Reuters had an interesting analysis of last weekend’s Jonah Hex movie, which, like immediately preceding based-on-comics movies The Losers and Kick-Ass, didn’t exactly set the world on fire. Hex earned just over $5 million in its opening weekend and finished in seventh place, one of the weakest showings of the summer.
Given that this summer also saw the release of Iron Man 2, there’s an obvious lesson to be learned about comic book movies, one so obvious it really need not even be stated, but the Reuters article did so rather elegantly anyway: “When comic books are turned into movies, they can become huge hits, like Iron Man, or resounding flops, a la The Spirit.”
I say obvious, because you could take the word “comic books” out and replace it with “TV shows,” “novels,” “radio serials,” “comic strips” or “malaria-induced fever dreams” and, after changing the examples to more relevant ones, it would still be true.
Heck, chop off the “comic books” part and you’ve got “movies…can become huge hits…or resounding flops,” which is, of course, true. There are lots of reasons why comic book movies have become hits recently, which you guys know better than anyone—preexisting name recognition, in some cases decades worth of material to cherry pick story elements from, decades worth of market testing, built-in viral marketing thanks to fans with Internet connections, etc—but there’s nothing magical about them as source material, and studios snapping up comic book properties simply because they are comic book properties are obviously making some extremely weird choices.
You’ve still gotta make a good movie, with “good” being as loosely defined as something a lot of people want to spend money seeing on opening weekend.
Back to the Reuters article, by Borys Kit, he notes that the obvious problem with Hex was more likely than not simply a matter of the way it was made, and he recounts the troubled production history. He also offers some lessons, like “Fanboys Might Not Make or Break a Film, But They Need to Feel Respected” and “Not Every Comic Needs to be a Movie.”
If you ask me (and no one ever asks me) one of the problems with Hex, one that may not have even surfaced until the re-shoots, was that they took a movie that should have been a Western with an interesting-looking protagonist and tried to turn it into a Western-themed superhero movie, because, naturally, Jonah Hex was a comic book character, and comic books equal superheroes, right?
Imagine if the makers of Ghost World or Road To Perdition or History of Violence or Persepolis tried to do the same, and gave their characters super-powers and save-the-world-from-villains plots. Wait, actually, while those would have probably ended up being pretty terrible movies, I think I might enjoy Hex-ed versions of some of those…
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Bonus discussion question: Would Jonah Hex have done better at the box office if it were called Joanie Hex, and Josh Brolin wasn’t in it at all, but instead Megan Fox played a bounty hunter in the old timey corset and skirt outfit she wore in the movie, with a horribly disfigured right half of her face? Obviously it wouldn’t have been all that accurate an adaptation of the comic book, but, as a film, would a Megan Fox vehicle have fared better than a Josh Brolin vehicle in which Fox appeared?
In fact, DC already has a female version of Jonah Hex, don’t they?
June 24th, 2010 at 10:06 am
“Hex earned just over $5 million in its opening weekend and finished in seventh place, one of the weakest showings of the summer.”
Is anyone surprise with that result? I’m actually surprised that it made “that” much. It probably would have experienced more success as a Direct-to-DVD release.
Oh well…back to the drawing board [DC].
June 24th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Heh. “Malaria-induced fever dreams.”
June 24th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
I know someone will jump all over me for this, but I think part of the failure is putting Megan Fox in the movie. No, she isn’t responsible for the writing, directing, or anything like that, but anytime she gets cast for a movie, I just feel like “they” gave up. She can’t act…at all. She is put into movies as eye-candy. So when I first saw that she would be in this, I though “Wow, they must not have a lot of confidence in this film.” I haven’t seen the movie yet, so what do I know, right? I do know that Josh Brolin is too good for this crap.
Anyways, if you want an awesome western, buy Red Dead Redemption.
June 24th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
“they took a movie that should have been a Western with an interesting-looking protagonist and tried to turn it into a Western-themed superhero movie”
Yup, couldn’t have boiled it down anymore than that!
When will most people learn that “comic-book” and “superheroes” don’t always mean the same thing?
June 24th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
I think between the reshoots thing, Josh Brolin saying he took the role because the movie was laughably terrible, and it just overall looking like shit prevented audiences from caring. I mean, if they just did something like the Six Gun War or No Way Back (straight up cowboy stories that happened to star Hex), they could have made a solid western movie. 3:10 To Yuma did perfectly fine because it was just a western. Hell, if they didn’t feel the need to overly brand it I bet most people would have thought it was just a western and not a comic adaptation.
June 24th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Anyone who has ever seen “The Producers” can full appreciate the reason so many movies are so bad. It lays out exactly how the industry works and has fun in the process.
It’s unfortunate the people spent so much to see this junk.
Oh, IMO the Spirit wasn’t bad, it was just different.
June 24th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
I just don’t think this movie would appeal to most people. It’s a action comedy western(I gleam this based on the trailers. I haven’t seen this movie or read the comics). Where as most of the Westerns we seen since like they were invented. My experiences is they’ve mostly been introspective looks at the darker sides of human nature in a world with more space then sense.
