The Birth of a Nation (Official Thread)

[Rapmastermind]

Boo! A Madea Halloween did what Tyler Perry’s Madea movies tend to do and have done with relative regularity for the last 11 years. It topped the weekend box office with a debut of over $25 million. I will admit to a certain amusement over the years as it took many years for box office pundits to stop being “shocked” when the latest Perry film snagged an over/under $25m opening weekend and/or topped the box office. To wit, the holiday-themed comedy earned a strong $27.6 million, which gives the Lionsgate release a substantial 2.936x weekend multiplier.

Box Office: Tyler Perry's 'Boo! A Madea Halloween' Scares Up Terrific $27.6M Weekend

Look 'Madea" is a franchise at this point. It goes back 12 years. That number is actually in line with the entire Medea franchise. Of the 7 films, the Average Opening Weekend is about 26 Million. With that said, Yes Birth of a Nation should of made more plus they are sabatoging the box office by dropping so many theaters so quickly. I think the fact "Birth" has made close to 15 Million with all this sabatoging and media opposition is amazing. But look Chris Rock called it directly or indirecdtly. Plus White People and Latinos went and supported Medea was well. They stayed clear of "Birth" overall espeically Whites because it was the realest Slave Movie ever. The last thing White People want to see is a Slave Movie that shows them 100% the bad guys.

The "White Savior" Complex makes them feel good and takes away their white guilt when they watch these movies. So based on the theater count and the fact it's independent, "Birth" is a box office success. "Medea" also cost about 20-25 Million to make. It won't have strong legs at the box office, none of the other "Medea" films have. So yes it's disappointing but the battle is with the type of films black artist make. "Medea" is a clown but it's no representative of Black Cinema as a whole. I'm telling you guys, Nate changed the game. There will be younger Black Flimmakers coming out in the next 5-10 years that are in their 30's-40's that will be writing, directing and producting big films in the game.

 

[G.O.A.T Squad Spokesman]

Look 'Madea" is a franchise at this point. It goes back 12 years. That number is actually in line with the entire Medea franchise. Of the 7 films, the Average Opening Weekend is about 26 Million. With that said, Yes Birth of a Nation should of made more plus they are sabatoging the box office by dropping so many theaters so quickly. I think the fact "Birth" has made close to 15 Million with all this sabatoging and media opposition is amazing. But look Chris Rock called it directly or indirecdtly. Plus White People and Latinos went and supported Medea was well. They stayed clear of "Birth" overall espeically Whites because it was the realest Slave Movie ever. The last thing White People want to see is a Slave Movie that shows them 100% the bad guys.

The "White Savior" Complex makes them feel good and takes away their white guilt when they watch these movies. So based on the theater count and the fact it's independent, "Birth" is a box office success. "Medea" also cost about 20-25 Million to make. It won't have strong legs at the box office, none of the other "Medea" films have. So yes it's disappointing but the battle is with the type of films black artist make. "Medea" is a clown but it's no representative of Black Cinema as a whole. I'm telling you guys, Nate changed the game. There will be younger Black Flimmakers coming out in the next 5-10 years that are in their 30's-40's that will be writing, directing and producting big films in the game.

I hope you're right. Still sad tho.

 

[Joe Sixpack]

I just saw it tonight.

I was trembling for like 10 minutes after it ended.

The sexual violence our women have endured for 500 years...

The brutality of slavery...

The total control exerted over our lives and the attempted erasure of our authentic selves, culturally, spiritually, linguistically, etc.

The first 2/3 of the film having the audience think that Sam Turner is "one of the good ones" -- then he shows that he is just as wicked.

With regards to some of the discussion over the last few pages, I think the film dropped some points in there to suggest that it wasn't then (nor is it now, or is it ever) a matter of good and bad individuals. The system itself is wicked.

I thought the rape scenes were going to be graphically shown, but they weren't. Before seeing the film I was aware of the criticism of Parker inserting those scenes in there ahistorically, and I recognized how it may have been problematic given questions surrounding his own past transgressions, but since the film wasn't a to-the-letter depiction of Nat's life I think the scenes were fine. The film showed that sexual violence was an everyday and commonplace thing during slavery, and it was. That should NEVER be forgotten.

fukk are you talkin about son?

So this is fun to you dudes? Go watch a movie about slavery with our women bein attacked and raped by these devils with no repercussions?



Why the fukk would I wanna go see that shyt?

That shyt is painful as hell

 

[JahFocus CS]

fukk are you talkin about son?

So this is fun to you dudes? Go watch a movie about slavery with our women bein attacked and raped by these devils with no repercussions?



Why the fukk would I wanna go see that shyt?

That shyt is painful as hell

Who said it is fun? I didn't watch the film for laughs or joy. I watched it because it is an important film and to financially support the project so it opens a lane for other films that we need too.

