Star Trek Franchise at the box-office

11 movies so far... and the 12th is on its way! That is what the Star Trek TV series which began in 1966 has unleashed to the big screens. The first movie though released 10 years after the series had been cancelled in 1969 due to weak ratings. Maybe the success of another space saga, a certain Star Wars of 1977 played a part, maybe the popularity of the reruns of the original Star Trek TV series. Whatever be the reasons, we aren't complaining! 

Star Trek: The Motion Picture released in December 1979 and earned a then record of $11.8 million for the opening weekend in North America, more than even Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Note that the production budget too of Star Trek: The Motion Picture was four times that of Star Wars! The film though is said largely to have received weak reviews, but remains till date the biggest grosser of the series in worldwide revenues (adjusting for inflation). A Star Trek movie then followed usually after every two to three year period until the weakest of the lot, Star Trek: Nemesis released in 2002, putting a halt to the movie franchise. Step in J.J. Abrams and the reinvention of Star Trek in 2009, which grossed $258 million in North America alone. The impact of Star Trek across the globe can still be considered to be much weaker than the likes of Star Wars and many other sci-fi films, as displayed in a rather modest earnings of $128 million in markets outside North America for 2009's Star Trek. That may very well change in 2013 as Star Trek Into Darkness makes its way. The buzz is strong and I would be surprised if it does not turn out to be the biggest hit of the franchise yet. 

So here, have a look at the domestic earnings (after adjusting for inflation) and worldwide box-office earnings (not adjusted for inflation) of the movies in the Star Trek franchise.  

9 Directors, 14 Academy Nominations, and 34 years since the original movie, Star Trek is back in popular culture... and in a few years the legendary battles between fans of Star Trek and  Star Wars could well be heating up once again. Fingers crossed!

Graph: The complete names of the movies of the Star Trek Franchise (as shown in the graph from left to right) are: 

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek: Generations (1994)
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Star Trek (2009)

Star Trek Guide for Dummies!

Star Trek Into Darkness, the sequel to the 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise, is upon us. And while some, like me, would have been introduced to the world of Star Trek thanks to J.J. Abrams' re-creation four years back, there are likely to be those who are still bereft of this adventuresome and at times enigmatic sci-fi series. To those few I say, embrace this franchise now for it is not going to disappear away anytime soon. And to kick start your understanding of the universe of Star Trek, here's a guide for 'dummies' that will prepare you for entering the realm of Star Trek Into Darkness without any fear!

When did Star Trek begin? 

Star Trek began as a TV series, way back in 1966, which was later renamed Star Trek: The Original Series. It has led to the emergence of 5 spin-off TV series and 11 movies so far, with Star Trek Into Darkness to be the twelfth. And to imagine that Star Trek: The Original Series had to be discontinued after 3 seasons due to weak ratings!  

What is Star Trek all about?

Very simply, Star Trek series follows the course of a starship as it explores the galaxy and its other inhabitants and narrates the adventures of the crew on-board. Star Trek: The Original Series as well as the 2009 film, Star Trek, focussed on the crew aboard the starship, USS Enterprise. The mission of the crew on Enterprise was narrated in each episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, as follows:

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.

Who are the crew members of the USS Enterprise?

The main crew members, as showcased in 2009's Star Trek, include 

- Captain James T. Kirk, a brave but reckless cadet who saves the crew of the Enterprise from an attack by an alien race, eventually becoming its Captain by the end of the film

- Spock, a highly gifted Vulcan (another race) who is the son of a Vulcan father and a human mother; Spock is appointed as First Officer under Kirk's command in Star Trek 

- Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, a cynical doctor and a close friend of James Kirk

- Nyota Uhura, a gifted Communications Officer and the love interest of Spock

- Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov, the former an Asian and the latter a Russian assist Captain Kirk in navigating the Enterprise

- Montgomery "Scotty" Scot, is the ship's chief engineer and famous for 'beaming up' people back to the ship

What is so special about Vulcans?

Vulcans are a humanoid species that reside on the planet Vulcan and are renowned for using logic rather than emotions. Spock, being half-human, does end up displaying some human-like emotions, making him different from others of his race.

What else should be known before watching Star Trek Into Darkness?

Not much. This basic knowledge will help you not feel alienated as the movie begins. Watch it with an open mind, enjoying the vastness and the unknown nature of space, navigate with the crew as they stand upto the challenges thrown at them. And then raise a toast for Gene Roddenberry, the original creator of the series, and J.J. Abrams, the director of the latest set of movies! 

The USS Enterprise

Crew of USS Enterprise: (from left to right) Scott, McCoy, Uhura, Kirk, Spock, Sulu, Chekov

Iron Man flies high... but falls short of Avengers!

