A long time ago, in a discount theatre far, far away, was a box office bomb which had disappointed movie-goers around the world.
Of course, that's not what happened in reality . On the contrary, when Star Wars was released in 1977, it became an instant sensation, smashing box office records (even today, it's the 4th-highest-grossing film of all time, adjusting for inflation). It paved the way for two sequels; three prequels; three more sequels; several spin-offs; a vast expanded universe; and a media juggernaut which shows no signs of slowing down after 40+ years.
However, it didn't have to be this way. It took a lotof editing and revision to get it to the point where it was when it first hit the cinemas. Some of you may have seen the video about "How Star Wars was saved in the edit" - but, if you hadn't, the film was originally much slower-paced, and bombarded movie-goers with exposition that they didn't need. It's hard to imagine it would have been well-received in this state, so it's tempting to ask: what if the film had been panned by critics, resulting in it failing to make any money?
Here are some points to consider:
Discuss.
Of course, that's not what happened in reality . On the contrary, when Star Wars was released in 1977, it became an instant sensation, smashing box office records (even today, it's the 4th-highest-grossing film of all time, adjusting for inflation). It paved the way for two sequels; three prequels; three more sequels; several spin-offs; a vast expanded universe; and a media juggernaut which shows no signs of slowing down after 40+ years.
However, it didn't have to be this way. It took a lotof editing and revision to get it to the point where it was when it first hit the cinemas. Some of you may have seen the video about "How Star Wars was saved in the edit" - but, if you hadn't, the film was originally much slower-paced, and bombarded movie-goers with exposition that they didn't need. It's hard to imagine it would have been well-received in this state, so it's tempting to ask: what if the film had been panned by critics, resulting in it failing to make any money?
Here are some points to consider:
- Does another franchise come along and do something similar to what Star Wars did? If so, what might that be?
- Are there any other films that don't get made in this universe? For example, the Star Trek movies came hot on the heels of Star Wars - so, are those still made? (And what about the Indiana Jones films, since those were Lucasfilm, just like Star Wars?)
- Do Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher still become major stars? If so, how?
- I am aware that Splinter of the Mind's Eye (which began the Expanded Universe) was written with the intention of being adapted into a low-budget sequel, should Star Wars underperform at the box office. So, does this still happen - and, are there any more films after that?
Discuss.
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Moonface (in 'Woman runs 49 red lights in ex's car')' Wrote: If only she had ran another 20 lights.
(Thanks to Nilla for the avatar, and Detective Osprey for the sig!)
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