Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Deserved Better
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 มิ.ย. 2024
- In this video essay I take a look at 2023's Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. I dive into the production, why it failed at the box office, and why I think it's a great movie that deserved better.
Dungeon Dude's Video:
• The OGL Explained
References:
Abbott, B. (2023, January 6). D&D Ogl controversy, explained - all the drama explained, and why you should care. gamesradar. www.gamesradar.com/dandds-lic...
Farnell, C. (2023, March 10). How dungeons & dragons: Honor among thieves became a high fantasy heist movie. Den of Geek. www.denofgeek.com/movies/dung...
Nuli, S. (2023, January 14). The Dungeons & Dragons Ogl controversy could negatively impact the movie. Game Rant. gamerant.com/dungeons-dragons...
Pierce-Bohen, K. (2023, June 11). 10 reasons dungeons & dragons: Honor among thieves bombed at the box office. ScreenRant. screenrant.com/dungeons-drago... reason/#:~:text=10%20Honor%20Among%20Thieves%20Had%20Poor%20Marketing&text=It%20had%20a%20slim%20commercial,would%20go%20over%20opening%20weekend.
Music Attribution:
"Study And Relax" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensecreativecommons.org/licenses/b...
"Apero Hour" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensecreativecommons.org/licenses/b...
"Smooth Lovin" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensecreativecommons.org/licenses/b...
"Sincerely" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensecreativecommons.org/licenses/b...
"Midnight Tale" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensecreativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Morning Routine by Ghostrifter bit.ly/ghostrifter-yt
Creative Commons - Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported - CC BY-ND 3.0
Free Download: hypeddit.com/track/24bkbw
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“Pissing off your most diehard fans right before the release of a movie was beyond stupid”
lol, Disney moment
Classic. So on point...
@@michaeljedlowski4227except Disney still mostly makes money
TSR moment, even.
If you were there for the Lorraine years.
To be fair, I don't know how much communication went on between Hasbro and Paramount.
But Baldurs Gate 3 broke records....
The fact they made a mini campaign for the cast to know their characters is both wholesome and amazing
It's also honestly a necessary step to make a good D&D movie.
@@snakeman830 It's not. At all.
@@hawkname1234 If you're wanting to make a "D&D" movie rather than just a "Fantasy" movie, yes.
@@hawkname1234 Yeah why would you say it isn't necessary? It 100% IS lmfao
@@hawkname1234Yes it doesn't help at all having your actors understand the source material, ok. Lol do you even read what you type before submitting?
Dungeons and Dragons was, basically, The Princess Bride for the 2020’s…an almost flawless comedic fantasy adventure that was released at an odd time against dominant competition…it also disappointed ($30 million on a $20 million budget) but became known as an absolute cult favorite! I have a hunch this will too
It will be fondly remembered for a long time, I'm sure
The princess bride is a horrible, boring mess with dumb characters and an extremely stupid plot. Only someone who watched it as a child could possibly like it because of the nostalgia. Watching it for the first time as a grown-up was one of the worst movie experiences of my life. Comparing the the DnD movie to that trashy thing is not even possible. Honour Amongst Thieves has good jokes, a great story, some good characters, and yes, it is goofy, but not on the level of humour a third-grader would have. It can be enjoyed without cringing every five minutes
@@cheesy_87ok
@@cheesy_87disliked
The main difference being that princess bride was actually good
This is a really great video but I think we should wait until Jarnathan gets here to discuss it properly
I agree. I really think Jarnathan should be here to hear this.
We still waiting for Jarnathan?
“Ohhhh, Jarnathan!!”
Yeah I mean how is he gonna know our whole backstory, this is the biggest part
That entire opening sequence and character is legendary
If it was loved by critics and audiences, and had such a high rotten tomatoes score; it's the studios fault for not knowing how to promote it
I don’t think it was just the promotion, it’s mainly the Failure rests upon the People in Charge of WOTC, and the Studio Heads that were over this movie!
It’s stated in the video!
But I also blame the Folks that we’re TOO focused on the OGL stuff to not appreciate the effort that went into this film!
I get WOTC is basically ran by Jackasses, but that shouldn’t translate towards a Film that was keeping itself separate from that Nonsense.
@@danielramsey6141 I hang out at some "based" commentboards, and they were decidedly cool toward this movie during its marketing phase. They warmed to it when it was realised this one wasn't going to be hashtag-woke. Leaking the scene with Speak With Dead did help the marketing.
