20 replies to this topic

[ShawnMR]

Full Article: http://www.boxoffice.com/articles/2013-01-changing-of-the-guard-is-science-fiction-taking-the-torch-from-fantasy

Hollywood is no stranger to a changing of the guard. It can come between one generation of actors and another. Creatively speaking, traditional hand-drawn animation gave way to the rising popularity of computer animation in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Sometimes, the box office itself sees a major shift when one genre reaches its peak and another takes its place. Are we in the middle of such a transition between go-to genres for Hollywood?

No, we're not referring to comic book adaptations. After dominating the box office for several recent years, it's clear that their reign is supreme for the moment. But over the last few years, there have been a growing number of science fiction box office hits -- a genre that has usually struggled outside of a niche fan base in the past. Simultaneously, with few exceptions, the fantasy genre hasn't maintained the consistent blockbuster pace it established at the start of the new century.
We find any possible shift intriguing because, in many ways, the two genres are cousins of each other. Some would even argue that one is entirely derivative of the other (but that's a debate for another day).

[CJohn]

Jack The Giant Slayer will Battleship.

[Shpongle]

No, we're not referring to comic book adaptations. After dominating the box office for several recent years,

More like the last 12 years.

[Hatebox]

I'd welcome the reign of sci-fi, but something like 2009's Star Trek can barely be categorised as that. It's basically an action movie.

[Hiccup]

Jack The Giant Slayer will Battleship.

It will fall greater than Battleship. Battleship was a fun 3D action fest. Americans like cheesy action 3D flicks but cheesy fantasy 3D flicks they despise greatly!

[CJohn]

It will fall greater than Battleship. Battleship was a fun 3D action fest. Americans like cheesy action 3D flicks but cheesy fantasy 3D flicks they despise greatly!

Battleship wasn't in 3D

And did just 65M DOM on a 220M budget.

[Hiccup]

Battleship wasn't in 3D

And did just 65M DOM on a 220M budget.

Hmm I swear it was. Battleship did decent overseas and the budget was 209M not 220M.

[CJohn]

Hmm I swear it was. Battleship did decent overseas and the budget was 209M not 220M.

Jack will be lucky to do half of Battleship OS, that I agree.

I see 55-60M DOM for it.

[Shpongle]

I'd welcome the reign of sci-fi, but something like 2009's Star Trek can barely be categorised as that. It's basically an action movie.

Same. This superhero fad has largely killed any risk taking/originality in big budget summer films because they're such reliable cash grabs.

[Michael G Scott]

Star trek is sci fi

[Neo]

The amount of sci-fi films in the pipeline is outstanding. Fantasy just needs to pull the trigger on them, WB has the most (not 100% sure). So many book adaptations waiting to become movies.

[grey ghost]

Star Trek, Avatar, Star Wars, Hunger Games...Sci Fi has a bright future.

With the end of Harry Potter and the near end of the Hobbit it will be hard for the fantasy genre to stay as relevant.

I doubt Oz and Beanstalk will be able to fill the void.

[fishnets]

Avatar is fantasy and so is Star Wars.Space setting isn`t enough to label something sci fi.

Edited by fishnets, 21 January 2013 - 05:22 PM.

[kitik]

I'd welcome the reign of sci-fi, but something like 2009's Star Trek can barely be categorised as that. It's basically an action movie.

Just because the new Star Trek had a lot more action in it doesn't mean it's still not sci-fi.

That said, as a long, long-time Trek fan, I have a feeling that the current popularity is almost entirely due to JJ Abrams' style of film-making. I'm afraid it won't last long.

[fishnets]

Who are your fave ST aliens?

[Neo]

Avatar is fantasy and so is Star Wars.Space setting isn`t enough to label something sci fi.

Where to begin. Can't be serious. First of countless sites and people regard SW as sci-fi so they are all wrong.

In general, science fiction differs from fantasy in that the former concerns things that might someday be possible or that at least embody the pretense of realism. Supernaturalism, usually absent in science fiction, is the distinctive characteristic of fantasy literature. A dictionary definition referring to fantasy literature is "fiction characterized by highly fanciful or supernatural elements.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction#cite_note-dictionary-75

Fantasy - At its most generalized, contains elements of magic, the supernatural, and a plot centralized and dependent on one, the other, or both.

Science Fiction - Differentiates itself by utilizing elements that, while extraordinary and often times imaginary, are grounded in the basis of actual, established scientific law or scientifically-postulated theory.

Fantasy is the impossible made probable; science fiction is the improbable made possible.

A film becomes science fiction when present science can not replicate what is seen, but with all probability may be able to do so in the future. A science fiction film becomes fantasy when even the most speculative of sciences can no longer account for or explain the elements within a film. And a film that teeters between the two must be categorized as one or the other when its most crucial plot device, the story element without which the story would cease to exist is identified as either science fiction or fantasy, which will therefore dictate the film itself as either/or.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/cinematic-discussion-when-does-sci-fi-become-fantasy/

[Kalo21]

Where to begin. Can't be serious. First of countless sites and people regard SW as sci-fi so they are all wrong.


http://en.wikipedia....e-dictionary-75

Fantasy - At its most generalized, contains elements of magic, the supernatural, and a plot centralized and dependent on one, the other, or both.

Science Fiction - Differentiates itself by utilizing elements that, while extraordinary and often times imaginary, are grounded in the basis of actual, established scientific law or scientifically-postulated theory.




http://www.firstshow...become-fantasy/

based on that analysis Star Wars is for sure fantasy. it always was really. Fantasy with sc-fi Elements in it. or more like a genre of it's own Space Opera/Fantasy/Sci-Fi.

[Floppit Floppeeeddd]

Lucas has always called Star Wars a Space Opera, it's as much fantasy as it is sci-fi.

[Chewy Into Flopness]

Space opera and hard sci fi technically both fall under the umbrella of sci fi. Which is kind of weird, there's not much science in most space opera. Sci fi has basically been diluted into meaning "Space stuff"

[Darth Homer]

I'd welcome the reign of sci-fi, but something like 2009's Star Trek can barely be categorised as that. It's basically an action movie.

It's impossible to make a big budget sci-fi movie nowadays that isn't an action movie also. Movies like 2001, Close Encounters, Contact, etc. couldn't be made by Hollywood studios now unless the filmmaker threw in some big action scenes.

Having said that, 12 of the top 25 movies of all time domestically are sci-fi or borderline sci-fi, so it's not like the genre ever went away. Sci-fi movies are just usually more popular in the U.S. than overseas (which explains why they are nearly all sold as action movies first and sci-fi second now).