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Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

Major Britten

By Major Britten
in Film, TV & Radio

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Quest

Quest

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This looks better than I expected. I still dislike Burton's style, but the trailer last night didn't make me want to puke, which is probably a good sign.

Not sure I'm gonna be fooled into paying to see one of his films at the cinema again, mind.

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  • 1 month later...
lordcookie

lordcookie

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This is the first I'd heard about it but there seems to be some problems between UK cinemas and Disney regarding the screenings of the film.

From /Film:

It’s looking like the three biggest cinema chains in the UK - Odeon, Vue and Cineworld - might just boycott Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Why? Because Disney are planning to reduce their theatrical window from 17 weeks to 12 - which means the DVD will be on shelves less than three calender months after the film opens. After Disney threatened the same thing with Up a similar boycott was threatened, though it was Disney who backed down there. This time, though, they say they really won’t.

Vue and Odeon have removed all Wonderland posters and standees from their cinemas and have stopped playing the trailers. What’s more, I tried to call my local Vue to prebook, just to see what would happen, and while I couldn’t do so, it genuinely seemed like the staff member speaking to me had no idea of the scenario unfolding at all.

I fully expect the cinema chains will fold this time. They might not do it right away, though, and you might find Wonderland comes to your local cinema a little later than the scheduled 5th of March. Disney are the ones with the real power here, by my reading. I think the theatrical window is going to keep shrinking, and quickly.

Oh, and by the way, the release window has been shortened in the US too, with no news yet of any boycotts. Tell me - who is playing this right? UK cinemas or US ones? And do you support Disney’s decision?

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BlinkyBear

BlinkyBear

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I just don't get why Disney are pushing this for a quick home release; surely if it's in 3D you're guaranateed a decent return at the cinema on the back of Avatar and can avoid alot of piracy issues. By trying to get it to a DVD release asap, surely Disney are 'losing out' on those theatrical advantages?

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Goose

Goose

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Same in the US now as well - from The Hollywood Reporter

Bob Iger wasn't bluffing.

The Disney CEO has been telling Wall Street for months that he's going to have studio executives begin fiddling with traditional movie release windows, and it appears the time has arrived for the first grand experiment.

A day after the revelation that U.K. exhibitors are being asked to accept a tightened theatrical window on Disney's spring tentpole "Alice in Wonderland," The Hollywood Reporter has learned that U.S. theater owners have been similarly approached.

Normally, movies play in first-run theaters for up to 16 weeks. Disney is talking about a theatrical run of just under 13 weeks on "Alice," a 3D motion-capture/live-action fantasy helmed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp.

The studio would benefit by truncating the film's theatrical run as the title is a near sure shot for big success in home entertainment with its family-friendly subject matter and well-known cast. So the quicker Disney can get it into DVD and Blu-ray Disc release the better.

It's likely that Disney also will accelerate the availability of "Alice" on VOD, which home-entertainment execs have come to view as less of a threat to DVD/Blu-ray income and more as a complementary revenue stream.

Exhibitors have made it clear that they need a compensating upside from the moves. Less clear is how the Burbank studio will provide such a benefit, but film-rental terms are always subject to some negotiating.

These days, most releases come with "aggregate" terms. In such cases, distributors and exhibitors agree to split boxoffice by a set percentage of a film's entire run, with up to 55% going into studio coffers on pricey tentpole releases.

But on some pics, studios still pencil in a growing split for exhibs during the course of a run. So it's possible that Disney will use such an approach to offer a sweeter-than-usual early taste of the receipts for exhibs agreeing to book the film for a truncated theatrical run.

In any event, exhibs are getting assurances that Disney will proceed cautiously in broadening its experiment to future movie releases.

Disney's sales job in the U.K., where it sought to lop up to five weeks from its regional run, was a bit easier. European theater owners know the theatrical market will be squeezed greatly when the soccer World Cup kicks off in June.

Meanwhile, another benefit of the shorter theatrical run for "Alice" -- set to unspool worldwide March 5 in a combination of 2D and 3D venues -- would be its freeing up 3D screens for other big extra-dimensional releases including Warner Bros.' April 2 opener "Clash of the Titans."

