The big difference between TPM and The Avengers is the era in which they were released. Back in '99, the "fanboy crowd" was much less mainstream. In the past few years, it's become the norm to be into sci-fi, fantasy, comic books, etc. In the 90's, it was still seen as nerdy and childish, whereas now it's seen as a bit more trendy and cool.

I think that is a big factor as to why some of you seem to think the hype was smaller for TPM. It wasn't. It just seemed that way.

Great point, sharkenleo. Movies weren't made for "fanboys" back then. And people associate "hype" now mainly with fanboys/teens/etc. It was a different kind of hype back then, a different kind of crowd, one that was much, much broader.

Not to mention, the whole "midnight culture" didn't really take off until after TPM. Now it's all about the midnight showing and opening weekend. But back in '99, it was an exception, not expected.

You have the SW prequels to thank for that.

[This message has been edited by sharkenleo (edited 1/25/2013 12:44p).]

(Agreed. Check my post on the previous page.)

Missed that post completely. But yeah, everything you just said.

This is an interesting discussion. We've come a long way from when I was as a kid. If you'll forgive the old man rant, you have no idea what it was like to be 8 in 1977, and the interminable wait for three years for "Empire" in 1980.

We were starved for any information at all. We were reduced to waiting for "official" clips released in droppings to terrible TV shows like Entertainment Tonight, which we'd dutifully record on our VHS and watch over and over and over, dissecting them as best we could on fuzzy screens.

Any scrap of news from the official Star Wars fan club "Bantha Tracks" newsletter was like a gift from the gods. A black and white photo of Luke in his Hoth gear was a revelation. Starlog Magazine was the coolest thing ever with an exclusive interview.

Anticipation? You have no idea.

Ha, I'll give you that Atty_Ag. Completely different era, and I love hearing about all those details. Almost wish I had grown up then, without the internet. The anticipation between movies, and just the anticipation for movies in general, would have made the movies themselves so much more special in a way. Granted, before '96/'97, the first 15/16 years of my life, I guess it was the same for me, having to read Entertainment Weekly and what not for scoops, and recording trailers on VHS as well. But going through Star Wars without the internet would have been a cool experience, looking back. Though, I'm sure it was maddening then.

I'll never forget trying to download the very first Quicktime movie trailer ever - the first teaser trailer for Phantom Menace - and it took HOURS for like a 10 MB file over the phone line. I tried downloading that thing so many times, and every single time, after almost loading completely, some family member would need to use the phone and I'd have to stop the download, sign off AOL, then try again a day or two later. Drove me insane.

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The anticipation between movies, and just the anticipation for movies in general, would have made the movies themselves so much more special in a way

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This is why I only watch the first trailer for any movie. Once I decide "Yeah, I want to see that." I avoid all other trailers/interviews/articles/media of any kind. I have never had a movie where the more I know the BETTER it made the movie. It's always the opposite. I like to be surprised and learn as I watch, not know 75% of the movie going in.

I think one other difference in the eras is that now the hype machine is more mainstream. With TPM, I think it had a snowball effect. Media outlets saw that people were reporting on it, assumed it was news, and then they reported it. The cycle just kept repeating. Mainstream magazines did cover stories on this movie. I remember Popular Mechanics doing a story on it. I remember my mom talking about the upcoming Star Wars movie. (I was in high school) That NEVER happened.

Here's my concern for Abrams being on Star Wars: What does it do to the Star Trek reboot franchise?

It was 4 years from Star Trek (2009) to Star Trek Into the Darkness (2013). 2015 is the target year for Star Wars which should be when they are working on the next Star Trek right? Will Abrams have time to do both or is Star Trek going to get jacked like when Singer left X-Men for Superman?

people who are putting Avengers on par hype with TPM just stop. inflation alone.

#16 - TPM
#27- The Avengers

http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm

Ganondorf - Star Trek 3 is definitely going the way of X-Men 3. Abrams isn't coming back to Trek. He'll likely be a consulting producer, or something along those lines, but yeah, he's done directing that franchise. The "good" news, depending on how you look at it, is that Kurtzman/Orci/Lindelof will almost definitely be back for ST3, so there should at least be consistency in that regard. I'd expect a Brad Bird / Matt Reeves / Drew Goddard type - someone in the Bad Robot stable - to step in and direct part three. Regardless, I'd be willing to bet that'll it'll be another four years 'til we see that movie, if not longer.

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http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm

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this might sound obvious but I am kind of surprised how many really great movies are on that list.

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What does it do to the Star Trek reboot franchise?

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Doesn't matter. Got new Star Wars franchise...

Simplebay, I would like to see those numbers without the rerelease.

Another great article from The Playlist: 10 Things J.J. Abrams Needs To Do With Star Wars To Make It Great...

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/10-things-j-j-abrams-needs-to-do-with-star-wars-episode-vii-to-make-it-great-20130125

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Simplebay, I would like to see those numbers without the rerelease.

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How bout without 3D/IMAX for Avengers?

Don't know how I never saw this. Greatness...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd0j97RhZUQ

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Simplebay, I would like to see those numbers without the rerelease.

