News
Comic Con review knocks Disney's 'Up'
By Robert Marich
Feb. 11, 2009 – The three-day Comic-Con convention ended over the weekend a resounding attendance success in New York City and even made some news with a lukewarm reception for a screening of partly-finished Disney animated feature Up.
Some 77,000 persons attended the geek show for comic book aficionados, which was up from 67,000 last year, despite the recession. The event – which was held at the Javits convention center – was open to the public with exhibitors mainly comic book, video game, toy and memorabilia merchandise outfits.
Hollywood film marketers held events and screenings, and perhaps most noteworthy was the screening of a 46-minute section of Up, the Disney animated feature that will premiere May 29. A respected stock analyst who attended panned the movie in a report to investors, wondering whether Up might be the first cinema bomb from hit-factory Pixar. The Disney animation unit produced such hits as Toy Story and Cars.
Barron’s Online notes that stock analyst Rich Greenfield of Pali Research “writes that he found the early stages of the movie to be ‘somewhat slow,’ recounting how (the unappealing lead character) marries, gets older and watches his wife get ill and die.”
Marketing to Moviegoers note that the various Comic-Con events are a significant platform for film distributors to present trailers, sections of films and promotions. The aim is to excite the core enthusiast audience, which tends to be opinion leaders that influence others.
At the just-ended Comic Con, Warner Bros. showed the first 18 minutes of highly-anticipated The Watchmen. Other films with screenings include Astro Boy and Knowing starring Nicolas Cage—which are both Summit releases.
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blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2009/02/10/disney-could-up-be-pixars-first-dud/
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