Well, the fact they want to break America on their field (Hollywood) makes me SOOO positive -seeing the team and Robbie himself very brave.

Out of routine and take the brakes is what you need if you want be relevant.

 

Nobody told and tell it's easy to like to them after 20 years of no activity.

Come on! It's difficult but very interesting goal :) But why not to try as Jack Nicholson told.

 

Again, my opinion is only fail here - is disaster in LA this week.

Robbie and Paramount specially back to USA (and changed SA concerts) for promo during these two weeks in LA.

 

And?

 

No premiere, no possibility to go at the TV to entertain the people when your house and your friends and Paramount guys think about families instead of that.

 

Again, it's really a factor of unluck for me.

 

It doesn't mean that the movie immediately would crash the box office - no.

But we could see the movie today much higher and without these headlines.

Very pity for a very good movie.

 

But!

12-13 millions WW will be by Monday. It's a long and winding road for the movie, so let's just wish the BM team more luck and a little bit more clever campaign since now - I hope Paramount exp could help now - it's their work.

I am looking for a silver lining!

Of course everyone was hoping for it to be a huge and unexpected box office smash.

 

I’ve had misgivings for a while, to be honest.

No stars is a problem, a film with a wild concept is a problem, the way the CGI looks on a phone screen is a problem,

and the budget was always going to be a problem. And I noticed the complete and total silence from the Take That boys themselves.

It’s just felt odd to me that they have basically ignored the existence of a major feature film they are depicted in.

It really does suggest a lack of goodwill that is going to put off certain Take That fans.

 

Also, I hate to admit it, but I’m not in love with the versions of the songs in the film. I don’t like the edits.

The vast majority of them are not performable for promotion. They have fudged around the fact that

it’s another singer in promotion but I can definitely hear that it’s not Robbie in a lot of moments and I am not the only one.

I don’t think there’s enough of his or Take That’s music in it - it’s mad (or possibly it’s a permission issue)

that Back For Good is not featured - hell, it is mad that Could It Be Magic is not featured and they don’t show

Robbie grabbing the limelight from Gary with both hands and eating it up. I don’t like that it ends with My Way and not with

one of Robbie’s own songs.

 

In fact they don’t show how brilliant Robbie is as a performer barely at all. We just get a quick montage,

we never get the satisfaction of enjoying him as a performer.

 

I am feeling grumpy about this today because I was really hoping this would propel Robbie back into

the charts in a positive way.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, Kathryn, give you a hug! 🤗

It took £580K in US yesterday so that has bumped up the numbers a bit

 

They're a bit behind on the numbers here

 

Regarding Take That, Mark has seen it but hasn't posted since last year and his family has had to evacuate due to the LA fires. Howard isn't hugely into social media.

 

Gary I'm not convinced will ever see it. The one interview I saw about it he said he was intrigued but nervous and not sure if he will. TBF he has taken a battering over the past year Netflix documentary, Boybands Forever and now the film. Some Americans don't understand this dynamic as have said as the one who could sing, write and compose of course he would have been the leader of the group.

 

It seems to me that Gary lives an ignorance is bliss lifestyle and has spoken about avoiding situations which could open old wounds.

 

The music is really a joke at Gary's expense (no pun intended) as commented by a few reviews. It Only Takes a Minute and Relight My Fire are covers and I Found Heaven was written by producers Ian Levine and Billy Griffin, so GB gets no credit. The latter a song all 5 hate and refuse to perform live.

 

They are really the light camp comic relief of the film. Clueless and the blind leading the blind. Yes it is noted their first album was very hit and miss but by Pray and the second album they were completely cohesive, consistent and worldbeaters. This isn't really shown other than Gary now living in a mansion with a butler, but again it isn't their story to tell and time is limited.

Had I known nothing of Take That I would have thought they can put on a show but aren't musicians. Obviously we know this isn't the case as aside from that one dreadful song they were forced to sing and the 4 covers they put out (but changed) everything was created from within. Gary on piano and writing/composing/producing songs, Jason on acoustic guitar, dance routines and styling, Howard creating the harmonies and Rob/Mark backing vocals/shared or full leads.

They came across as a boyband who are told what to do by producers but that was never Take That. They weren't that kind of boyband.

Edited January 12Jan 12 by nirvanamusic

I can remember going to the cinema to watch the Tallinn gig in Estonia 2013 and there were only about ten of us in the cinema.

 

I did wonder if it would be like that again so have been measured in my expectations of how it was going to do financially.

 

Personally I'm happy with the film Michael Gracey has made.

If it didn't have all the CGI work -I'm not sure it would have been so positively received and I have loved reading the masses of positive reviews.

 

I think the lack of viewing numbers probably reflects his level of popularity now. He has a lot of fans all over the world but it's not 2001. Once they have been to see it, those numbers aren't going to cut into a $110m budget. The budget does seem a bit ridiculous to me. :o

 

I read (don't know if it's true) that Australia (Victoria) raised a lot of the money for the movie with a trade off of raising profiles and increased publicity for movie making in Victoria.

 

I'm hoping the US numbers help it along a little, although I don't know how long it can run in theatres before they replace it. Only a few weeks I think.

 

There's still more to come though -I feel it's a marathon not a sprint. See what the next few weeks reveal.

Indeed the movie is 20 years too late when it comes to the popularity of Rob. Everytime he has toured the last 10 years I worried that he would not sell enough tickets. It seems though that his reputation as an entertainer is still good enough even with no real new music published successfully since Candy.

The most positive I take from the movie are the good reviews and him being in the limelight again.

Since being a Robbie fan I haave learned that he polarizes a lot especially in the UK: Either you love or absolutely hate him. With social media and the discussion in the USA carried by mostly males (I hear) I would lose all self assurance about the way the vitriol is spread there.

I have been always very critical about Gary Barlow in the past as I felt about him as arrogant and had expressed this also in many posts (before I got calmer :-) ). However, what you read on twitter is partly toxic and I never checked tiktok.

I wonder how Rob feels about it. I cannot imagine hat it passes him untouched to realize that he is seemingly too mediocre for the USA and his fan base has shrunk immensely.

I also think that the times are tough for many people looking at the economic situation many face in Europe these days.

Rob had thrown himself that much in the campaign. Well, I think it is indeed time for a support hug.

I am looking for a silver lining!

Of course everyone was hoping for it to be a huge and unexpected box office smash.

 

I’ve had misgivings for a while, to be honest.

No stars is a problem, a film with a wild concept is a problem, the way the CGI looks on a phone screen is a problem,

and the budget was always going to be a problem. And I noticed the complete and total silence from the Take That boys themselves.

It’s just felt odd to me that they have basically ignored the existence of a major feature film they are depicted in.

It really does suggest a lack of goodwill that is going to put off certain Take That fans.

 

Also, I hate to admit it, but I’m not in love with the versions of the songs in the film. I don’t like the edits.

The vast majority of them are not performable for promotion. They have fudged around the fact that

it’s another singer in promotion but I can definitely hear that it’s not Robbie in a lot of moments and I am not the only one.

I don’t think there’s enough of his or Take That’s music in it - it’s mad (or possibly it’s a permission issue)

that Back For Good is not featured - hell, it is mad that Could It Be Magic is not featured and they don’t show

Robbie grabbing the limelight from Gary with both hands and eating it up. I don’t like that it ends with My Way and not with

one of Robbie’s own songs.

 

In fact they don’t show how brilliant Robbie is as a performer barely at all. We just get a quick montage,

we never get the satisfaction of enjoying him as a performer.

 

I am feeling grumpy about this today because I was really hoping this would propel Robbie back into

the charts in a positive way.

 

Back for good is 'featured' in the Rock DJ sequence. Blink and you miss it. A hug 🤗 from me to you as well.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the support.

 

I’d forgotten that I Found Heaven wasn’t written by Gary.

That really does suggest to me that Gary refused to have any of his original songs in the film.

Also realised that the reason we have Land of a 1000 Dances on the XXV tour is because it is featured

heavily in the film and Rob is retrospectively claiming it. Why they didn’t use one of his own tracks there is baffling to me.

Obviously the Tom Jones moment was iconic but the song itself has never been strongly associated with him.

 

Yes, I had noticed that even the live audience has dwindled a bit - that second date at the Emirates has not sold out yet.

 

Rob always says he is in the ‘between Christmas and New Year’ phase of his career but I think there’s more going on than that.

I’ve noticed that the TV stations like the BBC who use their archives for easy, cheap TV shows rarely feature

him. Like, there’s a ‘Take That at the BBC’ special on there but not one about Rob.

He didn’t appear in the ‘best of the 90s’ special either.

 

It’s like someone in commissioning and programming there doesn't like him and is memory-holing his career deliberately, because there is plenty of archive they could use.

He hasn’t had the musical reassessment he deserves.

 

And things that should have helped with that - like the Netflix doc - haven’t.

I think Rob and his management have at times been a bit too trusting and haven’t paid enough

attention to whether that sort of project is actually promoting his image. I know he wants to be authentic

and seen as a human being, but the truth is that bands and artists who build strong third act legacies don’t

do it by telling everyone they are terrible and running their own music down. They engage in self-mythologising about how amazing they are!

 

 

The only thing that actually seemed to positively move the needle for him among the undecided was Boybands Forever.

Edited January 12Jan 12 by Kathryn24601

" I know he wants to be authentic

and seen as a human being, but the truth is that bands and artists who build strong third act legacies don’t

do it by telling everyone they are terrible and running their own music down. They engage in self-mythologising about how amazing they are"

 

This 100%. This was the difference between the UK Boybands Forever and Reign of the Boybands: Larger Than Life, the US only version. The Americans were very brand conscious and as a result it is a self and some industry talking heads giving a congratulatory pat on the back basically saying "we are the ones who made it in the States".

 

They make 'I Want It That Way' out to be the greatest pop song of the last century, using words such as masterpiece etc.

Edited January 12Jan 12 by nirvanamusic

I am still yet to see the film but everyone i know that has seen it says it is very good!

 

 

has anyone an idea if there will be a release in South America?

Hey Liz, yes, the premiere of Better Man in South Africa is coming on Jan-24.

As we know Robbie will be in a country (Jan-21-27) with 3 concerts within this period so it's planning clever.

https://www.vibescout.com/za/movies/better-man-2024

 

---

 

Oh, vibe, wish you to watch the movie in cinema!

The average score is raising rapidly on USA IMDB rating. Weighted average @7.3 weighted @6.7 unweighted. Half of all 1/10s ratings come from USA, probably just haters.

" I know he wants to be authentic

and seen as a human being, but the truth is that bands and artists who build strong third act legacies don’t

do it by telling everyone they are terrible and running their own music down. They engage in self-mythologising about how amazing they are"

 

This 100%. This was the difference between the UK Boybands Forever and Reign of the Boybands: Larger Than Life, the US only version. The Americans were very brand conscious and as a result it is a self and some industry talking heads giving a congratulatory pat on the back basically saying "we are the ones who made it in the States".

 

They make 'I Want It That Way' out to be the greatest pop song of the last century, using words such as masterpiece etc.

 

I can only speak for myself but his honesty and self awareness is a huge part of why I'm a fan. I appreciate his candidness and a lot of that is how he sees himself . If he were like the others, I would have moved on years ago.

And @Elisabeth- don't forget he was the only artist last summer to sell.out Hyde Park. None of the others did. I think the trouble is, once his fans have seen the movie, nobody else wants to, because of his marmite affect. You either get him or you don't. As we know there is no halfway

I too am wondering how he is taking the box office figures. Whether he is circumspect about it or devastated. We can be sure he will tell us.

 

Completely off topic- I hope something comes of his self awareness. He could be such a good ambassador for a mental wellbeing charity. With his eloquency, he could add such a lot to the awareness and openness re mental health.

Edited January 12Jan 12 by Laura130262

Laura, this is what I do not understand. His concerts are still very much liked especially considering the lack of new music. But I understand that the movie also flopped in the UK and this is his home market. I do not see anything from Germany yet, but despite best critics do not see it being a success there either as not all cinemas show it. I assume the monkey is putting people off. On the other side it was for sure one reasons for the very great reviews.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the support.

 

I’d forgotten that I Found Heaven wasn’t written by Gary.

That really does suggest to me that Gary refused to have any of his original songs in the film.

Also realised that the reason we have Land of a 1000 Dances on the XXV tour is because it is featured

heavily in the film and Rob is retrospectively claiming it. Why they didn’t use one of his own tracks there is baffling to me.

Obviously the Tom Jones moment was iconic but the song itself has never been strongly associated with him.

 

Yes, I had noticed that even the live audience has dwindled a bit - that second date at the Emirates has not sold out yet.

 

Rob always says he is in the ‘between Christmas and New Year’ phase of his career but I think there’s more going on than that.

I’ve noticed that the TV stations like the BBC who use their archives for easy, cheap TV shows rarely feature

him. Like, there’s a ‘Take That at the BBC’ special on there but not one about Rob.

He didn’t appear in the ‘best of the 90s’ special either.

 

It’s like someone in commissioning and programming there doesn't like him and is memory-holing his career deliberately, because there is plenty of archive they could use.

He hasn’t had the musical reassessment he deserves.

 

And things that should have helped with that - like the Netflix doc - haven’t.

I think Rob and his management have at times been a bit too trusting and haven’t paid enough

attention to whether that sort of project is actually promoting his image. I know he wants to be authentic

and seen as a human being, but the truth is that bands and artists who build strong third act legacies don’t

do it by telling everyone they are terrible and running their own music down. They engage in self-mythologising about how amazing they are!

The only thing that actually seemed to positively move the needle for him among the undecided was Boybands Forever.

 

 

I am sending you a big hug also Kathryn :friends:

 

Why are there not any numbers showing for Germany :unsure: . I cannot for one minute believe that nobody is going to see it in German cinemas even if it is only out of curiosity , it's one of his biggest markets. I had a look at some cinemas in Munich etc & I can see where seats have been pre-booked so why are the actual sales not being reflected .

 

19.5 k liked this post back in December for the Cologne premier, it's hard to believe none of them went to see the movie

 

 

 

Are there any other sites where ticket sales info is available that might pick up that data !

 

 

‘Den of Thieves 2' opens at No. 1 as ‘Better Man’ flops

 

NEW YORK (AP) — On a quiet weekend in movie theaters, while much of Hollywood’s attention was on the wildfires that continue to rage in Los Angeles, Lionsgate’s “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” debuted atop the box office with $15.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

 

Mid-January is often a slow moviegoing period, and that was slightly exacerbated by the closures of about 10 theaters in Los Angeles, the country’s top box-office market.

 

A sequel to the Gerard Butler 2018 heist thriller, “Den of Thieves 2” performed similarly to the original. The first installment, released by STX, opened with $15.2 million seven years ago. O’Shea Jackson Jr. co-stars in the sequel, which debuted in 3,008 North American theaters.

 

Butler’s films are becoming something of a regular feature in January. He also starred in “Plane,” which managed $32.1 million after launching on Jan. 13 in 2023.

 

“Den of Thieves 2,” made for about $40 million, was a bit more costly to make. Audiences liked it well enough, giving it a “B+” CinemaScore. Reviews (58% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) weren’t particularly good. But it counted as Lionsgate’s first No.1 opening since “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” in November 2023.

 

 

Also entering wide release over the weekend was the Robbie Williams movie “Better Man,” one of the more audacious spins on the music biopic in recent years. Rather than going the more tradition routes of Elton John (“Rocketman”) or Elvis Presley (“Elvis”), the British popstar is portrayed by a CGI chimpanzee in Michael Gracey’s film.

 

The Paramount Pictures release, produced for $110 million and acquired by Paramount for $25 million, didn’t catch on much better than Williams’ previous forays into the United States. It tanked, with $1.1 million in ticket sales from 1,291 locations. Gracey’s previous feature, 2017’s “The Greatest Showman” ($459 million worldwide), fared far better in theaters. Reviews, however, have been very good for “Better Man.” -_-

 

It was bested by “The Last Showgirl,” the Las Vegas drama starring Pamela Anderson. The Roadside Attractions release expanded to 870 theaters and collected $1.5 million.

 

Also outdoing “Better Man” was Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist.” Coming off winning best drama at the Golden Globes, the A24 postwar epic grossed a hefty $1.4 million from just 68 locations. It expands wider in the coming weeks.

 

The weekend’s lion share of business went to holiday holdovers, including “Mufasa: The Lion King,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” “Nosferatu” and “Moana 2.”

 

In its fourth week of release, Barry Jenkins “Mufasa” continued to do well, adding $13.2 million to bring its total to $539.7 million worldwide. Also on its fourth weekend, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” padded its $384.8 million global total with $11 million. Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu,” the surprise hit of the Christmas period, collected $6.8 million in ticket sales, bringing the vampire tale to $81.1 million domestically.

 

The Walt Disney Co.’s “Moana 2,” in its seventh week of release, added $6.5 million to bring its global tally to $989.8 million. In the coming days, it will become the third Disney film released in 2024 to notch $1 billion, joining “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool and Wolverine.”

 

Final domestic figures will be released Monday. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

 

1. “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,” $15.5 million.

 

2. “Mufasa: The Lion King,” $13.2 million.

 

3. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” $11 million.

 

4. “Nosferatu,” $6.8 million.

 

5. “Moana 2,” $6.5 million.

 

6. “A Complete Unknown,” $5 million.

 

7. “Wicked,” $5 million.

 

8. “Babygirl,” $3.1 million.

 

9. “Game Changer,” $1.9 million.

 

10. “The Last Showgirl,” $1.5 million.

 

https://apnews.com/article/box-office-den-t...adf0e5be6a0e1e3

Edited January 12Jan 12 by Sydney11

Why are there not any numbers showing for Germany :unsure: . I cannot for one minute believe that nobody is going to see it in German cinemas even if it is only out of curiosity , it's one of his biggest markets. I had a look at some cinemas in Munich etc & I can see where seats have been pre-booked so why are the actual sales not being reflected .

 

19.5 k liked this post back in December for the Cologne premier, it's hard to believe none of them went to see the movie

 

Are there any other sites where ticket sales info is available that might pick up that data !

 

I think it I saw 1M box office for Germany somewhere.