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Are people really planning on boycotting this film? The message board on IMDB is all over this whole boycotting thing.

Anyone have any idea how this will effect box office?

[Shrug] I don't think this is a "serious" effort to boycott Compass. I've read the book, I understand the objections. It's true that the trilogy's author, Philip Pullman, is a fairly prominent atheists, and he's gone on-record as having characterized the "war on Heaven" depicted in His Dark Materials as being a sort of revolution against dogma, with the "hegemony" of God's celestial empire being upended and replaced with a "heavenly republic."

For all that -- and I'm speaking as a very, shall we say, "conservative" Christian, here -- I find nothing particularly objectionable, and have concluded that this is simply a case of people who WANT to find something scandalous, managing to find something to bay about, surprise, surprise. Pullman's a compelling author, and uses certain elements of modern science in an extremely inventive way to define several alternate universes which could intersect our own. I think one of the book -- and film's -- biggest problems is largely semantic, to wit, his choice to call the "external souls" of humans in the novel's initial reality, "daemons." Had he chosen to employ a word like, "familiars," or "spirits," or, Hell, "Steve," I suspect there wouldn't be all this unnecessary hubbub. "Daemons" has a very particular -- if, in some respects, inaccurate -- meaning to people of certain faith systems, and a superficial or cursory examination of His Dark Materials will no doubt shock and stupefy certain people, while a more thorough reading of the book(s) should alleviate most fears.

Pullman, for all his purported attempts to avoid what could be termed "conventional" spiritualism, has created a world with a very familiar morality, a world that has much in common with (for instance) the works of Philip José Farmer, Tad Williams or Marion Zimmer Bradley. I consider his writings far less controversial, much less antagonistic toward Christianity than, say, the works of Frank Herbert or Peter F. Hamilton, who I love. This isn't Narnia, certainly, but neither is it some Satanic abomination; if you can watch What the [BLEEP] Do We Know!?, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings without objection, then, certainly, you can watch this, which is at least as imaginative in its own way as any of those titles. It's true that I think it's too much for many children under the age of 13, but that has everything to do with its violence, suspense and certain intellectual themes and concepts, and nothing to do with its unique and inventive spiritual conceits, or lack thereof.

However, I suspect quite a few folks are going to make a bit of hay over this film and its sequels, in spite of the fact that New Line -- not, exactly, a studio that has it in for Christians, I'd say -- has gone to enormous trouble to remove all material that could be considered "objectionable" by persons of faith. And, in fact, the advance materials being put out by so-called "offended Christians" are pretty much universal in stating that, it's not the FILM that bothers them so much, as the fact that kids who see it might then want to go and read the BOOK for themselves, and then get all sorts of strange notions into their head that might jeopardize their faith. As if a single novel is the greatest threat to the integrity of a Christian life, or to a relationship with Jesus. Please. The world is full of notions contrary to Biblical principles; if someone's faith -- of any age -- is so fragile as to be undermined by a work of fiction, of fantasy in fact, then perhaps we all have some work to do, and I don't mean boycotting, burning or banning secular entertainments, either.

Some people just simply make my teeth itch.

However, I digress, Lovely. Unless radicals begin chaining themselves to theater doors, I don't think it will make a whit of difference, except perhaps to drum up even more publicity for the film. I guess it's possible that some conservative Christians will actively work to keep their children out of theaters screening Compass, but there are ways around that, and frankly even if attendance for preteens is a little worse than expected, the adults who will be, then, all that MORE interested in this unusual, controversial film will be all that much more likely to check it out. This is, I suspect, an enimently rewatchable film, one of four this Holiday Season (the others being I Am Legend, Hitman, and Enchanted), so I wouldn't worry overmuch. The Passion of the Christ pissed off a whole lot of Christians, too, and there was talk about Harry Potter turning an entire generation of literate evangelical teenagers into witches and warlocks, and the churches are still open on Sundays, and the world is still spinning on its axis, and the sun will still come up tomorrow.

I remain, as always...

Nico.

All press is good press, and the controversy will just make regular folks more interested in the film, as they ask themselves "what's in this that upsets people so much"? If only those angry Christians realised that they're generating buzz as opposed to warning people against it.

I love the book's whole take on heaven and hell, especially the depiction of God in the third book... but I won't spoil it for those who just want to watch the movies.

