WI: Square Pictures releases Advent Children in 2001?

[RySenkari]

As we all know, Squaresoft released a Final Fantasy movie in 2001. Known as "The Spirits Within", it featured incredibly advanced CGI animation and was an expensive bomb that nearly bankrupted the company, receiving mixed reviews at best. Fans tended to hate the film because it felt nothing like Final Fantasy, containing very few Final Fantasy elements and a rather convoluted story.

So, imagine that instead of Spirits Within, Square instead decides to do a film sequel to Final Fantasy VII as their big 2001 summer film. "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children" is the result. Let's say it appears exactly as the Advent Children Complete version did IRL (save for a few actor changes, let's say Ming-Na as Tifa, Mandy Moore as Yuffie, Haley Joel Osment as Denzel and Hayden Panatierre as Marlene), and Square decides to release it that Friday instead of that Wednesday. That would be July 13, 2001. How would it perform, critically and box-office wise (opening against Legally Blonde and The Score)?

 

[Cuāuhtemōc]

I think it would perform pretty well, given the positive critical reception and the amount of sales it had when it was released in OTL.

 

[THAHORSEMEN]

I imagine that it most likely would have gotten a better critical reception then Spirits within did, fans of FFVII would have flocked over to advent children and seen it considering it’s a continuation of 7, and how amazing the visuals of the film of Advent Children was. Square Soft might have even been a better financial standing now then they were with Spirits within. They might have even declined merging with Enix.

 

[dmg86]

If I remember correctly they started talking about the merger before the movie released. In fact if i am correct the merger was delayed due to the failure of the movie and was not a cause of it.