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[Karkador]

“You’ve got a movie that is very important to the fanboys since it’s based on a Japanese anime movie,” Davies added. “So you’re always trying to thread that needle between honoring the source material and make a movie for a mass audience. That’s challenging, but clearly the reviews didn’t help.”

I'm not really sure if "fanboys" asked for this movie

and if they did, they probably didn't ask for Scarlett Johansson, because they are most likely already used to consuming Japanese media very close to its native state. You could have subtitled this movie and they would have been happy.

Meanwhile, the mass audience you tried to court with this anime remake from the 90s was either never gonna care about anime, or else they'd be in the "fanboy" category you don't quite seem to understand, either.

So maybe all you had left were the Asian section of the mass audience who you put off by not casting someone from the home team, and the schlocky cinema fans you lost a hold of by making the thing PG-13.

So yeah, Paramount Studios executive, you guys fucked up.

 

[ReAxion]

I would say that it was the casting itself, not the controversy or the conversation about it, Bob.

 

[Bolivar687]

Not a lot of sympathy for ya on that one. It shouldn't have been a part of the tradeoff analysis between honoring the source material and reaching a mass audience, like they suggest.

Also that last quote... wonder if he meant "Otakus" but decided to go for "fanboys" instead.

 

[Muppet of a Man]

“You’ve got a movie that is very important to the fanboys since it’s based on a Japanese anime movie,” Davies added. “So you’re always trying to thread that needle between honoring the source material and make a movie for a mass audience. That’s challenging, but clearly the reviews didn’t help.”

so apparently japanese actress = honoring the source material while white actress = movie for a mass audience

you can't make up this kind of fuckery

My thoughts exactly. Some very heavily coded language there.

This is an era where young people are seeking authenticity and you make ScarJo the head of a cult Anime movie reboot?

 

[Megalosaro]

I mean, no. It flopped because it's not good.

The whitewashing didn't help though.

As long as they have their eyes on the situation though, GITS is a fine sacrifice for the movement.

Yes, a movie that depite having a white
lead still manages to have a cast that is probably the most diverse in a Hollywood movie in a while) is a good sacrifice for the movement.

Movie is a 7/10. Descent bUT not great. But the politicizing of this movie reeks of cutting of noise to spit face

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Casting an Asian actress would have been a little more convincing that they were trying to stick to the source material at least, might have drawn in more of the core fans.

I for sure don't disagree there, but would that have been greater than the trade off of people who saw it because it was a pretty looking SciFi movie with ScarJo?

The world will never know.

 

[Slayven]

So you’re always trying to thread that needle between honoring the source material and make a movie for a mass audience.

Asian people are not for the masses

 

[Keyouta]

"You have a soul... a ghost. And we put it in a mechanical body... a shell."

Insulting audiences probably didn't help either.

Yeah lol the first 10 minutes of the film I was asking myself, "Do they think we're that stupid." And they repeated it a second time I'm pretty sure within that time frame.

 

[Firemind]

They should have seen it coming with Lucy.

 

[Crocodile]

Honestly, it probably wasn't the major contributing factor to the film's demise. However, WW for purely cynical reasons does little to expand appeal (with all the unfortunate implications that thought process has) and does a lot to piss off more hardcore fans of the IP or those who care about representation in Hollywood. It's a lose-lose situation. Either change the adaptation to a point where it make sense (see The Departed or Edge of Tomorrow) or recognize you have an Asian property that works best with Asian roles.

 

[BitStyle]

And as per usual, Hollywood learns the wrong lesson.

Yep. Par for the course

 

[Whompa02]

I believe it. Really stupid to be frank.

 

[Ridley327]

Partly. But also I just don't think people cared. Maybe Lucy was just an anamoly and Johannsen isn't as big a draw as they thought

I guarantee you that if Lucy came out in the same spot that GITS did, it would not have done any better. Lucy had one of the cushiest schedules to contend with.

 

[ultracal31]

Not a lot of sympathy for ya on that one. It shouldn't have been a part of the tradeoff analysis between honoring the source material and reaching a mass audience, like they suggest.

Also that last quote... wonder if he meant "Otakus" but decided to go for "fanboys" instead.

Easier to say fanboys to make it more concise?

All the same I blame them solely on the movie as they were aware of the problems of the movies for many months and chose not to fix it.

 

[Goro Majima]

Saying that audiences didn't go see Ghost in the Shell because people were outraged about the whitewashing controversy seems naively optimistic based on our current political environment.

