PRES RON MEYER SPEAKS ON UNIVERSAL’S “SHITTY MOVIES,” TELLING THE BIG NAMES “NO,” AND MORE...

His line about the internet making everyone's business known was good. It would be nice if he could say about any other big shutdowns that happened pre-internet that people don't much know about.

Uhhh, I liked Land of the Lost and The Wolfman. Haven't seen Cowboys & Aliens, so I can't comment.

Actually, strike that: I LOVED Land of the Lost.

I don't trust anyone who makes dismissive blanket statements about that movie. Fuck Ron Meyer.

Cowboys & Aliens was completely mediocre. Actually, it would've worked best had there not been any Aliens at all.

As far as Universal bombs, they picked some soft balls. Would have liked to see him address the thought process behind Green Zone. That movie was awesome.

Not cool that he threw Benicio under the bus - Wolfman was his passion project - but it's nice to see a studio exec being truthful AND also clearly a fan of the movies he makes. Unlike that asshat at Disney who was recently like, "Story isn't important. Want proof? ALICE IN WONDERLAND. HAHAHAHAHA."

The thing I've had to grapple with is the realization that these studio bosses really don't even like movies. I know it sounds crazy. But to them, they're just widgets. Product. And the big question is how do they sell these widgets and get a solid return on their investment.

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Originally Posted by BTSMGL 

Uhhh, I liked Land of the Lost and The Wolfman. Haven't seen Cowboys & Aliens, so I can't comment.

 

Actually, strike that: I LOVED Land of the Lost.

 

I don't trust anyone who makes dismissive blanket statements about that movie. Fuck Ron Meyer.

Yeah, I'm a bit of a Wolfman apologist and that comment brought a single tear, recycling Indian style.

Benicio was terrible for the Wolfman and Meyer's comment was spot on.

As for the comments I appreciate his candor on the subject. He is being truthful.

Its a business first and foremost. Bottom line is they have thrown a lot of money at terrible projects.

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Originally Posted by Bradito 

The thing I've had to grapple with is the realization that these studio bosses really don't even like movies. I know it sounds crazy. But to them, they're just widgets. Product. And the big question is how do they sell these widgets and get a solid return on their investment.

That Q&A simply proves what we all know deep down: that Hollywood studio films turn out to be actually good by accident, not design.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bradito 

The thing I've had to grapple with is the realization that these studio bosses really don't even like movies. I know it sounds crazy. But to them, they're just widgets. Product. And the big question is how do they sell these widgets and get a solid return on their investment.

Pretty much nothing he said backs this up. This isn't like the Disney guy who outright said he's happy to put out empty dreck to make money. This guy might not share the culty tastes of the geek world, but he does seem to have an awareness and interest in quality - he's outright saying he thinks some of their flops deserved to be flops because they were shit. But he's also aware of the sometimes unfortunate realities of keeping a large scale movie studio profitable and competitive.

Except they're interesting failures he's singled out. Universal turns out a lot more outright shit than LAND OF THE LOST, and yet he goes after the high-profile stuff that was at least driven by creativity. He's playing to the cheap seats. When you're happy to put out shit like COUPLE'S RETREAT, JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN and THE CHANGE-UP you've really got no place going after something as flawed but passionate as THE WOLFMAN.

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Originally Posted by Andrew Merriweather 

Except they're interesting failures he's singled out. Universal turns out a lot more outright shit than LAND OF THE LOST, and yet he goes after the high-profile stuff that was at least driven by creativity. He's playing to the cheap seats. When you're happy to put out shit like COUPLE'S RETREAT, JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN and THE CHANGE-UP you've really got no place going after something as flawed but passionate as THE WOLFMAN.

Well, "flawed" and "passionate" are relate terms... :)
 

And he never "championed" stuff like Couples Retreat. If you become a studio executive, however, you're going to have to make a LOT of shit. How many execs can say they're proud of all their movies? The first Johnny English was HUGE overseas. Are you really going to say no to a sequel that can (and WILL) outgross it? That's some shitty fucking business. Who's to say he's HAPPY he released The Change-Up? Even if that film were a hit, the attitude would have to be, "Oh, yeah... we made that, I guess. Made some money."

From his perspective, Land of the Lost may have been funny, but the wrong people were involved, it was mismanaged, and cost too much money. The movie may have been amusing, but not at the cost Universal ended up paying when the film was a flop. If they're going to make bombs, at least make them GREAT bombs, and not passable-to-good ones like Land of the Lost.