 

[Joe Sixpack]

Who said it is fun? I didn't watch the film for laughs or joy. I watched it because it is an important film and to financially support the project so it opens a lane for other films that we need too.

No we don't need anymore slave movies.. While the story of Nat Turner should be told we have enough slave movies that will last 3 lifetimes. Let's move on

Let's do some movies that deal with our glorious, illustrious past way before slavery. How bout that?

How many more slave movies do we need to see?

 

[JahFocus CS]

No we don't need anymore slave movies.. While the story of Nat Turner should be told we have enough slave movies that will last 3 lifetimes. Let's move on

Let's do some movies that deal with our glorious, illustrious past. How bout that?

How many more slave movies do we need to see?

Quote where I said "more slave movies" please

 

[Birnin Zana]

No we don't need anymore slave movies.. While the story of Nat Turner should be told we have enough slave movies that will last 3 lifetimes. Let's move on

Let's do some movies that deal with our glorious, illustrious past way before slavery. How bout that?

How many more slave movies do we need to see?

Have you seen the film?

 

[Joe Sixpack]

Have you seen the film?

Hell fukkin no I'm good

 

[Birnin Zana]

Was looking at 12 years a Slave's box office numbers and found something interesting. It's foreign numbers were pretty damn big.

12 Years a Slave (2013) - Box Office Mojo

Domestic: $56,671,993 30.2%
+ Foreign: $131,061,209 69.8%

= Worldwide: $187,733,202

The strong majority of 12 Years a Slave's numbers came from overseas, not the U.S.. This is important as 12 years was distributed by Fox Searchlight, just like Birth of a Nation.

Also keep in mind that 12 years a Slave was financed by film studios unlike BOAN and was more expensive to make than BOAN, at the cost of $22 million.

In short, whether or not Birth of a Nation is a financial success or not may come down to how it does outside of the U.S.. If Fox is on their jobs, they might pull it off.

EDIT: Did additional research. Lionsgate distributed 12 years a Slave overseas, while Fox Searchlight did the domestic distribution. I wonder if this same approach will be used for BOAN.

 

[Birnin Zana]

Hell fukkin no I'm good

Then, as someone who isn't a fan of slave movies and didn't expect to like Birth of a Nation as much as I have, I'd suggest that you watch the film for yourself first and form your opinion of it from there.

 

[JahFocus CS]

This is the only movie about slavery I've seen in years. I didn't see Django (except clips here and there) nor did I see 12 Years.

 

[Joe Sixpack]

Then, as someone who isn't a fan of slave movies and didn't expect to like Birth of a Nation as much as I have, I'd suggest that you watch the film for yourself first and form your opinion of it from there.

Nah man I already know what's it about.. I don't need see yet another movie about how we were slaves Jesus Christ. I feel like that's all we are known for. Slavery. That's all anybody talks about when it comes to our past.. I'm sick of it..

We were much much much more then slaves. We have no set birth date. There is no Alpha and No Omega. We have no beginning or ending.

Before us there was chaos..

I wanna see films and documentaries made about Ancient Nubia, Egypt, Ethiopia

 

[Birnin Zana]

This is the only movie about slavery I've seen in years. I didn't see Django (except clips here and there) nor did I see 12 Years.

First slave movie I've seen in theaters...ever, I think. I saw Django, but only on Redbox. Didn't see 12 years a Slave either.

 

[Joe Sixpack]

First slave movie I've seen in theaters...ever, I think. I saw Django, but only on Redbox. Didn't see 12 years a Slave either.

I'm talkin overall in everything including films.. When I was a little kid I just thought we were undisciplined savges swingin from trees in Africa until the white man came and brought us here to be slaves.. That's the narrative we have been fed for our entire existence in America. I had to go out and read on my own to discover that we are owners of this planet and have a history that has no real beginning. I had to read on my own about our greatness. Let's make some movies about how great we are instead of just showin us being dominated by other nations

 

[Birnin Zana]

I'm talkin overall in everything including films.. When I was a little kid I just thought we were undisciplined savges swingin from trees in Africa until the white man came and brought us here to be slaves.. That's the narrative we have been fed for our entire existence in America. I had to go out and read on my own to discover that we are owners of this planet and have a history that has no real beginning. I had to read own my own about our greatness.

Well, you'll have to hope someone out there pulls a Nate Parker to make such a movie happen, because I doubt hollywood will do such a movie anytime soon, if at all.

As for Birth of a Nation, it's not often that you have a slave movie in which the slaves stand up for themselves and turn the tables around for a change. Add that and the amount of effort Nate Parker had to make in order for this movie to even exist, and I felt compelled to go watch it in theaters, even though I was already well-versed on Nat Turner's story.