It’s amazing a major Hollywood studio would greenlight “Green Zone,” an expensive war film disparaging the U.S. mission in Iraq after so many similarly themed films crashed and burned at the box office.
The film drew just $14.3 million in its first weekend of release on 3,400-plus screens, an “epic flop” to quote the LA Times’ Patrick Goldstein.
This weekend, its numbers crashed 66 percent. The studio will lose plenty on the deal, something a fifth grader could have predicted.
CBS Films appears to be taking notes.
The new studio suffered a box office bust with its first feature, “Extraordinary Measures,” earlier this year. Now, it’s looking to cast the hero in the film version of Vince Flynn’s book “Consent to Kill.”
The film, which could kick start a franchise, follows counter-terrorism agent Mitch Rapp on the prowl for a Saudi billionaire and other nefarious characters.
(more below)
Hmm. A franchise in which a U.S. operative hunts down some of the most vile human beings on the planet? Who knows … it could be a hit. The books sure are. Why not give it a try and let audiences decide?
Leave it to a hungry film studio to figure out what other studios should have years ago – casting the U.S. as the enemy isn’t a good way to fill your box office coffers state side. Especially when a real-life enemy already exists that makes the Nazis look like pikers.
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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
I hate “Green Zone’s” politics, but it was hardly the only problem with the film. The ultra-slick Greengrass style of film is parody at this point. My kingdom for a tripod or a camera man without epilepsy. The regular dupe, against all odds, against the white guys in suits? That’s the template for every action film of the last 20 years. We know the beginning, the middle, the end.
And color me unconvinced of Matt Damon’s skills as a leading actor in an action flick. The “Bourne Identity” played well because he was partially playing against type – the regular dupe with amnesia who doesn’t know he’s an assassin. The idea of a clueless Matt Damon roaming Europe comes off as pretty real for me. That works for one film. But how much stoic brooding does it take? We all know you hate James Bond and his Cold War shaken-but-not-stirred misogyny, but being a buzz kill for 220 minutes does not equate to toughness or character.
Let’s not get too excited yet. This is Hollywood. For all we know, they’ll turn the Saudi billionaire into a Texas oilman with ties to the Bush administration. Look what they did to “Shooter.”
I get your cynicism, Synnerman, and you could be right. But I think CBS Films will be feverish for a hit soon, and this could be the quickest path to making one. Why other studios aren’t taking a similar path … well, perhaps they have more money they’re eager to burn through.
this could be the quickest path to making one.
Not necessarily. They’ve poisoned the well with these movies – many of which were advertised as “pro-American” or “unbiased”. Right now I wouldn’t see anything that touched on the subject – because I’d be waiting for the sucker punch.
The exception would be “Taken 2″.
Re: Green Zone. The NCAA basketball tourney is on CBS this week and there were numerous “slam bang” commercials for the movie trying to show it as an action packed flick. The fact that it crashed even more in the face of increased advertising should send a message.
“But I think CBS Films will be feverish for a hit soon, and this could be the quickest path to making one.”
I hope you’re right. I think the best hope is if the author himself is somehow involved in the production and can keep them on target. But I can’t help but think of films like “The Sum of All Fears.” The novel featured Islamic terrorists detonating a nuke at the Super Bowl The film turned the terrorists into “neo-fascists.” Tom Clancy did an audio commentary on the film with the director and jokingly introduced himself as “the author of the book he ignored.”
The reason we worry is that Hollywood seems determined to make political statements rather than money. We keep hearing that Iraq war films are death at the box office. But how can they say that? They’ve either been generally apolitical (like “The Hurt Locker”) or completely to the left (everything else). We’ve yet to see a conservative view of the war in a film. Why? It would probably make a ton of money, due to the unrepresented half of the country that would flock to the film, plus it naturally would serve itself as a film, since it would likely involve a lot of action, showing our military as heroes, rather than villains or dupes. The only reason not to make this film is because the politics don’t match those who make the decisions.
Liberals never learn. As long as movies are controlled by liberals, all you will get is anti American films.
We want Matt Damon out ths country now!!!
What mystifies me is the fact that “Taken” was writting by someone from another country an was more conservative than most any of the movies so far. What is Hollywood missing when they are talking about up and coming projects? You can’t tell me that someone didn’t have a script on their desk that was a true life account of soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan and they passed on it for this turd?
“Taken” was my favorite film of the last two years, mostly because of it cathartic release of my feelings against the omnipresent themes of our incredibly self destructive, America-hating entertainment industry, with their relentless, socialist-minded, politically correct media creations sending us their very thinly veiled didactic “messages.” Enough already! Wake up!
They have the right to make whatever they want with their own money, but for God’s sake, have they not the slightest amount of intellectual wattage to understand that if the American public really bought into their crap – lock, stock and barrel – that they, along with all the rest of us, would be doomed to ever-increasing poverty, loss of fundamental freedoms, personal unhappiness, internal dissention, national weakness and falling under the dominance of other nations and ideologies which would be more than likely to place them into the next available spot in political prison, or chop their infidel heads off? Good grief, I’m sick of this.
