The Matrix sequels fall short

AmShak

Senior Moderator
Staff member
there was another thread that kind of went off onto this subject but since i just found this article, i thought i would post it and let anyone who wants to debate the subject here, instead in the other thread.

from boxofficeprophets.com .......

Top 12 Stories of 2003:

#3: The Matrix sequels fall short.

Here are some facts:
The combined box office totals for both Matrix films released this year will only be approximately $10 million more than Spider-Man's box office take.

The Matrix Reloaded will finish not first, not second, not even third, but fourth in the 2003 box office race.

The Matrix Revolutions will not even finish in the top ten in the same category (outgunned by films such as Elf and Bad Boys II). Even Chicago, which received a limited release in 2002 but a wide release in February 2003, will outpace it.

The combined domestic totals for all three Matrix films? Approximately $616 million. The forecasted domestic totals for all three Lord of the Rings films? About $1 billion. The combined domestic total for the two already-released and highly-loathed Star Wars prequels? That would be $741 million.

The following films, amongst many others, have outpaced The Matrix Revolutions at the domestic box office:

Good Will Hunting
Sister Act
Look Who’s Talking
Stuart Little
Scooby Doo
Big Daddy
Dances With Wolves

Finally, consider this: The production budget alone for the two films has been estimated at $270 million, the same cost associated with the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

So why are these numbers being mentioned? Simply to prove that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, beyond any spin by WB and Matrix geeks all over the Internet, the Matrix sequels collectively laid a giant egg. No, the studio will not lose money, and will, in fact, make money on the pair of films, that is for sure. The bottom line, however, is that the ROI on these films will be well below what any self-respecting studio exec would expect from what should have been the biggest movie franchise of our generation.

So for all you die-hard geeks/optimists, you can go on completely ignoring the fact that these films bombed as much as you want to, but the truth is right there in plain sight. You just need to get unplugged. (Walid Habboub/BOP)
 

Borsk

Administrator
Staff member
I did like the space marine aspect of revolutions though. It reminded me a bit of Starship Troopers or Aliens (two much better movies).
 

Darth Boru

Celtic Sith
I always thought the Matrix should have been left as a single movie. The second was a bit of a let down and the third, IMHO, simply stank.

Had it been left as a single movie it could have gone down as a truly great movie. The addition of the other two has only served to dilute its long term place in history.

My two cents :D
 

Darth Aussie

Australian Sith Lord
Definately money talks. Studios want sequels for great films. Unfortunately most of those sequels sucked bigtime......;)
 

Darth Boru

Celtic Sith
I think its sad that money is the only measure of a 'good' movie.

There are a lot of movies out there that should have been left as a single, one off experience. Matrix is a classic case in point. The studios know that people woud go to see the sequels in droves on the strength of the first movie being so good.

Whatever amount of money the sequels made, they will never join the list of 'great movies'.

Just imagine 'The Great Escape II' or 'Gone with the Wind II' ?? Could only be terrible. IMHO, Matrix could have joined the list of greatest movies ever, but the sequels have tainted this. History will decide to what degree.
 

Barada

Saboteur
Gone With The Wind II exists. It's called Scarlett. My mother has the novel :rolleyes: Not sure if they made it into a movie though.

Barada
 

Dark Jedi

Banned
Originally posted by Darth Boru
I always thought the Matrix should have been left as a single movie.

If it had, the war between man and machine would have never beeen ended, thus leaving the movie, with a crappy ending, even though Neo Beat smith, that doesn't mean that the war is over, if they had not made the sequels then the movie qwould never be complete, I admit, the sequels had a little more pow and a little less metaphore, but they were still acceptionally good movies...but you are entitled to your own opinion and I am entitled to mine...
 

Zepp

Interstellar Buccaneer
They could have done the same effects at half the cost if they had stayed with what worked, rope work, cost effective CG and interesting camera techniques. Then they could have spent more time and money on the thing that really made the Matrix, or any movie, work, the story. Digital doubles are a joke, at least for now, and ought to be left to low budget movies that can't afford stuntmen and very very very very wide shots...
 

joewhite

New Recruit
I think the main reason the sequels stank was because of the new director...what's his name? IMO, it was like a young kid being handed a BB Gun. This guy went nuts with it (the movies)! Did you have enough slow-motion shots, Mr. Director? I mean, the characters couldn't even take a step without them going through "bullet time", or whatever the "new" slo-mo special effects were called. Those other two guys should have stuck with directing it. The feel they added to the movie was much better. I don' think the story had anything to do with it, I think it was that guy, Joel Someone. I sequels were alright but I'm not a die-hard fan so it's not too big of a deal.
 
From the outcome of the trilogy I strongly feel they should have just left it as a single movie. Its like making a sequel to The Sixth Sense.

They should have taken alot longer to think up the last two stories. They did make a profit, but myself I would have rather made a piece of history to compare with Star Wars and LOTR. It was in their grasp.

Thats my underwear and I'm sticking to it!
 

joewhite

New Recruit
Doh!

Wow, for some reason I thought theat Joel guy directed it! I read an article sometime back in February and it mentioned that he was involved. I guess I read wrong somewhere. But the feel of the movie was what further led me to believe that he directed the sequels. Of course now I beleive the bigger budget was the reason. I doesn't really matter anyway.
 
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