@BanksIsDaFuture and cRAzY: you got a good point with the redundant lists... and also with the people not being around in March 2009... this contest is open also for the entrants of Super Box Office Leagues ;) who'll wait 1 year to see who's the best mogul around :D @numbersix_99: your idea (top 10 order) is very good for picking the winner in case of a tie...@everybody: what do you thing? any other props? Nico? @Nicodemus: very good statistics... I was savin' em for 1/18/08 especially not to influence the future subscribers ;) a very very pertinent post from you like always... BUT not underestimate some movies and also appearance of surprise-hits (in no particular order) like: Wanted You Don't Mess With the Zohan Step Brothers The Love Guru Where the Wild Things Are The Happening HB II (formerly Hellboy 2: The Golden Army) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Bolt Dragonball and... Body of Lies (Leo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Carice van Houten, directed by: Ridley Scott) ...movies still not selected by anyone which can do better than USD 100 MM ;) still waitin' 4 Shryke and others...

Re:Super-contest of 2008

Nicodemus — GMT

delfinasu: Yeah, I thought Six's idea was a good one, that's why I went back and "ranked" my selections. Props, seconded, moral support, whatever.

[V]ery good statistics... I was savin' em for 1/18/08 especially not to influence the future subscribers...

Whups. My bad.

...[A] very very pertinent post from you like always...

Is there such a disease as Digital Tourette's Syndrome? If not, I'm proof positive that there oughta be... Someone give me a grant...

...[M]ovies still not selected by anyone which can do better than USD 100 M...

[Nodding] There's a few of 'em. I see your point, Marius (your Nico-name, btw, and a damned fine one if I do say so myself, friend), but, personally, I suspect that posting comprehensive lists of the "taken" films, is MORE likely to encourage Fantaversians to be creative and to select other titles. This game, this place, ain't for professional sheep, for bipedal lemmings who follow the crowd right off the cliff and are totaly risk-averse. Pointing out that just about every single participant has the same six titles on their lists is a good way to mix things up; everyone here wants to be the one who comes out of nowhere and selects 2008's surprise smash. And no one wants to "win" by playing it safe. But, hey, I could be wrong. I never want to meet any of you in Vegas, btw. I remain, as always... Nico.

Super-contest of 2008

delfinasu — GMT

@Nico: maybe I was missunderstood... I agree with you... and I always appreciate your constructive posts. I never want to meet any of you in Vegas, too :) but, at a coffee after a good movie to comment it, there's no other better idea... maybe just at the beach - Palma de Mallorca, Seychelles, Hawaii :D Have you wonder what have you choosen in 2006 for 2007? I think that everyone was bettin' on threequels: Spidey 3, Shrek 3, Pirates 3, Bourne 3 and maybe Rush Hour 3 and of course on: Transformers, Harry Porker 5, Ratatouille and The Simpsons Movie... at least 5 or 6 of these movies on everyone's selected top 10 for 2007... But how many of you have actually dreamed of more than 200 MM for 300? National Treasure 2 can surpass the 200 MM mark too and I think that the surprise of this year will be Alvin which can be over The Simpsons Movie... Wild Hogs and Ghost Rider made more than 100 MM, a mark that was a little surpassed by Evan Almighty and not achieved by Meet the Robinsons (deserved more), Beowulf, Golden Compass, The Heartbreak Kid and Lions for Lambs. Have you thought of more than 30 movies for the last year' blockbuster? So 23 movies selected so far and maybe other no more than 11 NEW movies to be selected until the end of subscription... Che sera, sera...

Re:Super-contest of 2008

numbersix_99 — GMT

Nico, I think YOU are understimating Sex and the City. Last year failed to deliver a Devil Wears Prada, and now that target audience are desperate for something else. Sex and the City, mark my words, will be a hit. how much of a hit? That's hard to say, but I can see it surpassing Prada's 124 million. I think I may be underestimating Wanted, with Jolie for the lads and McEvoy (seriously, am I the only one who thinks he doesn't have the presence to be a lead actor?) for the ladies. I didn't like the trailer, but most guys I spoke to did (seriously, bending bullets???). It is, however, opening against Wall-E, which I see whooping its ass. Speaking of that, does anyone have any reasoning as to why they think Wall E will do so well and Ratatouille disappointed so much? My thinking is that the robot of Wall E is mroe marketable than a rat, and Wall E is more of a visual (hence accessible) story than Ratatouille. I thought about Star Trek for a while (and noticed the ladies were all running away), but none of the movies were ever that huge, and even though the franchise is being rejuvinated, no amount of Sylars will make it a huge hit. I'm taking a wild stab in picking Day the Earth Stood Still. I just thought, sci-fi, heavy on SFX/CGI, with Neo. It should be popular enough. Interestingly, the director Scott Derrickson will also be making Paradise Lost (excuse me while I put my eyes back into my sockets), so it'll be interesting to see how he fares. I think Iron Man will be a hit, mostly because it's the opening film of the summer. And the trailer had the Sabbath song. Which made me want to see it. I can only pray it's the only song used in the soundtrack. All together now: I AM IRON MANNNNN