Although I liked the movie, this movie suffered from poor reviews, bad trailers, and Scarlett Johannson's questionable ability to carry a movie despite the former. Anecdotally, if a lot of movie goers are like my fiancé (who said the movie was kinda weird and dragged in parts) - I can't imagine the word of mouth is that great either.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

They should have seen it coming with Lucy.

But Lucy was a $40 million movie that made $127 mil.

 

[Loudninja]

Asian people are not for the masses

That what it sounds like to me as well ugh.

 

[wumster3000]

This among other reasons are why I have no desire to see it.

 

[Arkeband]

It needed to have been rated R to attract a different kind of audience. And it would have needed nudity and blood.

The whitewashing sucked but it's not what caused it to fail, although it definitely didn't help it.

 

[Slayven]

The terrible commercials didn't help either.

 

[cdyhybrid]

I for sure don't disagree there, but would that have been greater than the trade off of people who saw it because it was a pretty looking SciFi movie with ScarJo?

The world will never know.

Yeah, no way to tell, but it seems like a moot point. It was probably gonna bomb either way because it was just underwhelming in general from the moment they announced it.

 

[Magus1234]

It doesn't sound like it but hopefully the push back will have some effect on role choices in the future. Realistically they will just not choose to make any movies deriving from Anime, which is also pretty good.

 

[Mesoian]

Am I reading it wrong, or is that quote trying to paint the picture that the movie flopped not because of the white washing, but that people called it white washing?

That is correct. This is execs with their asses on the line talking to press. They'll say anything at this point other than it was their own fault.

I have believed since the first time I heard the voice over saying "you are the first of your kind" that this movie wasn't going to accurately portray what made ghost in the shell a classic. Why didn't they just call in "CYBORG" or something?

"WE PAID FOR THAT LICENCE AND BY GOD, WE'RE GONNA USE IT!"

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

It needed to have been rated R to attract a different kind of audience. And it would have needed nudity and blood.

The whitewashing sucked but it's not what caused it to fail, although it definitely didn't help it.

I feel like if they had cast an Asian lead, and let the John Wick guys make it, we might have gotten somewhere.

 

[Angelus Errare]

“You’ve got a movie that is very important to the fanboys since it’s based on a Japanese anime movie,” Davies added. “So you’re always trying to thread that needle between honoring the source material and make a movie for a mass audience. That’s challenging, but clearly the reviews didn’t help.”

so apparently japanese actress = honoring the source material while white actress = movie for a mass audience

you can't make up this kind of fuckery

Yea that was my take away from this interview.

 

[Discotheque]

I don't think that's why it flopped at all

But this is one of those times where I'm glad they're misinformed about their failure. It could lead to actually hiring more minorities in the future

 

[Mesoian]

But Lucy was a $40 million movie that made $127 mil.

To be fair, I think they tricked a lot of people with that one. People thought that movie was going to be far better than it was.

They were basically trying to do the same trick with a project that already had a lot of negative buzz on it, it was a fool's errand. Very "fool me once, shame on you..."

 

[HStallion]

I for sure don't disagree there, but would that have been greater than the trade off of people who saw it because it was a pretty looking SciFi movie with ScarJo?

The world will never know.

People still didn't see it even with Scarjo

 

[schlynch]

This.

And don't hire Rupert Sanders.

 

[VeryGooster]

“You’ve got a movie that is very important to the fanboys since it’s based on a Japanese anime movie,” Davies added. “So you’re always trying to thread that needle between honoring the source material and make a movie for a mass audience. That’s challenging, but clearly the reviews didn’t help.”

so apparently japanese actress = honoring the source material while white actress = movie for a mass audience

you can't make up this kind of fuckery

lol for real. eat shit, Paramount exec

 

[CHC]

And as per usual, Hollywood learns the wrong lesson.

Seriously.

And I love how they talk about this huge imaginary gap between the "source material" and something that can resonate with a "mass audience." Like, c'mon you dumb fucks, it's not like Ghost in the Shell is some obscure-ass niche title here. It's like probably one of the biggest 3 animes.... ever?

Like, just make a fucking movie that is good for the same reasons as the source material and cast it with people that make sense for the roles and you'll be fine. Morons.

 

[KSweeley]

This.

And don't hire Rupert Sanders.

