do you think this will find a mainstream audience

It doesn't really matter to me as long as the movie is good. I would like to see it do well since I think it could mean more Alien-related movies. It also depends on the rating. If it's rated PG-13, I can see it doing solid business, especially with the first weekend being in IMAX 3D. Beyond that, it all depends on whether it's any good or not.

Well your mainstream average Joe has no idea what this movie is about and I'd bet a lot of them don't even know it exists yet. If Fox handles marketing correctly, then there will be a mainstream audience because your average Joe will know what the movie is about and want to see it. If the movie is genuinely good, but there's not much marketing for it, then the box office will probably be meager at the start and shoot up the following weekend or two before losing traction.

Wasn't some of the makers (or Sir Scott himself) implying that the plot might represent some view on the creation of mankind and earth? I can't remember exactly who it was (and I'm too tired to dig it up), but if this is true, it could resonate really bad among certain groups of people (Bible Belt). We can rest in peace though. The movie is made by FOX, so I don't see FOX going all demagogue against it's own movie, even if there are some radical ideas about God there.

I agree with Sean, my paramount concern is the quality of the film.....I pray it's as fantastic as I hope it is and while I want people to see in it what all of us do, if it isn't the film we hope it is, then there's no point in it finding that audience. What we all have to worry about though is letting our expectations get the best of us. 'Alien' is a classic....some, myself included, would call it one of science fiction's masterpieces.....but no one was expecting that of the film when it was released. Other fans of the franchise feel the same way about its sequels. Regardless, we sit here, all of us, every single day, devouring this community and imbuing it with our childlike wonder, excitement and anticipation of a movie we HOPE meets our expectations and lives up to dreams it can't possibly fulfill. Since my childhood, the idea of Ridley Scott making another Alien film was this impossible dream that just seemed like such a stupid nerdy wish that was ridiculous to even entertain. Now that's it's happening, I must temper that kid in me that's brimming with glee and utter shock at the fact of the existance of 'Prometheus'. This film could turn out to be far better than I could hope.....but I have to let that happen on its own, without that expectation and remember, it will be what it will be...and I, along with all of you, will be there with bells on, ready to accept it. God only knows.....but maybe, if we're lucky, it'll surprise us and amaze us.......should that happen - audiences will follow.

I'm a believer Ghorgul and I can't wait..........believers who are comfortable in their faith will not let it get to them and those who aren't....well, I hope they can take the time to remember, it's just a movie.

This movie is buzzing harder than Avatar. Depending on its rating, I imagine the flick should do well.

I think it might flop in North America and make up the loss overseas. Scifi that isn't complete eye candy seems to fair poorly in North America. Honestly, have their been any good, mainstream scifi movies made in the last few years? It seems like a huge risk for Fox to invest this sort of money into something "new" [meaning not adapted from a book, not a direct sequel, and probably more challenging then most summer movie fair]. People have banked on Ridley Scott's name quite a few times and quite a few times he has release great films that did nothing at the box office.

It'll be an amazing achievement if they get that balance between 'profound' and 'entertaining' JUST right.

I think that's the problem with a lot of science fiction is that it ends up being either boring for the mainstream or really goofy/stupid. Is this movie really buzzing harder than Avatar? I talk about this movie with my friends who don't spend all their time on the internet and they have no idea about this movie. When you start seeing ads on TV, that's when public awareness will increase for Prometheus. Hopefully, by then, they'll have more tantalizing images to show other than Kuato.

This film is going to be huge!!!!

Michael Jackson spent most of his adult life trying to remake Thriller, only to realize - that he couldn´t! My fascination and anticipation for Prometheus emerged from a subconscious (more or less) need to bring back the past, to bring back the atmosphere, the horror and the excitement of watching "Alien" for the first time. Now I am wiser, and I'm anticipating something completely different, so mainstream is actually my worst nightmare in this context.

True Shane, but in reference to your point about sci-fi "eye candy", let's remember that Ridley Scott is one of the most revered Directors in cinema for his visual style and based on everything we know about the film's production design, eye candy is something I don't think we have to worry about.

visualizer, I don't see mainstream being 'Prometheus'. Different would seem to be the point all together.....

Let's not be so quick to bow down at the altar of Ridley Scott. Let's not forget that he's coming back to a movie he hasn't touched in 30 years and [url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/director-ridley-scott/]some of his movies recently haven't been so great.[/url]

[quote]People have banked on Ridley Scott's name quite a few times and quite a few times he has release great films that did nothing at the box office.[/quote] That's my biggest fear about the rating. His best sci-fi's weren't designed for the lowest common denominator. It's all new ground now and Ridley hasn't handled the ropes for decades. Hopefully he can pull it off.

@craigamore That´s the premise of the movie, but not necessarily the end result

True visualizer...just sayin'....it doesn't feel like it.