For Iger, who's been trying to reinvigorate the Disney film studio through a major executive shuffle, changes to traditional release windows simply are a matter of maximizing studio profits. As recently as Tuesday, the Disney topper mused during an earnings conference that window experiments might be a way of improving the studio's bottom line.

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moosegrinder

moosegrinder

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I just don't get why Disney are pushing this for a quick home release; surely if it's in 3D you're guaranateed a decent return at the cinema on the back of Avatar and can avoid alot of piracy issues. By trying to get it to a DVD release asap, surely Disney are 'losing out' on those theatrical advantages?

I think it's safe to say they make more money on Blu Ray and DVD releases than at the cinema.

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moosegrinder

moosegrinder

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If they are rushing it out on DVD / BD so fast it must be total shit.

I don't think that's got anything to do with it, tbh. It wouldn't surprise me if companies did it more. I mean, Disney wanted to get Up out over here in October/Novemeber but the fucking cinema chains were up in arms because it meant shorter revenue streams.

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Goose

Goose

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If they bring it out on DVD sooner it's also still fresh in people's minds, having only recently seen the cinema advert/posters. Kerraig has said more than once that a film's theatrical release is generally one big advert for it's home release.

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  • 2 weeks later...
zektbach

zektbach

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Well thankfully VUE and Cineworld have seen sense and will be showing it. And Odeon have stuck their foot in and outright stated they aren't showing it... so yeah, the UK's biggest cinema chain is no doubt going to be losing quite a considerable amount of business to the other big two. Bit of a stupid move really.

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womblingfree

womblingfree

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I wish this didn't look so artificial, and that every frame didn't look so overwrought and pristine. Sigh.

That seems to be the way these 3D movies look, although didn't his Willy Wonka look like that as well?

I'm pretty bored with Tim Burton. All his films have just been Burtonised without much in the way of excitement or originality. Seeing Johnny Depp hamming it up every time is annoying as well. The last of his movies I thought was above-meh was Sleepy Hollow.

Having said that I'll see it in the cinema after my 2D Avatar experience. It'll be my first 3D movie since Jaws 3.

I only told you to blow the bloody Jaws off

Jaws-Michael-Caine_l.jpg

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glb

glb

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Went to a Disney showcase this afternoon, finished with a screening of Alice. Thoughts:

It's a good enough film overall, typical three-star movie for me.

The good: Helena Bonham Carter steals the film, she clearly had fun filming and is comfortably the best thing in it. The visuals are also good; Underland looks great throughout and is a fun place to visit.

The bad: Johnny Depp is predictably zany but quite tiresome. Obviously a great actor but pretty much phones in 'crazy' and feels quite disassociated from the film. The part of Alice is also quite under-written; Mia Wasikowska does an okay job with what little she's given but I felt she was less a character and more a device to move the plot along for the most part. Finally, despite the good visuals, the 3D isn't all that necessary. I'm not sure if they decided to go 3D halfway through production, but most of what there is feels gimmicky (swords poking out the screen, cups being thrown towards the camera).

Overall then it's an undemanding watch and there is plenty there for kids and adults to enjoy, it just feels a little hollow in parts.

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Lovelyman

Lovelyman

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Went to a Disney showcase this afternoon, finished with a screening of Alice. Thoughts:

It's a good enough film overall, typical three-star movie for me.

The good: Helena Bonham Carter steals the film, she clearly had fun filming and is comfortably the best thing in it. The visuals are also good; Underland looks great throughout and is a fun place to visit.

The bad: Johnny Depp is predictably zany but quite tiresome. Obviously a great actor but pretty much phones in 'crazy' and feels quite disassociated from the film. The part of Alice is also quite under-written; Mia Wasikowska does an okay job with what little she's given but I felt she was less a character and more a device to move the plot along for the most part. Finally, despite the good visuals, the 3D isn't all that necessary. I'm not sure if they decided to go 3D halfway through production, but most of what there is feels gimmicky (swords poking out the screen, cups being thrown towards the camera).

Overall then it's an undemanding watch and there is plenty there for kids and adults to enjoy, it just feels a little hollow in parts.

is Anne Hathaway hot in it?

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