The earnings of Iron Man 3 were never being looked at with the perspective of justifying the high production budget of the film or the heavy pay cheque of Robert Downey Jr. The movie was always going to recover the amount that went in making it by the time you had hit the snooze button for the sixth time before finally deciding to wake up on the weekend (a little exaggeration here!). So what is the real interest behind these set of numbers? To see really how big it can get, to watch a few records shatter, and maybe to say to generations later on that we were there. The Avengers last year showed us how gigantic of an industry Hollywood really is. And this year, the onus was on the shoulders of Tony Stark & Co. even before they flew to the theatres. So with the movie opening in USA last weekend, what is the verdict?

Smashing! With the second best opening ever in the US, Iron Man 3 has taken to the skies. Definitely superior to its two predecessors, Iron Man 3 though has fallen short of the one movie it was actually ever going to be compared against, The Avengers. Iron Man 3 reported first weekend earnings of $175.3 million at the US box office, higher than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II that had $169.2 million but still quite a way off The Avengers which opened with $207.4 million. Iron Man 3 has already crossed the $500 million mark in revenues from international markets though and is poised to become the 16th movie to cross the coveted $1 billion mark in worldwide revenues. Phew! Iron Man 3 has definitely benefited from the goodwill of The Avengers but it has generated strong positive publicity of its own too, which would be very much needed in the coming weeks when the 'fanboy' effect starts to fade. 

How will things shape up for Iron Man 3 from now on? Well, The Avengers had very strong reviews and yet fell by 50% in the second weekend. Iron Man 3 should at least see a similar fall if not slightly more (Iron Man 2 had a second weekend fall of 59%). Iron Man 3 is also expected to get knocked off from top spot in its third week when Captain James Kirk reappears with his crew in Star Trek Into Darkness, but should the drop in revenues for Iron Man 3 follow a similar pattern to The Avengers, it would be reaching its domestic $500 million mark by the end of its 10th week in the theatres. For the sake of making it more lively, we have considered the drop in fall in weekly revenues for Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and The Avengers, and then drawn its averages to estimate what would Iron Man 3 revenue chart look like for its first 10-week run. Something like this. 

Off the mark when you compare with The Avengers but still looks pretty solid on its own though. Disney will rake a lot of money out of this one, and that of course leaves them pondering over a simple question. How do you let go of such a franchise? A tough one for Disney, they got some real thinking to do.   

Keira Knightley happily married! Yipeee!

In Pirates of the Caribbean, Keira Knigthley entered into a very romantic and yet difficult relationship which eventually turned into such a bummer, as Orlando Bloom became the Captain of the Flying Dutchman, that it made all your typical long-distance relationships seem like a steady close one after all. In real life though, Keira Knigthley gets to live with her husband and not end up seeing him only once in ten years. Eh, real life has no adventures, right? Well, whatever the bride and groom want! So moving on, Keira Knightley has recently tied the knot with James Righton and our heartiest congratulations to the couple. 

Marriages should ideally be a more personal affair without the scrutiny of journalists, reporters and bloggers. But when you are a Hollywood star, those privileges were wiped off long back. We, here, would really like to give Ms. Knightley her space and let her enjoy this moment without any intrusions, and hence we respectfully declined our invitation to the ceremony. That, and the fact that our air tickets were not being funded for. But, for the want of nothing better to write about, we provide some pleasant details on this oh-so-lovely day in the life of Keira Knightley!

Married to: James Righton

Groom's Profession:  English musician, who is the co-vocalist and keyboardist for the band Klaxons

Age Difference: Groom an year older than the bride

Location of Marriage: South of France

Number of people attending the marriage: 11

What did Ms. Knightley wear?:  A strapless tulle frock that came to her knees, a classic Chanel jacket and flats (whatever all this means, just look up the photo)

What did Mr. Righton wear?: No one cares!

Number of prior weddings (both put together): None  

Strange things people had to say: "Knightely cried when they exchanged their vows but was still smiling."

Any more celebrations?: Yes; one done in France and more expected in UK

Will I be attending any?: No

We wish Keira Knightley and her hubby a wonderful journey ahead!

Photo courtesy of X17online.com

Men in Black to suit up again

Bring on the aliens, I wanna crush some more! A cry that seems to be quite popular in Hollywood. And if you shoot them well the first time, you definitely get another chance to go at them. The guys in Hollywood are doing a good job though, keeping Earth free of the monstrous races present across the galaxies. And in 1997, they set up a separate undercover unit for this purpose called Men in Black. A pretty slick name which became quite popular at that time (despite its undercover status!), with agents J and K stealing the show. There was a five year hiatus before they surfaced again to protect Mother Earth though Men in Black II did not really thrill the crowds the way the original did. It seemed that the run of the agents in black suits and ties and shades was to end. 