I saw it, but I think most of us went for it after opening week. Which means the studio got less of a take; those profits mostly went to the cinemas themselves.
@@danielramsey6141We had to hurt them where it counted. And the only thing that matters to WotC is their wallet. This wasn’t the only place we struck either. So many people cancelled their subscriptions to their on line services, and preorders for modules and source books.
The promotion is really not the issue.
Without the OGL scandal there would easily have been a few million people more going to see the movie.
I know a lot of D&D players (and roleplayers in general and have played myself since the mid 1980's. None of the people I know went to the cinema, myself included, because of the OGL scandal.
Sure, the number of people I'm talking about is not enough for a statistical relevant evaluation but I think it still does speak volumes when out of 60 or 70 diehard RPG fans exactly 0 went to the cinema to watch the movie. Under normal circumstances without the scandal I think at least half of us would have seen the movie in cinema.
Are we talking about the same movie here?
I think WotC killing its public image was the final nail in this movie’s coffin. The high budget and poor marketing were always going to be big hurdles to overcome but diehard fans are the most vocal, that’s where good word of mouth comes from. If your only exposure to D&D was your coworker who keeps dice on his desk then him telling you not to watch the movie is a really good deterrent.
Especially if you'd got burned watching that first D&D abomination. Ye cats it was bad. Like, "The Room" bad.
WotC didn't kill its public image. TTRPG TH-camrs went on a misinformation-based moral panic campaign for clicks and money, and then all released competitor products.
Thats actually a really good point
@zimriel people are insanely hyperbolic about how bad that movie is... I think men just hate that the villain wore lipstick and the hero was a cute twink. Men hate it when cute twinks exist.
@@saltoftheegg No, that original movie was terrible. The acting was bad, the CGI was bad, and Marlon Wayans was utterly insufferable comic relief. It's a bad movie and D&D fans I know thought it was a pretty lousy D&D adaption too.
I think it's crazy not just that it's good but that it's GOOD. Like it breaks so many societal and film conventions while also paying perfect homage to its source material and being a perfect cinematic experience. I genuinely don't know how it even exists
It hired a Hollywood Chris unironically, it's desperately clinging to societal and film conventions.
It was sooo good. I went in expecting to be disappointed, but ended up absolutely loving it.
Man and woman raise a child together and DON'T fall in love should not be as groundbreaking as it is. I'm so glad there was no romance between them
It also survived production hell, which is a feat in and of itself.
I will never forgive WotC for the way they kneecapped this movie with their brazen greed, and callousness.
I am a D&D fan, I loved this movie, and my non-D&D friends (by far the majority) also loved it. But for me, the reason is works is not the comedy, not that it doesn't take itself too seriously - but two key things: (i) the movie feels sincere, avoiding spoof, avoiding the knowingness that has sullied some recent efforts in other franchises; (ii) the movie has heart at the centre of its story - it is a about a man who has lost his wife through some poor decisions, and is losing his daughter through the same mistakes - and the movie prioritises us caring about this and rooting for that lesson to be learned. It delivers in spades on that; all the rest is icing on the cake. --- and without that heart, it would be just icing on a hollow emptiness. It could have easily been about anything other than D&D and I'd have still loved this movie.
It makes fun of itself in a way that the fans like. It doesn't say "Okay guys lets all prepare our spells because we can't recharge until we have a long rest, isn't that stupid and weird? Who made that rule? Amiright?" It has actual jokes that you would find in D&D. Like Jarnathan's name, or an overpowered npc that shows up then vanishes
Totally agreed. Your second point is spot on. The ending choice the main character makes is actually quite powerful and can elicit tears in sensitive viewers who like emotional stories and catharsis. It is a really well-written finale and especially when he's presented with that choice. That wasn't just making a good dungeons & dragons movie - it was making a really great fantasy movie (and great movie in general) PERIOD. It's where that genre made its mark in its early stages with Lord of the Rings - characters making dramatic heroic choices where as an audience you really do FEEL how much they are sacrificing of themselves to do the right thing. Movie understood its roots.
I think movies post covid have alot of issues to overcome. You need to be an event movie like Oppenheimer and barbie or dune 2 to do well. There are so many movies now underperforming that would have done very well 2015 to 2018
yeah Dan Murrell made a great on there flaws and how to correct them
Yes. Correct. But there's a lot to unfold on that matter beyond post covid. Movies were already becoming "events" BEFORE the COVID pandemic with people going less and less to theatres due to high cost of tickets and mobilty, and the convinience of waiting for it to be released on streaming (even though not all of them went to that first streaming platform most people have), while super heroe movies were one of the few things that got big audience excited for.
