Not to be discouraged by the financial disaster
that was the Dungeons and Dragons movie, in spite
of the fact that I thought it was a pretty good
flick. Hasbro is teaming up with Legendary Entertainment
to make a Magic the Gathering live action film.
The question is, can this one not be as big of
a disaster for them as Dungeons and Dragons was?
To review, the Dungeons and Dragons movie had
a $150 million budget. Worldwide, it made 205
million and it was well short of what it needed
to break even, which is probably about 450 million
once you count for theater cut and marketing
costs. It was. It was not good for them. It opened
to only 37 million dollars. Yeah, it did not
go well for them. Do you think that this can
do any better? Shake your head. I want it to.
I. But I'm like, I really thought the Dungeons
and Dragons movie one, I liked it. I did, too.
I did, too. I thought it was going to do a lot
better than it did. I was actually really surprised
that it did not do that. Well, I was not surprised
that it did not do well. So. I. Long time viewers
to the show will know I was extremely critical
of their marketing leading up to the D &D movie
because I couldn't figure out who they were marketing
it to. Right. I was like, what is the tone of
this film? What are you trying to get here? And
so one thing that the comic book guys have figured
out is you can't just get comic book fans in
there to see your movies or they will fail. You
have to market it to a wide audience. Dungeons
and Dragons, you can't count on it just being
D &D players and people who've played D &D watching
your movie or it will fail. Right. And when they
marketed it, I was like, I can't I don't know
who they're marketing this to. And again, I went
and saw it and I thought it was a fine film.
Right. It was it was a fun romp. Do you think
they've learned their lesson? Oh, I don't know.
So. I really. I think. Is this live action or
animated? It's live action. All right. They're
doing an animated series on Netflix, but that
has nothing to do with this. So they've licensed
the Netflix and animated Magic the Gathering
series that is, as far as I can tell from the
reporting, is not related to the live action
film that they are producing through legendary
pictures. So I guess like. It really it's going
to come down, I think, personally, me to the
style, like how it's going to be shot and then
also the storyline that they choose to go with.
But to be fair, and this is also the kind of
half respond to chat, magic does have a pretty
deep lore. It has a running storyline and it
does have like characters and things that happen
and stuff. So people who are super duper into
that side of magic love the lore. Right. And
there's a lot of lore to it. The same as Dungeons
and Dragons. I. So if so, let me put the question
another way. If you were going to make this,
would you do it more D &D? where D &D was kind
of like fun and jovial and, you know, it was
a fun romp. Or would you do it more serious a
la Lord of the Rings, where it's like this big,
dark, epic adventure? I would make this dark
as fuck. I would make this a horror movie and
I would cast Anna Taylor Joy. Oh, who could she
be? I actually know who I want to say. Who do
you think? Hang on. I'm looking it up right now.
What's her name? Oh, I can't find it. Elspeth,
maybe. Oh, shit. Or Lilliana Vess. you know,
she's a character who lives in the blurred lines
between good and evil. You know, do something
like that. Maybe. Yeah, maybe. So you would do
this like a horror film. I would. I fucking 100
% would. That's me personally. I think that would
be sick. And market it that way. Yep. So the
two issues that I think Legendary and Hasbro
have here. Primarily. And this is one of the
areas where I love your idea of doing it like
a horror movie, because one of the things we've
seen, especially with modern horror, call it
the last eight, nine years, like in the Blumhouse
mold. Right. We will make a movie. Right. For
the shit we pulled out of the couch cushions
and for below the sandwiches. And it will make
seventy five million dollars. But that's OK,
because we only spent. five million making it,
right? So who gives a crap, right? We made our
money. We're happy, right? Then the low budget
horror films have done really, really well financially
the last 10 years. The problem that you've got
with this is I don't think you can keep the budget
low. Given what the whole. For those that don't
remember the original. the original like idea
of Magic the Gathering is that each player was
like a mage and the cards you were casting spells
summoning a creature or doing a magic spell or
doing this and using mana to do that is that
you were the mage right summoning your creatures
to the field right so to hold to that that conceit
the main characters have to be mages casting
spells. And that means lots of money. You know
what I mean? Like that, I don't know how you
make a Magic the Gathering movie without spending
a crap ton of money, which means. You got to
make a crap ton of money. Yeah. I like your horror
idea. Set it in a stride. Right. Or Dusk Mourn
or one of these horror planes. Right. Make it
dark. Right. Have Phyrexians. Right. Make it
scary. I like the idea of making a scary Magic
the Dragon movie and doing it for budget. Has
there been? Oh, yeah. In the 80s, too, there
was all kinds of fantasy horror films. Right.
Yeah. And again, Blumhouse and a 24, they've
got this model down, but that's not legendary.
And again, I, I don't know what the. What the.
I don't know what the revenue split is, I don't
know what the financing split is, that's not
part of the the article. How so? And if you're
marketing it as a horror film, I think you you
have an easier time marketing it. Right. I mean,
to me, yeah. I don't know. To me, the D &D marketing
was like, are you trying to be guardians? That's
what it felt like to me. It felt like they were
trying to make Guardians of the Galaxy, but in
Dungeons and Dragons. Really the movie was kind
of like that. It was like unlikely group of heroes
band together to Solve a common problem. You
know what I mean? Um, I Yeah, I don't know that's
That to me is the hardest part. You know what?
I think you might hit on it. I Think it's got
to be a horror Right make it scary as shit Right
have them summoning fucking vampires and angel
and like creepy Phyrexian mites, you know, and
horrors. Yeah, I like that idea. But I don't
I honestly don't think they're going to do it.
No, I don't either. I think I think realistically,
they're probably going to do something to market.
Something like. for adults and also children.
