Serenity IS the next big thing...........

nakedandarticulate | May 19, 21:20 CET

Does anyone know if the Serenity trailer is being shown at showings of Sith? Anyone seen Sith yet? I mean, just look at this untapped yet crucial market! Please let the Serenity trailer show before Sith, please oh please dear Bully of the Sky.

phlebotinin | May 19, 22:12 CET

I saw Sith last night, and the Serenity preview as no where to be found. Which is too bad because I really wanted to see it on the big screen.

[ edited by Inanis on 2005-05-19 20:27 ]

Inanis | May 19, 22:26 CET

Oh, crap. Thanks, Inanis.

phlebotinin | May 19, 22:55 CET

Damn. It would have been a great place to show the trailer, to really hook the part of the Star Wars crowd that hasn't been exposed to Joss yet.

Emma Frost | May 19, 22:57 CET

On the imdb movie news page yesterday (I think -- too lazy to look it up) there was a tidbit about how hotly contested the trailer slots before Sith are: apparently the limit is 5 trailers before the movie, and every movie opening this summer wants a slot, as it's probably the first big blockbuster of the summer. I don't know how well Serenity (which I characterize as "the little movie that could") is going to fare in that battle.

dottikin | May 19, 23:02 CET

Is the Serenity trailer being shown with anything? I saw HHGTTG last weekend and there was no Serenity trailer on it.

WilliamTheBloody | May 19, 23:14 CET

Again, why are we comparing Star Wars to 'Serenity'?

Madhatter | May 19, 23:36 CET

Madhatter, I don't really know. Besides the obvious genre comparisons (and I really prefer to think of SW as fantasy in a sci fi setting, while Serenity is more straight up sci fi with a Western influence), I guess because they both involve space ships? But they're soooo different; SW works best on kids, Serenity is definitely an adult property; SW works on the level of the epic and the mythological, Serenity and Firefly are about the everyday, hardscrabble lives of the people the universe stepped on, etc.

The comparisons make me nervous: Serenity isn't at all like SW, and to think that it can be a replacement in any way is nerve-racking.

I also found the link about trailers attacked to Sith: http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2005-05-17

"Studios have had to line up for a chance to show the trailers for their latest movie during the run of Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith, the Los Angeles Times reported today (Tuesday), noting that the theatrical trailer block has been limited to five. While it has been reported that George Lucas had imposed the limitation, several distributors told the Times that 20th Century Fox, which is releasing the movie, had created it."

dottikin | May 19, 23:45 CET

Everyone that i know from new york to la have said "no serenity trailer"

DAMN YOU LUCAS!!!!!!!!!!
I'd say damn you fox,but honestly i've said that so much in my life that it really has no effect anymore.

nakedandarticulate | May 19, 23:47 CET

Good say, dottikin. I need to sleep on that one a bit.

Madhatter | May 20, 00:15 CET

You know, some Star Wars fans are already Firefly/Serenity fans.

WordsSayNothing | May 20, 00:21 CET

I went to an AMC and they have been notoriously non-Serenitized. Loewes Cinemas may have been luckier.

Mort | May 20, 00:39 CET

I always thought trailers had to be from the same studio that produced whatever movie was showing.

In other words, if the feature was from Universal, the trailers would have to be Universal movies too. Am I incorrect, there?

Willowy | May 20, 00:56 CET

Willowy - not sure. Good question.

FWIW, I did see the Serenity trailer attached to H2G2 last weekend, so it is out there.

Daromaius | May 20, 00:59 CET

I think it has more to do with distributors than studios. Here in Norway, anyway, don't know to which extent studios distribute themselves in the US.

pjalne | May 20, 01:04 CET

Actually, I spent most of last night at the SW premiere talking about Serenity, and generating media and theatre-manager interest in that. It's going to be a MUCH better movie than SW or anything Trek. I cannot wait!

petranef | May 20, 01:04 CET

Again, why are we comparing Star Wars to 'Serenity'?

