8 excellent films a year. Now you are lucky to get 1.
Movies get made by accountants now. They only allow films that they think will make money to be made. That's why reboots, movies based on comic books or games, and bad copies of other studio's movies dominate.
Load More Replies... I feel like a lot of this post was just ripping on good movies. A lot of the movies mentioned here, I personally thought were really good!
You know it's going to be bad when they turn a harmless animated movie into a cursed live action movie that scars everyone for life (yeah i'm looking at you PINOCCHIO).
Yes, why can't people leave animated movies be? They are lovely, not everything needs to be live action
Load More Replies... If a couple's relationshio is based in a "little lie" you know the last 10 minutes of the movie is an exibition of selfless doings to win the other ine's heart again.
When it’s the 109th sequel of a movie that was good, or even just OK. Or if it goes straight to video/DVD/HBO(or other cable station or app)/iTunes with no theatrical release.
I'm so confused by many of these. I loved many of the actors/actresses and many of the movies mentioned. The only thing I agree with a a trailer that is too detailed defeats the purpose. Countless times I watch a trailer and turn to my husband and say "seems like we just watched the whole movie" and keep searching..
When an action movie has one major celebrity there's no jeopardy. You know they can't/won't die as that's movie over. They will succeed/win/beat the baddies.
When it's YET ANOTHER Spiderman remake. Give it a rest, guys. Really.
Also when a studio rushes a movie out the door- Cats, Justice League, etc. People will be more grateful if they wait and make a quality product.
I've heard of another way: the Critic Embargo. Critics are allowed to watch the movie before it's actually released. If a studio lets critic watch and review its movie a week or so before the movie is released, then that means the studio is confident for the movie's success and think the critics will have high opinions of it. On the other side, if they let critics watch just before the movie is released (a day or two), then that means the studio is NOT confident the movie will succeed and is trying to prevent people from getting critics' opinions.
to save a B movie sadly with Bruce Willis "OUT OF DEATH" bad acting, very predictable, don't lose your time to watch it
I can't believe nobody said - if the trailers for other movies at the beginning all look like they'll be crap... you know the one you're about to watch will be crap! I sometimes will go with someone to see I movie I know nothing about and this is true 100% of the time. Targeting same demographic...
If it mentions that someone from Scary Movie had a hand in it, they changed director mid filming, if there is that silly blue sky beam, the sequel with the original cast is made way too many years later, and if the star won't talk about on a late night talk show.
When it's a James Bond film. "What's it about?" "It's a James Bond film."
When they try to pretend that cats don´t have anuses. That said, do you guys have a trashy/bad movie that you actually enjoy? Because for me it is Cats. The music just slaps. Please share yours!
After seeing the original Broadway version, I hate the movie lol
Load More Replies... When they take a movie that is already a classic and try to remake it or rehash it. Like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or trying to do a reboot of Ghostbusters with an all female cast of not so great comedians. Just leave the classics alone and try something new. Also, when they try to remake a classic with an actor who has outgrown the part...like Kurt Russell in Escape from LA.
In general I agree with you on that but the Ghost Busters remake was a lot better than people make out.
Load More Replies... The amusing thing is they all seem to miss the real warning signs: "From the producers of..." i.e. the people who paid for something that turned out good once, not the ones who actually made it. "From the minds behind..." again.. nebulous people who were somewhere near the production that made something good once, or referencing the original author who had nothing to do with the film.. looking at you Stephen King. Spoiler filled trailers are nothing new, even for superb films. Watch the trailer for John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). When they front load a movie with an expensive opening 15mins it's to get more investment money.. "Here look what we can do.. if we get more money" doesn't always mean it will flounder.. but disjointed productions that stop n start rarely land.
When they have massive campaign, that's supposed to convince you it's the best movie ever made. Like Cameron's Avatar.
I saw the word "property" several times, like 'old children's property' etc, what does it mean in this context? Is it when the remake is done by a different studio?
Property can be different media forms, like book to movie, for example. It can also be a series of movies. Like Friday the 13th's "property" would be the whole series of movies. Its actually under a major lawsuit right now to see who own certain parts of the property right now. The orig writer of the 1st one fought (and won for now) the rights to the title of the property (F13) b/c he wrote the script that started it BUT he doesnt own the property of Jason b/c he was not a character in the 1st movie. It can be confusing depending on the situation...
Load More Replies... Another sign of a bad movie is when the trailer uses the phrase "Academy Award winner" before a person's name (especially when the cast and crew has several who are such). They may have won before for other better movies, but nobody's winning anything for this one.
