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Final Matrix Set for Synchronous Release

sdirector writes "'Warner Bros. has announced that in a whoa-worthy bit of synchronicity The Matrix Revolutions, the concluding chapter in the Wachowski brothers' hit sci-fi trilogy, will be released simultaneously in nearly 70 countries.'"

72 of 474 comments (clear)

  1. oh what they'll do to get a press release! by linuxbaby · · Score: 5, Insightful
    It's fun to see the little things you can do to get a press release, isn't it? It's kinda like finding a technicality to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.

    5th paragraph of the article says, "Such a release strategy has never before been attempted by Tinseltown. The closest a studio has come to doing such simultaneous, synchronized release was in May, when Fox opened X2 on the same day in 80 countries, but not at the same hour."

    So, I guess another movie some day will top this in press release land by saying, "Yes the Matrix did something similar last year, but not with the same color carpet!"

    1. Re:oh what they'll do to get a press release! by ajs · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's clearly a PR stunt, but let's face it: it's a massive one. Coordinating ANYTHING in 70 countries is damn hard, and doing so in such a way that, regardless of time zone, 70 countries are all doing it on the same hour is quite stunning.

      Hell, just getting 70 theaters in the US to do anything on the same hour is like hearding cats!

  2. And in other news... by arashiakari · · Score: 5, Funny

    "The Matrix 3 will be released simultaneously in 70 sectors of the matri.. I mean... the world. CRAP!"

    First post?...

    1. Re:And in other news... by fastdecade · · Score: 3, Funny

      "The Matrix 3 will be released simultaneously in 70 sectors of the matri.. I mean... the world. CRAP!"

      Or perhaps in 70 parallel matrices? All will be revealed ...

  3. When will it be released on Kazaa, eDonkey, et.al? by tbmaddux · · Score: 4, Funny

    * plonk *

    --
    Can't you see that everyone is buying station wagons?
  4. Call in sick by Brahmastra · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It will be interesting to see how many people call in sick on the release day, especially in places where it is being released during the day. Anyone do such a study for Star Wars?

    1. Re:Call in sick by decaf_dude · · Score: 5, Interesting

      My boss is not only giving me the afternoon off to see the movie, he's buying the tickets. All geek movies (LoTR, Matrix, et al) are treated as such: company pays for the premiere tickets and we get the afternoon off.

    2. Re:Call in sick by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hi, a dot-com from 1998 called, they want their boss back.

  5. Final Matrix? by tonyMontana69 · · Score: 5, Funny

    christ, the final Matrix? I'll bet all my Star Wars action figures that its gonna seriously suck...wait, except Boba Fett, no matter how sure I am, I never bet the Fett Man

    --
    "My shit always works sometimes!"
    1. Re:Final Matrix? by haystor · · Score: 3, Funny

      Did you get the original Boba Fett from the cereal offer?

      I ate a lot of cereal so that my little brother could get his Boba Fett

      --
      t
  6. Except... by toren · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...except for Internet-land, where it'll be "released" several weeks early.

    1. Re:Except... by fenix+down · · Score: 3, Funny

      They're all just dream-characters in Trinity's head, but luckily she'll figure that out before they execute her for murdering those cops back at the beginning, and then the judge will stand up, and start clapping, and then the mean chearleader chick will clap too, but then Agent Smith will come out from behind the door, and kill them all, and then he'll kill the cameraman, and it'll turn out that this was a secret documentary found in a cave in the Yucatan, and that Smith was killed thousands of years ago by Mayan warriors that have been prophesized to return when the world needs them most, and then they'll show the last egg Smith laid that they forgot to set fire to shake, and then it'll all dissolve into Matrix code again, and it'll zoom out to some guy who's been writing the whole thing as a fanfic on some website, for this other movie, that's on the TV behind him, but it turns out he's the one in the movie, and they're the real world watching him, but then one of them will point to the audience, and say "Let's watch THIS movie now!!!!" and it'll go DUUM DUM DUUUUUUM!!! and say "THE END?" but then the Mayans will smash through the "THE END?" screen like the Kool Aid man, and it'll make that record player "bzzooop" noise, and then the crappy rave music will start again, and all the Mayans will dance and Janet Reno will be there AND ITLL BE THE BESST ENDING EVA!!!

