There has recently been a lot of negativity over Cars, and how some are deeming it a flop and a fauilure or a dissapointment (Particularly Mr Jim Hill). I am here to say how in so many ways Cars is a success.
First piece of evidence….
Mr Jim Hill says in regards to the comment Walt Disney made on how they where thrilled with the success of the movie during its second weekend…
“I guess the family audience picked their favorite,” Chuck explained, “And (they) decided that (‘Cars’) is what it was going to be.”
Well, if that was really the case … Then it took the family audience an awful long time to decide which film was actually going to be its favorite this past weekend. For – on Friday – both “Nacho Libre” & “The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift” actually did better at the box office than “Cars” did.
Well I really don’t see a family audience going to see The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift and I can imagine a lot of the story and jokes in Nacho Libre just flying over the top of a 6 year olds head. That leaves Over The Hedge, and Cars grossed $21,662,506 more in its opening weekend than OtH did in its first weekend. And Cars’ second weekend grossings was better than OtH. Cars had the 3rd biggest opening for a Disney/Pixar film to date! So the family audience really did pick their favourite.
Next piece of evidence…
When Cars broke the $100 million barrier, it officially became the 50th Disney film to break through the blockbuster barrier, the highest number of blockbusters that any single studio has ever produced. I mean Cars pulled Disney through and Pixar has contributed 7 films to that 50. What an effort!
Evidence Piece No 3…
At Walmart, it has been reported that they have sold through their first shipment of Cars merchandise. I mean this means that kids and adults must love these characters!
Evidence No 4…
Since when does the success of a film only cover its Box Office intake. Take King Kong from last year as an example. It recieved a lot of a great reviews. It was quite a good film. However it didn’t do as expected at the box office but it still was succesfull in the fact that it was a really great film and it had many technological achievements. Cars had some amazing breakthrough in technologies with the shadings and renderings. I mean if Cars doesn’t pick up Best Animated Feature at the Oscars this year, it definitley should pick up the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
Evidence No 5…
Here are some comments and ratings for Cars from various news vendors around the web…
5 Stars – The Age
I highly recommend CARS. It’s another triumph for Pixar. – Cartoon Brew
There’s not a false note to be found in CARS and that includes its score, composed by Randy Newman cruising into his fourth Pixar collaboration. – o-meon
Lasseter directs it all like a maestro. He pumps us full of adrenalin, isolates us in the desert and lets us slowly adjust to the mellower pace. In other words, he makes us feel like Lightning does. – Wired News
3/12 out of 4 Stars – Rolling Stones
It might not be way up there in “The Incredibles”/“Finding Nemo”/“Toy Story” stratosphere, but the charming “Cars” is nevertheless a thoroughly pleasant trip. – Reuters
Convinced?
Evidence No 6…
I mean Cars has only been open in cinemas for 17 days and still has to open in….
Portugal 29 June 2006
Brazil 30 June 2006
Mexico 30 June 2006
Venezuela 30 June 2006
Japan 1 July 2006
Belgium 5 July 2006
Czech Republic 6 July 2006
Hong Kong 13 July 2006
Peru 13 July 2006
Spain 14 July 2006
Bulgaria 28 July 2006
UK 28 July 2006
Egypt 9 August 2006
Estonia 11 August 2006
Italy 23 August 2006
Finland 25 August 2006
Norway 25 August 2006
Sweden 25 August 2006
Switzerland 25 August 2006 (Italian speaking region)
Denmark 1 September 2006
Germany 14 September 2006
Greece 14 September 2006
Switzerland 14 September 2006 (German speaking region)
Turkey 15 September 2006
Hot Dang it! It hasn’t even opened in the UK, Spain or Germany yet! I mean you folks in must be going crazy; having tea parties with dolls and muttering phrases such as …“I am Mrs Nesbit!”
and has only just opened in….
Netherlands 21 June 2006
Argentina 22 June 2006
Bolivia 22 June 2006
Colombia 22 June 2006
Israel 22 June 2006
Iceland 23 June 2006
Poland 23 June 2006
So there you have it! Reasons why Cars IS a success! I mean with John Lasseter and Steve Jobs behind the wheel as the worlds most powerful men according to Premiere Magazines, you can’t go wrong! I’ve definitley got to go see it for the 6th time this week!
I never thought that Cars would ever not be a success!
Comparing box office of Cars to hits like The Incredibles and Finding Nemo is difficult. As of the day I am writing this, Cars’ box office gross is on par with Monsters, Inc, which is pretty impressive.
I think I am going to see Cars for a third time, soon.
Excellent!