Post-Endgame MCU has two problems: 1) is that writers seem to not know where to go with the plot and no big event on the horizon. 2) Disney executives expect Endgame Levels of box office with EVERY movie instead of building up momentum with cheaper movies like they did in the first place. Super Hero fatige may or may not count.
The COVID Pandemic has only intensified this habbit of only going to theatres if It is a major hype instead of a habit because going to the theatre has become too expensive (specially now with post-pan inflation) and Streaming too convinient.
They wouldn't have this problem if they didn't saddle themselves with obscenely bloated budgets. It's a lot easier to be profitable or a movie with a $15 million dollar budget (Godzilla minus 1) than a $300 million dollar budget (Any trash from Marvel).
There was one major thing WoTC didnt account for when it came to this movie. They really had everything ready and good to go, with many people to this day saying how good the movie is. So what was the thing that killed it.
....
The OGL debacle. that was pretty much it. the movie was the main way the fans could show there dissatisfaction with the company's decisions and that was that. shame overall, but quite understandable why it happened.
yeah, don't release a near universally bad update to how people can play and experience your game right before revealing the trailers for your new movie based of the very same game.
I loved the straight laced paladin walking in a perfectly straight line. & the Int checks by the passing intellect devourers 😂
I worked at wizards of the coast when this film came out. Everyone at wizards loved. Granted this was during the OGL debacle and there was a lot of upsetness at wizards so this was a highlight of my time at wizards
That's exactly why I didn't go to see it, I was mad at wizards at the time. So many people must have worked so hard on this movie and it ended up really showing that love, but I didn't want to support the monolith of bad decisions WOTC was becoming.
That’s fine. But it’s such a shame that it affected this film due to that! As for me, I decided To Go and Watch the Film with my Kid Brother and We enjoyed Ourselves!
I am So Glad I saw the Early Screening of this movie, and it’s a Great watch.
"I worked at the company that ruined dnd and they liked the dnd movie"
@@sev1803 which sucked because everyone other then management was pissed about the whole OGL thing. Not all.managers my manager was pissed too. I was let go a few months after the DND movie when management decided they didn't need qa anymore. Management, except for my manager were boneheads.
@@peterdafox upper management at wizards where idiots. I had a good manager but above him I always was like how does this person keep this job.
I LOVE this movie. It made me so happy
If you imagine a group of friends sitting around and playing DND then Holga is absolutely played by a guy: "So she's a badass and sexy barbarian and she looks like Michelle Rodriguez from The Fast and The Furious and she really likes short guys"
I have a friend who's exactly like that 🤣🤣
LOL. And then the DM ran with the joke when they had that halfling former-love-interest end up with a literal giantess.
Yeah the movie is awesome.
I saw a description of the characters that suggested Holga and Edgin were played by a married couple, and all I can say is "yeah, that sounds right."
@@snakeman830 Just the hubby is playing Holga, and the wife is playing Edgin!
I loved it, too!
It felt like a TRUE D&D movie AND a true fantasy movie, which was something I was hungry for after seeing so much of Hollywood being littered with disgusting superhero flicks
Lol, Holga always struck me as the kind of character a woman would play, based on my friend group! I figured Simon and the druid for cross play.
A found out a few weeks ago that my brother in law was a background character in this movie. I couldn't believe it until he showed me pictures and videos of him in costume and the small screen time he had.
And honestly, it is wild because i love this movie. Made me laugh out loud at the cinema.
and then when word of mouth started to turn it around WOTC and Hasbro sent the fucking Pinkertons to a guys house when he accidently broke the street date on the latest mtg set
Seems like that whole thing was overexaggerate.
You're a complete fool if you let the influencers outrage you with the Pinkerton story. The last strike the Pinkertons broke was A CENTURY AND A HALF AGO. They aren't even in the same business anymore. The name has been bought and sold through multiple companies in that time. Try to have some integrity. They are *insurance investigators* now. Accountants.
@@hawkname1234 dude still had people forcefully enter his home. and even oi that all is false, at the time it happed any bad news was going to be nuclear for WoTC.
@@hawkname1234cool, still an agency that shot women and children. Theyve proven they would do it and you can be they would again if it was legal. Stop bootlicking
@@hawkname1234 Cool, still broke into his house over cards.
