Episode I 3D - is it a bomb??

Buzz Bumble

Furry Ewok
According to various Box Office figures (up to 12 February, the weekend after its release), Episode I 3D was:
  • no. 5 in New Zealand
  • no. 4 in America
  • no. 3 in the United Kingdom
Seems like pretty good positions to me, especially considering it is really a re-release of the same movie. We'll have to see where the movie sits in the box office charts after its second weekend.

BUT here in New Zealand the number of cinema sessions was already dropping dramatically less than a week after the movie's release and there are now about the same sessions as for the older Tintin movie (although that has been badly over-hyped thanks to being a movie by the national "hero" Peter Jackson). 2D sessions were available briefly at one cinema chain, but are now non-existant). It probably hasn't helped that the schools started back for the new year the week before the movie's release, plus the price of a 3D cinema ticket - even more over-bloated than normal 2D tickets.

With the exception of three website competitions for tickets / prize packs, an occasional TV promo advert, and a special event for a Preview Screening ticket release, there's been very little promotion here at all. The Hasbro toys on the other hand were quickly filling toy store shelves (although now where near the amount there was for the original Episode I release).

I've been too busy to go and see it yet - hopefully I'll get time on Monday afternoon, but I might miss out entirely (as I did for the last two of the Special Edition releases) :(
 

darthskellington

Dark Lord of the Typos
We haven't seen it yet either. We were planning on this weekend...but time and money are scarce...may have to be the following week.
 

Buzz Bumble

Furry Ewok
I entered all three local competitions to win tickets, but didn't win anything. :( I have got a "NZ$7 off one adult 3D ticket" coupon I can use, if the movie session I can get to is at that cinema chain. Tuesdays usually have cheaper ticket prices, but that would mean waiting until the following week and there may be no weekday sessions at all by then.
 

Buzz Bumble

Furry Ewok
I did get time to go and see Episode I 3D today, and it was a bit of a disappointment.

I've never seen any other 3D movie, so have nothing to really compare it to, but the "3D" wasn't visible a lot of the time, and when it was it mostly looked like the bad special FX in an old movie where things look like they've been stuck on top of another layer ... which of course is exactly what has been done since it wasn't actually filmed in 3D in the first place. I don't think I'll be paying the over-bloated ticket price to see any of the other Star Wars movies in "3D". :(
 

SWfan

Infiltrator
I went to see it last Tuesday and I thought it was pretty good. My local theater only had 3 shows a day..
 

Buzz Bumble

Furry Ewok
According to the local Flicks.co.nz Box Office page, as at last weekend (the secnd weekend since release, 19 February, 2012) Episode I 3D had slipped positions only a little:
  • New Zealand - slipped from 5th to 6th
  • United States - slipped from 4th to 6th
  • United Kingdom - (not yet updated from 12 February, 2012)
During the last week some cinemas here have dropped Episode I 3D completely and the others have very few sessions at all.
 
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