In one of those rare events, when bottled up movie stories are opened up again with the difference between it being called brilliance and stupidity very thin, Men in Black 3 was conceived, shot and subsequently displayed ten years after the second film and fifteen years after the original. Times had changed, people like me who had been thrilled with the original had grown up, and aliens as a concept was even less alien now. But a good movie always entertains, doesn't it? Men in Black 3 was an instant success, with the quick fleeted plot, the wonderful humour, a well assembled cast and the return of Will Smith to the big screen after more than three years, all gulped in by the audience delightfully. And this time the makers of the series have done the only logical thing you do when your previous movie grosses $624 million worldwide, they have announced a fourth instalment of the series! And unlike 1997, they have announced this one quick though a targeted release date has not been declared.

For Men in Black 4, Sony Pictures has brought in Oren Uziel to prepare the script. Uziel is already working on rewrites for the script of 21 Jump Street 2. Nothing further has been declared, though one cannot imagine this series without the partnership of Tom Lee Jones and Will Smith. Barry Sonnenfield has directed all the movies of this franchise and he should be an obvious choice for the next one. From which catastrophe they have to save Earth next would be interesting. Hopefully, the team involved for this movie would work a bit faster and then a 2015 release could be on the cards. Maybe could learn a trick or two from creators of The Fast & the Furious, a franchise that has seen its ups and lows after it started off in 2001 but now has a seventh movie planned for release in 2014. 

Comingsoon.net had asked Will Smith last year on the possibility of a fourth movie in the Men in Black series and this is what he had to say, "If there's a good reaction to this movie, it's not something I would be against. Hopefully we're not going to keep the same pattern. It was five years between the first and second and ten years between the second and third. That would be twenty years. I'll be 63 years old. It's just not a good look." Agreed, and imagine what Tommy Lee Jones' look would be...

The Silver Samurai visits CinemaCon!

Pace on the marketing of The Wolverine is picking up and has to remain loud now so as to not get submerged in the plethora of big budget movies to be released between now and July. The latest teaser of the movie showcases additional footage from CinemaCon held in Las Vegas. While it does not add much to the storyline, unless you try to deduce too much from the snippets displayed in the 57 second clip, it does ensure that the new Wolverine flick will not be devoid of any claws and action. Towards the end of the teaser, it provides a larger display of Silver Samurai and maybe the next trailer will bring forth more scenes of the Samurai. The CinemaCon footage is at the end of this post... Enjoy!

And for those who want to know more about CinemaCon, here's a brief. CinemaCon is  the official convention of NATO - National Association of Theatre Owners, which as the name suggests, is a group of all theatre owners in America. CinemaCon is a young concept, started in 2011, and has been held each year in Las Vegas so far. Not bad, eh! There are awards given for quite a few categories, and promotions for upcoming films, such as this Wolverine footage revealed in the recent CinemaCon. Then there are panel discussions like the ComicCon conventions to bring forth new projects that are in development to the audience. Lot of unseen footages, trailers, or even some clip showing how the production work is going on, are revealed. All in all, sounds like another fun gala event which I would definitely visit... as soon as someone pays the bills for me!

What if?

Sometimes the sleepy mind drifts off into its own zone. Zones that you may not essentially have known existed. Today mine wonders about the things that could not have been... or things that would have been different than the way we know them to be. Or something like that. My mind is really not at its sharpest when the eyelids are fighting hard to remain open! Well, my mind is wondering... what if? 

What if Harvey Wilcox had never bought a ranch to the west of Los Angeles and his wife had never named it Hollywood? What if D.W. Griffith had never cared enough to make the first motion picture entirely in Hollywood? What if the letters L,A,N and D had not been removed  when the famous large sign that now reads only 'Hollywood' was rebuilt in 1949? 

What if Clint Eastwood had never been able to swim those three miles to shore to escape a crashed aircraft? What if Tom Cruise had followed his youthful aspiration to become a Catholic priest? What if Catherine Zeta-Jones had entered into her family candy business? What if Ryan Gosling had thought differently of the Backstreet Boys whom he could have auditioned for? What if Arnold Schwarzenegger had stuck to the role of Kyle Reese that he had been initially offered in The Terminator? What if someone had not asked Harrison Ford to stop fixing a door and read the lines for a role in Star Wars? What if Steve Jobs had never had to leave his own company, Apple, after which he decided to buy out a computer graphics division called Pixar? What if... what if... one never knows!