I was also pissed that this movie flopped at the box office. People keep saying that they're tired of established movie franchises, but then let IP's that are new to the medium flop. Honor Among Thieves, by the design of the D&D world, could have easily spawned a whole new movie franchise with original characters and stories, but instead we're getting more 20 more super hero reboots and Nintendo movies.
Hasbro was in the middle of alienating their core audience, and didn't really market it well to anyone else.
Indeed, we’re tired of the glossy Marvel formula. Unfortunately, that influence reared its head in Honor Among Thieves. Heavy CGI, constant quipping, and an ultimate lack of peril for our heroes (no one permanently dies except the villains).
"Established and milked corporate franchise that hasn't yet had a movie" is not what people mean when they say they want to see originality and creativity in cinema.
this! I want a whole series of these movies. and not any more MCU (for now) or Fast and Furious 20 or Transformers 15 or whatever.
Why the disparaging comment about Nintendo movies? They are also new to the medium and have a wide variety of genres and styles they could pull from.
Anecdotally, among the groups I'm a part of the movie seemed to pick up momentum late in its run as word was getting around that "no it's actually good though". Unfortunately this was when the MTG Pinkerton scandal broke. I know people who still won't watch the movie, citing that incident
That's so stupid since that has literally nothing to do with the film. Those guys worked hard and it was great
As a diehard ttrpg person, I still haven't seen the film because of how scummy wotc has been and that position has been the case even before the subsequent offenses.
The Pinkerton scandal was overexaggerate aswell.
@@TheVampireFishQueen Probably right. I'd not even heard of it and it had little impact on D&D.
REVISION: oh yeah, it's coming back to me. Still, no impact on the D&D movie which had already run its course.
@@zimrielThe relevant scandal pre-pinkerton was the OGL cancellation incident where they tried to retroactively steal all the IP of every creator who made d&d compatible content (using an open licence that predated CC) over the past 20 years. That made the TH-camrs rage, which in turn made the customers rage.
Chris Pines wants to do another D&D movie so it could happen
well... good luck.
I'd suggest he hit up the Critical Role, but I think they're all pro voiceactors already so there's not much room for him.
@@zimrielWhat do you mean 'no room'? Do you mean there’s no actual space for him? Or he’s not as popular as them?
@@4m4n40 unlike your mom, there are only so many characters you can fit in a show
It bombed because they decided it was a great idea to alienate their most loyal fans a couple of months before the film's release with their OGL cashgrab/drama/debacle/garbage
This kind of thing is always aiming at a pretty niche fanbase to begin with so for WotC to declare itself as a boycottable villain was a not very clever move on their part.
I’m not a D&D fan and I didn’t watch this at the cinema upon release, however I so wish I had as it’s a blast! The trailer massively let this film down in my opinion as that also put me off going to see it.
I've watched this movie at least a dozen times and each time it makes me happy. It's a lighthearted and entertaining film. Not every movie has to be groundbreaking and serious. But I guess that's why we have "cult"
classics. I wish they'd make a sequel or a series.
agree
I mean. A movie making jokes but still letting serious moments be serious is pretty groundbreaking at the moment.
As a huge D&D Nerd, the thing that showed me this movie was going to be incredible was the Johnathan escape plan. When they mentioned Johnathan was an Aarakocra and that they wanted him at their hearing, I thought for sure this was a reference to the fact that Aarakocra was Neutral Good, meaning that they tend to do the right thing and have loose principles they follow. This alignment would be perfect for pleading your case to and I thought it was an amazing reference. Then they pulled off their escape plan and I was caught so off guard and started laughing out loud in the theater.
This movie used my D&D knowledge against me to set up a certain expectation so that their joke could catch me even more off guard. I absolutely love that and I wish more movies based off a source material would do that more often.
*Jarnathan
There are no words for how much I LOVE this move. I was really iffy about it when it came out because the ads were petty awful but watched it on Prime as soon as it came out and was blown away. It truly is on par with the great fantasy films of my childhood, Princess Bride, Willow, Labyrinth and so many more. And as someone who loves D&D it was SO FUN to watch and totally see how it would play out in an actual game, what rolls the character would have been making, and all that fun stuff. So goofy, fun, and satisfying.
The film bombed because of its release date compared to the SRD incident. If WOTC executives wouldn't have been greedy and incompetent, their movie (and other products) wouldn't have been heavily boycotted.