All I can say is that even if it the films are only half as good as the books (and I normally hate fantasy novles), then they'll be enjoyable at the least.

What are everyone's predictions for The Golden compass?

$205 million Total B.O., 10 to 13 Top 5 points, minimum; 3 or more PTA points, and a 7.6 IMDb. And all of these could go higher. I expect no less than three Top-5 Finishes... Not bad for $31 in Ultimate, and $34 in Box Office Leagues.

And I agree with you completely, Six. I'll be standing in line on opening day, you can count on it.

I remain, as always...

Nico.

I don't know... Mase is predicting bad things for this one... And he is usually very trustworthy

Okay, I think Compass will open with a 50+ mil figure, but it could go as high as 70mil. IT will basically open with 5 Top 5 and 3-4 PTA points (although I'm probably underestimating the indie movies)

I think it will close at about 220mil, make about 13 (12 is the least it will make, having a 5-4-3 run in its first 3 weekends). It should finish with about 5 PTA points. I'm not sure about IMDB, I suspect fans of the book may have something to complain about, so a mid 7's score seems reasonable enough.

I think it's great value in FM ultimate Leagues as it will be the Monster of Box Office this Christmas, having the broadest appeal (thought I wouldn't be surprised if Legend comes close to 200 mil itself).

Sounds like you and I are in the ballpark, Six.

As for Legend, I'm with ya there, too: $190M Total B.O., 19 Top 5 points (including two consecutive #1 Finishes, and a total five weeks in the Top 5), 8 or more in PTA and an 8.0 IMDb.

(Beowulf being the other probable $200M title.)

I remain, as always...

Nico.

i have a question:

could one of you guys ask Mase if he'd do a head-to-head tracking between Compass and Legend the Wednesday or Thursday before Compass releases?? just to give us an idea of which one is looking better and whether legend will open as strong as compass/ vice versa....

I'm not sure if Legend will beat National Tresure 2 on the latter's opening weekend. I wish it did, as we all know it's going to be better than Nicholas Cage wishing he was Indiana Jones, but I'm not sure.

I think Legend will get a lot less Top 5 points than that... maybe 14/15 MAX. Then again, January looks so weak you never know what will happen.

I mean, these are the same nutjobs that boycotted Harry Potter because of the whole "witchcraft" thing and that didn't hurt J.K. Rowlings' pockets at all. Highest crossing movie series of all time and I'm pretty sure all the books are probably in the Top 10 of all time.

Then again, I doubt the Golden Compass books were anywhere near as popular (I'd never even heard of them until I heard about the movie).

i agree with what 6 said earlier....about any press being good press....i think this backlash will only fuel speculation about the movie and increase BO intake....

I don't think it'll affect it. This movies gonna kick ass. Whos the bigger audience. All the losers who went to see spidey 3. Or the movie nerds banning the movie on the internet.

If I'm not mistaken. Wasn't there a large group of people who said they were gonna boycot the DaVinci code.

I see this as more comparable to the upset over Davinci Code moreso than Harry Potter. I find it unlikely that this will dampen its success in any way, just like with davinci code, nobody really cares what the church "says" to boycott.

edit: doh, i got caught up in work and forgot to click post so the cRAzY beat me to the comparison.

...[J]ust like with davinci code, nobody really cares what the church "says" to boycott.

What amazes me about stuff like this so much is, you never hear stuff about films like Constantine, or The Matrix, or Mystic River, or will we about Hitman, which, if viewed in a certain light, are probably even more potentially "damaging" to public opinions of Christianity than any of these other titles.

The "boycott" of The Da Vinci Code was useful, in that it spawned an entire industry of Code-denying books and DVDs, I suppose, but it really served no other purpose except to, once again, put forward the perception that devout Christians are mildly insane, and have nothing better to do than push against the ocean (especially when it's in front of television cameras, natch). What threatening to boycott films does to fulfill the Great Commission, I for one couldn't tell you. But it does make for interesting public theater, like an evangelistic Jerry Springer Show. (Or, more accurately, The Gong Show.)

And, I've said my peace on this subject, now.

I remain, as always...

Nico.

Good point Nico. If anything, films like the Saw series and other torture porn films should be boycotted. Oh oh, I forget...those have nothing to do with evil...

Not saying any movie should be boycotted though. I'm all for freedom of speech, etc...

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