Over
the last couple of years studios have been eschewing full length
advance screenings of films for folks like me and have instead favored
extensive footage presentations. Basically the way it works is that I go
to a theater and the studio shows me 30 or so minutes from their
upcoming feature; it’s usually a couple of chunks of film, and not 30
minutes in a row.
I’m not a fan of that method, and I’ve
skipped some footage presentations because I think sitting through so
much of the film really ruins the final experience. I get why the studio
wants to show me the best parts and get me psyched, but they’re
shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to the final viewing of
the film.
So
what about Disney’s bold new plan for Toy Story 3 – show it two months early near
college campuses (to students only), but only screen the first 65
minutes? It’s called the “Cliffhanger Edition” of the film, and it’s
what they’re doing over the next two months. If you’re a college student
you should click
here and see if the movie – or the first two acts, anyway – is playing
near you.
The
question you must answer, though, is whether or not this is worth it to
you. Will sitting through that first 65 minutes a second time two
months later when the movie is finally released impact your enjoyment of
the film as a whole? Is it better to go in fresh and just enjoy Toy Story 3
from
beginning to end as it was meant to be seen?
Your call.
via
Upcoming Pixar
14 comments
Since the rise of social networking, studios have realised they no longer need to pander to the "web journalists" for early coverage since they can go straight to the audience and let Facebook and Twitter spread the word rather than wasting PR resources on dozens of two-bit movie sites.
….to be fair, Chud.com is at LEAST a three-bit movie site…
can anybody explain to me why having 4 or 5 Shreks is milking the cow and unoriginal, but 3 TS it´s all kinds of cool? Geez, enough with the Pixar free pass.
"can anybody explain to me why having 4 or 5 Shreks is milking the cow and unoriginal, but 3 TS it´s all kinds of cool? Geez, enough with the Pixar free pass."
Let me break it down for you: Shrek fucking sucks, Toy Story doesn't.
There, now you've learned something today. Come back tomorrow if you care to learn anything else.
I can't imagine why anyone would want to go to a theater to watch part of a movie. Unless it was the only footage existing of a mostly lost film, or something like that.
Comment #4 was absolutely perfect. I was going to comment about Pixar earning their "pass" but that would be pointless as class was already dismissed.
Seems silly. Watching the first 65 minutes would surely make me: 1. a little fidgety for 65 minutes when I actually went to see the final product, and 2. Underwhelmed when I then finally got to see the final third. Not that it would be BAD… I've pretty much given myself up to the glories of Pixar… just a lot of internal hype buildup that couldn't possibly pay off in an animated movie for all ages. Weird choice.
Pixar is totally overrated.
Another advantage of this would be to show up about an hour late so you miss the 20 minutes of car and cellphone commercials and movie trailers you've already seen. And to be honest, I can't think of any Pixar movie in which I've only seen once. They should do this for Harry Potter Films, because I usually walk out of those crapfests at around that time.
^ Replace Harry Potter (I like 'em) with Michael Bay flicks and I agree with you. Also, I don't own many dvds, but I do own a surprising number of Pixar flicks, so yeah, they make Dreamworks' and Blue Sky's garbage look even worse than they already are.
Here's the real question with Toy Story 3- if you take Pixar's last two movies(WALL-E and UP) the films really degrade after the first 65 minutes. Not that the latter halves weren't good, but the first hours of both movies were close to phenomenal. So what is Disney doing here? Are they that confident in the last hour? Or like WALL-E and UP are they just giving people the best parts to generate buzz? Seriously if I'd only seen the first hour of both of those movies then went in to see them again I think I'd be a little disappointed.
EH, they are doing it for 2 reasons. First, it is good pr, as one commentor said, by people who saw a lot of it twittering and posting about it in their blogs/facebooks. 2nd, they are using it as a sting operation to tag digital pirates who are releasing these moving on the web recorded in theaters. They have planted sneaky little visual cue's so whatever version hits the web is an instant give-away to where it originated. Then they can firebomb the theater with old film reels, gasoline and dynamite and *hopefully* those pirates with it. nyahahahahah
Comment #4 was priceless! Even though I like the first Shrek, it's not on the level of Toy Story or Toy Story 2. The other Shrek movies suck. Also, Toy Story 3 looks like it has a good story going for it, and the early buzz has been fantastic. All that being said, it would not go to see only the first 65 minutes; I'd much rather see the whole movie at once. A movie like Toy Story 3 (assuming it is great) would need to be seen in it's entirety.
Comment #8, why not clarify why Pixar is overratedl? I mean, just simply stating it has really gotten me sold.
Comment #11, I agree that WALL-E's ending was weaker than the earlier parts of the film, but personally I loved Up's ending.
Actually, while it's a bad idea for good movies like TS3 it's great for most other movies that screw the pooch after the second act. Catch the rest on TV a year later. No biggie.
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