I'm seriously questioning who at Paramount/Dreamworks thought bringing on a relative newbie director for a $110 million budget movie was a great idea.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

“You’ve got a movie that is very important to the fanboys since it’s based on a Japanese anime movie,” Davies added. “So you’re always trying to thread that needle between honoring the source material and make a movie for a mass audience. That’s challenging, but clearly the reviews didn’t help.”

so apparently japanese actress = honoring the source material while white actress = movie for a mass audience

you can't make up this kind of fuckery

But isn't it true?
It's all speculation, but do you think a GitS with an all Asian cast (or at least an Asian female lead) would have sold better?
The mass market is still the audience that wants a flashy action movie. Not the (rather small I guess) audience that comprises of die hard Anime-fans that would watch the movie only with an Asian cast.

 

[OG Shaka Zulu]

"Calling out whitewashing is worse than whitewashing."

 

[Frozenprince]

But Lucy was a $40 million movie that made $127 mil.

That didn't release against a Disney movie and another action movie within the same window.

It had a ridiculous opening in the market that GitS didn't share. No matter what it was never gonna make money.

 

[Arkeband]

I feel like if they had cast an Asian lead, and let the John Wick guys make it, we might have gotten somewhere.

Maybe. Right now it appeals to no one except cyberpunk enthusiasts. PG13 really neuters what they're allowed to do.

ScarJo was nude in Under the Skin but it was a little less gonzo than it would have been here. A lot of actresses would turn down the role if they tried to make it adhere too closely to the source material.

 

[jmdajr]

It had more issues than just that.

 

[TheWorthyEdge]

No, it flopped because no one gives a fuck.

 

[tuxfool]

You're over complicating: it flopped because of all the people who didn't go see it.

It all feeds into it. They couldn't put out an interesting trailer because their internal vision for the film was a mess. This problem starts out right at the top with the decision to make it a blockbuster action movie.

Now there is no way we can tell for sure if it would work out well for their box office results, but it surely could have turned out differently.

 

[Litan]

Yes, a movie that depite having a white
lead still manages to have a cast that is probably the most diverse in a Hollywood movie in a while) is a good sacrifice for the movement.

Movie is a 7/10. Descent bUT not great. But the politicizing of this movie reeks of cutting of noise to spit face

Didn't you already get shut down in the other thread for posting this nonsense?

Acting like having minority characters in the background and in supporting roles to the white characters is some big accomplishment in this day and age.
We're not as desperate as we once were.

 

[Rodney McKay]

My girlfriend usually loves strong female-lead action movies, but when she saw commercials for this one she just asked "why is she fighting people naked?".

 

[Anung]

It flopped because they tried to make 110 million dollar movie out of Ghost in the Shell.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

They don't get it, but hey if GitS is the poster child for the death of Hollywood whitewashing against Asians then I'm ok with this.

 

[Crono27]

It flopped because the movie was garbage. Paid 7 bucks and almost fell asleep.

 

[VariantX]

“You’ve got a movie that is very important to the fanboys since it’s based on a Japanese anime movie"

Oh, this quote reeks of missing the point and learning fucking nothing whatsoever...

 

[Sunster]

Seriously.

And I love how they talk about this huge imaginary gap between the "source material" and something that can resonate with a "mass audience." Like, c'mon you dumb fucks, it's not like Ghost in the Shell is some obscure-ass niche title here. It's like probably one of the biggest 3 animes.... ever?

Like, just make a fucking movie that is good for the same reasons as the source material and cast it with people that make sense for the roles and you'll be fine. Morons.

and even if they fail after doing all that, at least they wouldn't be complete morons.

It flopped because the movie was garbage. Paid 7 bucks and almost fell asleep.

where do you live where you have $7 movies?

 

[Zoe]

But isn't it true?
It's all speculation, but do you think a GitS with an all Asian cast (or at least an Asian female lead) would have sold better?
The mass market is still the audience that wants a flashy action movie. Not the (rather small I guess) audience that comprises of die hard Anime-fans that would watch the movie only with an Asian cast.

They put all of their eggs in one basket with Johansson. They could have stacked the supporting roles with big names.

 

[vinnygambini]

I'm seriously questioning who at Paramount/Dreamworks thought bringing on a relative newbie director for a $110 million budget movie was a great idea.

He's not a newbie though...

 

[Trago]

Maybe this was the kick in the balls they needed to stop with the bullshit?

Probably not, Hollywood gonna Hollywood.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

It all feeds into it. They couldn't put out an interesting trailer because their internal vision for the film was a mess. This problem starts out right at the top with the decision to make it a blockbuster action movie.

Now there is no way we can tell for sure if it would work out well for their box office results, but it surely could have turned out differently.

Is this some new kind of trolling?

Spoiler

I was being sarcastic in both posts