Why did Dredd fail at the box office Essay.

Essay - Why did Dredd fail at the box office? 

The film Dredd was released in 2012; then film was a viewing rating of 18, meaning only 18 years+ could go and visit the film in cinema. The rating score that Dredd received was 7/10 from IMDb and on the Rotten Tomatoes website it received a 6.5/10 score rating. The original budget that the producers received before production was $35,000,000, but it has ended up as a huge failure, only receiving $13,401,683 gross profit back. This outlines that the low budget film was never a success and in this essay I will proceed to argue why Dredd was a failure and use evidence and a comparison to another comic book character set film such as The Avengers.

In pre-production the budget was $35million making this film a low budget movie, the Dredd movie was expected to make its money back easily as any film hopes and expects, but compared to The Film Avengers which has been a very successful comic book character set film the budget has been very low due to The Avengers having a very high budget of $220million. This will have had a huge impact on many different techniques they used to produce the film, stars included, director, producer(s) and the source of material.

The low budget defiantly had an impact on the stars that were featured in the movie, in this film the main characters are played by members who aren’t in massive parts in previous films such as: Karl Urban who has also been featured in the films; Star Trek: Into Darkness, The Bourne Supremacy. Olivia Thirlby who has also been featured in the filmsJuno, No Strings Attached and The Darkest Hour. Final cast member Lena Headleywho has also been featured in the films 300, The Purge and The Game of Thrones. When we compare these members to The Avengers it really shows a different standard of acting and recognizable actors to fans because this movie featured the actors: Robert Downey Jr; who plays the character Iron Man, Chris Evens; who plays the character Captain America. Chris Hemsworth is also featured in the movie; he plays the character Thor, Jeremy Renner; who plays the character Hawkeye and finally the actor Samuel L. Jackson; who plays the character Nick Fury. Robert Downey Jr. was paid a large amount of $50million to be featured in the film The Avengers and the actors Hemsworth, Evans, Renner and Ruffalo were paid a smaller amount of     $2-3million with bonuses and then the actors Jackson and Johansson who earned double the above actors; receiving $4-6million. This equals in a maximum of $74million from the movies pre-production budget just on the above the above characters but they still had others to pay. Comparing this to the characters in Dredd; it is a massive difference due to the producing of the film Dredd being less than the amount they paid one actor for being part of the movie The Avengers. This helps represent it was going to be a slight struggle for Dredd to earn its money back because the main characters were nowhere near close in comparison of fame such as Robert Downey Jr. is always a main character in all of his appearances such as the Iron Man Trilogy or Sherlock Holmes and Karl Urban who has never appeared as a main character before in major films such as he was around third most important character in the film’s Star Trek and Bourne Supremacy.

The director of the film also had a huge impact on the failure of the film. The film director of Dredd was Pete Travis; Travis has also directed the films: Vantage Point, Omagh and Endgame. These films are also low budget films that haven’t ever been known for huge success. But on the other hand Joss Whedon the director of The Avengers has been hugely successful as he directed one of the most known PG films made since 1995 which was Toy Story. This could outline that Travis will have had an impact on the failure of the film due to the less experience in producing hugely successful films. This may then relate back to the budget, due to the non-experience in successful films he may have been a cheap director to pick unlike Whedon which The Avengers producers would have had to pay a larger amount to direct for them.

The production companies that had part of production were DNA Films and another IM Global. DNA Films has never produced a massive film that has gone on to be worldwide known, but the other films they have produced have been: 28 Days Later, Never Let Me Go and many others. IM Global has also never produced a massive film that has gone on to be worldwide known, but the other films they have produced have been: Insidious, Blood and many others. These two companies have always made extreme-low budget films, between $1million to $15million movies. This may have had an effect on the failure due to the production companies not balancing out a $30million+ film before. The Avengers was produced by the companies Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures that have produced massive successful films such as: Iron Man trilogy, X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, Star Trek Into Darkness, and possibly big successful opportunity film Transformers: Age of Extinction. The producers will have had one of the biggest impacts as seen from this list of films from The Avengers Producers because their films are films that have had big success and are well known, but Dredd are small budget producers that aren’t well known. This impact would have mostly occurred from not being recognized for decent films which would have put the possible customers off watching it.

The source of material cannot have been much of an impact on Dredds failure as a film. This is because the original Judge Dredd Comics have been released since 1977 and have been successful and always made great sales. Also there was a new edition released that came out in 2012 giving a brief of the 2012 Dredd film which was to come. The original comic book is where the idea/material of the film came from, but it was changed and extras were added such as the slo-mo drug.

