"We're ready to reboot to the big screen and kill 'Sex and the City'"Ok, let's talk film. As many of you may have already heard, Sex and the City propelled its way to box office glory over the weekend. 55 million over the weekend. Indiana Jones still strong with 49 million. SATC didn't put a dent in the box office at all. All it really did was bring out the WANNABEES over the weekend. Usually a film's box office drops 50% anyway after opening weekend. So all we saw this weekend were females going in droves to the movies, who usually don't go to the theater very often. You can tell this by the expected 50% drop off in the Indiana Jones numbers. So the only new numbers that metabolized this weekend were the Sex and the City numbers.
Insanely good, complex romantic comedyThis does give studios something to think about or at least I hope it does. Going back to what we were talking about on Friday about Dreamworks iconic view of Michael Patrick King and his writing of COMPLEX drama. I said that all film should be like that. All film should make us think. AND as proven this weekend, there is a demographic screaming to be catered to here, that is virtually untapped. The 18-55 Female demographic is left in the dust when it comes to exec. decisions.
Here's the thing! Sex and the City is a very difficult thing to duplicate. There are mo MARVEL comics on female emotions. You can't fake it. No pun intended. I have seen a few episodes, I am not hooked to the show cause I can't really relate to it. But I do enjoy the honest, funny, and sometimes brutal writing style. Many other directors in the past have successfully filmed this writing style, such as the works of James L. Brooks (Broadcast News, As Good As it Gets) and Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous), Yet this style isn't greenlighted very often cause once again, original ideas are too risky.
AND even if you have a great Michael Patrick King-like script and film it and it is good, there is the reality that romantic comedy films don't have huge opening weekends. They just don't. They can have longevity at the box office, but a romantic comedy has never had a 100 mil opening weekend. Its extra numbers! Its free money.
Any romantic comedy that has a good opening weekend, only opens to about 30 mil MAX. So given that number you would have to think that SATC was a female event film that procured an additional 25 million to a demographic that would have normally stayed home.
As for this unfinished demographic there are no comic books that can draw the female audience into the theater. Maybe old or current popular SATC tv shows could be Hollywood's answer. The key for Hollywood now will be to find a popular series that appeals to this demographic and execute it intelligently. Will they do this? Probably not. More than likely in usual Hollywood style, they will come up with this idea, yet hire some half ass writer to rush such a production.
For instance, Paramount or Universal will say, "Well here is 25 million in free box office cash, how do we duplicate this". So right now as you are reading this, many execs are having POWER LUNCHES discussing this very subject I am talking about. So what TV shows will be forwarded to the BIG SCREEN. I can tell right now and I will bet my right arm that Execs will take from this experience is NOT that a female demographic show that is well written WILL bang out the box office They will inevitably think that bringing back any POPULAR TV show to the BIG SCREEN with the original cast members will the next step. Reunion TV shows on the big screen. You can bet on that. I am sure we will see news of that soon.
I mean come one FilmFans, there is a another voice out there! A rich, profitable audience out there that begs for the things that Hollywood should be giving us anyway, complex, honest storytelling. Well we all do, but many others chimed in this weekend to help demand this! Yes! I know, you do have an audience that is enamoured by only comics and superheroes, but should not those be impeccably done also? If so the untapped demographic I speak of may also go to theater. Am I saying that Superhero flicks should be chick flicks? YES. AND NO. They should infuse a complex honest storyline like Iron Man and not half brained like speed racer. Hollywood would make so much more money and increase profitability by hiring better writers and great directors.
Get rid of the Wyckowski Bros., John Singleton, Brett Ratner, let them cook at McDonalds. Bring us fresh film school talent to write and direct real, credible film. We call for it, we beg for it. Will we get it? NO. Ego is too rampant in Hollywood. There are too many bottom feeders with zero talent running the industry and making decisions based on their daily horoscope.
Ok now we get to the Reuters article two weeks ago, here's what that paper had to say before the opening of Indy 4, "Will the fanboys who rush to "Iron Man" go back for a second viewing or opt to spend their spare cash on "Grand Theft Auto IV," which arrives in stores Friday? Will nostalgic boomers who shell out for the new boxed DVD set of the previous "Indiana Jones" adventures -- which also hits shelves Tuesday -- pay more than one visit to "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" when it hits screens May 22? The movies face a much more competitive landscape -- of Hollywood's own devising -- than existed during previous recessions"
Reuters is saying that film goers are FANBOYS who want to play video games and watch old Indiana Jones Movies. On the opening on the SATC film the SAME news agency prints, "Women are great planners and they definitely wanted a girls' night out," said Dan Fellman, president of distribution at Warner Bros. He added that some women bought out an entire theater in Los Angeles' Century City district for all their friends."
So men are not great planners? We are just a bunch of brain dead FANBOYS who take time out of playing video games to watch a film. Women plan and primp and have have a specific girls night out while FANBOYS might not go to theater cause you can't pry us away from our Playstations. I guarantee you if these genders were reversed, women every were would vocalize their problem with being called FANBOYS or GEEKS. That's why I called them WANNABEES, cause it is articles like these that are not fair to the ones that make up the filmgoing demographic.
On the sad note here, WANNABEES or FEMALES in general don't have very many films to get excited about. I beg for name calling equality, but I do wish there were more equality in film choice.
As for us FANBOYS, well we are the ones that long for another Last Crusade or Empire Strikes Back. We are the ones in the theater who deserve better than being called geeks or nerds. We can only hope that Hollywood taps into the WANNABEE crowd. They are ready to be incited back into the theater. Hollywood it's up to you.
Another brilliant article in the New York Times talks about the lack of appeal for Shyamalan films with the upcoming Happening film. We know this. I have said it before. But then, again, the article goes into its usual epiphany, "But the studios also need to heed the brutal realities of the movie business. All of these directors have had high-profile stumbles that suggest moviegoers care more about what is on the screen than what is above the title." REALLY NOW? What kind of in depth insight is this? Do we really care the quality of the film!!!!
No way! Get this writer a cigar and a scotch, he is really breaking astonishing news here. And the even sadder thing is that Hollywood is just realizing this. Yes my filmfans Hollywood is JUST realizing that we need really good film and not big names. This entire past weekend the FEMALE audience cried out to be able to be excited go to the movies. I love that this weekend put a wrench into Hollywoods super Hero comic plans. Hollywood is a billion dollar industry. Its about time we keep them on their toes.
Until tomorrow, let's talk film.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/misc_mtv_movie_awards/news/1731944/
http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/darrenbousman/
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/business/media/02night.html?_r=1&ref=movies&oref=slogin
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-boxoffice-satc1-2008jun01,0,4983153.story
http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN2919838020080429?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0
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