Bubba Ho-Tep-New Bruce Cambell movie

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

Really?

Wow, ... then whats the financial motivation for so many R movies?

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Why isn't it a fair representation? Most of them are from since the rating system was devised. ET, Star Wars, Titanic...

And I don't know. What ARE the top grossing films of the last 5 years?

I just looked at some things.
I don't remember Bruce Almighty's rating, but I don't think it was (R). If it's not, than only ONE of this years top 5 was rated R, and only half of the top 10.
If I remember ratings right, not a single movie of the top 10 grossing films in 2002 OR 2001 was rated R
Only 3 of the top 10 in 2000 was rated R (only 1 in the top 5)
In 1999, only 2 were rated R (again, only 1 in the top 5)

If you look at the top grossing of all time the first rated R movie you'll find is Beverly Hills Cop (at #34). The second rated R movie is at 42, Saving Private Ryan.

I think both are fair comparisons, considering that Beverly Hills Cop outperformed X2.

So, do R movies make more money? Doesn't look like it.

I got my numbers from IMDB.

I think that it's a myth that movies go for an R rating. I've heard it before, but I've never seen real evidence for it. If they do, it's because they're just like the music industry and aren't looking at the real numbers.

[Spriggan]

Well except for rare cases (matrix, T3) R rated budgets aren't as much.  Their draw is college students and adults, but they only make for 40% of ticket sells.  Again it's mostly for artisitc vision or shear gross out that movies go for the R rateings.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

but the shear number of them seems liuke an abberation

[Spriggan]

Umm episode 1 and two are both in the top 10 grossing films of all time and were from the past 5 years.  So is Titanic SE.  Titanic came out as I was just getting to Japan about 5, 5 1/2 years ago.  The LOTR are also in the top grossing as are the 2 harry potters.  Shriek is as well.  And how can you forget Spiderman.  x-2 is the second highest grossing movie this year and Pirates is the 3rd followed by the Matrix reloaded.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Most of the high grossing movies are high budget. Saving Private Ryan was high budget. So were Gladiator, and the Matrix, all of which are R movies on the top 100. I think someone needs to drum business sense into the entertain ment industry

[Spriggan]

I'm not sure what week it was but EW did a very good article on this subject a few months ago.  I'll try and find the issue at work next time I'm there.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I think you missed my point, Sprig. I was pointing out that relatively few R movies gross highly, while PG/PG-13 seem to do much better.

[Spriggan]

yep looks like I did.  But I'll still look for that EW article.  It had numbers for one thing.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

imdb.com does as well. There's a link for "top movies" or something off the main page, links from there point to all time as well as each year.

[EUOL]

I think there's another element here that isn't being considered.  

Movie companies want to make movies that are profitable.  Now, they would certainly like to have the MOST profitable movies they can, but they won't sniff at making movies that a good margins--whether or not the become record-breakers.

R movies fill a niche.  Once, the R was the 'guy's action flick.'  However, the companies realized that young boys wanted to go see 'guy's action flicks,' and a PG-13 rating could draw more ticket sales.  However, that doesn't mean that every R will sell better as a PG-13.   'Artistic' movies, as Sprig mentioned, often sell better as R rated.  The rating tells those interested that this movie is 'worth their time' and not just another Hollywood blockbuster.  In addition, R has become the standard rating for war movies, and in this case the R means 'gritty and real to life.'

I would venture that some movies, such as Saving Private Ryan, sold better because of their R rating.  It's just that the really big flicks have to attract a diverse audience to make them the blockbusters they want to be.  

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Resurrection, I know, but!

Bubba Ho-Tep is now (or soon will be) showing both in DC and in SLC! No one has an excuse to miss the yumminess! (except, y'know, not going to the "R" movie thing). I am very tempted to force Jeffe to go see this with me (whereas I wasn't when the closest showing I could find was in New York.

Note also that the DVD has been made available as well. Sam Logan (of Sam and Fuzzy fame) raves about this movie today (and the comic itself just about sent me onto the floor in paroxysms of laughter) claiming that there's a lot of depth to BC's character that was totally unexpected (it is, after all, a B-movie starring Bruce Campbell).

(geez, this is starting to sound like a blog entry or gossip column, so I'll stop now).

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

why?

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

why what?

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

why not, but I have to get some free time....