The Big Bad Box Office
Talking all things $$$: what does the box office mean for a film? Also, a weekend streaming recommendation!
When a movie is released, it has two lives. One is its creative footprint: its story, its legacy, the emotions, thoughts, and reactions it inspires in audiences. When we think about our favorite movies, this is the image that matters most.
Today’s newsletter is all about the other life of a film: its financial footprint. Or in other words, the Box Office.
This is the line that matters most to studios themselves. Again, movies are a financial investment. Studios pour in tens of millions of dollars with the hope that they see returns through ticket sales.
As I’ve spent more and more time studying the film industry, especially writing about the newest releases and monitoring their performances, my perspective on the box office and its significance has changed greatly.
Cinematic Populism
Are movies a populist form of art? In other words, are the best movies the ones consumed by the most people?
I think people would comfortably deny that for any other media: books, visual arts, etc. But the lines are blurred with movies. It appears more and more that people are willing to use the box office as a sign of whether or not a film was good.
It goes both ways. I see Marvel and other franchise fans continually argue that their financial success amongst audiences is proof that these films are excellent. Hell, I’m no different. Just see how I wrote about Top Gun: Maverick’s box office success last week. I see fans most often use the box office returns as a cudgel against ‘pretentious’ filmgoers, the dreaded cinephile.
Accordingly, when a film flops – especially a highly anticipated auteur and indie film – it’s fuel for the argument that audiences no longer are interested in these works.
Commodification of Art
I’m sure no one is arguing that the box office is the sole indicator of quality. But the prevalence of box office as a factor seems to be growing. In part because of studio interest, and in part because of massive shifts in the film industry towards mega-studios.
My take is that the box office can serve as an accelerator for the best films. My favorite feeling in the world is seeing a movie I love do financially well. Not because it justifies my opinion, but because it proves to studios that these works are worth watching and bankrolling. New releases that I’ve loved over the past few months like Dune, Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Batman, and Top Gun: Maverick all did exceptionally well at the box office. These successes make me extremely happy.
Unfortunately, though, the odds are stacked. Franchise movies will continue to dominate not only because of audience interest, but because of the business arrangements between studios and movie theaters. Disney is notorious for strong-arming theaters into devoting as much screen-space as possible to its new releases. And after two years in a pandemic, movie theaters are on their last legs – they’ll devote any and all resources to sure-fire successes. An indie box office success like Everything Everywhere All At Once is remarkably rare, only coming around once every 5+ years.
In all honesty, the box office shouldn’t matter to us as consumers. If a movie’s box office performance supports your opinion on it, chances are you’ll say the box office is proof. If it doesn’t match your opinion, it’s a strike against the general audiences that don’t share your expert insight. In reality, it shouldn’t matter to anyone but the studios themselves.
The Best Box Office Flops
As proof, here are some fantastic movies that were box office flops when they released:
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Fight Club (1999)
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Children of Men (2006)
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Weekend Streaming Recommendation
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, dir. Brad Bird. Available on Netflix
Following a bombing of the Kremlin, Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name. I’ve just finished rewatching the Mission Impossible series (any interest in a ranking?) and this one is truly a gem. I love this series with all of me, especially beginning with Ghost Protocol onwards. This is the movie where the team really found their footing, letting Tom Cruise do what he does best and perfectly toeing the line between dark international spy intrigue and a jovial watching experience.
See you all again next week. Until then, please get in touch if you have any thoughts or suggestions you’d like to share. If you want to keep up with what I’m watching, follow me on Letterboxd @atharv_gupta.
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