Cars on Par with Monsters Inc? Not possible. Where did you get your data from? I just checked Box Office Mojo and it is up to $180 mill worldwide but Monsters in $500mill+ worldwide.
I think that is a good idea going to see Cars for the 3rd time. I will have to go see it again t his week!
I have noticed that the critics that haven’t liked the movie tend to harp on the car aspect. It’s strange but I think they may be having a hard time with animated cars and they get stuck on it?
Luxo jr, if you look at the week to week breakdown you will see that Cars is on par with Monster’s Inc. The numbers you have only reflect 3 weeks for Cars and 20? some weeks for M Inc?
Thanks for posting one of my comments of things I had found on Jim Hill Media. 😀 (I know, I know, this is off-course, but, hey, I wantedto give some thanks!)
Ahh didn’t notice that Rob. thanks for pointing that out!
T-Bird: no probs
😉
Oh, yeah, you misspelled “failure” as “fauilure”. Or is that how you spell it in your region? (Sorry if that last sentence sounded sarcastic. :P)
I think you’re going thw wrong route with your difence, comparing Cars to various current films screening around is not the case, i think everybody agrees that Cars is better than OTH or all those live actions, even in the story where a lot of critics been pointing their fingers at.
instead, when you compare Cars to other pixar films, specialy the last two, Finding Nemo and the incredibles, for one, the box office results are not there, sure it may or may not reach 200 mil but we all know that when youre talking about pixar, this would be considered, well, definitly not a success financialy, becasue the expectations are so high with each new release and rightly so.
ANother thing, i, persoanly, didnt think that the story was as good as the incredibles or finding nemo, now im just a simple animation student, what do i know, but ive talked to a lot of people who felt the same way about that, none of which had this problem with the incredibles, so that may be something to think about.
and lastly, (and theres been a lot of talk about this so i just state my own very personal opinion) talking cars are not the very best characters to feel close to, i had a hard time with that and a lot of critics negative response stated the same issue.
I think the story was fine, and the movie was great. I’m soryr to hera this movie has got alot of mixed responses.. seeing as how this was Joe Rantfs LAST film. Joe was considered the heart and soul at Pixar and has been there since day one, so has John lasseter. I, not now.. nor ever can pick which Pixar movie was beter, because the crew spent so much time and so much effort on making them.. yet people are worryed that the film had a little less in the box office than other films, it’s lame.
Pixar has a unbreakable set of sucesses.. one after another.. doesnt anyone know how much pressure that puts on Pixar and the team? They want to make films that everyone can enjoy and love. I dont know about anyone else but I fear that people that some people have just grown so pessimistic about everything.. especially those whom critisize a film they oviously havent a clue what it took to make, or who put their 5-6 years to make.
I say for those who has a problem with Cars.. look closer.
And Again I sa *RIP* Joe Rantf… you would be proud of how great this film really is…
I have issues with Jim Hill Media for their unbalanced and obvious contempt for Pixar. Even compliments are back-handed compliments. I haven’t been back in weeks, since the last round of Lassetter bashing. Their attitude, therefore, doesn’t surprise me one bit.
Great comments guys. I accept all your opinions.
It surprises me that this is Joe Ranfts last film because Pixar has so many films in some for production at once, I would have thought he would have been doing something for Ratatouille.
I thought about that too and I agree with you, Luxo Jr. I thought that Joe would have done something for Ratatouille. Maybe he was only on the film for a very breif period of time.
Can’t wait for Ratatouille. Already, I’m superhyped about it. Bring on June 29th and a cast list.
Remember this guys: Cars has ONLY been out three weeks . . . it still has (basically) till the DVD release for it’s final Box Office numbers. What it HAS already done shows that it’ll definitely hit some high numbers (if not already) soon!
Yeah, that Jim Hill guy . . . I don’t care for him one bit. PIXAR has every right to brag right now, but guess what? They’re already working on their next two films!! That’s commitment!
So what if Cars may or may not make the same cash as Finding Nemo or The Incredibles . . . A Bug’s Life didn’t do as well as the Toy Storys and people still consider IT to be a major Box Office sucess!
Like I said, let’s wait and see what the final numbers will be (as well as for any potential awards coming up) and then we’ll safely announce Cars as the Seventh straight mega-success of PIXAR!
excuse me, why are we even acknowledging this guy exists?
It makes me feel ill we are still discussing him!
He’s a jerk plain and simple. The more attention you give him the more he grows.
Trolls die when you ignore them.
Uhm…who’s this troll we’re talking about? Is it someone I know??
hee hee. jim hill.
I mean Hee Hee Jim Hill.
