Are the film creators and entertainment conglomerates in charge of the new Tintin franchise a bit nervous? Or merely savvy?
... Sony and Paramount, which are sharing most territories, are releasing Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn in the major European territories from October, two months ahead of its rollout in the US. The aim is to arrive in the US with the wind of a European blockbuster hit behind it. ...
“Tintin is very well known in Europe and less well known in other parts of the world,” says Andrew Cripps, resident of Paramount International. “The best thing for this film is to do very well in Europe and then move into the US on the back of huge success.” ...
But will that be enough? There have been numerous movies that were blockbusters in Europe and weaklings elsewhere. Tintin is close to a cult on the continent, and has been for sixty-plus years. Unfortunately, the kid has never caught fire in other parts of the globe. And face it: Pure mocap is not riding a tall, cresting wave of popularity just now.
What's becoming evident as we roll along is, motion capture combined with live-action often finds favor (Avatar and Rise of the Planet of the Apes being two sterling examples.) But it's hard to point to any breakout hits with motion capture alone. Zemeckis had a middle-of-the-road hit with Polar Express, followed by a long string of box office under-achievers. The uncanny valley is, apparently, tough geography to hike through.
So Paramount and Sony might be understandably tense about how their latest mocap movie performs world-wide. On the other hand, the picture does have Andy Serkis in it, so I'm confident there is little reason for anyone to be uptight.
After all, what could go wrong with Serkis aboard?
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7 comments:
I remember stumbling on some Tintin comics in the public library as a boy, and being so excited by this mysterious comic from overseas. I immediately wanted to read more.
If I were that same little boy today, and I stumbled upon the trailers and poster for the Tintin movie, I wouldn't give a second glance. I don't know if it will tank here in the states, but I think it's likely.
Worked SO well for another children's cartoon--winnie the pooh...
Serkis' magic only works for ape-like creatures. Anything else, is in the uncanny valley.
"" The uncanny valley is, apparently, tough geography to hike through. ""
Great line, Steve,!!
I was originally going to write:
"The uncanny valley is, apparently, tough geography through which to hike."
Couldn't decide whether to avoid the dangling preposition or not.
(Mark Twain doesn't care. Why should I?)
Serkis is a mediocre actor. He found his niche in mocap acting, but then again, he's as replaceable as a pencil...
s.
Terrible film.
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