Point being: if he wants to play businessman, fair enough, but he should stay away from artistic judgements in discussions like this. It's one thing to say "we obviously messed up on LAND OF THE LOST as it didn't make us the money we wanted it to", it's entirely another to say "it was shit and a disaster". He's having his cake and eating it by going after these high-profile flops from a quality standpoint whilst ignoring the reams of awful product Universal puts out because it sells to the lowest common denominator.

And he's not taking any risks saying stuff like this. He's kicking projects that are already lying in the gutter to score cheap points for "honesty".

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bradito 

The thing I've had to grapple with is the realization that these studio bosses really don't even like movies. I know it sounds crazy. But to them, they're just widgets. Product. And the big question is how do they sell these widgets and get a solid return on their investment.

Yeah, I have no respect for a guy who admits to sandbagging ATMOM because it wouldn't have made a profit fast enough. Not that it would have lost them money, it just wouldn't have made them money as fast as they could make it with another lowest common denominator piece of junk

If I had an offer from Universal and I was a writer or director, I would have to think twice about it after those comments.

Sure, they may be candid, but not everything that doesn't click with an audience is shit. Sometimes it is just the wrong movie at the wrong time. Be better to say it just didn't work.

And yes, studios are in the business of making money. I understand that very well. But like any business, sometimes things work and sometimes they don't and you just have to figure out afterwards if there was anything you could have done to fix it. Sometimes it is no one's fault, and it is just business.

I would also be willing to bet Meyer is doing some serious damage control this week. Some of those names can't be happy with him or Universal right now.

Universal is also in the middle of a regime change, and everyone in the industry knows it's because they gambled on big budget interesting stuff, and lost a LOT.

Also, he's talking about some big boys. It's not like Steven Spielberg sat up this morning and said, "Wait, he was RIGHT about Cowboys And Aliens!" "Land of the Lost" was a FIASCO that no studio would want on their resume, even if it made a few token dorks like me chuckle. Yeah, he might have to play politics after this a little, but Meyer wasn't exactly BLOWING THE LID OFF.

Except for that Benicio remark. That was some cold shit.

The thing I found odd was him putting down "Babe: Pig in the City". Why the FUCK would he bring up a movie from 1998 that's mostly forgotten, except by people who champion it as an underrated gem? I know it wasn't as successful as the first "Babe" movie with its Oscar nominations and everything, but it wasn't a disaster either. I don't understand bringing up a movie that old unless it was a huge travesty like "Heaven's Gate" or something.

It may have underperformed at the box office, but picking that movie out of all the movies they've ever made that bombed financially makes no sense. I probably sound like I'm upset because I liked that movie, but I never actually saw it. I'm just bewildered by the hate for it, because I know Gene Siskel praised it as the best movie of 1998, and that guy did not give that sort of praise easily. He was extremely picky, and for him to single out the movie like that makes me think it must have been doing something right.

Jamie Cromwell is a big part of the festival, so Babe is always on everyone's mind.

BABE PIG IN THE CITY is a great movie. What the fuck is this guy talking about? This reeks of an addled old guy who's on his way out blabbering out of turn.

Actually, yeah, Babe 2 was pretty great. I take back what I said, fuck this guy.

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Originally Posted by Casey Moore 

If I had an offer from Universal and I was a writer or director, I would have to think twice about it after those comments.

Absolutely.

Here is the thing though. High budget high profile films stuff over 60 million I understand why the studios are starting to buckle down. They have had some huge disasters.

Its the 15 to 30 million dollar budgeted films that have me worried. I worry they just won't be making many of those types of films anymore.

They're not making the 15 to 30 million dollar films anymore. Praise HBO for filling the slot (see "You Don't Know Jack", "Mildred Pierce", and the upcoming Soderbergh Liberace film). And it's not just Universal. Seems all major studios are unwilling.

    Universal still has "Battleship" to be unleashed on us next summer. I can't wait to hear Meyer's reaction to that movie, bet it's going to sink just like...well, I'm sure your familiar with the game. 

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Originally Posted by levrock 

They're not making the 15 to 30 million dollar films anymore. Praise HBO for filling the slot (see "You Don't Know Jack", "Mildred Pierce", and the upcoming Soderbergh Liberace film). And it's not just Universal. Seems all major studios are unwilling.

I think the time is right for the rise of some sort of 'super-indie' studio. Not the prestige arms of the big guys like Focus. Just a studio led by a Corman-esque guy dedicated to making 15 to 25 million dollar films and getting them to 50 in the Box Office. And I mean dedicated. New Line style LOTR risks should be avoided. 

Paging Megan Ellison?

Sure. She could probably bankroll such a studio out of her pocket.