Hex is really really left field in a genre that does not make that much money anymore to begin with. However, I am sorry to hear this bad news, although this is following in the wide footsteps of Will Smith’s Wild Wild West. With WWW in mind maybe there is something else to said.
my2cent anyway ymmv
June 24th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Kick-Ass’s production budget was 30 million. It has so far grossed over 95 million worldwide. Doesn’t seem like its *that* much of a bust.
June 24th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
Yema, it was the marketing costs for Kick-Ass that inflated the budget alot higher than 30 Million.
June 24th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
I heard that the next “action,” Western movie will be the Sci-fi flick, Cowboys and Aliens, featuring Mr. Robert Downey Jr.? I read the graphic novel, but sadly wasn’t impressed with it at all. I don’t think even Mr. Downey Jr., will be able to save this comic book, movie adaptation (although his presence did do wonders for Sherlock Holmes).
In this day and age of CGI and big screen action, adventure and destruction, I personally just don’t see Western themed movies having much appeal…at the moment. As trends go though, Westerns will return to popularity, but for now…let the action adventure, Sci-fi movies have their time in the spotlight. It’s arguably the most bankable genre going, as it has been (and will continue to be) for quite some time.
June 24th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
It’s a shame that Kick-Ass didn’t do better, because I was already hoping for a second one about three quarters of the way into the film myself, and I spent 20 bucks for two tickets! I knew Hex would be terrible because they made it schlocky like Ghost Rider when a more realist approach would’ve really sold it. Megan Fox, meh. Same thing happened with Eva Mendes in Ghost Rider, they stuck a hot woman who can barely act in.
And for the record, the Spirit, IMO, was the worst movie I’ve ever seen in my life. It was like watching human marionnettes dance around and get fed lines. When seeing Samuel L. Jackson in a Nazi uniform is the highlight of a movie, it’s bad. Eisner would’ve probably killed himself if he wasn’t dead already.
June 24th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
I think it’s time to stop making these movies. It’s obvious they aren’t making them for the comics or the fans.
Bad casting, bad writing, barely recognizable stories and characters…
It’s time for hollywood to do something they haven’t done in at least a decade: Make ORIGINAL movies.
June 24th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
If you read the current Jonah Hex comic book series or the original 1970s comic series by Albano & Dezuniga (thank you, DC Showcase Presents), you’ll see that the character and concept is kind of like a combination of ‘The Outlaw Josey Wales’ and ‘Unforgiven’…two movies that were (and still are) VERY well loved, and were both critically and commercially successful (BOTH during periods when Westerns were considered “dead”).
So if you were to model a Jonah Hex movie after pre-existing films, it seems like a real no-brainer to model it after two movies that were award-winning, commercial hits, and that actually resemble what a Jonah Hex film should be like!
Instead, producers chose to model the Hex film on ‘Wild, Wild West’ and ‘Van Helsing’, two terrible movies which are nearly universally hated.
That was dumb.
June 24th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
“I heard that the next “action,” Western movie will be the Sci-fi flick, Cowboys and Aliens, featuring Mr. Robert Downey Jr”
Robert Downy Jr dropped out before the movie started shooting due to wanting to do ‘Sherlock Holmes 2′…he was replaced with either Harrison Ford or Daniel Craig.
(Both are in the movie…but I’m not sure who was replacing RDjr)
June 24th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
I agree 100% >Had the producers tried to make a western and not a “Comic Book Movie” the film would have been much better. Brolin was terrific, but the supernatural and Sci-Fi trappings were totally unnecessary. They should have actually read the comic before they made this film.
June 24th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
Is anyone suprised Hex & Losers failed? 2 unknown properties to the public and barely on the radar for comic nerds….there was zero buzz surrounding them when there were greenlighted to make them and westerns are all but a fart in the wind to movie-goers. Didn’t need a crystal ball to see this coming….
June 24th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
The bottom line is, JONAH HEX was a terrible movie. I blame Akiva Goldsman for that. The guy lives in this world where comics are nothing but campy, kiddie crap. His treatment of the Batman films are proof of that. JONAH HEX should’ve been like THE QUICK AND THE DEAD or TOMBSTONE. DC needs to learn that releasing crap like this only hurts them in the long run because people will naturally assume that the comics are as lame as the movies, and then there goes your audience. NOTE: keep Akiva Goldsman away from comic properties in the future. And if anyone ever runs into him in public, I hope you’re driving.
June 24th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
I watched the movie “Jonah Hex” years ago…it was called “the Outlaw Josie Wales”; and it had a way better lead actor (Clint Eastwood).
June 24th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
Please excuse my misspelling of “The Outlaw Josey Wales”.
June 24th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Betcha a dollar Malkovich regrets turning down the role of Norman Osborn on the set of Shadow of the Vampire
June 24th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Was Akiva Goldsman behind Wild Wild West too?
June 24th, 2010 at 7:34 pm
ultimately if the property isnt a name its got an uphill battle to fight, unless it is good ala Blade.
June 24th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Akiva Goldsman is the new Steven Desouza
June 24th, 2010 at 8:46 pm
Jonah Hex is one of my favorite characters and the producers and writers crapped all over him. What should have been a straight up western turned into yet another shitty comic book adaptation.
