News
'Racer' Flop To Curb Action Excess?
May 17, 2008 – Speed Racer failed at the box office, so we can rejoice! That’s the message of Wall Street Journal film critic Joe Morgenstern – who in 2005 became only the third cinema critic to win journalism’s Pulitzer Prize.
“Whatever defines the future of movies, Speed Racer won’t be it,” Morgenstern writes with satisfaction. “That’s the good news; chaos isn’t a surefire selling tool, not even when the target audience is sensation-hungry kids.” He said Hollywood will notice that the more thoughtful and measured Iron Man was is a hit in the same big-budget youth action adventure genre, when developing future summer youth films.
Morgenstern's article was headlined: "Kids 1, Chaos 0: Failure of Incoherent, Hyped Speed Racer Is Good Omen for Films."
In pre-release reviews, other critics had suggested that Speed Racer’s mind-numbing action would influence other films. That was prior to the Warner Bros. release finishing a disappointing third its opening weekend May 9-11. The film, which is written and directed by the creators of the stylish The Matrix, reportedly cost $120 million to make and has grossed just $24.2 million in its first eight days of release, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. Its word-of-mouth with audiences is poor, so it’s fading fast.
“In foreign markets, where almost anything usually goes, its rejection was equally decisive,” adds Morgenstern.
As author Robert Marich noted, films like Speed Racer and last summer’s blockbuster Transformers ($319 million domestic box office for Paramount in 2007) indicate a “ratings creep” allowing more violence (U.S. film classification is subjective and tries to follow shifts in public tastes). Transformers was rated PG-13 and Speed Racer PG. The PG-13 Iron Man has grossed an impressive $200 million since its May 2 premiere and still packing in audiences.
This issue of pouring on or dialing back on-screen action is a marketing decision that impacts film development. Producers and writers will present all types of film projects driven by their creative inspirations, but the selection process at distributors -- who finance films and distribute movies -- takes in marketing considerations.
.jpg)