Michael Smashes All-Time Opening Record

for joining us here on this Friday. Uh on Fridays, as you know, Jonathan Voico has the day off. Uh Rob is on a trip up visiting his hometown of Seattle. So uh it's an intimate little uh menager du. Uh you and me and a bottle of champagne.

Talking about some of our favorite things, good to have you guys here. Thank you to everybody who's joining us here live. Uh good to have you here. And like I said, we've got a number of things that we need to talk about here today. So let's not waste any time and get right into it and start off with this. Now you guys know that

I am a massive, massive Star Wars fan, right? Uh you guys know that it's my lifelong thing. My earliest childhood memories, my mom showing me the original Star Wars film. That's as early of a memory as I have. Then I don't have any more memories till long after that. I think my next earliest memory is finding out that they were making another Star Wars movie. And of course they were making Return of the Jedi. Well anyway, we got Mandalorian and Grogu coming.

Got Mandalorian and Grog. And you guys know I've had my doubts. about Mandalorian and Grogu, right? Making your first theatrical film in seven years being Star Wars. That's just a continuation of a TV show. A TV show. That did not end well. Like season three, like I love season one and two. I think I like season two a lot more than most people do. But season three was not good. It had its moments, it had a few good things about it, but overall, it was not great.

And the fact that you're making that the whole idea of You know, your first theatrical film in a long time. I I've just had my doubts about How good it could be, although my doubts about how good it can be are offset by the fact that the great John Favreau is directing it, right? Like, and I said, as long as John Favreau's directing it, I'll hold out hope for it because I love John Favreau. But the main thing I've had my doubts about was how big could it be at the box off?

Because if somebody who hasn't watched the show and not everybody has watched Mandalorian and Grogu, Are they gonna go out to the movies to go watch it or are they gonna think, no, I'll just be lost if I go see it? Not to mention, I think there are a lot of people who do watch Mandalorian and Grogu and were turned off by the third season and may not come back for this. Not to mention, the marketing hasn't been great.

for Mandalorian and Grogu yet. Has not been great. Now, I got turned around a little bit at Cinemacon last week when they showed us not only the new trailer, which I thought was pretty good. But they showed us the first seventeen minutes of Mandalorian and Grogu. And I'm gonna tell you, the first 17 minutes were pretty damn good.

It it it was actually really damn good. It it was the one thing that has given me the most hope. So how will it do? How will it do? Well, according to stories out there, there are conflicting reports. about how big they're expecting Mandalorian and Grogu to be on its opening week. Now, right now there are two main box office predictors that are predicting two different, although not super wildly different, opening weekend numbers.

So you have box office theory that is projecting Mandalorian and Grogu could open up to around anywhere between 71 and 85 million dollars opening week. For most movies and most directors, they would kill to have a movie that opens at$70 to$85 million. Absolutely kill. Now that is different though from Box Office Pro, which is projecting anywhere between$90 to$100 million.

It's just not a massive opening when you consider that it's a Star Wars movie. Because as we look at the numbers. It is depending on which one you're looking at. This Star Wars movie, this Mandalorian and Grogu, could end up being the lowest opening weekend out of all of the Disney-era Star Wars films.

The lowest opening weekend for all the Disney era Star Wars films. Because, you know, as we see, Star Wars, you know, episode seven, The Force Awakens, a movie I love, by the way. I I'll I'll debate anybody about that any day of the week. I love that movie. I remember me and John Schnepp went to go see it a whole ton of times. We would go on our lunch breaks to go watch it. Anyway, that movie opened at two almost two hundred and fifty million dollars.

Star Wars episode eight, The Last Shot I opened at 220. Star Wars Episode 9, The Rise of Skywalker, which I hate that movie. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. It still had a really great opening weekend at$177 million. Rogue won a Star Wars story, which is probably I I don't think it's big a big hot take to say Rogue One is probably the best. Like I I love the Force Awakens, I do. But I don't think it's a big hot take to say that Rogue One is probably the best.

Of the Disney era Star Wars films, because that movie is spectacular. I love Rogue One. And of course, Andor came after that and all that kind of stuff. Anyway, but then you see that the lowest opening weekend for a Star Wars movie was solo a Star Wars story at eighty-four point four million dollars opening week. Again A lot most filmmakers in their lifetimes.

We'll never make a movie that opens at$84 million. But for a Star Wars film, it's clearly low on the totem pole. It ended up being the only Star Wars movie in history, live action, that actually lost money at the box office. And a movie I said from day one when they announced it that this is not a movie they should have been making, even though it turned out pretty good. I I think Solo is a fun Space Adventure movies.