During the production of Dredd they filmed using a RED X Camera because the filmmakers wanted Dredd to have a realistic, visceral look and drew inspiration from crime and gangster films. The RED X Camera could have affected the unsuccessful result because the viewers may have found it hard to keep their eyes focused s the camera got close ups at certain angles and switched between clips.

The producers also featured all their Dredd screenings in 3D and named it a 3D film only. This defiantly would have affected the success because not all customers and viewers will have wanted to watch it in 3D because of it hurting the eyes or causing headaches, due to this Dredd will have loss many potential, losing them reputation as not being a multi viewable film and losing them money as customers weren’t paying to watch it.

The production of Dredd was taken place in South Africa, this again relates back to the pre-production budget because the production taking place in South Africa produces a much cheaper option than filming somewhere else such as the UK or US. This suggests that the quality of filming and set in the film could have been a higher standard if more money was put into where the film was action shot. This would have led to better quality film which may have had a huge impact on the DVD sales and word of mouth that followed about the film. The Avengers was filmed in many more likely to be expensive locations such as: Los Angeles, USA & Wright – Patterson Air Force Base, Fairborn, Ohio, USA. These locations were both featured in the movie and filming it in the real locations brought a more realistic feeling to the film which would have had a higher interest to the customers of the film.

The post production included the Distribution of Dredd was Entertainment Film Distributors who have also distributed the films Saw ll and Wedding crashers. The other Distributor of Dredd was Lions Gate Entertainment who have also distributed the films The Expendables 1 + 2 and Keith Lemon: The Film. This would have had an impact on how unsuccessful the film was because Lions Gate and Entertainment Films hadn’t distributed the most famous film but on the other hand The Avengers had one of the biggest distributors in the market; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures who have also distributed the films: Toy Story 3, Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy and Iron Man 3. This will have made The Avengers more successful because they are experienced at distributing large, common, well known movies. One main category that affected Dredd during the distribution was the amount of screens it was released in. The problem was the film wasn’t released in enough cinemas/theatres so this reduced the opportunities for people to see this film on the big screens which in the future would reduce their profits or any earnings.

 

Dredd 2012 Presentation Script

Dredd Research Script

 Chloe:

The film was directed by Pete Travis who has directed films such as Vantage Point, Omagh and Endgame. DNA Films (who has done films such as 28 Days Later and the History Boys) produced the film with IM Global (who has done films such as Safe, Insidious and many upcoming films).  Dredd was distributed by Entertainment Film Distributers and Lionsgate. The film got the green light on 20th December 2008.

The cast includes Karl Urban (who plays Dredd) fromm Star Trek and The Bourne Supremacy,  Olivia Thirlby (Anderson) who has been in Juno and No Strings Attached and finally Lena Headley (Ma-ma) who has been in 300 and the Game of Thrones series.

The film received positive reviews from critics. The film had an average rating of 6.5 on the review website Rotten Tomato’s. IGN awarded the film eight out of ten and said, "Dredd is a character study, primarily, one fuelled by violence and action, and we can't think of a better way to re-introduce this character to cinema audiences.” The Guardian's Phelim O'Neill scored the film 4 stars out of 5 and praised Urban's performance, saying, "The essence of Dredd is that he is almost an anti-character—he doesn't change or learn—and Urban nails it in an ego-free performance".

The script for Dredd was written by Alex Garland who began writing in 2006. Garlands draft mainly revolved around one of Dredd’s main enemies called Judge Death. When developing the Judge Dredd character, Garland tried to closely follow what he was like in the comic-books, so he would only have small personality changes over a lengthy period of time.

Will:

A viral advertising site called “Dredd Report” was launched in august 2012. The site consisted of a video showing the use of Slo-Mo and links to news about the film. A tie-in comic book was published on the 5th of September and it is a prequel to the film's narrative and follows Ma-Ma's life as a prostitute. Posters for the film were released shortly after. Reports say that Lionsgate contributed $25 million to advertising and print costs.

Dredd won an Empire Award for best 3D and was nominated for best British film and best science fiction/fantasy film. They also won a Golden Trailer Award for Best Thriller TV Spot for the trailer.

The problem was that the 3D and 2D showings at cinema's were that there wasnt enough showings of them in the UK, so therefore people couldnt find places to watch the film at certain times or even find any showings of the film, as there was report in a review of the film that in some cinemas the film was only showed once so often. I think that Dredd did not have good success because they narrowed down the target audience too much and the sci-fi feel to it would not appeal to a lot of people. I also think that people may have thought that it was too simple and straight forward because the plot was easy to predict.