      Ooops, I meant to say ***SPOILERS!!!***!! Just pretend you're surprised when they get to that part.

  7. cool by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 3, Funny

    Since where I live movies are much cheaper than in the US, now I can not see it for $2.50 instead of not seeing it for $8.50. Woo hoo!

  8. Synchronized Release DVD by uberdave · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does that mean that the DVD will not be region coded?

    1. Re:Synchronized Release DVD by K8Fan · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's because DVD prices vary to suit local economic conditions. Look at a map of the DVD regions, and you'll see that it's gerrymandered. Europe and South Africa are one price, while the poor parts of Africa, India and the former Soviet Union are another, Australia and South America are another, Southeast Asia is one, China is it's own region. It's all about money. DVDs intended for the Indian market are considerably cheaper than those coded Region 3 for Australia, even though they are both PAL.

      This of course begs the question: if they can sell DVDs profitably in India for the equivilant for $6 US, why are we paying $29 for the same thing.

      P.S. Yes, I know all that crap about Adam Smith and his invisible hands. Bite me.

      --
      "How perfectly Goddamn delightful it all is, to be sure" Charles Crumb
    2. Re:Synchronized Release DVD by uberdave · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This of course begs the question: if they can sell DVDs profitably in India for the equivilant for $6 US, why are we paying $29 for the same thing.

      They could sell it profitably here for $6 as well. But, they could sell it *more profitably* at $29. ("The best deal is the one that brings the most profit." - Rule of acquisition #2).

      Having said that, why do we pay $29 for a $6 item? Ignorance, Apathy, and Laziness. People either don't know, don't care, or could be bothered to get the thing for less.

  9. warez by apachetoolbox · · Score: 3, Insightful

    doing this to help curb warez maybe?

  10. Of course! by NetNinja · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So that they can capitalize on a big crappy ending.
    I just hope they don't waste 15 mins of time showing us a stupid dancing wild orgy scene.

    1. Re:Of course! by kin_korn_karn · · Score: 5, Funny

      only on slashdot would an orgy scene be described as a waste.

    2. Re:Of course! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      and only on /. will you find people that can't tell a normal rave scene from an orgy scene from a beastiality scene.

      i was looking so forward to the orgy and all i saw was an avarage rave with clips of 2 people having sex (2 doesn't make an orgy)

  11. Wow, that is really amazing but.. by Harald+Paulsen · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ..is the MOVIE any good?

    (You KNOW you have to see it, right? :-)

    --
    Harald
  12. It'll be interesting to see by Afrosheen · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...how one group will rip and distribute this one first. If everyone gets it at the same time (presumably from the theater), there should be guaranteed diversity.

    Then again, an insider always hands some group a dvd screener and you know the rest.

  13. This strategy didn't stop X-Men bootlegs by r_glen · · Score: 3, Funny

    Cool! On November 5, people around the world will simultaneously get to watch Revolutions again on the big screen.

  14. In related news... by jafuser · · Score: 5, Interesting

    2003-10-03 07:28:56 Metacortex Launches Website (articles,movies) (rejected)

    Metacortex has recently launched a website to promote their products and services, while announcing their involvment with some rather large projects. If the name of this company doesn't sound entirely familiar, maybe you will remember the name of one of their former employees, Thomas Anderson.

    If anyone remembers the web-based game/puzzle for the movie A.I., this looks like it may be something similar for Matrix: Revolutions.

    --
    Please consider making an automatic monthly recurring donation to the EFF
    1. Re:In related news... by cK-Gunslinger · · Score: 5, Funny


      I bet there's a cute message if you convert the binary to ascii.

      Yep, it reads: "Don't forget to drink your Ovaltine!" =)

      (nobody is gonna get that...)

    2. Re:In related news... by A1miras · · Score: 2, Interesting
      From the "products" page:

      MetaGamex Console

      Are you ready to enter another world? Are you ready for an experience unlike any you've ever encountered before? Well get ready for the MetaGamex gaming system.


