Alright, so the narrative is set forth: Guillermo del Toro‘s latest ambitious sci-fi spectacle “Pacific Rim” is evidently tracking poorly (audiences apparently would rather see “Grown Ups 2” that weekend) and it’s either going to be a big expensive flop or fans (and the marketing) will rally and it’s going to be one of summer’s biggest hits. So the question remains: which one is it? Well, Legendary Pictures — who have a 75% stake in the movie — have been so unhappy with their Warner Bros. partners (who are invested in that other 25%) that they are parting ways with the studio when their contract comes to an end this year. Known for “The Man Of Steel,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “300,” “The Hangover” franchise and more, the Legendary/WB partnership has been a lucrative one, but clearly the production company hasn’t been very happy with Warner Bros. lately (the writing was on the wall since February of this year).
Part of it has to be because of a now infamous report that said “Pacific Rim” would likely lose to “Grown Ups 2” the weekend of July 12. Of course, this has shocked and perturbed many, but looking at it simply, an Adam Sandler all-star comedy vs. a high-concept monster movie about things called jaegers and kaijus with no stars? It’s easy to understand why “Pacific Rim” might be a head scratcher for non Comic-Con audiences. So, will “Pacific Rim” go the way of “Dredd,” “Kick-Ass,” and “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World“? Three very positively-buzzed Comic Con-friendly movies that deeply underperformed with normal audiences?
Del Toro recently said they are continuing to push on the marketing and trying to expand awareness beyond the geek crowd. “We are working on it. We concentrated on the core for a long time- but we are barely started on the campaign. I am seeing the ads now and I am seeing outdoors and we are now supplementing what we did with character or tone,” he said. “We just need to keep working. Our numbers are going up. Not in a minor way. Significant. We are one the right track.”
Fair enough. Does that simply equate with an increased barrage of barrage? It might. From Friday to Monday alone we’ve seen, four new clips, a featurette, a 12-minute behind-the-scenes clip, and a new poster. Kaiju secrets have also been revealed (in yet another featurette), which would be awesome if someone could translate that into English (clearly this last one is not for the core). Look, think what you want, but “Pacific Rim” looks like a blast. However, this writer for one, isn’t convinced this missive of clips is preaching to anyone outside of the choir and more work needs to be done.
“Today at the edge of our hope, at the end of our time, we’ve chosen to believe each other. Today we face the monster’s at our door. Today we are canceling the apocalypse,” Idris Elba declares in the latest “Pacific Rim” featurette. Hell, that could make a good rallying cry from fans standing outside megaplexes starring down those intending to buy a ticket to “Grown Ups 2.” “Pacific Rim” opens in theaters on July 12th. That’s right, with no extra help from Comic-Con 2013, which is the following weekend. Go big or go home, indeed. Whether you’re singing the gospel according to Del Toro or not, check the latest batch of clips out below.
