Hey Disney: just keep in mind what this guy does to those who only think of money. Also, even from a purely financial perspective you're wrong.
As I’ve done my best to continue the box office column without fucking things up, a few interesting things have become clear to me. Among them, one trend every weekend is looking at box office numbers that are close or even bigger than numbers for previous franchise entries or similar, earlier films… and yet always with the caveat that there were less tickets sold. Ticket price inflation –which has been well out-pacing general inflation for some time now– and premiums like 3D mean that movies seen by less people are capable of making more money. Ultimately it’s dollars in the bank that empower Hollywood, but the idea that fewer and fewer people are heading to the theater is distressing, no?
Adding to that is the undeniable fact that Hollywood is simply making more movies than ever, shrinking the size of the individual pieces of pie each weekend. Take a look at this ruthless summer, where virtually every weekend brought at least two new releases, sometimes even four. It’s a constantly beat drum that the release window has shrunk and movies have no time to play or build legs anymore, but it increasingly seems like they don’t even get the luxury of an opening weekend these days.
Speaking at SIGGRAPH, a Disney Animation exec discussed the recent viewership trends and home video numbers, ultimately laying out the conclusion that studios that want to make big money, have to make big movies. As Variety sums it up: “Bottom line: The average number of viewers per release is falling, and studios need to fight that trend with tentpoles.”
Unfortunately, that message also came with an unapologetic moment of said exec characterizing the idea of story being paramount as “bullshit.” He didn’t so much throw story under the bus so much as wrestle with it on top of the bus, and then pushed its head into an oncoming, low hanging sign– sending it off to play ping-poing with Dennis Hopper. He cites his own studio’s terribly shitty Alice In Wonderland as an example of spectacle being king. Utter bullshit. Audience flocked to that film for the aesthetic not the spectacle, for Depp, not a CGI dragon. It perfectly tapped a crossover family/teen market, and is well-countered by any ole Green Lantern-style spectacle-filled flop (it didn’t look to me like Mars Needs Moms was short on spectacle). It’s even further countered when a story-focused and character driven spectacle film does pull in the audience, for a third of the price!
Regardless, it seems like that message isn’t anything new to those in charge, at least if today’s tsunami of announced tentpole release dates (mixed with some previous announcements) is any indication. Take a look at what’s coming (via Deadline, THR, BOM)…
The Darkest Hour (alien flick) – Dec 25th, 2011
John Carter IN IMAX – March 9th, 2012
The Odd Life of Timothy Green (Disney flick) – August 15th, 2012
Iron Man 3 – May 3rd, 2013
Thor 2 – July 26th, 2013
Untitled Henry Selick (Coraline director) Film – October 4th, 2013
Catching Fire (Hunger Games Sequel) – November 22nd, 2013
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – May 2nd, 2014
Unannounced MARVEL Film – May 16th, 2014
Untitled PIXAR Film – May 30th, 2014
Unannounced MARVEL Film – June 27th, 2014
Give me some feedback on that Disney asshole’s statements, and what you think these more nebulous “untitled” films might be. I’d love to hear from you on twitter, or by keeping up with the comments, or by throwing in on the boards…
11 comments
This confirms the horrible sinking feeling I’ve been having about blockbuster screenplays lately.
Here’s hoping the Untitled Marvel Film is Alpha Flight or Deadpool
I wonder if the Untitled Marvel Film might be that Guardians of the Galaxy movie that was just recently mentioned as being in development.
Odds on would say Unannounced Marvel Film 1 is Doctor Strange, since that one has risen to the top of the rumor mill recently. Did they not say they were seeking a script for that? Odds would be extremely high that Unannounced Marvel Film 2 is Capt America 2, since that was the strongest Marvel box office release of the year. But if Cap is beating the crap out of Nazis, I don’t care about his further adventures, even if (inevitably) this one involves the Winter Soldier.
