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Post #1211679

Author
DominicCobb
Parent topic
Star Wars at box office
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1211679/action/topic#1211679
Date created
27-May-2018, 3:30 PM

So it seems like Solo can officially be called a “disappointment” (for Star Wars), but there’s an interesting game of chess here when you think about it.

Almost without a doubt some of the biggest reasons why this didn’t do as well were related to release date - five months after TLJ, super crowded marketplace with Avengers and Deadpool, and Memorial Day isn’t as strong as it once was. So why did they stick with this release date? SW traditions aside, I think the simple fact is that Solo wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure of the December “event” position. Because the movie is not an “event,” and the brand would’ve suffered for it if the perception was that it was and couldn’t live up to it. Instead they positioned it as very much a “summer movie” (with the cast and crew constantly mentioning this fact) to make it clear it was light and breezy (and ultimately, skippable).

The math here being, I think they believe that Episode IX will make more money than Solo lost because it will have been clearly delineated as the “event” Star Wars movie that is required viewing. By allowing some viewers the option to tune out of SW this time around, the demand will be higher the next time they need to see one (plus for the people who have seen Solo, there’s a longer wait for IX than normal). Again, the Marvel solo outings work as a good comparison. If every Marvel film was a big must see event, then their 3-films-a-year strategy would be untenable.

In an odd way the Lord/Miller firing makes sense. Since you’re already going to have a lot of people checking out, you need to make sure that the spin off can’t be too niche and alienating for the fans. Whereas with a saga installment like TLJ, everyone’s going to see it anyway, so you can kinda get a bit crazy.

The one thing I think they could’ve done better was do a date shuffle. Solo should’ve had Ant-Man’s July 6 spot, and Ant-Man should’ve moved back to August.