To say a movie that almost assuredly has $200M+ in the bag, plus an estimated $600M+ in merchandise sales (as of a week ago according to the NY Daily News), plus guaranteed monumental DVD sales, plus the best chance thus far for the 2006 best animated film Oscar a failure is just bad at this point. The folks over at Jim Hill are very quick to point out and exploit shortcomings, but their anti-Pixar bias is rather thick, IMHO.
Granted, there were many who, prior to the release of Cars, predicted a doomsday scenario. People wanted Pixar to fail, to roll out a dud. They figure that Pixar would crank out a bomb sooner or later, and that their number was up with Cars. Trust me, they’ll do the same thing next summer, and if Rat pulls good numbers, they’ll move on to the next. Sure, not everyone is going to like a movie, but how many reviewers out there who splattered this film were putting a gamble on the movie tanking, so they could say, “I told you so! I predicted the downfall of Pixar!”?
With the case of Cars, you can’t say that just because it won’t eclipse Finding Nemo or The Incredibles that it is no good. If you expected a studio to best itself with every release, you’d be one poor investor. The only way I’d call Cars a failure was if it bombed on opening weekend (60M is not a bomb, btw) and didn’t have any legs. If it couldn’t make $100M, then you can call it a failure… but a sure-bet $200M? How many movies in a year pass that point? Not many, and if you’d call any of them a failure, you’ve got insanely high standards… but a lot of people have that outlook.
Cars is not a failure by any definition. Even if it doesn’t come close to the $250M mark that Toy Story 2, The Incredibles, and Monsters, Inc. hover around, it still isn’t a failure… but the die-hard critics will call it one no matter how many toy cars and DVDs fly off the shelves at the Wal*Mart down the street.
I can tell you that there isn’t a toy car to be found anywhere around where I call home. I went to a Monday night show the other day and there was a healthy crowd, certainly not bad for a third-week Monday. Sure, Superman and Pirates will take their toll, but I’ll bet you can still mosey down to the Cineplex in August and catch Cars.
The film itself? Very good, top-notch Pixar work in my book. The visuals were tip-top and the characters were easy to relate to. It had a solid story that I, as a recent college grad, could appreciate (just like the rest of the Pixar flock). The only thing I could see that may be “wrong” is the story is more appreciated by an older viewer. You’re average 5-year-old may not “get it” and therefore enjoy it like someone who is 10 or older. I think Pixar geared this more towards the older kids this time around.
I hope that this film receives Oscar recognition. Moreover, I think this is a story with a entourage of characters worth following up in some way (yes, the video game is a “sequel” and our hero takes home the Piston Cup, but a more “official” one). Even with different characters, another movie in this universe would have potential… one about airplanes, maybe?
Eh… but anyway, this was a good movie and a success in my book.
Wow! Great comment Jarak! I think you summed it up really well there! I mean in Disney’s eyes it is a hit because it passed their blockbuster mark of $100 million.
Same here, Jarak: It was an excellent way of summing up our constant comments on the issue. However, I might add that PIXAR doesn’t really tend to “focus” on aiming a movie for one generation or all of them. Their final opinion is, time and time again, whether the story is good or not. That’s why Cars will probably become a longtime classic: Kids will love the film for so many reasons, but as the years go by the subtleties and the deeper plot will slowly be realized by this younger generation . . . where they’ll ultimately appreciate so much more (Note I said “more,” meaning they ALREADY love the film!) . . . quite in the same fashion that I love “A Bug’s Life” so much: At first it sounds like a harvest ant finally getting something right and ultimately saving an Ant Colony and some circus bugs to boot, but eventually you realize it’s about an ant colony that is oppressed and extorted for another species gain . . . and the villain KNOWS that if there was any revelation to the ants that things could be better than that’s it: No more oppression!
Plus the animation is awesome: It was the first time I ever noticed that the background was MUCH more than a background . . . it was a world that was truly alive.
ABL actually made less than Toy Story . . . they still call IT a hit, don’t they?
Could you please put up a new post!?! I’ve been staring at this one for hours!
I saw the movie in France. And I can say now the movie is amazing, innovative, and very funny. It is for kids and adults too. My favourite characters are Guido and Luigi. They’re so cool, I love the fact they’re are fans of ferrari. lol
What does LOL mean?
LOL is internet slang for Laughing Out Loud. It’s pretty common in message boards and blogs.
Laugh
Out
Loud
O_o we both wrote at the same time for the same thing…weird…
thank you! LOL!