Hmm - I know that is the 'accepted' position - but here in the UK - there is no real evidence to support that, very few of the potential audience would have boycotted the film based on the WOTC/cash-grab incident. The films poor trailer plus the prevailing international reputation of D&D for being a niche nerd's game were by far the biggest factor I could find in people I know who decided NOT to go and see te movie. More their loss - and most of them have since loved it when seeing it at home. Therefore whilst I would not contest that the WOTC incident was a factor, I think it is a mistake for the fan-base to pin all the blame on that.
I was part of a d&d club at my university, and they’d hired a small cinema for the release day, and I was able to get a ticket to see it with the other 30 or so people. We were laughing and cheering and clapping and joking all throughout the film. Unforgettable experience for me
My wife is an anti-nerd. She actively is disinterested in anything nerdy. I convinced her to watch this movie and she said it was legitimately amazing. She was laughing the whole way through.
Happy to hear she enjoyed it. My wife began playing D&D in the 1980s, just like me, and we both loved it.
The OGL fiasco also contributed to dozens of content creators dropping out of the OGL. Paizo, who makes Pathfinder, a competitor to D&D that was created during the controversial 4th edition of D&D days, pulled out of the OGL, and are creating their own open license as we speak. Not only did the OGL fiasco piss off diehard fans, but also pushed many community creators away and are jumping to other licenses now.
Almost nothing you wrote turned out to be true. Project Black Flag / TotV is essnentially dead on arrival because it was always based on the lies of TH-cam influencers.
This movie is an all time top 10 for me, and my favorite High Fantasy movie. Its failure is a tragedy of the highest calibur, and I want a full trilogy plus a spin-off show now.
Damn, if this counts as top 10 for you, your mind is going to be absolutely blown if you ever watch a good movie.
@@yurisei6732what do you hate this movie so much?
We can "thank" Hasbro and WotC for making this bomb, thanks to their actions with the OGL for the main Dungeons & Dragons game.
After that happened, people said they'd protest against both companies by refusing to see the movie
Sadly it came on the heels of many like myself vowing to never give Hasbro another dollar.
Myself included. Most of my dnd stuff is third party now.
Yarr!
I watched this once it hit streaming. I remember liking it okay and thinking "That was neat," but I couldn't remember a single line of dialogue or character name if you paid me.
Exactly this. And I can't put my finger what exactly was missing...
For example I still re-wacth and quote older movies like the 1993's Three Musketeers or The Mummy on a daily basis-but this movie had nothing to offer for a rewatch.
The core audience was near-universally mad at the company when it dropped. They also built it heavily dependent on Greenwood's work without involving or crediting him. Despite being a funny fantasy film (which I saw on streaming services, not at the box office), I don't really want another made by the same management.
I loved this movie and so did the family. As a TTRPG player for over 30 years it felt like the game. My son, a player of only a few years also dug it. The rest of the family just enjoyed the goofy fantasy movie. The fact that it was a heist instead of some giant epic helped it a lot. I’m sad we won’t see a sequel but it stand alone as a great film that I can enjoy and I’m sure will become a cult classic
This movie was such a good adaptation of what seemed like a real campaign I bought a physical copy. I have less than 10 movies that I liked enough to get a physical copy.
I truly loved this movie. It wasn’t the most artful film of 2023 but it hit the sweet spot of my love of Forgotten Realms perfectly. Which makes its box office performance so heartbreaking, and I hope for some kind of salvation as a streaming series despite that remote chance.
As a point of comparison, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the 2016 Warcraft movie as another fantasy action movie with a large audience that didn’t take off, but also received worse reviews.
Personally, I loved the Warcraft movie. It had its pacing issues but for what it was, it was a solid effort with a lot of heart put into it. As far as I'm concerned that movie is what broke the video game movie curse, or at the very least weakened it.
It was a great movie, I'm sad i didn't get to see it in theaters because I avoided due to the damn OGL nonsense. I want SO BAD to support this brand, but hasbro and WotC management just keeo ruining it.
Honestly, my favorite movie ive seen in the theater in YEARS. I recommend it all the time.
I watched this movie with a friend who hasn’t played dnd and it was fun to watch him have the same reactions I did to the monsters the first time I saw them
I feel like more people would have seen it if it released after bg3. Maybe a few months after the official release. At that point the dungeons and dragons universe had reached so many people that more people would've shown up for it
Should've made a TV series. Hell, DnD is almost tailor-made for old-school episodic TV.
