News
A Few Weak-Opening Films Bounce Back
Sept 6, 2010 -- A New York Times article notes that movies sometimes defy long odds to recover from mediocre openings, citing Lionsgate’s Kick-Ass as a prime example.
The R-rated, $30 million action comedy satire overcame a poor three-day weekend opening of $19.8 million to go on to gross $97 million globally. “That result is a reminder that a movie’s financial obituary can rarely be written after a single weekend — a practice that has grown more prevalent as a weakening DVD market has reignited an obsession with box office statistics,” notes the article by Brooks Barnes.
“The race-to-judge phenomenon is fed in part by increasing competition between movie bloggers and box-office Web sites, which have started predicting how a movie will fare on opening weekend far in advance,” says the article. “BoxOffice.com is already projecting that Hereafter, a thriller directed by Clint Eastwood that Warner Bros. plans to release on Oct. 22, will have a $16 million opening. Studios say all of this prognosticating has gotten out of control.”
Marketing to Moviegoers: Second Edition notes that findings of pre-release research usually prove out, except for films appealing to niche audiences. Tracking research can get unreliable with segments outside the prime young adult/regular movie-going group. Surprises include gripping religious epic The Passion of the Christ, which drew consumers who seldom go to cinema.
The New York Times article points out two other recent back-from-the-dead movies: Date Night, the 20th Century Fox comedy starring Steve Carell, grossed $152 million worldwide, and Disney’s The Last Song that grossed $89 million globally. Both were deemed busts their opening weekends but bounced back.
The article notes that movies based on unconventional comic books have proven a hard sell to audiences-- Kick-Ass, Warner Bros. disappointment Jonah Hex and Universal’s disappointment Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
For full text, click link below:
www.nytimes.com/2010/09/06/business/media/06kick.html
www.marketingmovies.net/chapters/chapter-7-distribution-to-theaters/
www.marketingmovies.net/chapters/chapter-2-research-audiences-ads/
www.marketingmovies.net/news/comic-con-buzz-no-panacea-for-bo-glory/