      Please tell me the end of revolutions won't be some metacortechs engineer pulling a virtual reality helmet off of Thomas Anderson's head.
      --
      Take Care

      A1miras
    3. Re:In related news... by kaellinn18 · · Score: 2, Informative

      It's actually "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine," but I know what you're referring to. :-)

      --

      --------
      This isn't the sig you're looking for. Move along.
    4. Re:In related news... by jafuser · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This web-game hacking puzzle situation brings up an interesting catch-22. How do we know when we've left the realm of the movie's fictional collection of websites, back into the real world, where it is technically illegal to try to hack into the websites?

      For example, I gave them an email address in their "MetaGamex Beta Test" signup, which really sent a short email to the address I gave it, telling me thanks for signing up, blah blah blah. I thought, maybe this is a way to get more clues, so I looked in the email headers and found the following:

      X-Mailer: Octeth Email Manager Pro(R) v3.2.1.0 Reloaded

      I thought, ok, let's do a google search for "Octeth Email Manager", and came across a website, which after a minute of looking around was apparent to be a real software product in the real non-fictional world that we, slashdot readers exist in.

      So, my question is, if (reading from a recent /. article) hacking computers is going to get us 20 years in jail, and ignorance of the law is no excuse, what are we expected to do when games which enjoy seamless integration with our reality require that we practice "hacking" actions to participate in the game, and we have no clear border between where the game ends and reality begins?

      --
      Please consider making an automatic monthly recurring donation to the EFF
    5. Re:In related news... by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 2, Funny

      If the name of this company doesn't sound entirely familiar, maybe you will remember the name of one of their former employees, Thomas Anderson.

      You mean the old bald guy that Beavis & Butt-head used to antagonize?

    6. Re:In related news... by Delirium+Tremens · · Score: 2, Informative
      It says:
      The machine turns, turns and must keep on turning -- for ever. It is death if it stands still. A thousand millions scrabbled the crust of the earth. The wheels began to turn. In a hundred and fifty years there were two thousand millions. Stop all the wheels. In a hundred and fifty weeks there are once more only a thousand millions; a thousand thousand thousand men and women have starved to death.

      Note that this is a loosy binary-to-ascii translations because I translated the token 10010110 as ' -- ' instead of an actual long horizontal dash.
      Also, I actually only translated a little past the first sentence, and then the last few words. I googled the rest out.
      It turns out that this is an excerpt from Chapter Three of the Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
  15. More & more common by makapuf · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think that with the globalization of P2P networks, and the fact that volunteer subtitiles are quite simple to produce, more and more movies (and especially those with high 'geek-appeal') will need to be out simultaneously.

    If I can see a divx a few month before a movie on divx I would have been able to see in a theatre, I'll only go to see only good movies which are worth the 8 euros I'll have to pay to see it on big screen, which might be less than "every movie".

  16. Wow... it must really suck hard! by cryptochrome · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They definitely aren't taking any chances on losing money with this one. I predict the strongest opening weekend ever and the biggest drop for the second weekend... gotta get people in the theaters before the word gets out you know...

    --

    ---If you can't trust a nerd, who can you trust?

    1. Re:Wow... it must really suck hard! by foo+fighter · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I'm betting there are some huge plot twists, and they don't want the ending spoiled for anyone because they had to wait three months to see the film.

      --
      obviously no deficiencies vs. no obvious deficiencies
    2. Re:Wow... it must really suck hard! by elwoodblues16 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I predict the strongest opening weekend ever and the biggest drop for the second weekend
      Well, Gigli has a hammerlock on the biggest second week drop, 'going down' 81.9%. If Revolutions does worse than that, I'll eat my own socks without ketchup.

    3. Re:Wow... it must really suck hard! by WIAKywbfatw · · Score: 2, Funny

      If it does that bad, I'll buy you a bottle of ketchup. And some "previously enjoyed" underwear for desert.

      --

      "Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
    4. Re:Wow... it must really suck hard! by identity0 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well, Gigli has a hammerlock on the biggest second week drop, 'going down' 81.9%. If Revolutions does worse than that, I'll eat my own socks without ketchup.

      ...and in other news, Warner Bros. has announced that they are re-casting the final movie in the Matrix Triology. "We want actors with more screen presence", said one spokesman "and stars like Ben Affleck or J. Lo should fit right in with the gritty, dark feel of the series. We also felt that Ice Cube will be more 'gangsta-like' as Morpheus than that Laurence guy. I mean, who gives a leading part to a guy named Fishburn?" Unconfirmed reports suggest the crew is experiencing technical difficulties fitting J. Lo into a leather bodysuit, and may end up cutting all scenes with that outfit.