I don't actually care how this movie does at Box Office or how it gets reviewed. If the movie is good, then it'll get all the Glory it deserves, sooner or later. Though it's early success might affect possible sequel. When talking about Sequel we should remember that Sir Scott really isnt a sequel-man. Kubricks The Shining didn't do too well in box office or in reviews. But it did gather cult following and now it's revered, in mainstream too. One of my favourite horror movies, by far. I have a feeling this movie will open with mixed reviews, sad to say :(

@craigamore No, it doesn´t - let´s hope that holds true

yeah but avatar marketed itself as a romance, as an action movie, as a political movie etc etc and also used hype about brand new technology to sell..this movie will no way be as big as avatar fans of sci fi may be buzzing about this film but thats just a demographic that the film appeals to directly...

although i do thnk this will be a better film than avatar

I think this film will be big in the box office, if they continue to show the audience so little in the previews. People who arent fans of the Alien series wont know that it has anything to do with it, but will see it because the trailer is bad ass! That is my prediction.

The best science fiction personally that I have witnessed over the past few years would have to be MOON and SOLARIS ... And I suppose I liked AVATAR too although it's good it does not leave a such a psychological impression as the first 2 this is only my personal opinion but I am hoping that Prometheus can bring the likes of what the first 2 movies had more prominently with the whole ancient aliens god and Creation ties with a bit of action and horror too... Alien like somone else said was an unexpected classic... ALthough the concepts were there to always be an outstanding film the way it was directed really added to the concepts... But if you strip it back it's really quite a simple movie but complex in what it does not answer and leaves to the imagination. Films of today using CGI think it's better to try and show everything and leave your brain at home when you go to the movies.... Solaris and Moon Broke that Mold and hit the right notes even though mainstream but AVATAR took the technology further and was enjoyable popcorn flick... Prometheus Mainstream I hope so but I hope it has popcorn elements but it's not just a popcorn flick either.... I hope people realise that AVATAR was like a plush tech demo of sorts now we really do need to use the technology a bit more seriously and a bit more thought provokingly to tell stories and a bit more grittier dirtier and grungier and although fantasy matches well with sci-fi it does not mean it has to be all really colourfull.... I am a big sci-fi horror fan and hope prometheus can give us story equal to the likes of MOON / SOLARIS but deliver horror tension and some realistic action but not cameron style... Theres definatley a gap to bridge between the thought provoking and the blockbuster CGI movies of today and i'm rooting for prometheus to be the key to unlocking many other projects like The Dark Tower movie and series and At the mountains of Madness both of which got ditched over fear when they are probably safer bets IMO rather than other stuff that gets green lit which are thoughtless moronic trash but if the masses gobble that stuff up then that is what the studios will give to us.

I think most epic films these days end up having a theatrical version to put on at the box office and a directors cut. The theatrical versions tend to be edited down so that they are more accessible and acceptable to the mainstream, and probably sit well with the studios. After the initial money making exercise comes the directors cut, which in a lot of cases puts more meat on the bones of what a lot of hardcore fans want to see. I think there will be two versions of this movie, and I will see them both should that be the case. I suspect there may be a little disappointment in some quarters, as you can only get so much into the running time of a movie aimed at theatres.

@Ronster Moon is amazing. Easily in top5 of best science fiction movies ever made. It's a very touching movie.. I'd very much like to hear your opinion about Event Horizon if you are scifi horror fan.. You also mentioned At the mountains of madness. It's a horrible shame they did not greenlight it, I was looking forward to it much more than Prometheus. Though Del Toro's visual style with monsters is too childish for me.

in my opinion avatar was trash

@Chorgul Event Horizon = Scary... I like it and I don't like it too but it's a good movie and I own a copy in my collection... Yep Avatar needed to be made though to showcase the new tech.... Now let's take a new direction if prometheus scores then It will mean perhaps more films I likw will be considered a lower risk to those risk shy meddling accountants who are not artists

the new tech was hardly impressive..the movie was meant for teenagers and kids because overall i found it cartoonish and stupid

I think the film will release to good reviews from critics and will have a strong weekend release, but sadly it will drop considerably. The landscape of films have changed in 30 years. The build up of mystery and suspense is all but lost on CGI, explosions and giant robots. The first Alien film was a different animal. There was nothing, anything like that at the time. It was considered THE scariest movie EVER made in 1979. The other factor is revisiting old franchises are not doing as well as suspected. The Thing prequel and Predators as well as some others I can't think of at this time haven't done very well. Film goers have a short attention span and want action NOW! Nobody cares about the build-up anymore. Even Super 8 was said to harken back to old school film making and got good reviews, but I don't believe it did as well as the studio hoped and everybody I spoke with didn't care for it and thought it was too slow. I truly hope I am wrong and that it blows-up at the box office, but I don't think it's gonna happen. I will be there on opening night by the way.