This kinda exists. Ever heard of "Legend of Vox Machina"?
@@calvinbrinenestoris2357It in fact does exist. Dungeons & Dragons 1983. Had 3 seasons.
I don't know a single person who went to see Honor Among Thieves opening weekend, and a bunch more who refused to see it in theatres *at all*, specifically due to the clusterf!ck that was the attempt at retracting the OGL. That was the biggest factor that I saw.
My entire dnd group had planned on going prior to the OGL.
We were expecting to mystery science theater the hell out of it.
But the OG just added a bonus end session.
You forgot the director told men not to go
..and they did not. Forspoken indeed
@@TempoLOOKING I hadn't heard the director told people not to go - all I hear was what was said around my LGS's tables - but I'm glad we all stuck together on it.
Correction: the revised OGL threshold was going to be $750 *thousand* dollars in annual revenue, not million, and that's revenue, not profit.
It would have affected about 3-5 companies that based their products entirely on WotC's work. It would have affected basically no small creators.
@@hawkname1234 not the point, and since it was revenue and not profit it would have affected many more than you think, not just Critical Role but Ghostfire Gaming, Kobold Press, Paizo, Goodman Games, MCDM, and many others.
I had to watch it on a plane because it was not released in Japan (most movies get released in Japan very late, like 6 months after their release in the U.S.) and by the time I returned to my home country it was not airing in theatres anymore, so I watched it on the plane back. Wish I could've seen it at theatres though, it was a really fun movie.
Honor Among Thieves is a perfect example of a movie that I’m just happy exists, regardless of whether or not it was profitable enough to make a sequel. Between BG3 and HAT, 2023 felt like a really good year for massive, large scale interpretations of Faerun.
Crazy to me that 50m$ profit is a "flop" but i see the movie called that everywhere so i guess im the minority here. Movie is definitely underrated for sure
The movie was fun. I took my family to see it and we had fun. I watched it again later at home and we still liked it. Maybe it's not a perfect rendering of D&D lore, but that's not what I cared about. I've always thought Hugh Grant was a complete tool, so having him as the villain was enjoyable too.
Didn't even hear about the movie back then and only found out about it cause an old friend from schooldays was visiting and we looked for something fun to do together when we saw a D&D Movie listed on the nearest cinema website.
Ended up being the only movie i watched in cinema in the last 3 years and we had a blast as it worked as a memory trip to the time we played D&D together.
It was a good fantasy movie, I enjoyed it. My favorite D&D movie is Conan the Destroyer. For those not aware, the Robert E Howard pulp books were the main inspiration for the fantasy addition to war games which inspired D&D.
These days I only go to the theatre maybe once or twice a year. For 2023 it was John Wick 4 and D&D.
And this movie changed my life - literally. I started playing D&D again. 😃
I went and saw this movie opening weekend with a bunch of my friends who I play D&D with. We all absolutely loved the movie because it captured a D&D campaign so well. It really is a shame that it didn’t do better meaning that we aren’t likely to see another one (which isn’t needed but would be a lot of fun.)
I need someone to explain to me how making 50m over budget is a flop. The studio made money. How is that a flop? And if making money is bombing, what do we call breaking even or grossing under budget?
Called a flop because the company wanted more money
When the DnD movie came out me and my sister were on spring break with nothing to do and decided to see the movie (I play dnd) and our mom wouldn’t go with us but we got snacks and watched the movie and had the time of our lives it was so fun
great work! you are good at talking about movies.
I appreciate that!
My friends and I did see this at the cinema and loved it. It was such a good time. It didn’t deserve to flop. It would have regrouped on home media back in the day but now films don’t really have that second chance. A shame.
Someone should hire a bunch of actors give them a character sheet play a handful of one shot or sessions and write the movie based off what they do
I feel like if they had planned the release of the movie better - for example, a few months after Baldur's Gate 3 released, they would have captured a much a larger audience. BG3 made strides in the gaming community, sucking in people who were not even fans of cRPGs or DnD before. Releasing the movie some time after BG3 would have allowed the movie to capitalize on the hype and reach of the game. Baldur's Gate 3 sold over 10 million copies and is generally regarded as one of the highest rated video games ever. Capturing even a fraction of that player base for the movie would have been a great idea.
