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Mrph1 MOD (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
5th Sep, 2023 08:32:11 AM

Cut. And possibly send a recent examples notifier.

CrypticMirror Since: Jan, 2001
5th Sep, 2023 09:27:40 AM

I'm not sure it counts as a bomb anyway, it underperformed to be sure, but it is likely to break even at least. I think we're way to quick to declare stuff as bombs. By Box Office Bomb's own definition, it is, at most, a flop and not a bomb.

costanton11 Since: Mar, 2016
5th Sep, 2023 09:29:57 AM

Might be worth discussing in the thread.

Ferot_Dreadnaught Since: Mar, 2015
5th Sep, 2023 10:20:01 AM

^Not sure how helpful that thread will be as it's currently struggling to define Bomb pending TRS.

This movie's domestic gross is currently a bit short of $175 million on a $295-300 budget excusing marketing. So once the box office fully wraps up that sounds like it will be a definite example if Bomb.

Am I the only one noticing that since the debate over defining Box Office Bomb started, many added examples ignore domestic box office despite being a clear indicator? Or was this an issue prior?

Edited by Ferot_Dreadnaught
costanton11 Since: Mar, 2016
5th Sep, 2023 10:52:42 AM

Worldwide, its gross is $381,202,419.

CrimsonZephyr Since: Aug, 2010
5th Sep, 2023 11:00:25 AM

The total gross is what The Other Wiki lists when it put the movie on its list of biggest box office bombs of all time. Some examples here go into more granular detail, but I don't know if it's necessary to distinguish. I'll wait until that thread reaches a conclusion.

The trope in general is nebulous because it's defined by information that isn't straightforward or obvious. A film of Dial of Destiny's scale will have an advertising budget somewhere in the realm of $100 million, in addition to the stated $300 million production budget, which is strictly the cost incurred to get the movie made. The studio typically only pockets like half the gross and incurs all the costs of advertising. Even if it made back every cent it spent on production, losing a straight $100 mil on marketing is a huge loss, putting it in line to be one of the worst bombs of all time.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
costanton11 Since: Mar, 2016
5th Sep, 2023 11:34:29 AM

In any case, since the theatrical run hasn’t ended, we can’t add it now.

Ferot_Dreadnaught Since: Mar, 2015
5th Sep, 2023 12:29:10 PM

@CrimsonZephyr: Said nebulousness is why I think marketing/other costs and overseas revenue should be excluded, they add complexity/ambiguity to what's supposed to be a straightforward metic of a works successfulness. Alternatively that if it needs to be updated to reflect the modern significance of global box office and marketing cost than BOB was too arbitrary to have been trope worthy to being with (we have Franchise Killer and such for when it effect the production of the work).

With that, and most BOB enters have to discuss YMMV, normally disallowed under Trivia items/pages, to explain why they bombed I'm thinking BOB should be Useful Notes (as the criteria come down to what's culturally significant) instead of Trivia. Thoughts?

And is there a reason recent BOB entries have neglected to include domestic box office?

Edited by Ferot_Dreadnaught
costanton11 Since: Mar, 2016
5th Sep, 2023 12:39:00 PM

I recall seeing on that thread that several examples were removed because they called them a bomb because they didn’t make back the budget domestically, even if they made it back worldwide. Even if the domestic gross on its own was less than the budget, that seems more like Germans Love David Hasselhoff than Box Office Bomb.

Tropiarz Since: Sep, 2022
7th Sep, 2023 01:51:39 PM

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but please Don't Shoot the Message (or the messanger, for that matter) over bumping the querry. And it should be definitely closed now. I don't have PM access, so I can't address anyone in more direct way.

First of all, once the film is off the handful cinemas still screaning it, it will still be a bomb. There is just no way around it.

Second, I think the basic guidance for the Box Office Bomb can be "Did it made twice the budget? No? It's a bomb". Because that how it works in 99% cases.

And last, but not least, half of international revenue is by default taken by taxes, fees and what not, so movie needs to REALLY do well on worldwide market for it to be profitable.

I might not be a Hollywood accountant, but I am an accountant. Handling revenue reports for production and shipping companies is literally my job.

Edited by Tropiarz
Mrph1 MOD (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
7th Sep, 2023 02:05:03 PM

It may still be a bomb, but it's easier to stick to the No Recent Examples, Please! rule and wait a few weeks before adding than get into subjectives and exceptions. If it's still a bomb at that point, no harm in waiting.

As for the definition of a bomb, that sounds like a TRS question...

Edited by Mrph1
Tropiarz Since: Sep, 2022
7th Sep, 2023 02:53:23 PM

My point is more in tune "the entry was fine, the original troper simply posted it too soon". That's all.

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