Re:Super-contest of 2008

annyonggob888 — GMT

Wow, Nico great analysis. Hope you're getting paid well for all of these well-detailed analyses. (Analyses is a word, isn't it?) I'm gonna stick with my list, but I personally can't believe I missed Bond 22. Heaps of others had it, but I decided to bypass it. It should be huge, but coming out the same day as Madagscar 2, basically one or the other will do very big business while the other will do only regular big business. For some reason I'm thinking it'll be Madagscar going very big. Don't ask me why though... Bond 22 would be my #11 though. As a side note, if Angels & Demons hadn't been moved to 2009, it'd be a serious contender as well for a #6-#10 spot. Trust me guys, anyone who's read the books can tell you A&D will translate into a film at least 10 times better than the turd that was The Da Vinci Code's movie. I'm pretty happy that I'm the only one who rates Tropic Thunder as a possible Top 10 flick. In all likelihood it won't make it, but it's my real wildcard. My list would be pretty standard without it, with Bond 22 at #10 instead. Ignoring The Heartbreak Kid, Ben Stiller is still one of the biggest draws in the world, and with a decent film behind him, this should make serious dough. Also, look at the serious star power accompanying him, I'd argue (including cameos) probably the STRONGEST CAST LIST OF ANY FILM IN 2008. Yes, you heard me right. Just try and name one with more starpower. I'm also not considering the 'war' aspect to it, they're taking the mickey out of it, so people won't think twice about seeing a 'war flick' with Tropic Thunder. An enjoyable popcorn flick is all it's trying to be, and I believe will be how the public will view it. As for wildcards it's easy to go with comedies like Tropic Thunder, which are a little unquantifiable. Nico was right to point out Yes Men and Get Smart. I'd like to present two more that should also be given consideration (sorry if someone's already mentioned them)... PINEAPPLE EXPRESS BEDTIME STORIES Mainly Pineapple Express though. Oh, and btw Dragonball (Z?) will flop. They should've made a live-action Pokemon movie instead. Yes, that's right, A LIVE-ACTION POKEMON MOVIE!!! It'd be pretty lousy, but a live-action Dragonball (Z?) is an even more ridiculously preposterous idea. That is all...

Re:Super-contest of 2008

annyonggob888 — GMT

Just wanted to pick on one more thing. Namely one small nitpick from Nico's piece.

Expect Mummy to post Resident Evil: Extinction-type numbers (at best)

(Note: Wow... did anyone notice that 27 films broke $100M in 2007, eight more than did so in 2006? Just incredible.)

Not to mention that Juno looks like it will break $100 million. That takes the total up to 28.

Super-contest of 2008

Lili — GMT

I think this is a good idea BUT let's make this contest more challenging if u all agree ;) ! The lucky No 1, will have from me one original DVD and I think it isn't too much for each player to give a DVD for the winner. What do u think ?? My To 10 movies for 2008 is : 1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince 3. The Dark Knight 4. Bond 22 5. The Chronicles of Narnia : Prince Caspian 6. Madagascar 2 7. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor 8. Cloverfield 9. Kung Fu Panda 10. You Don't Mess With The Zohan

Re:Super-contest of 2008

Nicodemus — GMT

Some responses and comments: Chien:

I'll be ready, next June, to congratulate you for your foresight if I have to.

[Grimace] Hey, I wasn't looking for applause. Just callin' 'em like I see 'em.

...I don't know if you already know that, but the French is one stubborn people. And I mean STUBBORN. So don't be mad at me, but until I see something really unappealing, I'll keep being excited about The Happening...

They can't be more stubborn than the Irish and American Indian, two bloodlines that, I'm proud to say, positively DOMINATE my own personality and which give me, in addition to a frankly manic immovability and uncompromisingness, a fiery temper, passion, and a love of tobacco (in cigar form). And then I've got a touch of Polish and Russian, which means I also happen to be both a masochist, and patently insane. The rest of me is English, which explains my obnoxiousness, a natural inclination toward pessimism and skepticism, and a pronounced occasional lack of any taste whatsoever (again, I remind you: I worship Starship Troopers). Know thyself, the sign above the Oracle's door reads, inevitably. Was Latin an invention of the Machines? I wonder... Riddles and enigmas... We are all merely inhabitants of a world designed by anonymous Architects. J.I.:

...Juno looks like it will break $100 million. That takes the total [of 2007 films which grosses $100M or better] up to 28.

