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Iron Man 3 movie in 3D

Today I chat about Iron Man 3′s box office performance, I also make an interesting comparison to Thor, and a quick overview of failed and met expectations.

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Wow.  After The Avengers and the first two Iron Man movies, fans of the Iron Man movie franchise were pretty damn excited about this latest chapter of Tony Stark’s life.  So much so that they turned out in droves, giving movie theaters $174 million for movie tickets during the domestic opening weekend.

This made Iron Man 3 the 2nd largest domestic opening, and added to the overseas business, is headed towards the $1 billion sales mark, worldwide.

This was the third of a trilogy for the Iron Man movie franchise, and traditionally, most sequels don’t do so hot.

But Marvel has done something miraculous in the release of this movie.  They’ve made it part of a bigger story involving many other movies.  From Iron Man, to Captain America, to Thor, Iron Man 2 and then The Avengers, it seems that many folks were pretty jazzed about this latest chapter of the overall Marvel Universe movies, and thus, also being the next movie after The Avengers, I guess fans were looking for something besides another Iron Man story.

But did they find what they were looking for?

As a story about a man and his responsibilities, Iron Man 3 excelled.  As a new story showcasing Tony Stark kicking ass from inside his suit of armor, it will more than likely be deemed a bit of a failure on some expectations.

But the Disney marketing machine pumped out a few big spoilers which would have made the story a pure set of surprises.  But then the marketing also pitched something altogether different and as was noted within the story of the movie, was a total misdirect.  Brilliant and disappointing, all at once.  (I’ll explain this in a moment.)

STOP!  SPOILERS ENSUE

Iron Man SPOILERS warning

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Movie Review Scores Explained

If you’ve followed this website long enough, you know I have issues with how different genre of movies are rated within the same numeric scale system by movie reviewers.

On one hand, I understand there being one numeric scale for all movies, as professional movie critics have a reference of which to compare all movies.  If “Bob Smith” gave Transformers a 5/5, on the same scale as The Passion of the Christ or Forrest Gump, then he sends a huge signal the Transformers is as good of a movie as any other dramatic work.  But as one friend on Twitter put it,

“If Lincoln rates 4* and Avengers gets 5* is Avengers a better movie? Not likely, but that’s film critics 4 u.”

And I concur.

Dramatic Movie Review Score 10

127 Hours vs Transformers:  Both brilliant in their own terms.  One, for the tale and journey the character goes through, the other, for the brilliant few hours it takes the viewer on a truly enjoyable escapist experience.  But alas, though hugely popular, the 2007 film, Transformers received a 57% from the collective of critics over on Rotten Tomatoes, while the audience gave it an 89%.

But Why Should It Matter?

The above example, where that huge disparity exists, to me, is a huge indicator why the movie-going audience can’t depend on movie critics to make choices about movies.  They’re either on their on opening weekend, hoping not to be disappointed.  Or wait for familiar forums to chime in, and go from there.

Or as I see it, will the consumer’s money be wasted or worth it?

There’s always been a huge split between a movie critic artistic/quality reference and the fan reference of enjoyment.   There seems to be a flaw when critic-panned movies dominate the top-50 all time box office movies in the US.   (Forrest Gump, in 27th, seems to be the first dramatic telling in the list, behind the various Batman, Spiderman, Transformers, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings movies, etc..)

Movie Review Popcorn Score 10

Hence, each movie, in their own category type of movie, can be at the top of their game, but which one is really better, when put on the same scale?

Therein, I suggest a single scale is not a reflective true score.  In fact I see it as a disservice to the millions of genre fans who would possibly like to depend on critics to help make their judgement calls.

As I see it, it’s the apples vs. oranges thing, or Lincoln vs Iron Man.  You can find yourself sucked into the telling of one man’s history and another fictional character’s spun tale.

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Should Movie Reviewers Put All Movies On The Same Scale?

April 16, 2013

Therein lies an interesting question. Should all movie (or TV or book) reviews all have just one scale? One set of numbers to compare all movies against? In my mind, there are two fairly decent answers to that, which I explore here today. – Recent reviews of the Tom Cruise starring movie, Oblivion, brought to [...]

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New Movies This Week (Oz), Box Office and Production Status Notes

March 7, 2013

This week Sam Raimi hits the screen with his take on a prequel to a solid and famous child’s tale…  and he’s directing James Franco and Mila Kuni doing it. Meanwhile, Noomi Rapace, Collin Farrell and Terrence Howard are an R rated movie that promises to have a great, action-based story.  Collin Farrell seems to [...]

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New Movies This Week (Giant Slayer), What’s Coming Up & Production Status Reports

February 27, 2013

This week the new movies opening this Friday, March 1st, 2013 in theaters is the soft tracking* Jack the Giant Slayer, 21 and Over,  The Last Exorcism Part II, & Phantom.  My first question is how can you have a last of anything, and be a part 2?  But it could be a good weekend, [...]