I I think it's a good movie. I enjoyed it, but it's still a movie they never should have made, be that as it may. As we're looking at these numbers again. If box office theory is correct and it's gonna open anywhere from seventy-one million to eighty-five million, we are looking at a reality here that

Mandalorian and Grogu could very well end up being the lowest opening weekend ever. But even if we go with box office pros number, Which is calling for anywhere between ninety and a hundred, which is better. It still only barely puts it over so solo a Star Wars movie and far under Rogue One, a Star Wars story. Now. I gotta say this. Even box office theories number, which is like like seventy one to eighty five. I have to admit that's even let's say it gets 80 opening.

That would be the worst opening for a Star Wars film ever, but uh at least for the Disney era. I gotta say that would that would still be more than what I would have thought about a month or two ago. Like I have to admit that. Like you guys have been what who have been watching me, you know that my expectations for how big Mandalorian and Grogu will be have been very tempered, right? Like I I just don't see a whole ton of people running out to go see this. And if it does make eighty or more.

I have to admit that's better than I would have thought it would do. Now look, again, let me circle back around to this. The first 17 minutes they showed us for Mandalorian and Grogu were really good. Like it was, it's it's just it's what Star Wars should be. Listen, to me, at its heart, and I know not everybody agrees with me, and that's totally fine. At its heart, Star Wars is not sci-fi. I mean, not really, not in the way that, you know, Dune is sci-fi or 2001 is sci-fi.

I don't really consider Star Wars so much to be sci-fi. Just because something's in outer space doesn't necessarily mean it's sci-fi. But I've always kind of considered Star Wars to be an adventure more like Indiana Jones. Like I find Star Wars to be more like Indiana Jones than I do uh than it's similarities say 2001 of Space Odyssey, right? And so I've always kind of considered Star Wars more of an an adventure series. And when I'm watching the first 17 minutes,

Uh Ryan puts it really well. It's a space western. Yeah. Yeah. Especially Mandalorian. But yeah, in many ways, it's a space western. Like even George Lucas said, like one of the main inspirations for Star Wars. was uh Seven Samurai and, you know, a bunch of other things. So I really look at it as an adventure. And so when I'm sitting there watching the first 17 minutes,

of Mandalorian and Grogu, I was really remember, I've been very critical of this and and saying I've had my doubts about this movie, but I was swept up in the adventure of it. I really was. And so listen, I'm telling you, these numbers right now. If it can come in over 80 and beat out Star Wars a solo or solo a Star Wars story, I'll be impressed. I'll be really impressed. It's way more than I thought it would.

But I don't know, like maybe the new marketing is picking up steam and people are getting excited about it. I don't know if that's true or not, but I don't know. Maybe it is. Guys, question is for you. What do you think? about this. Uh it is possible. It looks like there's a good possibility, depending on who you're listening to, that Mandalorian could up being end up being the lowest opening weekend for a Disney Star Wars era film. And even at the high end,

It's only gonna beat solo. It'll come in well below um Rogue One, a Star Wars story. Do you think that's surprising? Maybe yes, maybe no. Whatever you guys think, jump down to the comment section below and let us know. All right guys. With that down, let's move on to this. You know, I never watched Avatar the last airbender, until the pandemic hit.

Once the pandemic hit and we were all stuck at home, uh, we got into playing a lot of video games and me going back and trying to watch a lot of television shows that people always said I should watch, but never got around to watching. So I checked out Avatar The Last Airbender. And I'll say this, while I am not, I don't think it's one of the all-time greats like some people think it is, but I really enjoyed it. I quite enjoy I especially thought it got better. as the seasons progress.

Like because the first season was good, but I thought very childlike. Like I like there's a lot of animation that isn't just targeted at kids. It's targeted for everybody. I found the first season of Avatar to be a little bit targeted to children, more than also being friendly for adults. As it continued and as I got through the series, I found that the show matured with the audience. And it's still definitely a very kid-friendly show, but I I ended up really liking it. I enjoyed Avatar.

So anyway, you guys know. That they had announced that they're doing an Avatar Aang or The Legend of Aang, The Last Airbender. They changed titles on it, I think. Now, some of you may have also heard that the movie got leaked online in its fullness. Well, now according to reports, they caught the person who leaked it, and the person who leaked it is facing up to seven years in prison. Seven years.

I I was excited to go see it. But then news came out. You guys remember this a few months ago. That They had changed their minds to the and decided that they were just gonna dump it on streaming instead. Once they made the decision to dump Avatar, Avatar Aang onto streaming, that to me was them saying, We don't believe in this movie. That that was what they were saying. They were saying the big loud message to the world was: hey everybody, we don't think this movie's any good.

Oh, we're not gonna do the theatrical thing. We're just gonna shh very quietly shove it into streaming. And by the way. Since that time I have heard some chatter.

