Holly Wood can't sell a war movie.

[Danno 1,228]

When I saw the reviews on this movie I wanted to see it as the Bourne trilogy I thought was great. Then reports started coming out that it was more about a war with Bush than anything else.

How is it modern events seem to serve up ideal launching pads for great movies.. which Holly Wood never makes? Okay, I first noticed this with the passing on the Bill Clinton sex-N-Whitehouse themes that were never acted on, even though boring Nixon and Reagan flicks somehow were produced.

Here we have had two "made for movie" wars going on for years and only one passable movie has been made and that is Hurt Locker. Hurt Locker was ok but way over rated in my opinion.

Sooner or later I will see Green Zone, but after the word came out it was immersed in politics it did kinda dampen my desire to see it.

Has anyone seen Green Zone and what is your take?

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'Green Zone' marks a disappointing end to Hollywood's time in Iraq

March 14, 2010 | 1:04 pm

For better or worse, Hollywood is now done with Iraq.

"Green Zone" is the last drama set to be released by a major studio related to the Iraq war, and Hollywood is undoubtedly grateful for it after the picture, directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Matt Damon, opened to just $14.5 million domestically and $9.7 million overseas.

It's the latest in a string of flops that include "Body of Lies," "The Kingdom" and "Stop-Loss." Even "The Hurt Locker," while not a major disappointment given its low budget, is the lowest- grossing best picture Oscar winner in recent history.

Recognizing that worrisome history, Universal Pictures focused its marketing on Damon and Greengrass' popular collaboration on "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum," but was apparently unable to sell the movie based on its action elements.

"This picture has done better than most of today's modern war stories," said Nikki Rocco, Universal's domestic distribution president. "But we were hoping for better."

Universal and its financing partner, Relativity Media, spent about $100 million to produce "Green Zone" and tens of millions more to market the picture, meaning it will be a major money loser.

"Alice in Wonderland," meanwhile, is turning out to be not just a hit domestically, but a phenomenon overseas. Like "Avatar," the 3-D blockbuster is racking up foreign grosses significantly faster than in the U.S. and Canada.

While its domestic ticket sales fell 47%, international ticket sales dropped just 27% in the same territories where it started playing last weekend. Along with six new markets including India and Vietnam, "Alice in Wonderland" grossed $76 million internationally and $62 million domestically. It has yet to hit several major foreign countries such as France, China, Japan and Brazil.

In total, "Alice" has taken in $429 million worldwide and seems sure to end up grossing at least $750 million, making it a massive profit generator despite its sizable $200-million production cost.

However, it's very unlikely that "Alice" will play for as long as "Avatar," which just took in $23.6 million on its 13th weekend. DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon" will take a significant number of 3-D screens worldwide beginning March 26, followed a week later with the April 2 release of Warner Bros.' 3-D "Clash of the Titans."

For more on the weekend box office, including the openings of "She's Out of My League," "Remember Me," and "Our Family Wedding," see our initial box-office post.

Here are the top 10 movies at the domestic box office, according to studio estimates and Hollywood.com:

1. "Alice in Wonderland" (Disney): $62 million on its second weekend, down 47%. $76 million overseas in 48 foreign territories. Domestic total: $208.6 million. International total: $221 million.

2. "Green Zone" (Universal/Relativity): Opened to $14.5 million, $9.7 million overseas in 14 foreign territories.

3. "She's Out of My League" (Paramount/DreamWorks): Opened to $9.6 million.

4. "Remember Me" (Summit): Opened to $8.3 million.

5. "Shutter Island" (Paramount): $8.1 million on its fourth weekend, down 38%. Domestic total: $108 million.

6. "Our Family Wedding" (Fox Searchlight): Opened to $7.6 million.

7. "Avatar" (Fox/Dune/Ingenious): $6.6 million on its 13th weekend, down 19%. $17 million overseas in 69 foreign markets. Domestic total: $730.3 million. International total: $1.91 billion.

8. "Brooklyn's Finest" (Overture/Millennium): $4.3 million, down 68% on its second weekend. Domestic total: $21.4 million.

9. "Cop Out" (Warner Bros.): $4.2 million on its third weekend, down 54%. Domestic total: $39.4 million.

10. "The Crazies" (Overture/Participant/Imagenation): $3.7 million on its third weekend, down 48%. Domestic total: $33.4 million.

-- Ben Fritz

[Dan J 277]

I think there are two factors playing into this.

War Fatigue. Iraq has been going on for 8 years, I think a lot of people just want it to be done with.

Escapism. Watching a war about Iraq doesn't really provide the same escapism that a movie like Avatar or Alice in Wonderland provides. If anything it just reminds them more of the ####### that is still going on.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I don't think we really need more war movies. The themes are pretty universal, not really anywhere left to go.

Hurt Locker was ok but I felt I'd seen it all before. Biggest problem was that they didn't spend enough time on the bomb disposal stuff for a sense of dramatic tension to build. That and the director insisted on spelling out the theme at the start "war is a drug"

It was ok but I don't get why Kathryn Bigelow got best director for it.

[alienlovechild 75]

Here we have had two "made for movie" wars going on for years and only one passable movie has been made and that is Hurt Locker. Hurt Locker was ok but way over rated in my opinion.

Sooner or later I will see Green Zone, but after the word came out it was immersed in politics it did kinda dampen my desire to see it.

Has anyone seen Green Zone and what is your take?

Haven't seen the Green Zone and won't see it due to lackluster reviews. Don't know why the Hurt Locker won other than being about to claim a war movie was honored on the most politically inoffensive aspect of the war- disfusing bombs which no one could really complain about.

Hollywood has made several Iraq War movies over the years but most of them are forgettable and largely unseen by the public.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Iraq_War_films

Hollywood can make good action and war movies but I believe most of movies made thus far are about how wrong the Iraq War is but they can't make a good anti-war movie with an ongoing war and some people either too close to the action and most people completely detached from the wars and unable put together a good movie.

War in Afghanistan movies aren't much better even though it's the more "popular" war with Hollywood and the public. I saw Osama which wasn't a war flick and Ironman wasn't primarily about Afghanistan other than a test site for weapons.

Osama (film) (2003)

Fire Over Afghanistan (2003)

Lions for Lambs (2007)

The Kite Runner (2007)

Iron Man (2008)

The Objective (2008)

Red Sands (2009)

Brothers (2009)

The Lone Survivor (2011)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_war_films_and_TV_specials#War_in_Afghanistan_.282001.E2.80.93present.29

[Danno 1,228]

Yeah, I am not movie buff but I did catch Hurt Locker.... and thought it average kinda lacking a evolving story line.

Whats funny is, the term "hurt Locker" ...was a term I had not heard used since the Marine Corps days.

Maybe people are war-weary and lack a desire to go in big numbers to a flick dealing with the war but I don't think so. I think the door is wide open for great story and compelling characters especially in afghanistan ..... it just hasn't been done.

[Calypso 464]

There must be a lot of people like me who simply don't enjoy war movies that's why Hollywood can't sell a war movie.

I think war movies are more on American guys cursing big time, going to various places with their ammo, getting one-night stands in local clubs, and killing other guys. War movies are as lame as the sentence that precedes this.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I quite liked Three Kings, although that was made prior to gulf war 2.

Not really a war movie - heist flick set in Iraq, but I enjoyed it.