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New Movies in Theaters This Week, Incl Friday, Dec 21, 2012

December 18, 2012

This week and next will be a bit odd for when new movies come out to the theaters.  There’s limited and early releases this week, hoping to get some momentum on the box office this week.  There’s also movies coming out Wednesday and Friday.  The Hobbit is dominating, but Jack Reacher is about to step [...]

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New Movies Coming Out In Theaters Friday, Dec 14th, 2012 (& Knockoff Lawsuits)

December 11, 2012

This week’s new movies don’t have too many competitors wanted to step up and compete with The Hobbit, so it has the podium this week, so to speak.  Though the might and power of MGM/Warner Bros. did not stop The Asylum from trying to tackle a Hobbit knockoff movie!  Serious! If you’re wondering what’s coming [...]

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What New Movies Are Coming Out This Friday, Nov 30, 2012

November 27, 2012

What new movies are coming out this Friday (aka Brad Pitt), plus some box office numbers news and some movie production status notes. – This week the new movies in theaters this Friday include Brad Pitt, Josh Stewart, Jamie King and a limited release with Jean-Claude Van Damme revisiting an old role. Box Office Look [...]

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Wreck-It Ralph Literally Wrecks the Box Office

November 5, 2012

The two new movies that premiered last weekend at the box office pretty much took the cake while the new ‘Fists’ did manage to pummel out a fourth spot in the weekend take. Walt Disney Studios had itself a smash hit this weekend with the animated feature, Wreck-It Ralph (starring the voice power of John [...]

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Box Office Observation: Cloud Atlas Has Cloudy Start, Argo Repeats

October 29, 2012

I guess all the hype about Cloud Atlas fell short on half the ears out there because it seemed to fall a bit short at the box office. While if you were to believe the ads about this incredibly timeless movie called Cloud Atlas, it seems the message or story it was trying to tell [...]

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New Movies In Theaters This Friday, 10-26-12 + Productoin States of Others

October 26, 2012

This week, the new movies in theaters this Friday, October 26th, include stars like Tom Hanks, Sean Bean, Victoria Justice, & Gerard Butler.  But you may have known this already. Before we move on to this week’s new movies, a quick check of hot movie box office performance include 1     Paranormal Activity 4    [...]

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Despite a Huge Box Office Year, 3D Sales Are Slipping & Hollywood Worries

July 12, 2012

THR wrote that even though the domestic box office earnings are at an all-time high, Hollywood is not smiling.  In the same headline they noted of the dramatic slide of attendance of the 3D movie. This worries “Hollywood” because they chose to bank on the 3D movie ever since 83% of Avatar‘s & 56% Toy [...]

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‘Magic Mike’ – What Critics Are Saying; Box Office Performance & A Play?

June 30, 2012

- Magic Mike is doing pretty good for itself this weekend at the box office.  It’s only Saturday morning and box office estimates are giving it around $50M+ weekend, easy.  And movie critics are finding the movie rather agreeable to boot.  Plus it must be tracking well enough already to have it being considered to [...]

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New Movies This Friday, Jun 8th, 2012 [PROMETHEUS, MADAGASCAR...]

June 7, 2012

Hey gang…  this week one of the new movies we get to see at the box office  is Ridley Scott‘s vision of the universe that his 1970′s Alien movie comes from.  That should be interesting.  And if you’re a Madagascar movie fan, then you should be happy to see the third edition of the animated [...]

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THE AVENGERS Is the 35th Most Watched Movie Ever, As Of June 4th, 2012

June 5, 2012

Ah, right now I’m tickled to see Joss Whedon‘s work on The Avengers go into the record books for all-time box office gross.  Yet I don’t know about you, but I get curious as to how many people actually went to see a movie, not just the money spent on it. That’s always a telling [...]

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New Movies This Friday (5-18) Include BATTLESHIP, WHAT TO EXPECT & HYSTERIA

May 16, 2012

It’s still a quiet week for new, opening movies at the box office, and rightfully so, as The Avengers continues to traumatize the competition while stomping Chitari butt. Right now, the ensemble superhero team movie has ammassed 25 different box office records while just recently surpassing $1B worldwide in box office tallies.

This is how last weekend looked like at the box office for the top-5 earners:

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Joss Whedon’s THE AVENGERS Continues to Crush Puny Box Office Records (25)

May 16, 2012

Right now, Joss Whedon’s ensemble superhero team movie, The Avengers, has ammassed 25 different box office records, some of which include “Opening Weekend,” “PG-13 Opening,” “Second Weekend,” the fastest movie to reach $100M, $150M, $200M, $250M, $300M and $350M.

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‘The Avengers’ Continues to Smash Puny Box Office HItting $1B

May 13, 2012

THE AVENGERS caps another strong weekend at the box office, leaving the competition in the dust.

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