Maybe things will get better in Hollywood, but after last night’s legislsative victory of national socialist healthcare, I am not very optimistic. I fear that unless the country, and the Hollywood/entertainment establishment with it, undergo a real awkening to what we are in the process of losing, that we are doomed to a very diminshed life of fading liberty for ourselves and our children.
I think many Hollywood stars and moviemakers see themselves as special covert members of our national leftist propaganda industry, striving to re-educate and unite the masses through lightly concealed anti-American movie themes.
Their problem is, the American public sees them that way too.
How about Hollywood just butting out of the GWOT and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan completely? Do purveyors of fiction really have anything useful to say about these conflicts? No – they’re just venting leftist spleen. Cathartic for them, a pain in the ass for us.
Maybe GREEN ZONE will break the “BOURNE” spell that Hollywood’s under. They figured if the BOURNE films were popular, that’s what people wanted. And the BOURNE kings–Greengrass & Damon–made GREEN ZONE. Though, they’ll probably look to AVATAR and just go and make a bunch of 3-D GREEN ZONE’s.
“But I think CBS Films will be feverish for a hit soon, and this could be the quickest path to making one.”
Two possibilities on this.
1) Darwin wins: some studio makes a pro-America film (al la Mitch Rapp) which does killer B.O. and enables more such films to be made while Green Zone-type vampires continue to drain the lifeblood of the studios making them. Good prevails.
2) H’wood, aware of the possibilities of the above scenario, pulls out all stops to ensure failure of any such film. See Lionel Chetwynd’s comments re: The Kingdom in most recent Poliwood.
“Especially when a real-life enemy already exists that makes the Nazis look like pikers.”
Gee’s now to you want to really tell us what you think about the matter? You are correct, I have not bothered to see “The Green Zone” what would be the point? After all, the enemy was crushed in Iraq. We won the war. Or I should say the Battle for Iraq, the World War we are now engaged it will go on for well past my life time and the life times of the American Children that are still in there Diapers. Sad to say. As for Vince Flynn, read every single book of his, Turning those books into movies would be a license to print money, all they have to do is go after the enemy and make no bones about it.
Got to love Vince Flynn, read all of his books. First heard of him on Beck. That should make Hollywood run the other way. Maybe they should listen to some of these readers who go to the movies. If they made a decent movie for someone over ten years old,we would go. The post I read when I wrote this said it the best about being a money maker because the writer is so good.
Given Hollywood’s penchant for attacking conservative values, and that so many stars seem eager calling Republican’s and conservative’s vile disturbing names (Die of rectal cancer or raciest) why do we even waste our money. If any commercial establishment disrespect me, or treat me as some low life I take my money and business elsewhere. I have not been in a theater for years and see no reason for change. I had been a long time fan of NBC Law & Order, but after the first few minutes of this seasons premier have refused to even watch it or any of it’s spin offs. There are plenty of other options for viewing rather than watch some garbage that tries to belittle me. And while a bit off subject why do New Yorkers try to cozy up to Hollywood? Ever disaster movie or show based on a natural or alien threat seems to call for the destruction of New York and it’s people before humanity can be saved. Seems the West Coast liberals have little use for New Yorkers.
One encouraging project I heard about several days ago is a Jerry Bruckheimer production of the book “Horse Soldiers.” The story is about the infiltration of special operations troops into Afghanistan shortly after 9/11. They worked with the Norther Alliance troops to route the Taliban within a matter of months. I simply cannot conceive of Bruckheimer, one of the pure apolitical movie – or should I say money – makers in Hollywood, manipulating the story. Plus this story does not have to deal with the Sturm and Drang of Iraq, but deals with a military action that most people, even if they think we should leave Afghanistan now, supported, and celebrated at the time. If no other pro-military movie is released prior to this one, this seems like it would have real blockbuster potential. At that point, the financial incentive to pursue more positive films about the U.S. military might be recognized and acted upon.
One key point here: if and when such films as we want come out it is important, it is critical that we GO TO THE THEATRE and pay to see them.
More than that, when Toto or Nolte or others tell us of such a film we need to ask our theatre’s to exhibit them.
Another good book that should be made into a movie is A Distant Crossing. It was riveting fiction about a monetary meltdown that mirrors what’s happening today. I read in a number of years ago and couldn’t put it down.
Horse Soldiers is a very very good read, And when you think about it, there was only 3 to 5 teams in country and with some radio’s along with some good locals did what the Soviet 40th Army could not do, Yes we still have some work to do there, but all in all in time this will be another battle won in this Long War. I would do well in the box office if it ever gets made, After All Mel Gibson’s “We were Soldiers” did well both at the box office and dvd sales. Black Hawk Down was another that did well considering the subject. It high time we hold up our hero’s like we did in the past again. There is a lot of valor that is going on that need to have the story told.
What’s taken Hollyweird so long to discover Flynn? How is it such idiots make so damn much money?
PLEASE make movies of Vince Flynn’s novels! Maybe if the big movie producers in liberal Hollywood (who obviously are also not in touch with the American public!) will not, perhaps there are some television producers who have some guts!