      So do you want to eat your socks now, or wait 'till the release?

  17. Another desperate move... by romcabrera · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...in order to stop bootleg copies production. Here in my country (Ecuador, Southamerica), Reloaded was released two weeks after the American Release. But you could find at streets bootleg copies of it as soon as May, 16!!

  18. Oh no... by bdesham · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...97% of the world's sysadmins will be gone for a couple of hours, starting at the exact same time. Sounds like time for "Black Hat Fun Fest 2003"...

    --
    Alcohol and Calculus don't mix. Don't drink and derive.
    1. Re:Oh no... by GlassUser · · Score: 4, Funny

      But the blackhats will be there too. Aren't they usually the ones dressed up as characters from the movie?

  19. This might mean it sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This might be a money grab for a big opening weekend without contaminating the foreign markets with news that it is not that great...

    1. Re:This might mean it sucks by PhoenixFlare · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You know, if you don't like it, you could just...Not watch the movie. Or if you really can't stop yourself from writing a bad review, at least post it somewhere appropriate.

      It made a $281,048,966 US box office total, and over $700 million worldwide so far...Apparently, even if it is "a pretty piece of eye candy", as you say...Some people seem to enjoy candy.

  20. well... by ed.han · · Score: 4, Interesting

    i dunno: i think it's actually pretty fair. scheduling the release time while working with time zone differences globally is actually pretty difficult to accomplish, i should think.

    what i found most interesting in the article:

    "revolutions will also screen at selected imax venues, the first time a major hollywood release has ever premiered concurrently on both 35mm and the large-screen format.

    OK, you just know people are gonna be going from imax to stadium-seating theatres to compare film experiences. heck, i might do it myself.

    ed

    1. Re:well... by okvol · · Score: 2, Interesting
      IMax vs. standard:

      IMax here has 10,000 watt audio, but 4x3 screen Standard has less audio, but 16x9 screen

      Matrix 2 was good on Imax, but the sides were cut off.

      However, StarWars 2 on Imax had a different sound track - like when a big ship landed, the entire theater rumbled.

      I'll probably watch it on IMax and standard both, to get the full experience.

      --
      cabg x3 is a life changing event...
  21. Hmmmm by kavi_3 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I wonder if this was done to prevent word of "Internet" from spreading faster then the release of the movie to different times zone saying that it sucked. With the movie lauching at the same time everywhere you will kill that effect for the first day at least.

    I'll still see it though. Hell, our company is having an outing when the moview releases here in Chicago (8 am I beleive).

    --
    "Attention Citizens, 2+2 now equals 3.947547175. Please recalibrate your equipment now" --The Computer
  22. what after revolutions by civilengineer · · Score: 2, Funny

    After I watched the matrix and found out they were making reloaded, I had something to look forward to in life. Even now, I have something to look forward to in form of "Revolutions". But, what next? There will be nothing to look forward to after that and our lives will be filled with void. Maybe I should not watch revolutions till for many years just so that there will be something worth doing left in life.

    --

    New year Resolution: Don't change sig this year
    1. Re:what after revolutions by XJEEP.org · · Score: 5, Funny

      unless of course it ends where the first Martix began.

  23. One word by Ikeya · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Whoa"

    --
    ---- Move SIG...For great justice!
  24. Cool! by MImeKillEr · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Now, when can we expect:

    1. The boxed set ?
    2. Each title in letterbox/wide-screen ?
    3. The letterbox/wide-screen boxed set ?
    4. Each title as a 'limited editition' with a bunch of extra crap ?
    5. The limited-edition boxed set ?
    6. Each title released individually as 'Director's Cut' ?
    7. The director's cut of the boxed set ?

    'Cause you know they're going to take a page from George Lucas and whore the titles like he did with Star Wars.

    --
    Cruising the internet on my TI-99/4A @ a whopping 300 baud!
    1. Re:Cool! by MImeKillEr · · Score: 2, Informative

      They don't have Episodes IV, V and VI on DVD.