The quickest way I can describe Serenity to a non-fan is: Kind of like if Han Solo had a close crew and got his own movie. Really, I just can't describe it's greatness in so little words, but I think that can give people who have no clue about it a tiny idea. Roguish criminal(who's really good at heart) on adventures with his crew. Yes, it's far more complex than that, but I have a limited timespan before my friends and family 'tune' me out, cuz they know I like a show called 'Buffy', so my tastes must be off...

I used to go with 'Space Western', but that doesn't really say much. But if I use an existing popular character, at least people will listen a bit longer!

Rogue Slayer | May 20, 01:33 CET

Madhatter - could this talk about Serenity and Star Wars be because we all want Serenity to do well, so we want the legions of SW fans to come over to the "serenity" side? I think that's why it keeps coming up - cuz like dottikin said - they are very very different movies. But fans are fans and fans=cash for more Serenity movies.

ruthless1 | May 20, 01:34 CET

dottikin, very good points. If Universal's measure of Serenity's success is SW fans transferring their fanaticism to Serenity in droves, then I'm nervous, too.

But in a more global marketing sense, why the problem with thinking that some adult SW fans may end up liking Serenity, Madhatter? So what if they're different? Who's saying they are one and the same? I'm certainly not. Must they be the same for SW fans to be exposed to Serenity? I have my favorite kinds of creative expressions within genres but that doesn't stop me from cultivating different likes (or dislikes) when I am exposed to something new. The point is, exposure, exposure, exposure - in the right venues. What, should Serenity previews be shown before art films? Foreign films? Serious "adult" dramas? Light romantic comedies? Those of us who know Joss and Firefly know that Joss's work can stand up to any of these different kinds of films and those who like them. But from the preview we've seen, Serenity looks like a dynamite, nerve-racking, rollicking, action-oriented space adventure. Better to put it before space movies, adventure movies, action movies. So, how about Sith? Serenity isn't for kiddies but if the adult SW folks are saying they want more space sagas, then how about getting them talking about Serenity? Too bad there's so much competition for 5 preview slots for Sith. It does make sense that a relatively small movie like Serenity would not necessarily win one of these slots.

phlebotinin | May 20, 01:49 CET

Very good thoughts from all and I must agree. Soon, the SW and ST fans will find themselves in a vacuum and they will seek out another story for entertainment. What's better to fill that void than Joss' 'Serenity'? And, of course we will welcome the fans of such. Kinda' envy them, they're in for a treat. You know, the delay to September may have been a God sent, perhaps Universal does know best.

Madhatter | May 20, 15:35 CET

Until January of this year, Id've said SW was pretty much the greatest thing ever, blah blah blah. I forgot about it though (sorry GL) after the first few minutes of "Serenity" the pilot. I realized yesterday (I'm not lying) "Oh, yeah, Ep III opened yesterday. Oh well, I'll see when the crowds thin." Why wouldn't SW fans not like Serenity? There's a better question. I can see younger SW fans liking it, but not really getting it. You don't have to give up one for the other.

April | May 20, 20:23 CET

Star Wars and Firefly are similar in many ways and different in many ways. Both are set in a fantasy world, but Firefly could potentially be set in our future and is slightly more realistic. Both make use of different planets and CGI, but Star Wars has a much bigger budget. Star Wars has aliens and lightsabres, Firefly has horses and guns. Firefly is influenced by Westerns and sci-fi whereas Star Wars is a traditional hero story set in space.

I think the chances are good that Serenity will appeal to Star Wars fans. The films are similar enough to interest any sci-fi fan, but Firefly is different enough to make it unique and worth seeing and to prevent accusations of being too like Star Wars.

Personally I was always a fan of Star Wars and I was a fan of Firefly from the beginning, so I am loyal to both and I can't really compare the two. But as long as I can enjoy both I am happy. I will go and see Revenge of the Sith and Serenity, but I will probably see Serenity multiple times because it is a smaller film and I would like to do my part to support it and ensure the creation of a Firefly trilogy.

Razor | May 21, 16:43 CET