[Nodding] And I've been telling Shrykey for weeks, now, I think 2008 is going to be, hands-down, THE BIGGEST YEAR FOR FILM EVER. Up half a million dollars from '07, methinks, and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see THIRTY films in '08 become nine-figure "blockbusters." The writer's strike, and its effect on the Spring and Summer's prime-time television lineup, will be a big factor in this, I suspect. Even now, the major producers of new scripted content are struggling to put programs on their air... witness the fact that the Peacock network's all-but-forgotten Dateline has now been slated for four nights a week. NBC and ABC do have some new material, notably the Law & Orders and Lost, and a few new series with maybe eight episodes each in the can, but they'll be out of new material by late March, and if the WGA walkout still hasn't been resolved by THEN, then it's going to be a long, bleak Spring and Summer, at least, for the Big Four, as well as basic-cable content providers like TBS, FX, USA and Sci-Fi. Fox has quite a few shows with new eps yet to see the light of day, and a mini-season of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but its real saving grace will be in American Idol, just as CBS will be temporarily buttressed by Survivor and Big Brother. But this can only last so long, and long before March Madness (another finger in the dam for the Tiffany Network) concludes, viewers will be abandoning the nets in droves. Where will they go? The movies, naturally, the only screen with new content that ISN'T sports or the Presidential election. Aside: If this insanity continues into late Summer, It wouldn't surprise me at all to see NBC begin cannibalizing series owned by NBC Universal and airing 'em on their "flagship" property. Meaning, if the writers haven't gone back to work by August, look for Season 1 of Battlestar Galactica on NBC in prime time no later than October. (And what a fragrant can o' worms THAT'll open...) Ditto The Shield on Fox. Interestingly, HBO and Showtime are in pretty decent shape for now... HBO, in particular, has three or four new series that it's been holding back, waiting for just this, and Showtime has The Tudors. Attendance at the nation's movie houses will rise throughout the Spring and Summer; video game and Internet usage will also rise. And even when the strike ends, it's going to take three, four months to ramp up production on your favorite television programs -- sadly, a lot of crews are going to have to be staffed up nearly from scratch, and my feeling is, if this work stoppage goes on long enough, we may lose some of the longest-running (and most expensive to produce) programs altogether, chief among them, ER. (Not that that would be a great loss, or anything.) And then, just as things are getting back to normal, there'll be a SAG strike... but, more on that in a minute. Back to my original point: The WGA-producers conflict will drive a great many people off their living-room couches and into the theaters, making 2008 a record-breaking year for film grosses, and it won't end when the striking unions return to work, because when television series DO return, a lot of 'em will be of lower quality, at least for a time, and many many people will have moved on, permanently. It took baseball the better part of a decade to recover from its last strike; I don't know, honestly, if broadcast television will EVER recover its viewers. Expect unprecedented turnout at the movies throughout 2008, with the result that ALL boats are lifted and that even mediocre films manage to turn fair-sized profits. It's next year that worries me. Six months after the studios make peace with WGA, it'll be SAG's turn to shut everything down, and the actors' guild has the ability to sit on the sidelines a lot longer than the far less-compensated writers. I think the studios are making a big, big mistake by releasing so many tentpole titles in '07; they ought to hold a few of them back for next year, because if a SAG strike does come off, no one's going to be doing ANYTHING. Except, perhaps, Michael Moore. So '08 could be The Year of the Foreign Film or, then again, it could be The Year We All Go Online for All Our Entertainment. Who knows, the biggest winners in all this madness could well end up being Bungie Studios, 60 Minutes and YouTube.

...[L]let's make this contest more challenging if u all agree ! The lucky No 1, will have from me one original DVD and I think it isn't too much for each player to give a DVD for the winner. What do u think ??

Sure, Lili, I'm down with that. One qualification, tho: IT MUST BE A DVD PURCHASED FOR $5 OR LESS, and creativity and uniqueness is appreciated. That ought to result in some damned quirky offerings, and a fairly interesting mini-collection. Whoever wins this better be a big Uwe Boll fan, I'm thinking... I remain, as always... Nico.

Re:Super-contest of 2008

numbersix_99 — GMT

I'm pretty sure I have a 2nd copy of Oldboy (bought it, then got a review copy as part of the Vengeance Box-Set) to donate to the lucky winner. It's region 2, though.

