Posted in: Movies, Recent Updates | Tagged: bruce willis, red, warren ellis

Has Red Saved The Non-Big-Brand Comics Movie?

Published Mon, 18 Oct 2010 03:34:32 -0500

Last updated Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:35:37 -0500

Losers, Jonah Hex, Kick-Ass. Scott Pilgrim. All underperformed at the box office, and a stack of potential green lights turned to yellow as a result. The wisdom was coming down – only make a comic book movie if it is based on a major franchise or can be made as cheap as chips.

And now Red has turned that on its tail.

You have to remember that everyone turned down the Greg Novack-pushed Red movie, based on Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner's comic book. Even DC's parent company Warners. But Novack pushed and pushed, possibly at the detriment of other projects, which saw his recent resignation. But Red from Summit Entertainment will be the cap on his legacy at DC Entertainment. An estimated $23 million iopener against the blockbuster of Jackass 3D? That'll do pig, that'll do.

But with an advertisement campaign soley based on Cully Hamner's cover and layout designs for the comic (and there's a man suddenly about to be in demand by Hollywood to add a Red touch to their movie campaigns) and a lot of big, if aging names to drop, the movie tracked very well amongst men and women, creating the perfect date night for those who didn't want to see stupid young men trying to kill themselves or clever young men trying to create a website. This weekend Red was the date movie of choice for America.

So is this the new formula? Comic book base with an older cast and a neat sense of design? Someone sing up Welcome To Tranquility immediately!

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