      I have the boxed set of VHS tapes from the original three, and only because they were a gift. They're the digitally-remastered (gold box) set.

      I have a couple of friends who pounced on the 1st box set that came out. I tried to warn them, knowing they'd release another set that had been digitially-remastered.

      --
      Cruising the internet on my TI-99/4A @ a whopping 300 baud!
  25. Region Codes by McGruff · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So, when the DVD ships it will be region free since the studio released it world wide on the same day, right? Isn't that the only justification the DVDCCA uses for region codes?

  26. IT'S A TRAP! by teamhasnoi · · Score: 2, Funny

    Don't look at the scrolls! It will snow crash your brain!

  27. Here's the Whoa-Worthy Part by serutan · · Score: 4, Funny

    "It was a thought that came up a long time ago about almost a year ago, and it did not come from the Wachowskis, it actually came from inside the studio," says Veronica Kwan-Rubinek, president of international distribution at the studio.

    People working for a major studio actually generated a creative thought.

    Whoa.

  28. Re:Sounds dangerous! by LeoDV · · Score: 2, Funny

    Or, for some evil villain's timer on his computer, because the said villain will be sitting two rows behind the techies in the theater watching Revolutions. ;)

  29. Whoaa!! by Trolling4Dollars · · Score: 4, Funny

    I misread the post and thought it said that The Matrix Revolutions is going to be simultaneously released in the 70s. THAT WOULD be an accomplishment. I wonder what that would do to Star Wars and the LOTR trilogy in retrospect? ;P

  30. One way of avoiding the text by Archfeld · · Score: 2, Insightful

    messaging let down, if it sucks as bad as the 2nd one did....If everyone is seeing it the same day they will get their peice of the pie even if it does suck really bad...good strategy...Here's to hoping IT ROCKS......

    --
    errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
    1. Re:One way of avoiding the text by jamesangel · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Exactly. I didn't much like the orgy scene, and even the fighting wasn't that great. What made it a great movie was the way that they extended a lot of the philosophy from the first film.

      For example: (spoilers, but is there really anyone on Slashdot who didn't see it?)

      • although Morpheus is a hero in the first film, you realise that he can in fact be perceived as a religious maniac. Interesting: one man's messiah, another's lunatic.
      • the revelation that ghosts, werewolves etc are in fact rogue programs. Not amazing, but very clever as a way of explaining human mythology.
      • The whole architect as God think. Again, interesting.
      • The brief riff on the relationship between humans and machines.
      • The suggestion that Zion is not real either.

      True, the first film was more 'whoah, special effects and kung fu'. But the second provided a lot more fodder for conversation in the pub, and I appreciate that.

  31. A different take on the Matrix... by vudufixit · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I never liked the "machines are using humans as energy cells" aspect of the plot. There are far better sources of energy the machines could have used, such as nuclear, geothermal, etc. I always thought wouldn't it have been cooler if the machines were imprisoning humans and using their brains in a sort of massive computing grid? That the machines needed our collective brainpower for some task, and the purpose of the Matrix is to keep all of those human brains humming along and doing their machine-appointed task in the backround.

    1. Re:A different take on the Matrix... by Dr.+Evil · · Score: 2

      Yeah, like it was all some big mistake caused by some computer taking Douglas Adams too seriously.

      The power idea is too stupid... the machines would have less trouble harvesting plants.

      IMHO the "Zion destroyed 6 times before" line, Neo gaining power over the squid-things, and that matrix-virus travelling to a human host in Zion all reek of a plot based on Zion being part of the matrix used to deal with weird people like Neo.

      It beats the Rambo plot of defeating the machines through brute force, or the Richie-Rich plot of introducing a new plot device right at the climax of the plot to save the world.

      Of course it can't end entirely with Neo realizing that he loves big brother... or the matrix, so ultimately some American values theme has to come out, whether or not it results in squashing the matrix.

      What would be kind of cool is if at the end of the story, Neo needs to decide whether to free people into a real world of inevitable famine and suffering or to leave them in the Matrix, freeing only his Zion friends and others around the world who don't fit in.