Whoops, meant to say: But if Cap ISN’T beating the crap out of Nazis, I don’t care about his further adventures, even if (inevitably) this one involves the Winter Soldier.
Oh, and to answer your original question: I think story still matters but people will willingly turn out week after week for regurgitated shit like chicks waiting to be fed by a mother owl. It’s hard to argue with Disney guy when shit like the Smurfs and Tranies 3 make solid bank domestically and worldwide.
Sadly, I think people do just want to see spectacle. Or, maybe there just aren’t any other choices out there. We’re being deluged with flashy effects films. I think the average theater goer just wants to see an actor they like in some sort of spectacle-laden film. The Dark Knight is a fluke, to me. It had other factors that made it such a huge hit. Maybe I’m pessimistic about American audiences, but I think The Dark Knight, and movies that are ‘smart’, don’t usually do well. I think we have forgotten how good a big-budget, effects-heavy movie can be. Because, you said people went to Alice in Wonderland for ‘aesthetic’ and ‘Depp’–but did they go for story? No. People DO go to the theater for spectacle; most people don’t know what aesthetic means, so they aren’t going for that. The Spectacle is the aesthetic to most people. This summer proved to me how tired I am of the Summer Movie’. The onslaught of neverending mediocrity has broken me. Hopefully, that’s coming to a head. Is the number of viewers per release declining because audiences are tired of the same kind of thing over and over? Perhaps, audiences will start rejecting the overblown expensiveness of these types of films and great writers will start getting their scripts produced. Movies could get smaller, take longer to film, take longer to release. Something’s gotta change. These type of films are safe, and i found all the big summer movies this year to be safe, and boring.
Spectacle sadly. I exhorted folk at work to see Apes and one response I got was “but I *need* to see Transformers 3 in 3D”. I advised that one was as dumb as a bag of hammers (that is exploding) and one wasn’t. He went to see exploding hammers.
And, especially in NZ, therein lies the rub. So many people pirate here it’s not funny. So a “non-spectacle” film is deemed ‘worthy of a download’ but ‘you have to see this big dumb movie on the big screen bro’.
Legally you can download via Netflix in the US but the principal is the same, a smaller flick can be watched on the computer screen.
Downright tragic.
Untitled Marvel film? I’m going to go with Union Jack. He did have a small part in CATFA so he is built in. It’s sort of Captain America meet Blade: Union Jack’s main antagonist is Baron Blood, a (you guessed it) vampire. His day job, however, is beating the crap out of terrorist groups that threaten England. Not to mention, I think that guy has a pretty sweet outfit. So….a movie with terrorists AND vampires!!! That’s almost as good as Pirates vs. Ninjas! Speaking of which, as I sit here musing, isn’t it funny how many vampire attacks the Marvel Universe has had to deal with?
Just to be clear, he made that idiotic statement about ‘story’ at SIGGRAPH? If so, then it doesn’t surprise me in the least. I majored in digital media and throughout my college, were huge posters of films that relied heavily on computer graphics (anyone remember the film Robots?), which, is pretty much what SIGGRAPH is all about. It sounds to me like he was telling his audience what they wanted to hear. It’s a very focused group of individuals. I remember people in my classes watching some terrible films (but they were made with MAYA!!!) and worshiping them because of the CG. The fact is, people attending that convention are more concerned about polygon counts and textures than what they are being used for.
I am hoping that this summer was the exception and not the rule, I am yet to see a good movie this summer, though the marvel entries were both passable, and Potter was good closure to what i felt was a mediocre series.
There was no dark knight, no inception, no iron man, no hangover (well there was one, but who cares) nothing that grabbed the publics imagination by being fresh or interesting or extremely well done.
There will always be a void that needs to be filled, as people tire of the CGI, 3D explosions, they will want to see something different. Nolan, Fincher, Tarantino, Aronofsky, the Coehns, Anderson and others are still out there. Maybe some studio will get smart and start releasing some of them during the summer, so the adults capable of breathing through their nose can go to the movies without the kids.
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