FInal Fantasy Flop

mark schilling 0934611501
Wed Oct 3 04:03:13 EDT 2001


Final Fantasy -- that title proved prophetic, didn't it? The jury on
game-based movies is still out, though. Laura Croft: Tomb Raider has grossed
$130 million, despite negative/mixed reviews. The money-spinning Pokemon
films also had their beginning in a game, though it might be argued that
they fall more into the "kiddie animation" than "game-based film" category.

The flops, however, have been as spectacular as the successes in this genre:
Final Fantasy is the latest in a dismal line that includes Super Mario Bros.
(US gross: $21 million) and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation ($36 million).

So for producers its a crap shoot. Gaga, the distributor of FF in Japan, has
two gamed-based CGI animations in development, one for world and one for
Asian release. Maybe they'll change their plan now that they've had to pull
FF after only three weeks in the theaters -- or at least give their heroines
Laura-Croft-sized bras.

Mark Schilling
schill at gol.com



----- Original Message -----
From: "Aaron Gerow" <gerow at ynu.ac.jp>
To: "KineJapan" <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2001 5:50 PM
Subject: FInal Fantasy Flop


> Financial reports say that Square, the Japanese game company that
> produced the all-CG film Final Fantasy will experience significant losses
> due to the lack of success of the film.  The film reportedly cost $137
> million to make, but on the American market alone, where it was expected
> to earn $80-90 million, it has only earned a bit over $30 million.  The
> Japanese opening was also less than expected.  Square is reportedly going
> to drop out of the movie making business after this loss.
>
> Some in Japan wrote about the film with expectations that the game-making
> world would take over the filmmaking world in the movie business.  With
> these losses, that is not likely.
>
>
>
> Aaron Gerow
> Yokohama National University
> KineJapan list owner
> For list commands: send "information kinejapan" to
> listserver at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
> Kinema Club: http://pears.lib.ohio-state.edu/Markus/Welcome.html
>






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