Speaking of success… It’s a little early in the predictions for the 2006 Academy Awards, but now that Cars has seen the light of three weeks worth of days, I think some guessing can be done now. The most obvious category one can look at is the “Best Animated Feature” award, for which, at this point in the year, one can almost lock in Cars for at least a nomination. If it can win or not, however, depends on upcoming competition. So far, Ice Age 2 and Over the Hedge may gain nominations, but for either of them to win is a longshot. Honestly, Doogal and The Wild can be counted out. Up coming we have Monster House, The Ant Bully, Barnyard, Open Season, Everyone’s Hero, A Scanner Darkly, Happy Feet and Flushed Away. That’s quite the splattering. Now, any one of these can gain a nomination, but which one, or ones, can give Cars a good run for its money?
No one really is giving Monster House, The Ant Bully, Open Season or Barnyard any real Oscar chances. Of any of them, The Ant Bully has the best chance for a nomination, in my opinion, again because it seems to have a decent story (which the Academy likes). Until it is actually seen and reviewed no one can say for sure. I can tell you that it looks like a follow-up to Antz.
A Scanner Darkly has a fanbase that loves the novel of which it is based on, but it is not really an animated film. It is rotoscoped, shot in live-action and drawn over. Coupled with some very negative reviews already, its contention is severely limited by its adult nature and production method.
Most are reserving calls on Happy Feet, but even this early on it is hard to find any positive Oscar contention stories around the internet. This one is truly a “wait and see” contender, as many people are still scratching its heads at what it is all about.
Some Oscar prediction sites (read: average people’s predictions) call for Everyone’s Hero to be a surprise contender. Just from watching the trailer, it seems like a good story (with a point, rather than slapstick humor), so it just may drum up some quality competition. We’ll have to wait until September to see how this one looks, but don’t count it out.
Many agree that the biggest competition that Pixar and Cars will face in the top animation award will be DreamWorks and Aardman Animation’s Flushed Away. The Academy likes Aardman, so much so that it is hard to find an Aardman-produced product that doesn’t have an Oscar to its name. The failure of Chicken Run to receive top honors was one of the catalysts to the creation of the Best Animated Feature Academy Award. Flushed Away is going to be a first for the outfit, being completely CGI. Still, trailers show it having a solid story coupled with the classic Aardman look a la Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit. This, above any other animated film yet to be released, will give Pixar the most competition.
My way-ahead-of-time prediction, as of June 2006, sees Cars, Everyone’s Hero, and Flushed Away gaining the nomination for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. I see Cars being ahead of the game at this point. Remember, plot is huge (Mr. Lasseter and the Pixar team preach by this), but it isn’t everything. Animation is the key word, and just looking at Cars compared to any other CGI film released or to be released this year, and it is heads above the competition. A lot of work went into this movie, in plot and in production. The Academy considers all that stuff, too. Still, the competition is big.
Despite this, I am still confident that Cars will find itself with an Oscar in early ’07. Why? Other categories. Nominations for Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Original Score, Original Song, Original Score or Original Screenplay are not out of the picture. I can easily see nominations for Sound Editing and Original Song, based on the intense work Pixar did making the cars sound like, well, cars, plus the outstanding job Brad Paisley did on Find Yourself (don’t count that out).
Don’t forget the new category in the Golden Globes for animated films (that will be the best Oscar predictor), or the Annie Awards. Even if it isn’t the Best Animated Feature award, Pixar and Cars will be receiving some sort of recognition by year’s end.
Good job on that, Jarak! I may be guessing that it may be just a nominee, too (for Best Animated Film). But all those others that you said, it may be nominated, or maybe even won! (BTW, no, I am not Luxo in disguise :P)
Just to give you an idea of Pixar’s track record at the Oscars:
1995 – Toy Story:
Original Screenplay – Nominated
Original Comedy/Musical Score – Nominated
Original Song (You’ve Got a Friend) – Nominated
Academy Special Achievement Award (John Lasseter) – WON
1998 – A Bug’s Life:
Original Comedy/Musical Score – Nominated
1999 – Toy Story 2:
Original Song (When She Loved Me) – Nominated
*Best Animated Feature Award Created – 2002*
2001 – Monsters, Inc.:
Sound Editing – Nominated
Original Score – Nominated
Original Song (If I Didn’t Have You) – WON
Animated Feature – Nominated
2003 – Finding Nemo:
Original Screenplay – Nominated
Sound Editing – Nominated
Original Score – Nominated
Animated Feature – WON
2004 – The Increadibles:
Original Screenplay – Nominated
Sound – Nominated
Sound Editing – WON
Animated Feature – WON
Correction – Best Animated Feature was created in 2001.