Movies you just can't watch

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I agree with all of you who said A Christmas Story. I hate that film and all the men in my family absolutely love it.

Rocky Horror Picture show is one I saw once and have no desire to ever see again.

I also have yet to make it through a single Lord of the Rings movie without falling asleep. Just not my cup of tea.

 

[tvguy]

I saw it at the theatre (I was 13). I loved it and have loved it ever since. It isn't a "cult" classic. It is simply a classic. I would classify something like "Rocky Horror" as a cult classic (and I can't stand it). A Christmas Story is pretty mainstream classic.

It is kind of the poster child for cult classics actually. TNT/TBS can take the credit for the cult standing. In 1997 they were looking for a Christmas movie to run back to back to back for 24 hours. It had to be a Christmas movie, and the rights fees had to be cheap. A Christmas Story with it's poor box office showing met both criteria. The Producers I suspect have made more on selling leg lamps and other swag since then than they made on entire movie.

 

[tvguy]

Most of the time, cult status means it likely made a ton of money in rentals and sales on home video. I just can't understand how in any industry, a 7 to 1 return is a bomb.

That fact that the studio pulled it out of theaters BEFORE Christmas kind is evidence at how disappointed they were in their return on investment.

 

[Captainkidd76]

That fact that the studio pulled it out of theaters BEFORE Christmas kind is evidence at how disappointed they were in their return on investment.

I'm not quite sure what your beef with this movie is, but you're a bit off there. The studio didn't pull it out of theaters. That is almost unheard of. An example of that would be the movie "Jem". It's the theater showing the movie that decides what stays and what goes. A Christmas Story was still playing in over 100 theaters in January of 1984, 2 months after its release. Given how fewer screens there were 30 years ago, that's a very average number.

Again, off a $3 million budget the film made $20 million at the box office and $65 million in home video sales. Add to that the money Turner pays to air the movie for 24 hours every Christmas, and rest assured, the producer and writer (and the studio) have no regrets about the movie. Heck, the actor that played Ralphie whose entire income has come from the movie is worth $10 million.

 

[tvguy]

I'm not quite sure what your beef with this movie is, but you're a bit off there. The studio didn't pull it out of theaters. That is almost unheard of. An example of that would be the movie "Jem". It's the theater showing the movie that decides what stays and what goes. A Christmas Story was still playing in over 100 theaters in January of 1984, 2 months after its release. Given how fewer screens there were 30 years ago, that's a very average number.

Again, off a $3 million budget the film made $20 million at the box office and $65 million in home video sales. Add to that the money Turner pays to air the movie for 24 hours every Christmas, and rest assured, the producer and writer (and the studio) have no regrets about the movie. Heck, the actor that played Ralphie whose entire income has come from the movie is worth $10 million.

Nope, it was pulled before Christmas according to the fan pages. No worries, I bet they have made more on merchandise since becoming a cult film anyway.https://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/a-christmas-story-movie-facts/trivia/

 

[Captainkidd76]

Nope, it was pulled before Christmas according to the fan pages. No worries, I bet they have made more on merchandise since becoming a cult film anyway.https://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/a-christmas-story-movie-facts/trivia/

No, it wasn't pulled from theaters:

"The modestly budgeted little comedy opened in 1983 the week before Thanksgiving on fewer than 900 screens. The film took in about $2 million its first weekend and double that Thanksgiving weekend – solid business for the time. The movie was getting strong word-of-mouth support. But, MGM hadn’t counted on the movie receiving much success and did not schedule distribution to more than the opening screens for the lead up to Christmas."

That's not being pulled from theaters. If anything, it was simply poor planning on the part of MGM. Had more prints been made, it likely would have been in theaters much longer. It's not like today where a theater can literally add more showings by putting a movie selling out into other theaters. In 1983, you had films sent to theater. You couldn't just reproduce film at the drop of a dime. There also wasn't film tracking ahead of a movie's release from online activity and pre-sales to give indication as to how much a movie was on pace to make upon release.

Here is an example of a movie that was pulled from theaters:

On November 10, 2015, just over two weeks after release, Universal removed Jem from theaters entirely, after grossing $2.2 million. Jason Guerrasio of Business Insider described the pull from theaters as "unheard of move for a movie that was in theaters nationwide."

BIG difference. Studios don't just pull movies from theaters due to low box office.

 

[MrsDuck]

Pretty much anything sad. No thank you. Do not want.

 

[davidgreams]

All art is artifice, an abstraction of ideas even in its most realist forms. This is what makes art interesting. What aspect of reality does an actor choose to dispense with in their performance? What aspect does he or she exaggerate? What, ultimately, is he or she trying to communicate.

Furthermore, movies are hardly just a performance art. They are a narrative art, a pictorial art, and an audiovisual art. Trying to engage with movies using these different frameworks will increase your engagement, understanding, and appreciation for them.

 

[BrianL]

No, it wasn't pulled from theaters:

"The modestly budgeted little comedy opened in 1983 the week before Thanksgiving on fewer than 900 screens. The film took in about $2 million its first weekend and double that Thanksgiving weekend – solid business for the time. The movie was getting strong word-of-mouth support. But, MGM hadn’t counted on the movie receiving much success and did not schedule distribution to more than the opening screens for the lead up to Christmas."

That's not being pulled from theaters. If anything, it was simply poor planning on the part of MGM. Had more prints been made, it likely would have been in theaters much longer. It's not like today where a theater can literally add more showings by putting a movie selling out into other theaters. In 1983, you had films sent to theater. You couldn't just reproduce film at the drop of a dime. There also wasn't film tracking ahead of a movie's release from online activity and pre-sales to give indication as to how much a movie was on pace to make upon release.

Here is an example of a movie that was pulled from theaters:

On November 10, 2015, just over two weeks after release, Universal removed Jem from theaters entirely, after grossing $2.2 million. Jason Guerrasio of Business Insider described the pull from theaters as "unheard of move for a movie that was in theaters nationwide."

BIG difference. Studios don't just pull movies from theaters due to low box office.

Thank you for understanding the dynamics of film distribution back in the early 1980's. It was simply not like today. You are 100% on the money, and while I wouldn't call A Christmas Story an enormous hit, it wasn't a flop either. It did pretty solidly though could have done better.

 

[Disney Frenhines]

I have no desire to see Titanic, too hyped and full of BS.
Not a fan of gory horror movies either, so I avoid those too.

 

[Disney Frenhines]

Waterworld (or any other Kevin Costner movie.) Worst actor on the planet. Out of Africa, Raising Arizona or any of the Twilight movies.

Not even Dances With Wolves or Field of Dreams? They are wonderful movies, I'd watch FoD for James Earl Jones alone. It's like the people who refuse to watch a black and white movie.

 

[Captainkidd76]

Thank you for understanding the dynamics of film distribution back in the early 1980's. It was simply not like today. You are 100% on the money, and while I wouldn't call A Christmas Story an enormous hit, it wasn't a flop either. It did pretty solidly though could have done better.

Not a hit upon release by any means. But to call a movie that made back 7 times it's production budget a bomb is just not remotely accurate. Not to mention, films didn't have remotely close to the marketing cost that films have today.

 

[Captainkidd76]

I have no desire to see Titanic, too hyped and full of BS.
Not a fan of gory horror movies either, so I avoid those too.

Would you believe I saw Titanic 11 times in the theater? And nope, not a teenage girl in love with Leo. At the time, I was 21 years old. And I'm a dude.

 

[L&Lfan]

I saw Grease 16 times during the summer of ‘78. Of course, that was back in the day when you could watch it multiple times in a row and no one would kick you out. I watched it twice on most occasions. I was an 18 year old gay male living in the Bible Belt getting ready to go to college that fall.

 

[BrianL]

Would you believe I saw Titanic 11 times in the theater? And nope, not a teenage girl in love with Leo. At the time, I was 21 years old. And I'm a dude.

But...you went with a girl, right?

Nah...you know when that movie came out I wasn't really at an age to appreciate it and I have never actually seen it. I am a huge James Cameron fan though and by all indications it is an extremely well made movie (though I've never been a Celine Dion fan). I'd probably like it much more today.

 

[Captainkidd76]

But...you went with a girl, right?

Nah...you know when that movie came out I wasn't really at an age to appreciate it and I have never actually seen it. I am a huge James Cameron fan though and by all indications it is an extremely well made movie (though I've never been a Celine Dion fan). I'd probably like it much more today.

Probably once or twice. I think I dragged all my friends at different times to see it. Funny thing is, I love Cameron but hate Avatar. Also, I should add, I watch quite a few movies a lot. I saw Pulp Fiction in the theater 16 times, Independence Day 7 or 8 times. I've probably seen Rocky 3 and 4 about 100 times each.

 

[BrianL]

Probably once or twice. I think I dragged all my friends at different times to see it. Funny thing is, I love Cameron but hate Avatar. Also, I should add, I watch quite a few movies a lot. I saw Pulp Fiction in the theater 16 times, Independence Day 7 or 8 times. I've probably seen Rocky 3 and 4 about 100 times each.

Ohh, we just can't be friends if you hate Avatar. I really love it myself.

I think the movie I saw the most times in theaters was The Phantom Menace, and I still love that movie too!

 

[plygph]

10 things I hate about you

OMG forced to watch and review it for a class.

 

[Cadiewampus]

Not even Dances With Wolves or Field of Dreams? They are wonderful movies, I'd watch FoD for James Earl Jones alone. It's like the people who refuse to watch a black and white movie.

Nope not even those two. I will say there was one movie he did that I liked in spite of him called No Way Out and one other I can tolerate The Postman (maybe cause Tom Petty is in that one briefly

 

[SallySkelington]

Human Centipede.. never heard of the movie ( and there is a sequel) until a friend posted the insansity of the movie I looked it up on line and was like. hell no! Sorry but there is a line between entertainment or education to just simple evil pointless junk.. Have no idea who watches stuff like this and is "entertained"

^^^ Augh, This right here. Absolutely disgusting and unnecessary.

I can't really watch anything that's intensely grotesque and gory, so that rules out a lot of horror movies. I'll make a few exceptions if I really like the story enough, like Stephen King's IT.