Bob PeryeaPotterteering (thats a play on profiteering in case you missed it)
March 14th 2008 00:14
Just a quick note this time on what is blatant profiteering: Variety is reporting that the final Harry Potter movie will be split into two separate movies released six months apart. The studio is claiming that it is able to use much more of the book now and a more authentic story. Sure, sounds good, but then why didn’t they do that for all the films in the series? It’s not like they weren’t going to be successful enough to warrant it.
I don’t get the whole Potter-mania thing anyway. I’ve read all the books and I really enjoyed them. I’ve seen all the movies (I think, I may be one short) and they were pretty good. But this isn’t some modern day fantasy classic like so many people think. JK Rowling is not JRR Tolkien, not even CS Lewis. The only thing she has going for her are using initials instead of an actual name. Screw it, she’s not even in Terry Pratchet’s league, I mean he holds the record for ‘most shoplifted books in Britain’ beat that Rowling! They are just above average books originally targeted to a young audience and (in what is an ingenious marketing strategy) grows up with them. So the books they were reading when they were 8 have continuity with the ones when they’re 16. Also Book 7’s ending was weak. Amazingly weak. I won’t ruin it for the 7 of you that haven’t read it yet, but I mean come on. Seriously? I waited 10 years for that?
According to the same article in Variety the book version of Deathly Hallows has sold 11 million copies, and the movies have now surpassed James Bond as the most profitable series ever. And what better way to extend that then by adding an extra movie on to the end. There is still instalment 6 to come out before 7 and 7.5, and if I remember correctly it was hardly small either. So do they have an excuse to not splitting it up? Apparently not; staying truthful to the book is all well and good, but the excuse doesn’t work when you’ve not done the same to the 6 previous films and merely want to draw out the ending for as long as possible.
The sad thing is I will probably see them both, but not without whinging the whole time. Take that Hollywood!
I don’t get the whole Potter-mania thing anyway. I’ve read all the books and I really enjoyed them. I’ve seen all the movies (I think, I may be one short) and they were pretty good. But this isn’t some modern day fantasy classic like so many people think. JK Rowling is not JRR Tolkien, not even CS Lewis. The only thing she has going for her are using initials instead of an actual name. Screw it, she’s not even in Terry Pratchet’s league, I mean he holds the record for ‘most shoplifted books in Britain’ beat that Rowling! They are just above average books originally targeted to a young audience and (in what is an ingenious marketing strategy) grows up with them. So the books they were reading when they were 8 have continuity with the ones when they’re 16. Also Book 7’s ending was weak. Amazingly weak. I won’t ruin it for the 7 of you that haven’t read it yet, but I mean come on. Seriously? I waited 10 years for that?
According to the same article in Variety the book version of Deathly Hallows has sold 11 million copies, and the movies have now surpassed James Bond as the most profitable series ever. And what better way to extend that then by adding an extra movie on to the end. There is still instalment 6 to come out before 7 and 7.5, and if I remember correctly it was hardly small either. So do they have an excuse to not splitting it up? Apparently not; staying truthful to the book is all well and good, but the excuse doesn’t work when you’ve not done the same to the 6 previous films and merely want to draw out the ending for as long as possible.
The sad thing is I will probably see them both, but not without whinging the whole time. Take that Hollywood!
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Comment by jon
Orble News
Urban Hint
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Thanks,
Jon.
Comment by Geoff Egan
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Took your advice with the email too, prefer not to miss them