The Golden Compass | Golden Compass DVD Release Performs Strongly (Updated May 15th) | His Dark Materials

Golden Compass DVD Release Performs Strongly (Updated May 15th)

Posted by Ian on May 12, 2008 at 4:43 pm

Figures are in for the Golden Compass’ performance in the DVD market during its first week of release. It came second in the US sales chart selling 1,046,538 units with a value of $21,966,838 (which was the top DVD gross for the week in America). Read more here. It also came second in the rentals market with a gross of $6.46 million. Read more here. In the UK the movie topped the DVD sales chart in its first week, although actual figures have been hard to come by. We’ll keep you posted on how it continues to do. Thanks to kincuri for the research.

Addenum: Further figures are in. The Golden Compass now sits 4th in the US rental charts having taken a little over $5 million gross in the last week leaving it with a rental gross of $11.8 million. In the UK the film continues to top DVD sales charts.

Grissha says:

Even in the Golden Compass, they didn’t ruin the book. At the worst, they’ve ruined the movie, which could be much better. And it surely was, in the original Weitz’s cut.

Not that I hate the movie (I must have watched some twenty times on pc and dvd, so yeah, I like it), but, well, the edition is nasty. Not technically, I mean, but the theatrical cut is quite flat, undeveloped, under-detailed. When a scene seems to be reaching a conclusion, it ends, so it feels so anti-climatic.

For instance, when mrs. Coulter tells Lyra to kiss her, they should have actually showed it, and Lyra’s reaction, and mrs. Coulter leaving, not suddenly interrupt the scene. I’ve seen the kiis in the storyboards, so I know they’ve shot it.

Another detail that bothers me is when Lyra is talking to mrs. Lonsdale, and then cuts straight to mrs. Coulter walking through the room, lacking the introduction to the new sequence, it feels odd and abrupt. It should have been like in the storyboards, first showing Lyra bored at the table, then the Master speaks, and so mrs. Coulter crosses the hall, during his speech.

Subtle inclusions like that would make the movie more harmonic, coherent and significantly satisfactory. Because they had a great script, shot wonderful sequences and messed it up badly in a rushed, shattered, superficial cut. A flaw that an extra hour, maybe 40 minutes, could entirely fix.

And Serafina’s sad story with Farder Coram, the dying gyptian spy’s daemon speaking for him, the Magisterium breaking through Jordan College, Pan turning into cat before a real cat, the full conversation of Fra Pavel and the Emissary, Lyra and the fire alarm in an extended escape from Bolvangar…

Damn, it simply can’t stay in the cutting room floor!
So, bring on the director’s cut, which shall be surely amazing :]
(and should sell beautifully, if it proves to be a real impressive movie, better than the compelling-but-frustrating theatrical cut)

May 15, 2008 5:22 am | link

Matt says:

@Grissha

I agree with most of what you said. They definetly could have made it into a 3-hour or so wonderful movie instead of the “okay” version we were given. And yes, little additions like you mentioned would have helped it flow alot better.

Still, having just watched it again about 5 minutes ago, it was still a pretty good film and rendition of the book for what its worth. And just thinking of what they could do with the next two books, gets me excited. Despite the inconclusiveness we may feel towards the golden compass, the Subtle Knife and especially the Amber Spyglass could make up for it ten times over. If they do it right.

And so I hope.

May 15, 2008 8:07 am | link

Grissha says:

Hell yeah, I’ve been thrilled for months with this. The director’s cut, the sequels, I still look for news about it every day.

I’ve always trusted Chris Weitz’s adaptation, and I found great and pertinent all the modifications he made on the story in his script, remaining pretty faithful to the spirit of the book, and what’s more, suggesting a beautiful, original, exciting and intelligent motion picture itself. The trailers suggested it as well.
So I was really happy, until they announced two things that crushed my expectation: the trimming of the final sequence, and the absurd running time of less than two hours.

Result: Indeed, there is a wonderful and rich movie, with a brilliant adaptation, just as I always expected… but we’ve never seen it. They gave us only basic slide-like pieces of it, like a giant trailer of an unreleased masterpiece. They released a “severed” picture and kept its soul in a studio somewhere. Why? Why?!

You know, in the cutting of “The Godfather”, Paramount Studios demanded the running time to be kept under 2 hours and 15 minutes, or they would interfere. So Francis Ford Coppola, wanting to keep his privacy on editing, removed all the stuff he could, and with effort reached by 2h20m. The studio watched this shorter version, and Coppola got an angry phone call, like: “Whoa, you’ve cut off all the human stuff, all the color, and got only the plot left, put this and that scene back!” So the movie went to 3 hours back again, and now it’s an overwhelming classic :]

I doubt it would be that good if it had 2 hours or less. Nor LOTR, Gone With the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler’s List. Some movies can’t afford to be rushed and basic, 40 minutes of plot deepening and character development can make miracle. It may be unessential to understand the movie, but essential to captivate the audience. Why did they ignore it, if they knew the huge potential of the movie?

New Line, Chris Weitz, somebody! I want Compass’ 40 damn minutes!!

May 16, 2008 3:51 am | link