Like from some pretty legitimate places. I've heard some chatter that that's exactly what happened. that this is basically another Batgirl situation. You remember they they dumped out of uh dropping Batgirl completely from from release and they decide not to release and they scrapped it, which was the right thing to do because the movie was that bad and it just would have damaged them and they would have lost more money.

But I what I've been hearing is that this movie, this Avatar Aang movie, has basically worked out to be the same thing. Like it re from what I understand, the movie was terrible. I haven't seen it. So I am not telling myself that I thought it was that bad. But apparently the th the studio maybe thought it was that bad. And that's why they ultimately made the decision.

instead of pouring even more money into it to try to fix it, they just decided they were gonna put it out on streaming. So whatever. Uh what's to believe, what's not to believe, who knows. But They catch the guy, and he's gonna do a pair, he's facing up to seven years if he's convicted and found guilty. How do I feel about this? Listen guys, y you know how I feel.

Piracy, I don't care what childlike I'm in kindergarten and I like to make up reality. I don't care what kind of childlike semantics bullshit you try to play. Piracy is theft. It's straight up it. You make yourself look stupid if you try to deny that it is. It's absolutely thin. When somebody puts money and time and resources into developing something that is meant for sale, and then you steal it. and disseminate it to other people who don't have to pay the person who created it, you stole it.

And I I again listen, and I I don't think People who download stuff like that should f face criminal prosecution. I've always felt like this. Like go back to the movie blog day. I've never believed that somebody who downloads something should face criminal prosecution, but I've always believed that the person who steals it initially steals it. And then disseminates it.

Particularly and remember, we're not talking about a set photo. We're not talking about a clip. We're not talking about a section of the script. We're talking here about the full movie. THE FULL MOVIE! They took it and put the full movie out. Basically That that's gonna cost I don't know what the final dollar would would be, but that is gonna cost the studio that made it that put the money and effort and energy and manpower and resources

and capital all into making it, you now automatically lose them one million dollars, five million dollars, twenty million dollars. I I don't know, but you just cost them a lot of money, like a lot of money. Now that's not to say I don't understand. The temptation for For pirating. I do. I really do. Especially in situations. I know I'm going off on a bit of a rabbit trail here, but but but give me some leeway. Give me give me a bit of rope here.

I'm not saying that makes it right to pirate in that situation. I'm just saying I especially understand the motivation for a lot of people who are like, I am willing to give you my money to let me watch this. But you are simply making it not possible for me to watch it while other people are having the ability to watch it. I I'm just saying I get it. I'm not saying it justifies it. I'm just saying I get it. I really do.

And by the way, I don't believe in the excuse of, well, I pirate because it's too expensive otherwise. It's too expensive for me to buy a Ferrari. Does does that then make it okay for me to go and steal a Ferrari? Well, Your Honor, you see, I couldn't afford the far. It was too expensive. Oh, well, then that's okay. Right? Yeah, I get it. Anyway.

There's a whole long discussion we could have here all day, and I could debate it with myself too. I go back and forth on this about piracy, but it does seem kind of harsh, right? that this guy that they got is gonna face up to seven years in prison. And not just seven years, but seven years and maybe like$500,000 fine. Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, not$500,000,$50,000 fine. Which probably only is like one percent.

Who you do prosecute is the person who stole that from the convenience store and dropped it for somebody else to pick up. That's who you charge. So I don't have a lot of sympathy for this guy. Now I don't know all the details. But if this guy went in and figured out a way to steal the full film from the studio and then put it out for people to take so the studio loses millions of dollars.

While I agree, seven years in prison sounds harsh, it's difficult for me to feel any sympathy for the guy. I'm just being honest with you. I'm just being honest. It feels because you know, and and I get it, like experimental films are saying seven years is too harsh. Is it? Is it too harsh? If you literally cost somebody five million dollars. Or seven million dollars or ten million dollars is seven years too hard?

I'm not ready to give my opinion on that because I'd I'd have to I have to mull on it a bit, but I I don't know that it's obviously too harsh because He literally stole property that cost People, I don't know, 70 million dollars to make. He literally stole something that cost somebody 70 million dollars to make. And threw it out to the world. Is seven years too harsh? Maybe? Maybe not. Um, you know, then there's some people saying not harsh enough. I don't know. It's difficult.

It's it's difficult. But I just saw that number, man, and I'm like, holy crap. So it's good it's gonna make listen, here's the other thing. I'm not big on the whole idea of making an example out of somebody, but I mean at some point don't you need to do that a little bit? Because let's say this, let's say this, and I'm I'm debating this in real time here with myself, but let's say this. Let's say they catch the guy and they did. And he gets Six months. Prison.

Is that gonna deter anybody from from stealing a full movie from another studio and putting it out into the world? Or is seven years going to be enough to make the next guy? So maybe I shouldn't break into that. server and steal the movie and put out into the world because it could ruin my life. I mean I don't know. I don't know. I I'm open to hearing arguments. I'm open to hearing other points of view on it. I I just don't know. Anyway guys, question is for you.

What do you think about this? Uh, Avatar Ann getting leaked? that the full movie being stolen and put online. They caught the guy and he could be facing up to seven years in prison. Maybe they won't be that harsh. Maybe they'll be more harsh. Who knows? Whatever you guys think, jump down to the comment section below. And let us know your thoughts.

Let's get on to the first one here, shall we? And our first hot take gets sent into us by the antagonistic Anonymous, who writes. After Daredevil Born Again Season Two, Matt Murdoch and Wilson Fisk have cemented themselves as having uh on the probably meant w one

On the best live action comic book rival rivalries of all time. You probably mean one of the best comic book rivalries of all time. Listen, I've really enjoyed Daredevil Born Again. U I liked season one. I really did. Now, what I said about season one was that I thought it was really quite good, worthy of the Daredevil name, but not quite up to the standard of the Netflix Daredevil. Season two has changed my mind.

Like, I still feel that about season one, but I think season two is not just better than season one. I think season two is on the level. of the Daredevil that we had on Netflix. I really do. I think season two is on that level. I really enjoy it. Now, does that make Wilson and Matt, one of the best on screen rivalries between antagonist and protagonists. I don't think that's an overreaction.

I really don't. I mean listen, one of the realities is that in a lot of comic book material, whether it's on a television show or in a movies, the villains normally don't stick around that long. Right. Even if you go back to like CW's arrow, yeah, you had deathstroke, but you know, death stroke came and went.

That was a really good by the way, that that was I think peak arrow was in you had uh you know uh when you had death stroke on there. I thought that was really that was some of the best arrow that we'd ever had. But But a lot of the other ones are very, very short-lived. We've now had five seasons. Well, we're getting close to five full seasons of Kingpin and Daredevil, and I'm not getting tired of it.

I it just keeps building for me and I love it. Now, would I put it on the same level as like Batman and Joker? Probably not. But if you're saying one of the best ones, I don't think that's an overreaction at all. I think the way they've done Matt and uh Kingpin has been great.

Let's get on to the next hot take, shall we? And the next hot take got sent in to us by Katwalla, who writes, Prince Zuko's Redemption arc in Avatar The Last Airbender is the best written redemption arc in all of television in the last 25 years, both animated and live action.

All right, I was just telling you that I didn't watch Avatar The Last Airbender until the pandemic. And Prince Zuku was definitely one of the reasons I enjoyed it. Really, really great character. All right, so your hot take is that Prince Zuku's Uh redemption arc is like the best. I'm gonna call that a massive overreaction. Massive overreaction. And one of the reasons, the main reason I'm going to say it's a massive overreaction is the fact that it's not even much of a redemption arc.

To me, redemption arcs are like somebody who is bad. and then redeems himself and becomes good. Zuku was never that evil. Like right from the beginning, like yeah, he was misguided by his dad and he had been, he'd faced a lot of abuse from his father and all that kind of stuff. I mean, scarred for life by his own dad, but he was never from the beginning an evil character.

Like, I think what and that's one of the things that made him great. Like, right away, what made him a sympathetic character was that that we knew right away there's a lot more going on under the uh Under under the thing. Now, did he do some bad things? Yes, but he was never truly an evil character.

It's a very good redemption arc and he's a very good character, but you're asking me if I think it's an overreaction to say that he's like the single best redemption arc in all of television, animated or live action in the last 25 years. I I'm gonna have to say overreaction. For me, it's an overreaction. All right, I'm sure many people are gonna agree with me. I'm sure many people are gonna disagree with me, but I'm gonna call it an overreaction. Let's get on to the next one here, shall we?

The next hot take gets sent into us by Aranomasharma. I hope I'm saying that right, who writes. Clayface will have the highest Rotten Tomato score for a comic book movie this year. Clayface will have the highest rotten tomato score for a comic book movie this year. You know what? I'm gonna call it not an overreaction. Cause it looks great. Spider-Man is going to be amazingly crowded. Doomsday, I know for a fact, is gonna be amazingly crowd pleased.

But as a motion picture, as a movie, like take comic book out of it, take you know the genre out of it, take all that out of just in it at its nuts and bolts as a movie. Clayface is. is looking really, really good. Like exceedingly good. And could it be like, don't get me wrong, I I'm not saying that Clayface Or that that doomsday isn't also going to be really, really great on that level. I'm not saying Spider-Man won't also be really, really great on that level.

But when I look at this, and when you realize like Mike Flanagan wrote Clayface. who is one of the hottest writers out there right now. And they're going in the direction of a horror film. And it looks very cinematic and all that kind of stuff. Yeah, I mean listen, I'm saying this in the sense that I believe the critics are gonna love Doomsday because critics love the Avengers movies. I think critics are gonna love Spider-Man because critics love Spider-Man.

But I don't think it's an overreaction to think that While maybe Doomsday gets an 89 and Spider Man gets a 87, then maybe Clayface could get like a 91 or 92. Again, I'm not say I'm not saying take that to the bank. I'm not saying it's definitely going to. But I'm not gonna call it an overreaction either. So I'm gonna say your prediction that Clayface will end up being the top critically rated uh comic book movie of the year

I don't think that's an overreaction to think that. So I'm gonna say not an overreaction.

But this might be the biggest overreaction I have ever heard. No, Clayface is not going to make a billion dollars. Guys, Clayface is not going to make half a billion dollars. If Clayface can make$300 million, they gotta consider it a huge win. I think at$300 million. DC has to look at Clayface as a big win. A hundred percent big win.

Number one, it's a very unknown character for a lot of average filmgoers in DC. Number two, it is not a traditional comic book film. This is a body horror film. Body horror films can be awesome, but they don't blow up the box off. So yeah, I I'm not just gonna say I I like what Uh iPhoenix is saying that's not just an overreaction, that's a reaction for someone who's smoking way too much of something. Yeah. There is and again, I think Clayface might end up being great.

End up being absolutely great, but there is no chance in heaven or hell. That uh Clayface makes anywhere close to s even smelling the faint scent of a billion-dollar film. No way, no how, no chance. It ain't. It just simply ain't. All right. Thanks for sending in the hot take then. Listen, I'm asking you guys to send hot takes. That's a hot take. So thank you. I I mean it's an overreaction, but it's a hot take, and I thank you for sending it in.

All right. Let's get on to the next hot take, shall we? And the next hot take gets sent to us from Dankin, who writes. John Wick would beat John Bernthal's Punisher in a fight. John Wick would beat John Bernthal's Punisher in a fight. Alright. Uh in as much as it was obvious that the last one was an absolute overreaction, I'm saying this one is almost equally as obvious that this is not an overreaction. Uh John Wicks would take out Frank. in fairly short order.

I'm not saying it would be a one punch man situation. But I don't see that sequence. I mean, two of them locked in a room. I don't see that even if you gave them both weapons. I don't see that fight sequence going more than about thirty or forty seconds. Hmm. Now I'm not saying That John Wick is that much better of a character than Frank Castle, John Bernthal's Punisher. I'm not saying that.

I actually I love the John Wick character. You guys know I love John Wick, but I actually think Frank is a better character. But yeah, if you're just simply straight up saying Like, just put the two of them in a room, weapons or not, which one wins in a fight? John Wick wins that fight. I I again I I don't even think it's a relatively close one. It's like asking, hey, who has better fashion sense, John Wick or Frank Castle?

Well, that's obvious. John Wick. Again, not saying he's a better character, but it's clearly obvious the way they write John Wick, he has the much better fashion sense than Frank does. I dress more like Frank. Than I do like John, but I mean it is what it is. But yeah, if if you're asking me who just straight up wins that fight, I mean that's

That's that's just yeah, that's that's a no-brainer. That one is uh that one is Frank. Uh I like what Adam Rem is saying, but Baba Yaga always wins, man. Yeah, unless you're fighting somebody with superpowers. And even some people with superpowers, I still think would fall to the Baba Yaga. I I completely agree, Adam. So yeah, I'm gonna call. Uh saying that John Wick would beat John Bernthal's the Punisher, an obvious non-overreaction. That is not an overreaction.

Let's move on to our final hot take of the day here, shall we? And the last hot take gets sent into us by Adam, who writes. Doomsday will be the best Russo Brothers directed MCU film. Doomsday, Avengers Doomsday coming out this year, will be the best Russo Brothers directed MCU film. This all depends on how you're gonna define it. I do think doomsday is gonna be the most bombastic. Of the Russo Brother Avengers films, like for sure. And it's gonna be incredibly crowd pleasing.

By saying it's gonna be the best of the Russo Brothers directed films. Guys, the Russo brothers directed Captain America The Winter Soldier, which there are a lot of people who believe that is the single best comic book movie ever made. These are the same guys who made Captain America Civil War. Which I think is a top five best comic book movie ever made. These are the same guys who made Infinity War, which I I think is better than Endgame, but even Endgame was great. Look, I Is it

Possible. Well of course it's possible. Of course it's possible. But I'm gonna call this an overreact. I think doomsday is gonna be great. And I think it's gonna be bombastic. And I think it's gonna be very crowd pleasing. I think audiences are gonna have a real fun time with it. It's gonna be great. But it is a tall order.

To ask for that movie to be as good of a movie as Winter Soldier is, which I again, I agree is one of the best comic book movies ever made. And Civil War, which I is my personal favorite that the Russo Brothers has done. I I think I think Captain America Civil War not only top five, might be a top four, top three. Like because in my top three, My top three in no particular order, okay? In no particular order. My top three are uh the original Avengers movie, the Dark Knight.

And Logan. I I those are to me the the three best that's ever been made. I might have Civil War right in number four there. I might have Civil War right out of there. So yeah, I'm gonna say Since you're asking me to adjudicate your hot take, I'm gonna say Predicting that doomsday is going to be the best of the Russo Brothers movies, while completely possible, it's a really tall order, so I'm going to call it an overreact. All right, guys, that will wrap up today's little installment.

Of overreaction. Thank you guys to all of you who sent in your hot takes. Keep your eyes open on the YouTube channel for when we put out our next call for submissions for your hot takes. And maybe you'll see your hot take get adjudicated. On overreaction.

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uh is has opened up this weekend. I went to go see a screening of it on uh the the little one day advanced fan screening on Wednesday. Then it opened nationwide last night, of course, in theaters again today. And my impressions of it myself was overall thumbs up. I enjoyed it. Now I'm a Michael Jackson fan. I really like his music. I love Antoine Fuqua as a director. And as a pro what I said about it in my review.

Was that as a project that celebrates the music of Michael Jackson, it totally works? And I enjoy it. That being said, I also really understand a lot of the criticism about the movie because, as a movie, it's a bit on the weaker side. It's a little bit on the weaker side as a movie. And I'll talk about that a little bit more later. But listen, I have been predicting. You guys know this who've been watching my show. I've been predicting for over a year that this movie's going to be messed up.

And as of right now, how massive, who knows? It'll depend on how good the movie is, but After just one day Michael has set the all-time opening day preview record for any musical biopic by a large margin. And it scored an A minus cinema score from audience. It made$12.6 million in just its preview nights. Again, by far the largest ever for a music biopic, and scored a really impressive A- Cinema score. How does that compare with

To other musical biopics we've had. Well it's impressive. Take a look at this. The biggest preview night box office ever in history for a musical biopic was straight out of Compton. That made five million dollars on its preview night. It went on to having an opening weekend of$60.2 million. Right below that was Bohemian Rhapsody at three point nine million for its preview nights, went on to make fifty one million dollars for its opening weekend.

The film Elvis, which I correct me if I'm wrong in the live chat, but I think Elvis got nominated for Best Picture, uh, made$3.5 million in fourth place, opening up to$31 million. And Bob Marley's One Love made$3.2 million, going on to make$27. uh uh twenty seven point seven million on its opening weekend but look at that number guy Look at that number. The record was straight out of Compton at five million. Michael more than doubled it. More than doubled it with 12.6 million.

It's right now projected to make somewhere between 90 and 100 million opening weekend. Now, how big it will actually be, I don't know. We'll have to wait and see. But the numbers are going to be big. Whenever a movie comes out and breaks a record, that's notable. Okay, that's notable. But when a movie comes out and breaks a record by more than double of what the previous record was, guys, that's something you gotta remember. It's not just notable. That's something you got to remember.

And what's really good for Michael is not only has it done really well financially, the audiences seem to like it as well. As we go over and look at the list of the best audience scores. From cinema score. The Rotten Tomatoes audience score is good to look at. It is. It's good because it's verified. People who have seen the movie, but cinema score is actually the most accurate because cinema score doesn't just do an online survey.

Cinema score actually physically talk to people and survey people as they're coming out of the theater. So cinema score is the most accurate, and Michael got a really good score. Um, it got an A minus. Now. That makes it tied for the fourth best. Uh at A minus, that ties it with the audience score that Elvis got and the obvious and the uh audience score that Rocket Man got, both really good movies.

But it does put it just a little bit behind Bob Marley One Love, which got an A, straight out of Compton, which got an A. And what I personally think is probably the best musical biopic ever made, which was Bohemian Rhapsody. uh which also got a cinema score of a but to for for Michael to get a cinema score of A minus is fantastic. That that's absolutely great. Audiences are liking it.

And uh and it's making money. These are all really, really good things. Now, this may of course understandably Bring up the discussion about well if the audience score is a minus. And it's making$12 million in its preview nights. Why is there such a discrepancy? between the critic scores, which right now have gone up to forty percent. And The audience score, the Rotten Tomatoes audience score is ninety-six. Why is there such a big discrepancy? Between them.

I've sat here and watched a lot of very weak minded people make up some pathetic ass excuses. Well critics just hate Michael Jackson. No, they don't. No, they don't. I'm sure there are a couple that do. Just uh like I'm sure if you go into McDonald's, there's a couple of people in McDonald's who hate him too. But that is not why the critics gave it or some critics, 60% of the critics, gave it a bad score.

So get the get that weak ass sauce of critics she's doing like Manko Jackson. Shut the fuck up. You're stupid. That's not why. I know I liked it. I gave it a positive review. So I'm one of the 40%. But I think the reason, and and and I'm I'm I'm just my best theory. About why we see such a big discrepancy between the critic scores and the audience scores. is something I've talked about for years.

Which is, and why I understand why there's such a gap. As somebody who liked the movie, I understand why there's such a big gap. When people go to a movie. They will pay to buy a ticket to go to a movie that looks like it's something that really interests them and that they might enjoy. Now, sometimes they do enjoy it, sometimes they don't. Whereas film critics, they don't have that luxury. They just go to see a movie whether it's something that looks like it appeals to them or not.

There are a lot of people out there who don't like Michael Jackson that did not go to see Michael this weekend. Like, no duh, right? Like, of course, obviously. And when Michael when people who love Michael Jackson go to see a Michael Jackson movie and like me are primarily looking for a celebration of Michael Jackson's music, like I was. Then we walk out of the theater with a positive experience, right? Because I think on that level, Michael really works.

And so for myself and other people like me, we go into Michael. primarily looking for a celebration of Michael Jackson's music and to be entertained by his music. And the the movie kills it on that level. And so I, and I think a lot of you, walked out of it really enjoying ourselves. But if you're going into Michael, not really concerned about the music of Michael Jackson, maybe you don't care much about Michael Jackson. You just want to go see a good, solid movie.

Michael has its weaknesses as a film. Like as somebody who I gave a positive review to Michael, I understand because it is very thin, it keeps things very surface, it's very one-dimensional in many ways, it's not a strong move. But as a celebration of Michael Jackson, here's a good ex here's a good comparison. Take the all-time great goat of goats, icon of all icons movie. Breaking. That's right. That's right.

Spielberg couldn't have made breaken. Nolan couldn't have made breaken. Villeneuve couldn't have made breaken. But let's take the movie Breaken. Okay? The 1983 classic breakdancing movie, one of the greatest films of all time. Well it had a similar discrepancy. Whereas Michael has about a 50% discrepancy, Braken has about a 40% discrepancy. A 33% critic score, but a 73% audience score. Why? Because not a lot of people who aren't into breakdancing went to go see break dancing.

But if you were like me My name was Pisces of the Zodiac Crew, Breakdancing Crew. Bet a lot of you didn't know that. I was a professional breakdancer for a while. Let that blow your mind. It's true, I was a professional breakdancer. Anyway. Now it looks like look I can only break my hip. Uh so back in the day That's right, baby! That toad got it, turbo and ozone, man. Full marks to you for knowing that.

Kudos to kudos to you. You are the man for knowing that. Uh yes, uh turbo and uh and ozone. So People like me were just going in to watch Breakin' to see breakdancing. And the breakdancing was fun and it was great. So I walk out understanding that it's one of the greatest films of all time. Shut your filthy whore mouth if you don't agree. But People who just went into break-in to see a good, well-put-together movie, unsurprisingly, were not as impressed with the film.

Oh yeah, that's another good one. Uh that's another good one, Jermaine. Beat Street. Beat Street, king of the beat. You'll be rocking that beat up and down the street. Uh-huh-uh. Beat Street is a what is it? Oh yeah. Beat Street is a lesson too, cause you can't let the street beat you. I even know the fucking song. Beat Street was pretty good too, man. Beat Street was pretty damn good. I like Beat Street. I think break I I think I like breaking a little better.

Um I think, yeah, I think that I think I like breaking a little bit better. But anyway, uh back to the point. So you had people who love breakdancing, they rush out to go see break in, and 73% of them like it because

it delivered what they were looking for. It delivered breakdancing a it and it delivered celebrating breakdancing and and painting breakdancing in a good light. And so they liked it. Whereas The general film critics who were looking for other things like great story, good depth, multidimensional characters, great synergy, all that kind of stuff, they were not as impressed because, because if I'm gonna be honest.

As a movie, breakdance, breaking kind of sucked. I love breaking. Again, shut your dirty whore mouth. But I have to admit that Breaking is not a very good movie. And I think it my guess is, and it's just a guess. My guess is that that's kind of the same phenomena that we're seeing with the discrepancy between the critic score and the audience score of Michael.

A lot of people like myself were were going into Michael just wanting to see a celebration of Michael Jackson, to see a celebration of his music. And listen, man, half the movie, I was dancing in my seat, right? Like I said, I told you guys when they were doing the thriller part. Um when they were doing the thriller part of the movie and showing them making the thriller music video, my wife, uh Dr. Ann Campia, was s I looked over at her and she was literally doing the mm-hmm

Yeah, like she was she was jammed around. And listen, I'm not gonna lie, a good part of the movie, I'm sitting in my seat. You know, although although tell me, i is it bad? Am I wrong for this that whenever I hear the opening music for um beat it? And they went over them making beat it. But whenever I hear beat it, all I hear in my head is weird owls eat it.

Eat it! Eat it! Get yourself an egg and beat it! You know, am I wrong? Is that bad? Or speaking of bad, when they did bad in the movie, there is absolutely Absolutely. Um all I could hear was weird all Yankovic's fat. If I have one more pie out of mode, I'm gonna need my own zip code. Jam on a whole wheat. Anyway. Am I bad? Am I wrong? Is that bad of me to f I'm so it's just the truth. I'm just telling you the truth. As somebody who liked the movie.

That was just the truth for me, anyway. So, again, again, my best guess, because again, I know a lot of film critics. Who were who have been very excited for this Michael movie, who didn't like the movie. They don't hate Michael Jackson. They're not anti-Michael Jackson. They were excited to see it because Antoine Fuch, because Michael Jackson, one of the biggest stars of all time. Antoine Fuch was directing it. They're going to see it.

But they just didn't like it. And listen, as somebody who did like the movie, I understand the critic I agree with a lot of the criticisms, to be honest with you. I say this as somebody who's very pr who is pro this movie. I understand the criticisms. And so again, uh my best guess. The reason you see the discrepancy is that all you had were people who were very pro Michael Jackson going to see the movie to a degree.

And so they're looking for one experience like I was, and the movie did deliver that experience, so we walk out happy. Whereas film critics who are uh agnostic About Michael Jackson, went to the movie just looking for a good movie. And as just a straight-up movie, it definitely has its weaknesses. It definitely does.

Uh now I'm looking forward to seeing the next one. And hopefully they're able to build on it and have some more success. Uh, but that's my my guess. But listen, guys, once again, look at this number. Previous all-time record five million. Michael obliterated it. 12 point six million. How big is the opening weekend going to be? I don't know. We'll find out.

But well, first of all, number one, there have been a number of years that we've come back from Cinemacon and then not done viewer questions that week because we're just kind of exhausted. But uh we are no longer going to be doing, I won't go into all the reasons why. But I I did explain it all in depth to our channel members last night. But moving forward, uh, we will not be doing

Super chats at the end of the John Campio show. Uh, we're just gonna be doing the John Campia show and then ending the show. And again, I went into the full explanation as to why with our channel members. But what we're going to do instead is We are going to um starting on Monday. Almost daily. We're gonna be doing an open mic almost daily. Now I'm not guaranteeing five days a week. Some weeks it'll be five, some weeks it'll be four. Maybe there'll be the odd week where it's three.

But at 4 PM, I might move it to 5 p.m., but at for now it's gonna be 4 p.m. Pacific's time, that's LA time, or that's 7 p.m. New York time. Uh we're gonna be doing open mics, uh where it'll just be dedicated to taking your questions, comments, and topics and stuff like that. So yes, we're gonna be removing it from the John Campia show, but we're gonna be adding in open mics almost daily.

uh to uh make sure we have that opportunity. And as you guys have probably seen in today's show, uh we have been we're gonna be doing more to uh bringing up More and engaging more with your guys' live chat going on in the live chat. So we're gonna be working more during the John Campy show to be interacting with your live chats even more.

It was a little hard for me today because I was doing it by myself. I'm doing the show by myself, but I think you guys probably noticed that I was bringing that in. And somebody's asking here, will I be bringing, will the open mics be on Spotify? Yes, the open mics will indeed be on Spotify.

So uh that's what we're gonna be doing uh moving forward. And I think that's gonna I really think that's gonna make both things better. I think it's gonna make the John Campus show better. I think it's gonna make having more open mics is gonna be a lot of fun. So we're looking forward to doing. Anyway, guys.

That will do it for today's installment of the John Camy show. Thank you so much for being here and making our little show part of your day. Guys, big appreciation. I understand, believe me, that there are a lot of things you guys could be doing with your time. The fact that you decided to take some of your Friday.

Last day of the week to come and hang out with me a little bit. It means the world to me. It really does. And I appreciate it so much. Um, but that will do it for us for now. Make sure you come back and join us on Monday and Our first new open mic will then be later on Monday afternoon. I'm looking forward to doing that. Thanks so much to all of you guys. You guys are awesome. My name is John Campia, and until next time, my friends. 拜拜