Legendary Entertainment is picking up shop and leaving Warner Bros. and Variety reports Universal, Sony and Fox are still in the running to court the geek brand production house to their stables. Legendary is responsible for recent films such as Man of Steel and The Hangover Part III as well as The Dark Knight Rises and Watchmen, but it’s their next production that’s gaining attention today… Guillermo del Toro‘s Pacific Rim.
Variety‘s Marc Graser reports early tracking for the July 12 release is disappointing with audiences showing more interest in fellow mid-July release, Grown Ups 2. This has friend of RopeofSilicon, Kevin Jagernauth at The Playlist, asking “Is ‘Grown Ups 2’ Tracking Better ‘Pacific Rim’ Why We Can’t Have Nice Things?” Ugh! I can’t tell you how much that headline annoys me as it seems to suggest Pacific Rim is equal to “nice things” while Grown Ups 2 is not. Based on what I’ve seen a lobotomy might be “nicer” than either of them.
Firstly, I will never see Grown Ups 2. It look like cinematic torture and, as I sarcastically tell publicists, I never saw the first one so I would be lost watching the second. However, Pacific Rim doesn’t look like much of a treat either and bloggers treated to early screenings hosted by Del Toro saying it’s a tribute to the “imagination of 13-year-olds” isn’t selling me. I believe similar things were said of G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra.
Virtually every piece of marketing I’ve seen for Pacific Rim resorts to pitch black scenery, loud noises, yelling, monsters and giant robots all set to rancid dubstep.
So when Kevin suggests the fact audiences would rather see Grown Ups 2 than Pacific Rim does that really imply bad taste or does it simply suggest Grown Ups 2 has managed to energize their target demo (whomever they may be) and Pacific Rim has failed?
I have a hard time believing there will be many audience members watching both films as a Saturday afternoon double feature so if Pacific Rim is tracking poorly I have to assume it’s all on Warner Bros. and the film’s marketing team. I haven’t seen either film so I’m in the same boat as the audiences watching the trailers and as much as it confuses me as to why anyone would be legitimately excited to see Grown Ups 2, based on the marketing I’ve seen I wouldn’t blame anyone for not raising their hand to see Pacific Rim.
With that said, I have question for you:
