I really enjoyed the movie - way much more than I thought I would

Defo worth seeing

Surely having everyone see it at the same time creates more of a buzz. Why should other places in the world have to wait longer than others?

I really enjoyed the movie - way much more than I thought I would

Defo worth seeing

 

 

 

Good to hear Mullo, it's controversial that's for sure & raised a lot of discussion :P

Surely having everyone see it at the same time creates more of a buzz. Why should other places in the world have to wait longer than others?

 

Yes...but this one is special because of the monkey 🐵. People need time to go through all 5 stages of grief to finally watch it.

 

 

'Better Man' Robbie Williams film connects even when monkeying around

 

There are moments in "Better Man," the often thrilling biopic of unabashedly cheeky U.K. pop star Robbie Williams, where you forget you're watching a CGI monkey in the lead role.

 

But you are watching a CGI monkey, which is such a baffling decision that it hangs over "Better Man," sometimes creating an emotional barrier between audience and subject, while at other times surprising with how much this digital simian — who is singing and dancing and snorting up everything in sight — is able to connect to the viewer on a base human level.

 

To the credit of Williams — whose brand of ultra-Britishness has, for whatever reason, never translated to U.S. audiences — "Better Man" makes almost more sense with a monkey in the role. The story of the former boy band star (he was in Take That, which also never translated to the U.S., although the group's post-Williams hit "Greatest Day" is enjoying a bit of a moment thanks to its usage in "Anora") follows a rise-and-fall-and-rise-again storyline that has been repeated to the point of parody in the music biopic genre.

 

Is Williams' story unique enough to stand out if the movie played things straight and he was portrayed by, say, Tom Holland? Maybe not. But the monkey's not going to be forgotten, and it weirdly gives "Better Man" a much-needed edge in what is becoming a sea of musician tales on the big screen.

 

Kudos to director Michael Gracey ("The Greatest Showman") and "Better Man's" digital effects team for creating such a lifelike character, and that wizardry extends to some of the film's exhilarating musical sequences, including a scene where Williams — his digital stand-in is Jonno Davies — leads a dance-off in the London streets to the sounds of "Rock DJ." Another standout scene, set to "Come Undone," finds Williams speeding down the road in his car, attempting to flee his demons, until a head-on car crash sends him flying into a body of water.

 

The monkey allows "Better Man" freedom in its narrative devices, and the story is not held to the same factual standards of "A Complete Unknown" or even "Bohemian Rhapsody." It can play fast and loose with the truth and Williams' timeline, because what's important is the essence of his story, and its emotional through line.

 

"Better Man" begins with Williams as a child, looking up to his father Peter (Steve Pemberton), an entertainer who always wanted to but never made the big time, who tells his son, "you're either born with it, or you're a nobody." When Peter leaves his family behind to chase his dream, Williams is raised by his mother Janet (Kate Mulvany) and his grandmother Betty (Alison Steadman).

 

As a 9-year-old, he gets a taste for the spotlight by goofing off during a production of "The Pirates of Penzance," and his thirst for fame becomes unquenchable. At 15, he auditions for Take That and blows the audition, but his star quality is so undeniable that he makes the cut anyway.

 

Then comes the stardom, the women, the drugs and the self destruction, which "Better Man" handles with a refreshing degree of honesty. (Williams has no problem making himself, or at least the monkey version of himself, come off like a contemptible jerk.)

 

But there's salvation around the corner, and even if "Better Man" is hitting familiar beats, it's playing them in an invigorating way, and using its creative license to its advantage. Williams' character is constantly haunted by visions of his former selves, who appear like vengeful ghosts during his most vulnerable moments, a useful deployment of the army of digital primates.

 

Whether or not the film opens Williams up to audiences who have been long resistant to his charms is beside the point. It's an opportunity for Williams to tell his truth in an emotionally honest way, which is something he's always done, and which makes it an essential part of the Robbie experience. Monkey or no monkey, "Better Man" sings.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/mov...id=BingNewsVerp

Edited January 13Jan 13 by Sydney11

YES ! , let's not give up the fight yet ..

 

 

@1878838273604477113

Some news from Russia about film.

Yesterday our theater (around 80 people in total) was 90% occupied while the quantity of theaters which show the movie are dissapearing after 3 weeks - it's OK.

Until Thursday 15 theaters in Moscow show the film. Since Thursday there will be 5 theaters. Since Dec-22 - 3 theaters.

So it means I can admit that during 1 month the movie is still here :)

 

In Saint-Petersburg 10 theaters show the movie this week.

 

Also I calculated that there are also 40 cities (I even don't know some of names - it's Far East)) show Better Man this week: 1-2 screenings per day.

---

Still no official Box Office results for any movies during last 2-3 weeks (maybe because we had a lot of winter holidays) so can't say anything.

Mojo gives some results but I prefer to wait until internal results.

We can't give a big money to the film (already explained why) but we will do what we can.

---

Strong

7.8

av mark on Kinopoisk - more exactly - 7.845 and growing every day.

 

If compare it to another 2024 movies then that's our current Top in RU (w/o Russian/CIS movies):

 

- Arthur the King (2024) - 8.308

- Dogeu deijeu (2024) - 8.249

- Dune: Part Two (2024) - 8.218

- Young Hearts (2024) - 8.201

- Karina (2024) - 8.141

- Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (2024) - 7.980

- I Am: Celine Dion (2024) - 7.897

- Better Man - 7.845

 

Keep it going, Mr Williams!

Yes...but this one is special because of the monkey 🐵. People need time to go through all 5 stages of grief to finally watch it.

 

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

'Better Man' Robbie Williams film connects even when monkeying around

 

 

Whether or not the film opens Williams up to audiences who have been long resistant to his charms is beside the point. It's an opportunity for Williams to tell his truth in an emotionally honest way, which is something he's always done, and which makes it an essential part of the Robbie experience. Monkey or no monkey, "Better Man" sings.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/mov...id=BingNewsVerp

 

I like this :wub:

 

Got to $10m

@1878566667103420811

So fun fact - the bride (bottom right pic, in the yellow shirt), is my cousin's childhood friend who lived just a few miles from me when we were kids! Pretty wild to see this in the news :lol:

That's cool Riser :lol:

Good review ...

 

 

I actually thought the scene in the movie where Robbie was wearing the vacuum suit to try & lose weight was actually very sad , how bad he must have felt about himself at that time :(

 

Edited January 14Jan 14 by Sydney11

@1878876228306043164

I became curious to find out what the general benchmark is for these types of films. There has been a lot!

 

Worldwide box office (Musical Biopics):

 

Bohemian Rhapsody (Freddie Mercury) $910.8 million 2018

Elvis (Elvis Presley) $288.7 million 2022

8 Mile (Eminem) $242.9 million 2002

Straight Outta Compton (N.W.A) $201.6 million 2015

Rocketman (Elton John) $195.3 million 2019

Walk the Line (Johnny Cash) $186.8 million 2005

Bob Marley: One Love (Bob Marley) $180.8 million 2024

Ray (Ray Charles) $124 million 2004

The Pianist (Władysław Szpilman) $120.1 million 2002

What's Love Got to Do with It (Tina Turner) $61 million 1993

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Whitney Houston) $59.8 million 2022

Florence Foster Jenkins (Florence Foster Jenkins) $56 million 2016

All Eyez on Me (Tupac Shakur) $55.7 million 2017

La Bamba (Ritchie Valens) $54.2 million 1987

A Complete Unknown (Bob Dylan) *still in theatres* $51.5 million 2024

Back to Black (Amy Winehouse) $51 million 2024

Judy (Judy Garland) $46 million 2019

Notorious (Christopher Wallace) $44.4 million 2009

Shine (David Helfgott) $36 million 1996

Selena (Selena Quintanilla-Pérez) $35.7 million 1997

The Doors (The Doors) $34.4 million 1991

Get on Up (James Brown) $33.4 million 2014

Priscilla (Priscilla Presley) $33.1 million 2023

Respect (Aretha Franklin) $32.9 million 2021

Love & Mercy (Brian Wilson) $28.6 million 2014

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Dewey Cox) $20.6 million 2007

The Buddy Holly Story (Buddy Holly) $14.3 million 1978

Better Man (Robbie Williams) *still in theatres * $11.9 million 2024

I'm Not There (Bob Dylan) $11.7 million 2007

One Chance (Paul Potts) $10.9 million 2013

Piece by Piece (Pharrell Williams) $10.5 million 2024

Control (Ian Curtis) $8.9 million 2007

Nowhere Boy (John Lennon) $6.6 million 2009

The Runaways (The Runaways) $4.6 million 2010

Sid and Nancy (Sid Vicious & Nancy Spungen) $2.8 million 1986

I Saw the Light (Hank Williams) $1.8 million 2015

Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (Ian Dury) $1 million 2010

Jimi: All Is by My Side (Jimi Hendrix) $927,100 2013

Maestro (Leonard Bernstein) * limited small run before streaming to qualify for awards * $823,800 2023

Blaze (Blaze Foley) $680,100 2018

Stardust (David Bowie) $62,250 2020

 

1970s: 1

1980s: 2

1990s: 4

2000s: 9

2010s: 12

2020s: 11 (13 assuming BS and MJ come out)

 

Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson are also on the way. The good thing about Rob's being out is it is before people become truly jaded by the format.

 

So Eminem made $242.9 million at the height of his fame which I suppose is a good barometer to go by in viewing where the figures should sit. The average budget I'm seeing is between $40-$60 million so the $110 million is ultimately what has hindered the project. Only the top 9 entries have made that much in box office or more.

 

Budgets in millions (Top 10 most succesful music biopics):

 

BR: $50-$55

Elvis: $85

8 Mile: $41

SOC: $28-$50

Rocketman: $40

Walk the Line: $28

Bob Marley: One Love: $70

Ray: $40

The Pianist: $35

What's Love Got to Do with It: $15

 

This was also at a time when there was money to burn and a healthy general pre-pandemic box office (though general figures are slowly coming back round). It has got to have been all on the monkey and sad to say but as a reviewer has stated using Gollum from LOTR's it will date in 20 years time. The story is fantastic though and let's see it rise through that list.

