After the (Darth) mauling that Solo took when film fans fled from theaters, Star Wars needs saving. And RedLetterMedia, in their own inimitable style, are the only hope.
In the below video, Scientist Man breaks down the cost of making Solo: A Star Wars Story, which has so far earned $340 million at the box office. Citing the original budget as $250 million, and Ron Howard’s reshoots costing a further $200 million, not to mention the $100 million that was spent on advertising and then $200 million which went to the theatre chain take, it gives an indication of just how much money Disney lost here. Admittedly, it’s up for debate if all of these numbers are accurate, but either way, it’s still clear that the film has not been a financial hit for the studio.
After estimating that a mere 35 million people saw Solo: A Star Wars Story, Scientist Man hypothesizes that Star Wars fatigue will reduce that number to 25 million if and when the standalone Boba Fett movie comes around. Of course, that would leave Disney with a huge headache and would, more importantly, jeopardize future Star Wars productions (jokes – they’ll keep knocking them out no matter what).
Luckily, Scientist Man has the answer to all this. Titled the Exclusive Limited Edition Fan Event Experience, it involves simply charging the 35 million hardcore fans between $150 and $200 per ticket. Which sounds a little unreasonable to us. This silliness was sensibly justified though by research that suggests people will pay up to $500 to see acts such as The Rolling Stones, as long as they feel like they’ve been part of an exclusive fan experience. So, is charging $200 really that far out of the question? Immersive cinema events charge anywhere in the region of $100 already, but of course, most people only do that once a year or so.
In the end, the RedLetterMedia boys put all the sums to bed and simply come up with the best solution to save Star Wars. And that’s just to make a good film. Which shouldn’t be too hard, right?
