James Cameron Predicted the Downfall of Rihanna’s “Ridiculous” Franchise Film Even Before It Hit Theatres: “This is pure desperation”
James Cameron bluntly dissed Rihanna’s critially panned movie, Battleship even before the movie release.
James Cameron has given incredible cinematic masterpieces to the world with movies which solidified his position as an influential figure in the history of cinema. Given that he has delivered movies that not only became a classic on their own but also turned out to be a hit. He undoubtedly has redefined the art of storytelling which is seemingly why he predicted the downfall of Rihanna’s franchise, Battleship before it was officially released in theatres.
James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger on the sets of Terminator 2
However, this movie rubbed Cameron the wrong way as he indicated that the industry should not focus on brands. He further added that Hollywood was having a story crisis.
James Cameron Slammed Rihanna’s Battleship Movie
Rihanna in Battleship (2012)
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In an interview with the German website, Spiegel Online, the filmmaker expressed his blunt opinion about the then-upcoming movie, Battleship. Not just its creativity, the movie getting made in the first place on its own ticked him off. This led him to believe that it was being in ‘pure desperation.’
James Cameron shared,
“We have a story crisis. Now they want to make the Battleship game into a film. This is pure desperation.”
Loosely based on the board game of the same name, Battleship involves a naval fleet participating in war games near Hawaii. They engage in a desperate battle against technologically advanced alien invaders with their outdated knowledge.
He further shared his concern about how Hollywood is getting used to franchises and sequels to almost anything which further compromises the quality of content it can offer.
James Cameron Indicated Battleship ‘Degrades the Cinema’
Rihanna and Taylor Kitsch in Battleship (2012)
The Avatar director further expressed his concern about a movie getting considered as a brand even before its release. However, the concept that revolves around a franchise continues to degrade as anything is being converted to a franchise.
“Everyone in Hollywood knows how important it is that a film is a brand before it hit theaters. If a brand has been around, Harry Potter for example, or Spider-Man, you are light years ahead. And there lies the problem. Because unfortunately these franchises are become more ridiculous. Battleship. This degrades the cinema.”
Cameron’s blunt slam seemingly predicted the franchise’s future as the 2012 movie grossed a little over $300 million becoming a box-office bomb. Not just that, the movie starring Alexander Skarsgård, Taylor Kitsch, Rihanna, and Liam Neeson also disappointed the critics and audience as many considered it loud with poor writing.
While the movie did tease a little something in its post-credits scene which could have extended the movie into a franchise, it never came to fruition. The outcome would have been quite predictive given that the movie was unable to lay a strong foundation that would have engaged the audience to watch what the next movie had to offer. With a critically panned response and both Universal and Hasbro losing $150 million, it was clear that a second movie was out of the plans.