Re:Super-contest of 2008

Chienfantome — GMT

Sorry Nico, but I'll stick to what I said about the French being stubborn... I mean, we loved hating our English neighbours 500 years ago, and we still do. We loved being the only ones not following GW Bush in his war on terror, and we still do. We loved considering Howard Hawks, Woody Allen, John Carpenter or James Gray some of the greatest american filmmakers ever, and we still do. And we have always considered ourselves the greatest lovers ever.. and... well... we ain't gonna drop that idea anytime soon, either. :mrgreen:

Re:Super-contest of 2008

Nicodemus — GMT

And we have always considered ourselves the greatest lovers ever.. and... well... we ain't gonna drop that idea anytime soon, either.

Hey, any country whose most celebrated paramour is none other than the legendary Pepé Le Pew, is all right by me. Ooh, l'amour. Or, to quote another famous French fry, The Merovingian from The Matrix Trilogy: "It is remarkable how similar the pattern of love is to the pattern of insanity." So, then... that would make a nation of "lovers"... what, exactly? [Grin] Hey, I'm just playin' wit' ya. Any nation ballsy and self-confident enough to name its capital after the most idiotic, selfish, self-destructive, strutting, preening poofdah in all of classical literature, is all right by my lights. It'd be sort of like naming a future American city... Britney. Right? [Ducking] Yes, I AM, on occasion, an ugly American. Sorry to be such a cliché, but, well, there it is. I remain, as always... Nico. P.S. An observation: Damn, but JMPR is getting a lot of airtime. If the film succeeds, it will be a triumph of good marketing over bad product...

Re:Super-contest of 2008

Shryke42 — GMT

Nicodemus wrote:

[Nodding] And I've been telling Shrykey for weeks, now, I think 2008 is going to be, hands-down, THE BIGGEST YEAR FOR FILM EVER. Up half a million dollars from '07,

Christ. CBS' midseason lineup reads like a bad Kafka novel adapted into a screenplay by Uwe Boll and Vince Vaughn. From Variety:

Reality TV Posted: Sun., Jan. 13, 2008, 9:00pm PT CBS to focus on reality slate Network bulks up on nonfiction programming By JOSEF ADALIAN As remaining supplies of original scripted programming continue to dwindle, CBS is bulking up its reality slate. The Eye has given series orders to three unscripted shows, including a talent competition featuring celebrities. The network hasn't provided any timetable for when the shows will air, but it's likely all will be ready for broadcast later this season or this summer. These are the three additions: "Secret Talents of the Stars," a celeb competition in which famous folks show off their hidden skills (which may range from singing to juggling). Tournament-style skein will air twice a week, with a performance seg followed by a results show. Robyn Nash and Don Weiner are exec producing for the Eye's inhouse Magic Molehill Prods. "America's Top Dog" (working title), an hourlong competition series in which dog owners and their pets live together and (Marma)-duke it out with other canine-human teams in a battle to determine the best-trained dog. R.J. Cutler ("The War Room"), Stu Schreiberg and Stephen Kroopnick are exec producing via Magic Molehill. "Game Show in My Head," a half-hour from exec producers Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg and Karey Burke of Katalyst ("Beauty and the Geek"). Hidden camera quizzer has contestants performing outrageous and embarrassing stunts in public, all in an attempt to win big bucks. Fox 21, Katalyst and Hat Trick Prods. are producing, with Jimmy Mulville and Leon Wilde also serving as exec producers. The Eye ordered a pilot for the project last year (Daily Variety, March 5). All three skeins fall into the "light entertainment" category of reality. They round out a slate of unscripted skeins that also includes "Survivor," "The Amazing Race," "Big Brother," "Power of 10" and "Super Password."

I swear to God, it's like UHF has come to life before our very eyes. Coming soon: "What's in YOUR Belly Button?", "I Just Want to Potty All the Time: Toilet Training Secrets of the Stars," "Who Wants to Eat That?", "Are You Smarter Than a Dolphin?" and "Tard War: Autists vs. Mongoloids." It's not TV. It's a friggin' Greek tragedy. I remain, as always... Nico.

Re:Super-contest of 2008

transformers2 — GMT

Shryke42 wrote:

transformers2 wrote:

The Hottie and The Nottie
Time for that CAT scan, buddy....

Well Shryke im glad some one caught on to my joke and anyways i agree with Nico The Happening is going to suck bad and it will be lucky to make 50 mill but i will see it anyway because Shaymalan movies are hillarious. Lady In The Water and The Village are comedy classics.

Re:Super-contest of 2008

Nicodemus — GMT

Folks still making up their minds about whether to "enter" this competition may want to consider the following: [from Dark Horizons:]

[Disney's] High School Musical 3, the third iteration of the cultural phenomenon that is the High School Musical series as well as the first theatrical release, will come out October 24th 2008. Despite its proximity to Halloween, it will not be going with its previously rumored "haunted" theme.

Will-E Wonka and the Robot Factory.

Re:Super-contest of 2008

NSpannaus — GMT

Big Will-E Style and the I, Robot Factory