A huge reason it flopped was because of the OGL Scandal that Wizards of the Coast that owns that IP had just before launch. That said I got to see a sneak preview of it for free, btu then went and saw it 2 more times with other friends. It was so good and it's a fun adventure film about found family. That always ages well. Also I guess there were magic problems lol
Man, superhero movies really have warped how people define a “flop”, huh? A decade ago you’d never hear someone reasonably defining a movie making back its budget then some worldwide as “flopping.” It would be considered a smash hit, but it’d be considered a success. Now if it doesn’t make double or triple its budget back in the first weekend it’s a failure.
Professor Dungeon Master from Dungeoncraft himself disliked the Movie and since he is the Authority on all things D&D, what he said must be True. This Movie must have sucked so hard for him to dislike it. 🙂
I've seen D&D HaT on day one and enjoyed It very much, even though I don't play D&D since 3rd Edition and return to TTRPGs in 2020 in the Pandemic with Pathfinder 2e as my system of choice. The movie may not be most people favorite take on the Forgetten Realms Lore; It doesn't take Itself too seriously like and R.A. Salvatore Book, or has the dept and charm of Baldur's Gate, but It's definetely the Best represantation of the average Heroic Fantasy Game table if someone tried to make a movie of one of my tables or most people tables with all It's quircks, injokes and incongruences.
Me and my friends came out of the Theatre very happy waiting for more.
I saw it with my D&D group in theaters and we all loved it.
I loved it so much, I went the next day to see it with my husband. He loved it too and he doesn't play D&D
Some months later, a friend of mine, who is now the gf of one of my D&D friends, came over to my house and we saw it again
It's a shame we won't get a sequel, I would've loved to see that Beholder
This movie was SO good. Nothing ive ever seen has even come near close to representing what a real campaign is like as this movie did. (looking at you jarnathan) I definitely think its gonna become a cult favorite. Also, to be completely honest, with the way studios are hammering every successful project with sequels until it dies, maybe this was the better option.
I had forgotten about the boycott being around the same time.
Especially since COVID every single movie seems to have this "you NEED to go see this on the big screen!" Message and attitude
Thing is I do want to go see it on the big screen, but when tickets are 20+$ without snacks or drinks, the theater is full of memers just there to disrupt and be on their phones... Yeah no I'll take my couch and home set up a few months later for cheaper to boot.
I adore this movie. I just rewatched it a couple days ago. I think it will add to my roster of movies I rewatch over and over again. it makes me feel good. not without some nitpicks or things I think could be improved, but I adore it. and I want more.
I was literally trying to find reasons why I didn’t like it, then realized I actually did like it. Huh.
As a big advocate for practical effects i was so mad i missed the theatrical run
It flopped? Maybe I was stuck in a bubble, but I was under the impression that it was doing well. All my friends went to see it, the Grade 5 kids I was teaching were all talking about it, and even my parents and their friends went on their own accord to see it. I'm really sad that it apparently flopped because I was hoping for a franchise to come out of this one. A quality D&D movie every few years would be nice.
I really loved this film, it was sad it didnt do well at the box office. I think the main issue was they released the film right next to John Wick 4. I dont think we will get a sequel to DND unfortunately.
I saw this movie on an airplane ride and enjoyed it. I was skeptical when it was coming out because I had see the abomination that was the first D&D movie. I have played D&D a few times and knew enough to appreciate a lot of the references, but I was more interested it as a good fantasy film than specifically a good D&D adaptation.
5:25 yep that graveyard scene is 100% the reason I chose to give the film a chance. Quire enjoyed it.
I LOVE this movie! I've watched it at LEAST 5 times a year since it came out. The choreography and photography are specifically fantastic. The love and detail are evident. Too bad for the OGL debacle, and the directors' comments before the release.
Am I the only one that remembers that it came out the same time as the Mario movie? Who could’ve guessed that the Mario movie would’ve done so well? (I’m not being sarcastic, but maybe I’m wrong.) If they opened it on a different week, it would have done much better.
Remember the start of wotc's scandles? Now remember when it wasn't a weekly thing?
750,000 gross per year for royalties to kick in.
Defending WoTC? LOL
@@davidbowles7281 SOme people are more interested in the truth than in pushing lies and BS agendas.
@hawkname1234 what agenda?
Of all the things out there - I want a sequel of this the most. 90% of sequels, prequels, remakes, and reboots are just trash and nobody even asked for them. This one I think almost ANYBODY who saw would love a sequel and it deserves one. It's story would be perfect for a sequel too - just like classic d&d - each short campaign is a new movie with a new plot.
