What do Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and TMJ have in common? We were all in Croatia at the same time. While I was in Hvar on an island in Dalmatia, they were nearby on the island of Vis. They are filming Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. This is certainly a beautiful area and one understands why Game of Thrones, Star Wars and Robin Hood have filmed on the Dalmation Coast. For those of you wondering where this is, it is due east of Italy in the Adriatic Sea. For those of you interested in foreign travel, put this area on your bucket list.
Reports are rampant that Greece is not happy about losing the Mamma Mia production. Why did it happen? As you might expect, Greece has complicated labor laws and insurance policies. There is no ministry to help cut through the red tape. But, I suspect the real reason is that Greece doesn’t have the tax incentives that its neighbors do. After all, in the end, this is really about money.
Another interesting question is what will happen to the small island of Vis? Prices of real estate have already doubled and tourism will likely increase by at least 15%. Vis is already worried if they have the infrastructure for the onslaught in this tiny area with a population of only 3600. What the movie money giveth, it also taketh away.
Variety headline–“It” came; “It” saw; “It” conquered. $117 million opening weekend for this movie equaling Spider-Man: Homecoming. Only Beauty and the Beast and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 had bigger openings this year. While male and female attendance figures were similar, apparently older folks like horror movies a lot. Two-thirds of the audience was over 25. Maybe horror movies make great date nights. Wonders never cease. With another $62 million overseas money, and a budget of
$35 million, you will all have many, many more chances to take your significant other to a horror film.
One almost feels sorry for poor Home Again. Even with likable Reese Witherspoon, it only managed $9 million. With a budget of only $15 million, it will probably do just fine, just not sensational. Of course, this is spectacular when compared with Charlie Sheen/Whoopie Goldberg in 9/11. That film bombed out earning only $163,000. Ouch!