June 24th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
I actually enjoyed watching the JH movie. I knew it was going to be horrible, and was entertained by seeing the details of HOW it was horrible.
(Rather see a good movie, though…)
June 24th, 2010 at 9:26 pm
“Kick-Ass’s production budget was 30 million. It has so far grossed over 95 million worldwide. Doesn’t seem like its *that* much of a bust.”
Not only do the marketing costs shoot the overall cost of the movie a lot higher, but also keep in mind that “grossing” is just that. The gross take, and not the net. The studios split that gross with the theatre owners. I’m not sure what that split is, exactly, but it’s split nonetheless.
June 24th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
“I think it’s time to stop making these movies. It’s obvious they aren’t making them for the comics or the fans.”
Making them “for the comics”? What does that even mean?
Saying they shouldn’t make any more comic book movies is oversimplifying it. Sure there’s a lot of crap. But we’ve also had Nolan’s two Bat-flicks (let’s hope he can help revive Superman’s fortunes on the big screen too), the Iron Man movies (I didn’t like IM2 all that much, but it was decent), and the first two Spider-Man and X-Men movies. I also really liked the Ed Norton Hulk movie, V For Vendetta, and I have high hopes for Green Lantern too. Same goes for the forthcoming Runaways movie.
Not everyone’s going to agree with me on those choices, and that’s fine, but I think most people would agree that those were good films, some perhaps better than others. Then there’s non-superhero fare… Road to Perdition, A History of Violence, and American Splendor are all movies I really enjoyed too. I haven’t seen Persopolis yet, but I want to.
But, honestly, I don’t think the ratio of comic book movie successes to failures is any worse than it is for any other types of film… The comic book movies just tend to be noticed more because of their high profile. They mostly come out in summer, have big budgets, and usually come with a lot of hype. That’s expected when you see the kind of money Batman, Iron Man and Spider-Man have all made. It just comes down to making smart choices and respecting the source material… Too bad those things don’t always happen.
June 25th, 2010 at 3:15 am
Jonah Hex flopped because it was a poorly directed and written movie, with a lead actor, while very good, is not a drawcard to the audience. No one ran to see No Country for Old Men because Josh Brolin was in it. He doesn’t sell tickets.
99% of the audience who end up seeing comic book adaptations have absolutely no idea they are based on comic properties. Comics are not as visible to the public as they were twenty years ago – kids don’t see them. So the argument that comic book adaptations don’t often work is moot as most people don’t even realise they are comics. Case in point – most of the audience didn’t even realise Iron Man was based on a comic book. They saw it because it looked good and exciting – which it was.
I was looking forward to Jonah Hex, but wasn’t surprised how badly it ended up,
June 25th, 2010 at 8:27 am
Kick Ass’s budget was actually closer to $70 million. They’re saying $30 million to make the film look like less of a flop than it was.
June 25th, 2010 at 9:02 am
It’s really too bad these people raped Jonah Hex.
Even though I’m not that big into westerns, but I always loved the character, and a few of those Jonah Hex comics from the original run are some of my favorite comics ever.
June 25th, 2010 at 10:05 am
2008 was a great year for comic book movies. I think we have been paying for it ever since with crap like Spirit, Iron Man 2, and now Jonah Hex. I kept Wolverine off this list, but even that I keep close to putting in the crap superhero movies list. It had enough of things I at least liked about that movie. Hopefully 2011 will turn things around…..with GL, Cap, and possibly Thor which looks good, but I can forsee that disappointing, but I am giving it a chance.
June 26th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
The headline while true you can also look at it the way of the major name franchises having hits in the past decade with the big exception being Superman:
Daredevil (it broke a 100 million but wasnt loved by critics either and Elektra while a huge flop mostly due to Jennifer Garner, but Elektra as an icon isn’t uniquely identifiable to the general public either), Fantastic Four #1-2, X-Men (all 3, even the third is reviled by audiences), Spider-Man (all 3 were big at the box office, minus the cursed third movie), Batman Begins/Dark Knight, Iron Man #1-2, Wolverine Origins, etc.
It seems the big names will (most of the time) have bigger chance at success at the box office than you’re no name movies (Watchmen – heavily hyped, no one in the general public has ever heard of it even though there is a cult following), Jonah Hex (ditto), Losers, etc..
June 27th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
To answer the author’s question, no, this film would have flopped just as hard if not harder if Megan Fox had been the lead…”Jennifer’s Body” is all the evidence one needs of that. Megan Fox as a hollywood draw isn’t happening, and producers may be finally catching up to that fact.
June 28th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Hey there everyone. I went to this movie, paid my $10 and reviewed this less than stellar flick. What did I say…not enough movie for the dollars. Megan Fox did nothing for the flick, and I thought that Josh Brolin did a decent job playing Jonah Hex, but you just cannot make up for a bad story. And of course there was the usual liberty taken as far as how Jonah got the scar on his face. I really was hoping for a better attempt, but I think possibly this was rushed to get it into the summer movie so that Warner/DC had their own comic to go against Iron Man 2
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