Downtown Khazan: Ice Cold Utopia

[Nik Hasta]

Well guys, I hope you weren't big fans of Skullgirls because Lab Zero has effectively been disbanded due to Mike Zaimont's inappropriate conduct towards the development team, including including intimidation and sexual harassment.

It's a really shitty situation. Skullgirls itself is actually the property of Autumn Games rather than Lab Zero itself so it may still be able to continue to get support when Lab Zero eventually falls to pieces.

But yeah, I was a fan of Mike and his work and it's very sad to hear that he's a total jackass.

Why do people have to crap on my childhood so much?

I find this kind of statement really quite irritating.

Original Powerpuff, the show you actually like, still exists, the events of your childhood is actually completely untouched. You can go watch the show you like any time.

If you don't think you'll enjoy the new show, just don't watch it. It's literally that easy.

[FistofIron]

‘Powerpuff Girls’ Live-Action Series in Development at CW
https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/pow...cw-1234746828/

Well this certainly came out of nowhere.

[Nik Hasta]

It's a really shitty situation. Skullgirls itself is actually the property of Autumn Games rather than Lab Zero itself so it may still be able to continue to get support when Lab Zero eventually falls to pieces.

In fact, Autumn Games and Hidden Variable cut ties with Lab Zero. Promise that Skullgirls content will continue and that they are going to try and work with ex-Lab Zero employees to do it.

[FistofIron]

Are there any Strongman fans here?

[bruceleegreyhulk]

[Dark Soul # 7]

Xenoverse 2 is the weird little game that keeps on giving. And this is pretty darn sizeable free update.

[Noldere]

What's even the point of doing a new take on a relatively recent property if not to try to get new fans through leveraging the influence of the fans of the old work?

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Today's my birthday. One more year til 3-0.

Happy Birthday, hoss!

[Nik Hasta]

What's even the point of doing a new take on a relatively recent property if not to try to get new fans through leveraging the influence of the fans of the old work?

It's less about old fans and more about the fact that it's a name people will recognise. Existing fans are useful insofar as they an be a guaranteed box office return and they generate social buzz about it but they are secondary compared to brand recognition.

Lots of people (not even fans) know roughly on some level what, say, the Powerpuff Girls are and that means they are much more likely to check it out over say... <Title of new IP here> where they don't know what it is.

Pandering to old fans generally works against new fans to be honest. You want it to be fresh, accessible and not to require familiarity with the old version the property. Low bar for entry, broad strokes.

[The MunchKING]

I wasn't referring to Suicide Squad specifically, more to the DCU as whole. But also, that's not really a great figure in terms of box office takings for the kinds of films we're talking about.

Firstly, box office takings aren't just flat profit.

Oh, NO movie EVER makes a "profit". Hollywood just keeps losing money hand over fist but generously tries to give you guys quality entertainment on the way down. At least if you listen to Hollywood accountants.

‘Powerpuff Girls’ Live-Action Series in Development at CW
https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/pow...cw-1234746828/

I'm reasonably OK with the idea in general. As long as they make them a group of female Supermen, I'll be cool with the little concessions to Live Action.

The thing I don't like is their synopsis of the plot line. "In the updated version of the series, the titular superheroes are now disillusioned twentysomethings who resent having lost their childhood to crime fighting. Will they agree to reunite now that the world needs them more than ever?"

In the original show, outside of one really weird out of character moment to serve a plot that was never hinted at before or mentioned again, they always LOVED crime fighting and saving the city from monsters. (OK, sometimes Bubbles had issues with the violence part of it, but she was still cool with stopping crime in general) It was kind of refreshing that unlike Buffy, the X-Men, or a bunch of other TV show heroes they never whined about wanting to be "normal".

If they make the main point of the movie "Boy that childhood where we were living the dream, and got to do all the cool things we wanted, saved the day, and had amazing Superpowers was really BAD because we weren't NORMAL", I'm going to dislike it. It will be just another "everything cool in life happened by the time you were 6. Growing up sucks, getting old sucks, LIFE sucks and being an adult is dealing with it." kind of movie, and I don't need that cynicism. If that's a minor part in overall issues about the social rifts between the girls, that would be fine. They had those all the time in the cartoon.

If you don't think you'll enjoy the new show, just don't watch it. It's literally that easy.

Then Hollywood will think Women Superheroes can't draw!

[Nik Hasta]

Oh, NO movie EVER makes a "profit". Hollywood just keeps losing money hand over fist but generously tries to give you guys quality entertainment on the way down. At least if you listen to Hollywood accountants.

Oh yeah, the actual studio accounts are not to be trusted. This is why the analysis I mention deal only in stated budget versus observable takings, it's one of the ways to have a loose idea of it's actual monetary function without being impacted by cooked books as much.

Then Hollywood will think Women Superheroes can't draw!

They already think that for the most part.

[The MunchKING]

They already think that for the most part.

Yeah, that's why if the movie ISN'T garbage I'd like disabuse them of that notion.

[Dark Soul # 7]

Then Hollywood will think Women Superheroes can't draw!

One would think that between Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel on the big screen, Supergirl, Stargirl and Jessica Jones on the small screen that there'd be enough evidence that superheroines can pull a crowd.

But that's sadly probably not the case.

[Nik Hasta]

Yeah, that's why if the movie ISN'T garbage I'd like disabuse them of that notion.

By all means, I'm not telling people to just not watch it whatever the result of it.

I more object to Len saying "his childhood is ruined," about a film that hasn't even been completed when he could just... not watch it?

[Nik Hasta]

One would think that between Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel on the big screen, Supergirl, Stargirl and Jessica Jones on the small screen that there'd be enough evidence that superheroines can pull a crowd.

But that's sadly probably not the case.

Wonder Woman is a good case for it as no one expect Wondy to make as much money as it did; outdoing Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman at the box office and on a smaller budget to boot.

Captain Marvel broke a billion dollars so we will get another of those of course. I imagine the executive line will be that it's in spite of her being woman and the sheer power of Marvel's cinematic universe and her film was the last one before Endgame to boot so the MCU was at the height of it's powers. If the sequel does well, then you have more a sense of proof of concept.

Black Widow will be interesting to see how it does. Personally, I have some worries about Marvel ever making quite as much money as they did in this first iteration of the fully MCU cycle and I think the window for a Black Widow film was a while ago so I don't have... exceptional expectations for the film's performance, but I could very well be wrong.