Discuss Ad Astra
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A studio greenlit an $87 million original art movie.
posted by JustinJackFlashSTAFFMOD on February 9, 2020 at 7:12 AM
In a climate overrun with huge franchise blockbusters, reboots, remakes etc, I was very surprised to see the high budget this was given.
Admittedly as many other posters have pointed out, the film is rife with large plot holes. A shame because there is much to admire here.
But more importantly, despite it's shortcomings, it is admirable for a studio to produce an original film in this day and age with such a high budget. Especially one with the kind of arty sensibilities that would alienate mainstream audiences. And it is proof that, although many complain about the lack of high budget original work in today's franchise driven culture, it does exist beyond the work of Christopher Nolan.
Can anyone think of any other original big budget films that have been released in the last few years?
Reply by MongoLloyd
on February 9, 2020 at 11:34 AM
Joker
Reply by JustinJackFlash
on February 10, 2020 at 3:36 PM
While Joker certainly is risk taking and I love that it got made, it's not the kind of original I meant. I meant completely invented by the filmmakers and having no ties to any existing property.
Reply by Midi-chlorian_Count
on February 10, 2020 at 3:37 PM
Brad Pitt
Reply by JustinJackFlash
on February 10, 2020 at 3:38 PM
So yeah, while I do think studios rely a little too much on franchises, the original blockbuster is far from dead and forgotten. I don't think the situation is as bad as people make out.
Reply by JustinJackFlash
on February 10, 2020 at 4:19 PM
I would definitely say 110 million is a high budget film. It may pale in comparison to the average Marvel film budget of around 180 million, but that's because these franchise films have excruciatingly high budgets. And they fill every second with massive CGI driven action, special effects and huge, elaborate sets. You don't need to go that far to make a good blockbuster.
The average big blockbuster of yesteryear was around 70 million and I realise you have to take into account inflation but still, 180 million today is not the equivalent of 70 million back then. That is an uber-blockbuster. And it does not mean that the likes of Passengers and Ad Astra are not high budget blockbusters.
Jurassic Park was seen as groundbreaking in terms of special effects and that cost 63 million.
Avengers: Endgame cost 356 million.
Reply by CheekyMonkey
on May 9, 2020 at 2:35 PM
It reminded me of the late 90s, early 2000s movies that had proper budgets, but were aimed at either a genre audience, or grown ups...
I know it's a different genre, but a movie like What Lies Beneath (2000), had a proper budget at the time... today, it would be made for around $5 million by Blumehouse, with the lead actors taking a % of profits, or not made at all...
I'd love to see more of this... Give a decent director 75-100mm, with a good script & lead and see what they can come up with...
Reply by JustinJackFlash
on May 10, 2020 at 5:09 AM
I like the way Blumhouse makes films too. Upgrade looks way more expensive than it's 5 million would suggest.
Reply by CheekyMonkey
on May 10, 2020 at 12:52 PM
Yeah... Blumhouse is a godsend to genre movies (horror & thrillers)... Allows the directors to experiment
Reply by catmydogs
on March 15, 2023 at 1:23 PM
Annihilation comes to mind. Or Wandering Earth, a Chinese film that became a huge blockbuster in Asia.
Reply by JustinJackFlash
on March 19, 2023 at 6:28 PM
Annihilation cost 40 million, so I probably wouldn't call it high budget. Still, it's great a film like that got made. Haven't seen Wandering Earth but sounds interesting.
Inception and Miami Vice? Yeah, I guess so. I don't really think of them as art films in quite the same way as James Gray's films. He has a very specific arty style that many would find inaccessible. Like I don't think of Memento or Manhunter as art films in the same way as Two Lovers or The Yards. I tend to think of Inception more as a complex blockbuster than art film and Miami Vice? I'm not really sure what exactly that was trying to achieve. Depends on the way you look at it I guess, so you're not wrong.