Jack:

The film was shot digitally and primarily in 3D using RED MX and Phantom Flex high-speed cameras. Some 2D elements were converted to 3D in post-production. Mega-City One’s high rise towers were created in Cape Town Film Studios.

Paul Leonard-Morgan used electronic music and 80’-style synthesisers and modern sounds to create various combinations of music. He said, "I was looking to create a timeless score which couldn't be placed in any particular era. So it's ended up being a cross between a modern dance track and evocative soundscapes." For scenes showing the effect of the Slo-Mo narcotic, he composed new music with real instruments and then slowed the songs down by thousands of percent. The film also includes songs from artists such as Vitalic, Matt Berry and Bobby Womack.

Chloe: 

I throughly enjoyed watching the whole film of Dredd. It was full of action and excitement with a very grown up yet thrilling persecutive to the cartoon comic judge Dredd. The film had a very gripping and understandable storyline that grow on me as it went through the film, but at the start i wasn't too sure how it would end or how it would all come together as it took a while for it to really get into the story line and become full of action. The only fault was that it ended too quickly and quietly, needed more fight and excitement at the ending of killing 'mama' she died to easily and quickly, despite that all in all was a thrilling and brilliant film to watch full of action and excitement despite its low budget and high loss, i enjoyed the film and will be watching it again.

Will: 

Although the film and its helmeted main character are straightforward and simple, it actually works better because it is easier to understand and is more realistic. The day-in-the-life style plotis a good way to introduce Judge Dredd and Mega City One and the film mostly avoids doing anything really annoying or irrelivant. I also liked the fact that Judge Dredd is not given a back story and is instead portrayed as the mysterious man with no name and that he never removes his helmet (just like the comics. I also appreciated that this version of Dredd is more hardcore and extremely violent whereas the 1995 version of Dredd was very feeble and comic.

Jack: 

Sci-Fi movies are not usually in my favor, meaning I don’t really like them. But action films; action films are my biggest interest when it comes to relaxing and watching a good movie. Dredd is a sci-fi and action genre film which means I could love it or hate it. As it happens I loved Dredd, the idea of the slow-mo drug in the film really gives the chance for the producer and directors to show slow, detailed scenes which you don’t get to see in some other films. These scenes are the parts such as gun shots and the detail when it hits the bad guys and you see everything that happens like the skin exploding and blood flying around. This brought a realistic feeling to the film not like in most films where it generally looks like fake killing and blood.

DREDD (2012) Research

Dredd (2012) Research

The film Dredd was directed by Pete Travis, Pete has also directed the films: Vantage Point, Omagh and Endgame.

The cast included the stars: Karl Urban (Star trek, Star Trek: Into Darkness, The Bourne Supremacy), Olivia Thirlby (Juno, No Strings Attached and The Darkest Hour) and Lena Headley (300, The Purge and The Game of Thrones)

The Producer(s) of the film Dredd was the producing company DNA Films (28 Days Later & The History Boys + many others) and IM Global (Safe, Insidious and many upcoming films in 2014 such as Sleeping With Other People)

The Distributors of the film Dredd was Entertainment Film Distributors who have also distributed the films Saw ll and Wedding crashers. The other Distributor of Dredd was Lions Gate Entertainment who have also distributed the films The Expendables 1 + 2 and Keith Lemon: The Film.

The film Dredd had an estimated budget of $35,000,000 before production but there were reports that an extra $25 million was spent by Lionsgate on marketing. They then only managed to receive a gross profit of $13,401,683 and below half of this being in the opening weekend $6,278,491.

The writer of Dredd (2012) was Alex Garland. Garland began writing Dredd in 2006 during post-production of Sunshine and completed his first draft during filming of 28 Weeks Later. Alex Garland has also written the film scripts: 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Never Let Me Go. Alex Garland has also taken part in the writing of video games for PS3 and Xbox like: Enslaved, Odyssey to the West and the writing of novels such as The Beach and The Coma.

In August 2012, the viral advertising site "Dredd Report" was launched, satirizing the Drudge Report. The site featured a video condemning the use of Slo-Mo, and links to news about the film. A tie-in comic book was published; its plot serves as a prequel to the film's narrative and follows Ma-Ma's life as a prostitute, controlled by her pimp Lester Grimes. An exclusive film poster featuring artwork by Jock was released by Mondo to promote the film's appearance at the 2012. The film Dredd was awarded the Golden Trailer Award for the Best Thriller TV Spot. There were reports the indicated that Lionsgate contributed an extra $25 million to advertising & printing costs. 