They're going to try to come out with a toy line,
action figures and stuff like that. Probably
like a comic book spinoff or something. I don't.
And that's probably what they're going to do
because they're going to try to like maximize
every sort of like source of, I don't know, revenue
that they could, but. Oh, there will be a movie
tie in set. Yeah. They will sell a movie tie
in set of cards. Oh, yeah. Over under 50 percent
that the main character is Urza. Oh, fuck. Just
an over under. I think like. I'm going to go
over. I'm just going to go over. I think I like
what the YouTube chat us do it said do it as
kids around the table 90s teen aesthetic with
school theater grade SFX But Hollywood quality
costuming to feed the cosplayers and the sub
is the humanoids are 90s era actors making cameos
for that sweet millennial movie money and elder
gen Z's That so actually The one prediction I
made about the D &D movie that I was wrong about
is I figured they were going to tie it into a
group of people sitting around a table at some
point. I was like either at the beginning of
the end because Jumanji had done so well, the
one with the rock and Jack Black and all that.
Yeah, I was like, you tie it together that way
and it's fine if they're going to Jumanji it.
That was my prediction when they made the movie
and I was wrong. I actually don't think it's
a bad idea. To do a Jumanji esque kind of movie
with magic Right, but I don't think they're gonna
do that either Right I I really don't like I
just don't buy that that's the the aesthetic
they're gonna go for Maybe they'll just piss
everyone off and have it like fucking the animated
fucking TV show Yu -Gi -Oh! and it'll just literally
be two people dueling against each other, so
many creatures into like a playground in front
of them. Dude, I'm going to laugh my balls off
if they do it like Yu -Gi -Oh! Okay. I doubt
it. I doubt it. I doubt it, too, but I would
die, though. Here's the other thing I would point
out. And again, this is where they need to get
smart. Who made Godzilla Minus One? Because here's
the point that I want to make about Godzilla
minus one their budget Was 15 million bucks Really
that's it 15 15 million bucks they made that
movie for These studios have got to get these
budgets under control, right? you can make good
movies for like 20 million bucks you can do it
right you can do it just do it right i don't
again i don't think hasbro or legendary is going
to do that my guess is this is going to be 120
to 140 million dollar budget and i will not be
surprised actually so let's do this we know Obviously,
from our previous thing that the Dungeons and
Dragons movie grossed two hundred and five million
and substantial five for sixty. Does the magic
just gut reaction? Jay, does the Magic the Gathering
movie make more or less than Dungeons and Dragons?
More. How much more? At least double. You think
it can make four hundred? I mean, it is a bigger
hobby than D &D is. It doesn't have the cultural
cache that D &D does. Oh, wait, hang on. Because
D &D has a multigenerational thing. Yeah. And
I just realized something. So magic has a horrible
stigma against against itself. Like people that
don't play magic look at the community that plays
magic. in a very negative way. That's because
they think they're stinky mouth breathers. Yep.
Yep. The magic is considered considerably more
nerdy and less socially accessible than Dungeons
and Dragons is. Yeah. So again, over under two
hundred and five. Oh, God. I just want that horror
movie and I want it to be over. But actually,
now that I'm thinking about it, it's probably
going to be under. I would say under. This is
I feel like this actually might be bad now that
I'm like thinking about it now that I'm actually
thinking about it. This might put your put your
business hat on, Mr. I'm about to get an MBA.
Yeah, there's there's a very there's a lot smaller
market that you can sell magic to unless you
specifically sell it. And a like this like you
you pretend like. It has nothing to do with the
card game, right? Which is really what they did
with D &D. They did. Yeah. And it still failed.
And it still failed, which is still like really
shocking to me. With my business cap on, even
though I would love to see a horror film, I think
that would do amazingly well if done correctly.
I actually wouldn't touch this shit. I'm not
going to lie. I would be like, oh, nope. Like
after watching Dungeons and Dragons fail, I would
probably not support this project or I don't
know, go into this venture. I mean, Hasbro wants
to make movie money off their IP, right? These
guys see what Marvel does and they just salivate.
And comic books used to be a really niche fandom.
Yeah. Right. And honestly, I still think comic
Books are a niche fandom. I don't know many people
who actively read comic books. I have a giant
stack of comic books that like I recently bought.
I'm not a weekly visitor, but I probably am at
my local comic book shop. two times a month.
OK. Yeah. I for me. Right. I'm probably with
you on that. Just because there is a one of our
favorite places to eat has a comic book shop
almost like right next door. Yeah. So we go there,
put our name on the wait list and then go to
the comic book shop. So there's a good one at
the mall we go to all the time. OK. Nice. But.
Yeah, I don't know I Think I think magic has
like a nerd ear Image with it than Dungeons and
Dragons does It's a bigger uphill battle for
them. I again. I don't think they've got the
generational run of 50 years of D &D behind them
So yeah, I can I think it's an uphill battle
look ultimately you and I both play magic right
I have nothing against magic. I've got some issues
with wizards, but I've got nothing. And I would
love to see the film be successful. Again, that's
why I think the best route to go is a low to
mid -budget horror film. Keep this budget under
50 million bucks. And if that means you've got
to pay the actors back end and give them more
points on the back end or get some no names in
there, do it. OK, because here's the thing. If
you blow 150 million dollars on this movie, I
think that your likelihood of being able to recoup
it is slim to none. Again, especially given how
you marketed the D &D movie, which had a bigger
cultural cache. So, yeah, good luck to good luck
to Hasbro Wizards. For all you at home, let us
know down in the comments below. What do you
think? Would you go watch a D &D movie? Are you
excited for this idea? Or do you think this is
going to be another financial disaster for Hasbro
like the Dungeons & Dragons movie was?