Lancelot Link: Pan Gets Panned

Lancelot Link Monday! How many different versions of PETER PAN can you make? Studios always seem to want "branded entertainment", but what if that doesn't work? What happens when the audience just isn't interested in the brand? Isn't a "Peter Pan" what they wash your junk in at one of those legal Nevada brothels? Maybe Peter Pan is a bad brand? HOOK was one of Spielberg's worst films, and it's in the bottom half of his films as far as Box Office is concerned... and that's *Spielberg*! So why would you give $150 million to the director of THE SOLOIST to make a new version? Maybe this is a brand that doesn't work? Maybe the idea of brands only works sometimes... making it a crap shoot? PAN ended up with 14% (Top Critics) on Rotten Tomatoes and #3 at the box office in the USA this week... and a Big Time Flop Outside The USA. But, from the producer of THE GREEN LANTERN, so that $150 million was a good idea, right? While you're thinking about that, here are this week's links to some great screenwriting and film articles, plus some fun stuff that may be of interest to you. Brought to you by that suave and sophisticated secret agent...




Here are a baker's dozen links plus this week's car chase...


1) Weekend Box Office Estimates:
1 Martian......................... $37,000,000
2 Hotel Tranny 2.................. $20,300,000
3 Pan............................. $15,530,000
4 Intern........................... $8,660,000
5 Sicario.......................... $7,350,000
6 Scorch Trials.................... $5,250,000
7 The Walk......................... $3,650,000
8 Black Mass....................... $3,130,000
9 Everest.......................... $3,030,000
10 The Visit........................ $2,420,000


How is Box Office doing this year? +5.9% over last year. +1.5% over 2013. +2.3% over 2012. +6.1% over 2011. +2.4% over 2010. So, good. And remember we have a James Bond movie and a Star Wars movie coming out later this year.

2) VOD Box Office Numbers?

3) HIGH RISE Clip and Q&A. I can't wait to see this film!

4) Mexican Cinema Is Alive And Well! Every year Raindance Film Fest does a Mexican Cinema sidebar, and some of my favorite films from the fest come from there!

5) Free Movies From Paramount? Some *great* movies you can stream for free!

6) 8 Habits Of People With Great Ideas... More on this in the Ideas Blue Book.

7) PAN Screenwriter Interview.

8) Takashi Miike Interview.

9) Based On A True Story?

10) Film Courage's Top 20 Screenwriting Interviews.

11) Relativity Soap Opera Continues...

12) USUAL SUSPECTS 20th Anniversary Screening, with Singer Q&A.

13) They're making A Sequel To That? And the Car Chase Of The Week:



Who needs a car?

Bill