      Of course I'm being hopeful. My pessimistic prediction is that they'll use a combination of the the Richie Rich plot, with a little bit of G.I. Joe thrown in for good measure. I mean, despite a valiant showing in a hopeless special-effects laden battle, Zion will be overwhelmned, Lots of nameless people will die, and a few strategically named people will die, humanity will be on the cusp of anihilation, all down to one terrible terrrible moment, all the doubt will lay heavily upon Morpheus' head, the audience will be left hanging... "maybe Morpheus was wrong", and that's when Neo will pull out his machine-blasting Richie-Rich superpower crap.

      45 minutes of special effects later, Morpheus will be dead, Trinity will be pregnant, Neo will have a minor injury, Neo and Trinity will kiss and everyone will leave the theatre and say that the movie sucked.

      But that's just my pessimistic prediction.

    2. Re:A different take on the Matrix... by nossid · · Score: 3, Funny

      Heck, the Matrix is just a simulation of earth being run as a replacement since the Vogons destroyed the original one.

    3. Re:A different take on the Matrix... by chooks · · Score: 2

      Read the duology Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons if you are looking for this type of story line. Way cool books. There are 2 other books that are sequals to the first two (Endymion and Rise of Endymion but I don't think that they are as good as the first ones).

      --
      -- The Genesis project? What's that?
  32. And, that will be the hour that... by BigGar' · · Score: 4, Funny

    Skynet will become self aware.

    --


    Shop smart, Shop S-Mart.
    1. Re:And, that will be the hour that... by hamsterboy · · Score: 2, Funny

      Wow. I think you've hit the peak of unintentional geek-flick referencing here. You've got a reply to an article about a Matrix movie, referencing the Terminator series, with a sig from the Evil Dead. It would only be more complete if your name was Frodo or somesuch.

      Hamster

  33. In other news... by elwoodblues16 · · Score: 2, Funny

    "The Matrix Reloaded" can be jumbled to spell "Hexameter Dildo Art".
    This was a public service announcement. If it had contained any real content, you would know by now.

    1. Re:In other news... by the_consumer · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Interestingly, though it's not a particularly creative example, "MARXIST REVOLUTION" is an anagram for "MATRIX REVOLUTIONS", as well as "MARX REVOLUTIONIST".

      • Other fun ones:
      • REALTORS VOMIT UNIX
      • SURREAL VOMIT TOXIN
      • TUX IS A MINOR REVOLT
      • I'M LOST IN A VORTEX. R U? (stretching it, I know)
      --
      "If you're thinking what I'm thinking, you're right." -
  34. Star Wars by elliotj · · Score: 4, Funny

    I hear a lot of people called in sick AFTER seeing Episodes I and II because they felt sick!

  35. Bigger turn on? by FatalTourist · · Score: 4, Funny

    Trinity having sex...

    or Trinity using nmap?

    Oh man. I have to go to the bathroom now. (For an unrelated reason)

    --


    Escape Pod Films: Sketch Comedy and Web Series
  36. Of course they are. by EvilNight · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They'd be fools not to.

    1) Guarantees the largest box office take.
    2) Minimizes the effect piracy has on opening weekend numbers.
    3) Avoid the worst effects of bad word-of-mouth by showing it to folks before they are warned away from it.

    Studios never used to bother with this, as coordinating such a large release was an impressive logistical problem to tackle. Due to those three factors, however, they really have no choice anymore. The studios like to play it like they are doing this to please the fans, but it's really just to buff their bottom line.

    They long for the days when there was no "buzz" on a movie except for the one they created with their marketing campaigns. Websites like AICN and Rotten Tomatoes have destroyed their business model of using an ad campaign to boost the box office for a bad film. News travels at the speed of suck from those websites and viewers are now warned away from crappy films months before the film is even released. Conversely, good movies get tons of free exposure and do much better in the box office, making it harder for studios to bury a picture. Be glad for those kinds of websites and pay them a visit, even if you don't read the reviews. They make it harder for hollywood to push crap product and get away with it.

    Word of mouth is much faster these days as well. Thank your pagers, mailing lists, and cell phones for that. When you see a good movie, you tell your friends. Same goes for warning them about a bad one.