I think if all clichés are avoided, backed by a rock solid story, captivating performances, shot in a no nonsense manner, it may not be a blockbuster but it gains financial traction through its cult followers. I just realized that there has been NO trailers on broadcast tv for this film. This seems like it was made for us, and not "them" if you know what I mean. Most people react in either a negative or dismissive manner, when I mention PROMETHEUS and Ridley Scott helming the project. The sequels have been a significant contribution to this reaction. If it is really made for us, then all I have to say is "Thank you very much Mr. Scott!"

i feel the days of the major blockbuster films of the mid to late 1970's (sadly) are long gone i think it is possible for a film to become somewhat of a phenomenon, Avatar was the last film that i can recall, that had even the hard to please U.S. audience spending their hard earned money on repeat viewings of that film. other than that, it's been a long time since a sci-fi film really captured the imagination of the public at large with that said, i think PROMETHEUS will do a decent amount of the all important "box office" that the suits are demanding, but it will all hinge on it having a solid story. the visuals as i have now seen already have me almost in a sweat to see the film, but i think i am the minority i do hope, that PROMETHEUS does fantastically at the box office, if not there, then on DVD / Bluray sales, which a LOT of films that have "bombed" at the box office, tend to make up for it in DVD sales making thrice the money a film costs to make, these days, almost assuredly guarantees a sequel will be in the works what worries me the most, is that Fox will be demanding a PG-13 rating, when i can imagine that Ridley himself wants a solid R rating. given the fact that Fox (and the rest of the studio system) tends to be all about the bottom line, i think we will be getting a PG-13 version this June, with the true R rated version being released on DVD time will tell...

I agree with you Shardy. I had some of the same sentiments as yourself (posted on page 2 of this thread) Look at John Carpenters The Thing when it came out. Bombed at the box office, but got a cult following on DVD and I believe made plenty of money since.

@craigamore Film school visual. Not Michael By ADHD visual. Though I have to admit I haven't seen much Scott has done in recent times as the content just does not interest me. I can't see his attention to detail and focus on story holding the modern mainstream film crowd. I haven't seen Avatar. I won't see it. It has no appeal to me. The only modern Scifi film I enjoyed was Moon. I still need to watch "Children of Men", the film version of "The Road" and "Melancholia". If anyone else has suggestion for good scifi made in the last 10 years i am all ears. Don't say "District 9" that was a total piece of early Peter Jackson influenced crap. Good first 20 minutes, the rest was shit.

yeah robin hood was his most recent flop....i actually think the film will do better with an r rating...

I don't think the movie will flop. Or I should say I don't think it'll be the movie's fault if it doesn't do well - it's the audiences that have flopped. People have gotten to used to Michael Bay style movies, they just want to turn their brains off and be entertained by quick-cut flash-bang drivel. Most people don't really want to think too much, don't want to be challenged - I'm glad I'm not one of them and I suspect the majority of the members here aren't either.

wow, came in here for the first time this morning {it's 8:10 am with only 85 days to go, 78 if your "FRANTZ"} and I saw the words "This could Flop". I thought it would be safe to come right inwithout anything else in the entire thread and say what I have said from the get go..."I Have Complete Faith In Ridley Scott & H. R. Giger"... That's it...just that...have a great day everybody!

A quote I read somewhere: "fucking up the back story of Star Wars was like fucking up - boiling water, or making super noodles!" Lucas managed it in massive style! I personally believe Scott hasn't gone insane like Lucas did. In fact, I think he has learnt from Lucas' critical errors. Lets hope!

@Spartacus I have faith in R. Scott and H.R. Giger. I don't have faith in that average movie fan in North America. This is why I think it might flop. Nothing to do with the talent behind the movie, more to do with what the average consumer wants from movies now.

OK, that makes sense Shane...so...I guess the it depends on how you define a "FLOP'. If you mean it will not be a commercial success I think that's just flat out impossible...just out of a love for this franchise and of movies of this nature people will FLOCK to it. If you mean the avg movie fan will NOT like it but YOU like it why would you even care...let's say 50 million see it in the first week and noone likes it...but the critics love it...does that make it a flop? My Point is there is NO WAY ON EARTH...THIS FILM WILL EVER BE CLASSIFIED AS A FLOP...EVER! IF THERE WERE EVEN A CHANCE OF THIS FOX WOULD HAVE PUT A STOP TO IT A LONG TIME AGO AND RIDLEY WOULD HAVE STOPPED IT EVEN BEFORE THEY DID! just my lowly 2 cents... stop worrying! Have Faith !That means knowing in your heart it cannot fail...No Chance !

I live in Ga. I expect to hear a lot of moaning from the Bible beaters. Always thought it was funny how people with such strong beliefs get threatened by movies, etc. I guess it's easier to believe in a magic baby, when you never have to think.