My family and I don't play D&D but found trailers interesting enough to watch the movie (we're into fantasy stuff, just never tried D&D) and we absolutely loved the movie. Like you said it was way better than the trailers make it out to be and it did a fantastic job having enough world building to establish that it's a big world but not so much to alienate newcomers, along with the story & characters being excellent. If you understand basic fantasy stuff like people using magic then you should follow along pretty well.
We were disappointed to see it do poorly at the box office but hearing that there was a boycott going on at the time explains it. Even accounting for the audience being split between other movies, the box office seemed too low for a _Dungeons & Dragons_ movie. Even though it's niche compared to other stuff like Marvel the movie should've done way better based on word of mouth from both fans & non-fans.
It sucks that the chances of a sequel happening are low now because corporate greed ruined the goodwill the parent company had with its fans.
Well, at least there was no sequel baiting other than "these characters are alive and likely go on more adventures" so the movie is a complete story that can still be enjoyed years from now.
I feel like this movie has all the chips it needs to be a cult classic
This was a really fun movie, and I'd pay to see more like it. i wish they'd try it again, even with new characters like an anthology franchise. I loved the round based combat like the game mechanics, 6-second rounds.
This was a fun movie, my wife and I liked it, we’ve regularly played dnd for a few years too. I think the hate on it was unjustified. I am unaware of the drama behind the scenes with the companies and etc, cause who really cares about that when watching a movie.
As a DnD player, I enjoyed all of it. I understand why people might not like it. To me personally it was exactly what I wanted from it. It was fun, I loved the details, and it honestly felt like watching a campaign, and it felt genuene.
Great video man say do you think you could review 2012's John Carter as part of your disney failed next big thing videos that's another movie that was gonna try to be a franchise by disney that also flopped and I think it bombed hard.
i can only agree i like the movie but could not watch in theaters when it came out beacuse of problems at that time
You know a movie is good when I’m on a flight, the elderly lady next to me is looking for a movie and I recommend the aforementioned movie and the lady watches the entire thing and tells me when we landed she enjoyed it.
It was a great movie. Felt like a guardians of the galaxy clone, but this one worked
So glad John Francis Daley was involved, honestly
Big fan of the movie, big fan of the game, almost didn't watch it because of the OGL issue. My sister brought me to it in theater for my birthday, and that's why I saw it. It was a fun, funny romp and I thoroughly loved recognizing the main villain. I loved the paladin... I used to play one that would ONLY walk on the path, never cut the corners over the grass, and he totally reminded me of that rigid character flaw.
By the way WOTC are also the reason why we're not getting any DLC for Baldur's Gate 3.
It will join the long list of cult classics that didn't hit at the time but are remembered decades later.
Normally I never go to the Cinema. I went to see this movie twice in theathers!
It was basically a Disney marvel movie set in DND.
I absolutely loved this movie. One of the most fun movies I have seen in years
Didnt realize the film flopped, one of the best movies of the year. My father who has never played dnd and has no interest in dnd absolutely loved it. Big monty python vibes, great humor and action, all together a great movie.
This is one of my favorite movies of the past decade.
"Past decade" its from last year, what are u smoking?
@@OneofInfinity. They mean btween now and ten years ago not the calendar decade.
I watched right after I started BG3 and I actually enjoyed this movie out of the 2 of them. Absolutely is an underrated gem
Can't remember what movie I went to watch, then the D&D trailer popped up before it started, and remember rolling my eyes constantly at it (though it was marvel-like garbage), my partner knowing my love for the franchise asked me if I wanted to watch it and I said "this looks like shit, so nope".
Because of some positive reviewers on YT talking about it so well, I bought it off Amazon in 4K, watched it, loved it.
It is criminal how badly marketed this movie is/was.
I will say the only part I really didn’t like was that Owlbear scene at the end that REALLY wanted to be Hulk in Avengers
I cannot find this on any streaming service in Norway
Much better than I was expecting it to be in all honesty. Went thinking the trailer was good but prepared to be let down, but thought it was actually really well executed
It didn’t help that writers made a big deal about reducing the male actor’s role to more comedic and made the female do most of the action. They should have just let the trailers speak for the movie as my friends who have fragile egos boycotted it for those statements.
Yep. As a secure man, I absolutely love the "himbo" trope, it's pretty much my favourite kind of male character, but if you're going to do that, you have to not ram it down my throat as a Girl Boss thing, because that's going to make me expect that you're using the character to make a bunch of culture war quips, instead of to be a loveable comic relief.