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give it up dude. The hype for a new Stars Wars film in 1999 was bigger than The Avengers last year. It just was. As many have pointed out, the Phantom menace is the reason we have midnight openings these days.

I never at anytime said The Avengers was "bigger" than Star Wars, even though it is being portrayed as that. I agree that Star Wars has a much larger fan base. But I also believe that The Avengers appealed more to people who aren't fans of these types of movies. I already did the math that showed how The Avengers may have actually more tickets sold than The Phantom Menace opening weekend, which was the whole point of my initial post. I just don't believe that the hype of Star Wars was so far ahead of everything else, that nothing is even close. There are other movies that are at the very least. worth debating about.

from what i understand, The Avengers wouldn't even come close to touching the hype of Batman '89

i was 4, so can't speak for this. but im told the hype for that was insane once people saw what Burton was doing with the (then campy) batman mythos

At least we can say that unlike those movies, The Avengers at least met the hype.

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from what i understand, The Avengers wouldn't even come close to touching the hype of Batman '89

i was 4, so can't speak for this. but im told the hype for that was insane once people saw what Burton was doing with the (then campy) batman mythos

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Definitely. Batman '89 hype was HUGE as well. Again, considering it was a very different time, it's hard to compare with The Avengers hype, but I had never seen anything like what I saw for Batman. I was eight when it came out and that movie was basically my age group's Star Wars (since most of just missed seeing those movies in theaters). Before it hit theaters, I'll never forget watching a 20/20 behind-the-scenes special with a couple of my friends, and yeah, it just blew our minds how they were making such a then-campy character into something so "dark" and cool. It really was revolutionary to us, and most everyone else. I became obsessed with that movie, and that whole summer, everywhere you looked/went, there was Batman memorabilia. That gold-and-black bat symbol became absolutely iconic.

[This message has been edited by TCTTS (edited 1/25/2013 7:01p).]

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At least we can say that unlike those movies, The Avengers at least met the hype.

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Say what you will about it now, but Batman '89 surpassed the hype back in the day. And look, I had a great time watching The Avengers, and it definitely delivered for what it was, but let's not pretend that it's an amazingly great movie. It's clunky as hell, and that generic-alien invasion finale was incredibly uninspired. I think the success attributed to Avengers has more to do with it actually working, despite all the doubts going into it, rather than it being a truly great film.

Btw, Paramount just confirmed that Abrams will, in fact, PRODUCE Mission: Impossible 5 and Star Trek 3. So he will officially NOT be directing the later, as speculated.

The first movie I really, truly anticipated feverishly was The Matrix Reloaded.

I used to watch the trailer online over and over again, even though it took like 20 minutes to load each time.

I don't know if it was as highly anticipated as The Avengers was, but it's up there. I always remember how at my local movie theater, they used up all the "coming soon" poster slots with all the different characters from the movie.

Also, even though I didn't anticipate it nearly as much, Spider-Man was HUGE the year before. I think I remember it showing on 6 screens on opening weekend (out of 16 total screens), which blew my mind at the time.

I was too young to remember, but I thought people were very divided on Batman. Even Burton us quoted to not liking it.

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I was too young to remember, but I thought people were very divided on Batman

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Definitely not! (Not for the first one, at least!)

I think Ben Affleck actually could have made a great star wars movie. Say what you like about his acting, his directing has been top notch.

There were stories about Phantom Menace lines & anticipation on the national news. That's how hyped it was.

Starlog Magazine!

As of last night, Disney has made it officially official. Here's the press release...

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J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII, the first of a new series of Star Wars films to come from Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams will be directing and Academy Award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay.

“It’s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie,” said Kennedy. “J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.”

George Lucas went on to say “I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

“To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor,” J.J. Abrams said. “I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.”
J.J., his longtime producing partner Bryan Burk, and Bad Robot are on board to produce along with Kathleen Kennedy under the Disney | Lucasfilm banner.

Also consulting on the project are Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. Kasdan has a long history with Lucasfilm, as screenwriter on The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi. Kinberg was writer on Sherlock Holmes and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Abrams and his production company Bad Robot have a proven track record of blockbuster movies that feature complex action, heartfelt drama, iconic heroes and fantastic production values with such credits as Star Trek, Super 8, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, and this year’s Star Trek Into Darkness. Abrams has worked with Lucasfilm’s preeminent postproduction facilities, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, on all of the feature films he has directed, beginning with Mission: Impossible III. He also created or co-created such acclaimed television series as Felicity, Alias, Lost and Fringe.

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Also, according to The Hollywood Reporter...

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Episode VII is set for release in 2015, but sources say Abrams has not committed to that release date, meaning the date could be changed if the development process requires it.

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Like I said back when this project was first announced in October, I'll be shocked if they make that 2015 release date. I just don't see how it could happen. Now, given Abrams Into Darkness schedule, and hearing this news, I'd say there's about a 90% chance that Episode VII moves to May 2016. Which I'd much rather see. If there was ever a project that shouldn't be rushed, this is it.