    Piracy makes it dangerous to stagger a film release. Release it in the USA and tomorrow it's on the streets in Yugoslavia and Hong Kong, and floating around Kazaa or Usenet for anyone with a phat | to download. It's best to get the biggest bang out of opening weekend because piracy will damage the ticket sales more and more over time. Movies don't really have legs these days... Titanic, Shakespeare in Love, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding are the only ones I remember recently that had any real long term box office take. These days it's just a flash in the pan on opening weekend.

    The studios like to moan about how all this technology is wrecking their business. Frankly, it's all bullshit. All the technology and piracy does is let us avoid wasting our money on crappy pictures. If it's a good movie, you'll see it in the theater or buy the DVD (still reasonably priced, as opposed to music) and they'll get their money. They are just pissed off because they can't sell us a crappy product anymore.

    Hey, hollywood. Improve your product. Stop wasting time and money fighting a war that you'll never win. Take some of those annoying commercials out of the theater and perhaps I'll go to the movies more often. I don't like paying to watch a bunch of ads for products I don't give a damn about in the first place. The ads aren't even superbowl quality! That's pretty insulting.

    Remember, every time you pirate a movie, they fire a producer (and baby Jesus kills a kitten). Pirate at least one a week so they fire all the crappy ones and they either go out of business or make some good films for a change. Keep the pressure on, and remind them who they really work for. You.

    --
    Hell is being intelligent in a world full of idiots.
  37. Never did figure that out. . . by Fantastic+Lad · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Why the orgy scene? It was pretty repulsive. Didn't make me feel any real sympathy for humanity.

    I'd have to watch the thing again to be certain, but my first and last impression was that, unlike the first film, the second was a garbled mess with no message to speak of.


    -FL

  38. This is an ANTI-ad by watchthewatchers · · Score: 2, Insightful

    How can simultaneous release be seen as a positive attribute for a film? Any rational entity could rightly assume that the promoters are doing this because they must KNOW that there will be negative reaction to the movie. They have to try to get everyone to see it before word gets out that it really and truly sucks. Too bad.... but what can you expect from sequels. Maybe every sequel should have to carry a truth-in-advertising disclaimer that they are just "Milking it".

  39. Thank you by friend · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Some studios are finally getting it -- there's no reason to keep the non-USA world waiting for popular movies. Especially with the ease of downloading movies off the internet. Fox has wisened up considerably in the past years ("Star Wars Episode 1" took three months to travel across the atlantic, while "Episode II" premiered almost simultaneously). The story also mentions X2 premiering simultaneously in 80 countries. Nice.

    At the opposite end of the spectrum, the infamous Lone Gunmen episode of the X-files aired this week in Sweden (18 months after the US network premiere), but in this case I hold the swedish network responsible (wankers).

  40. Re:An pretty idiotic too, if you ask me by sugam · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'd probably get up and go at 4am

    That makes no sense. If you really wanted to go to that first show, you'd have to dress up like a poor version of Neo out of the salvation army. You'd also have to get a light saber and some hairy hobbit feet and show up at the theater 2 weeks in advance. Then, to show your dedication to the hollywood machine, you'd camp out there on the cold hard concrete in a pile of vomit and urine alongside all the homeless people. Entertainment would be staged Trinity vs. Obi wan kenobi duels refereed by Bilbo and heartfelt performances of fan fiction by overweight people wearing leather and have for some reason never discovered a razor. After leaving society for a fortnight and subsisting solely on the leftover popcorn that people have handed you in your sorry state, you'd get word through someone that you've been fired because you havent been to work for a while. What do you care, you're going to be the first to see "The One Star Matrix - Extra Super (tm)." Finally, the day has arrived and as you run into the theater cheering you feel complete. 3 hours later, you're on slashdot saying "The movie sucked" picking with biblical detail on all the minutae that really didnt matter at all to the gist of the movie.

    Meanwhile, I've recently gotten promoted since for some reason I was the only one showing up to work. Then on release day I head to the theater about 15 hours after you leave it walk up, buy a ticket to watch an entertaining movie in the comfort that I am not lame.

    --
    read my blog
  41. It's a ploy! by WoTG · · Score: 2, Funny

    While all the geeks of the world are watching the movie (with their cell phones and pagers politely turned off, of course), Warner and the Wachowski brothers will launch a multifaceted attack on the Internet and all things connected to it!

    Don't fall for it! Don't let them root the net and build the real Matrix!