 

Wicked used $150 million but has made $697.8 million and rising. Those kind of budgets you have to be so sure and confident to break even.

Edited January 16Jan 16 by nirvanamusic

I had no idea there had been so many biopics :wacko:

I saw the Amy Winehouse one a couple of months ago. That got had reviews but I really enjoyed it.

 

Other than Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman , I haven't seen any of the others. I would have liked to have seen the John Lennon one

I had no idea there had been so many biopics :wacko:

I saw the Amy Winehouse one a couple of months ago. That got had reviews but I really enjoyed it.

 

Other than Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman , I haven't seen any of the others. I would have liked to have seen the John Lennon one

 

I really liked Bohemian Rhapsody , not so much Rocketman which I did not watch all the way through. I recently watched the documentary on Netflix about Avici called I'm Tim, it was just so sad & makes you realise the pressure that these people in the public eye find themselves under.

 

What I took from Better Man overall is that Rob was a very lucky guy that went through all that he did & came out the other end & is now happily married with a beautiful family, what more could he want in life. He has achieved everything & more & will continue to do so, this is only a blip along the way & it's only numbers at the end of the day . He is heading out this year on another long tour so nothing has changed for him & I am sure after the movie he has picked up many new fans along the way. I think more than anything he will be upset for Michael Gracey & everyone else that worked on the movie rather than for himself, he worked very hard to promote it, he cannot do anymore . ;) I look forward to when it comes on streaming, it's a movie I would like to buy if possible . ;)

 

@1879029816818843935

 

 

 

:lol:

 

@1879073143496880213

I really enjoyed the movie - way much more than I thought I would

Defo worth seeing

It's great to heat, Mullo!

Thanks for sharing.

 

What song/s did you mostly liked?

 

So fun fact - the bride (bottom right pic, in the yellow shirt), is my cousin's childhood friend who lived just a few miles from me when we were kids! Pretty wild to see this in the news :lol:

 

Wow! So cool, how did you know about this event and how Rob was there? Reliable? :)

 

I became curious to find out what the general benchmark is for these types of films. There has been a lot!

 

Worldwide box office (Musical Biopics):

 

Bohemian Rhapsody (Freddie Mercury) $910.8 million 2018

Elvis (Elvis Presley) $288.7 million 2022

8 Mile (Eminem) $242.9 million 2002

Straight Outta Compton (N.W.A) $201.6 million 2015

Rocketman (Elton John) $195.3 million 2019

Walk the Line (Johnny Cash) $186.8 million 2005

Bob Marley: One Love (Bob Marley) $180.8 million 2024

Ray (Ray Charles) $124 million 2004

The Pianist (Władysław Szpilman) $120.1 million 2002

What's Love Got to Do with It (Tina Turner) $61 million 1993

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Whitney Houston) $59.8 million 2022

Florence Foster Jenkins (Florence Foster Jenkins) $56 million 2016

All Eyez on Me (Tupac Shakur) $55.7 million 2017

La Bamba (Ritchie Valens) $54.2 million 1987

Back to Black (Amy Winehouse) / A Complete Unknown (Bob Dylan) *still in theatres* $51 million 2024 (both)

Judy (Judy Garland) $46 million 2019

Notorious (Christopher Wallace) $44.4 million 2009

Shine (David Helfgott) $36 million 1996

Selena (Selena Quintanilla-Pérez) $35.7 million 1997

The Doors (The Doors) $34.4 million 1991

Get on Up (James Brown) $33.4 million 2014

Priscilla (Priscilla Presley) $33.1 million 2023

Respect (Aretha Franklin) $32.9 million 2021

Love & Mercy (Brian Wilson) $28.6 million 2014

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Dewey Cox) $20.6 million 2007

The Buddy Holly Story (Buddy Holly) $14.3 million 1978

I'm Not There (Bob Dylan) $11.7 million 2007

One Chance (Paul Potts) $10.9 million 2013

Piece by Piece (Pharrell Williams) * not sure if this has completed run * $10.5 million 2024

Better Man (Robbie Williams) *still in theatres * $10.1 million 2024

 

So Eminem made $242.9 million at the height of his fame which I suppose is a good barometer to go by in viewing where the figures should sit. The average budget I'm seeing is between $40-$60 million so the $110 million is ultimately what has hindered the project. Only the top 9 entries have made that much in box office or more.

 

nirvanamusic, thanks for this post!

I do like all analasys too.

 

Well, 1 week ago or so somebody from you asked what $ we're targeting.

In December my answer was 50M USD (totally), while now, today I would say 30M USD before streaming.

Talking this I don't forget about France release, Latin/South America + some Asian market. Don't forget about Chinese money for the movie - why not to try some Chinese opportunity too, for example?

 

Regarding Eminem - yes, I think his amount was clear and real by the moment.

 

:lol:

 

@1879073143496880213

 

Yes, I've seen this post but still 100% true :))

Anyway, Tim was great in Wonka. He is a talented guy for sure.