The film Dredd received the Green Light for production on December 20^th 2008. DNA Films, the movie production company behind such films as Danny Boyle's Sunshine and 28 Weeks Later, announced Judge Dredd will go into production in 2009 and Jason Kingsley, CEO and Creative Director said, "We can't give away too many details at this point, but we're looking forward to working with DNA Films to bring Judge Dredd back to the big screen."

Many people suggest the reason why Dredd was not as successful as other ‘Hero’ films is due to the being a Mid-Budget production. Others believe that the marketing via Lionsgate was only on the hook for the cost of prints and marketing for Dredd, so they may not have had the financial incentive to push the film hard enough. Others seem to believe that is wasn’t much of a remake of Sylvester Stallone Judge Dredd movie. Another reason spoke about is the lack of mainstream appeal. This may be proof, once again, that a movie needs to do more than appeal to the Comic Con crowd, to make money. Dredd was a love letter to fans of the comic, but never quite spoke to fans of generic action movies or Nolan's Batman films. Finally the R rating, this was the over-the-top violence in Dredd that was one of the best parts of the film according to some audience, but the comic has always been aimed at the smart 13-year-old. You could easily imagine a PG-13 Judge Dredd movie that would convey the violence and lunacy without quite so much gore and aiming it again at this market for example using Marvel would have made more ‘gross’ as a result.

The film was filmed in 3D using RED MX, SI2K and Phantom Flex high-speed cameras. Multiple camera rigs were used for this. Some 2D elements were converted to 3D in the post production of Dredd. The filmmakers wanted Dredd to have a realistic, visceral look and drew inspiration from crime and gangster films. For scenes conveying the time and space altering effects of Slo-Mo, Mantle aimed to create images that would be beautiful but disorienting. The film was then later released on the 14^th January in the UK; it was released in 2D and 3D versions on DVD and Blu-ray and a 2D version on Digital Download.

There were many tie-ins to the film released, the soundtracks by Jubilee (Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around) which was written by Bobby Womack was released by ABKCO Music, Incorporated. There have also been the original Judge Dredd comics/magazines which have been released since 1977, and then a new edition was released in 2012 giving a brief of the 2012 Dredd film which was being released.  There has also many toys and other merchandise released such as: clothing, tattoos, and toys of the vehicles & characters. These pieces of merchandise have been released since the original Judge Dredd. 

Review of Dredd (2012)

Review of Dredd (2012)

The film Dredd was produced by DNA Films and IM Global and the director was Pete Travis. The main stars of the film were Karl Urban (Who plays ‘Judge Dredd’ in the film) Olivia Thirlby (Who plays ‘Anderson’ in the film) and Lena Headley (Who plays ‘Ma-Ma’ in the film). These are all actors who have played characters in a similar role during other films. The film was released in UK cinemas on the 7^th September 2012. It was then released on DVD later on after being in the cinemas. I watched this film on DVD on the 28^th September 2013.

The film Dredd is an Action/Sci-Fi, the story line is as follows: The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lays Mega City One - a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called "Judges" who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge - a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of "Slo-Mo" experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed. During a routine day on the job, Dredd is assigned to train and evaluate Cassandra Anderson, a rookie with powerful psychic abilities thanks to a genetic mutation. A heinous crime calls them to a neighborhood where fellow Judges rarely dare to venture - a 200 storey vertical slum controlled by prostitute turned drug lord Ma-Ma and her ruthless clan. The Storyline is taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343727/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 .

How I felt about the film? Sci-Fi movies are not usually in my favor, meaning I don’t really like them. But action films; action films are my biggest interest when it comes to relaxing and watching a good movie. Dredd is a sci-fi and action genre film which means I could love it or hate it. As if happens I loved Dredd, the idea of the slow-mo drug in the film really gives the chance for the producer and directors to show slow, detailed scenes which you don’t get to see in some other films. These scenes are the parts such as gun shots and the detail when it hits the bad guys and you see everything that happens like the skin exploding and blood flying around. This brought a realistic feeling to the film not like in most films where it generally looks like fake killing and blood. The violence also brought a quick solution to what type of person and world Judge Dredd was living in, such as the skinning of people by the villains then throwing these skinned people from massive heights. Currently I don’t feel like I have any negative feelings towards the movie Dredd but can see from other peoples prospective of not liking it due to the violence, but the film was rated an 18, so this automatically means there is disturbing scenes so they shouldn’t watch it.

I would recommend any Sci-Fi fans to watch this movie because it gives an impression of what our future world could look like and I would recommend Action fans to pretend they didn’t notice it was a Sci-Fi and watch it because the Action overpowers what Sci-Fi you’re seeing in the film. I would also advise people who have a fear of blood to watch a different film, not Dredd!

By Jack Green