Using examples from last year, we are going to look at two big box-office forces driving change. As well as what the industry may need to consider to keep up. But first, let’s look at why this shift is significant.

Opening Weekend Importance?

With many films marketed months before their release, the opening weekend is when interest is, theoretically, at its highest, due to the prominence it has been given. Barring slow-release periods, subsequent weeks will likely see diminishing returns as other films take customers’ interest. So the opening domestic weekend is seen as the point for maximum returns. It can then set the tempo for press coverage around the film, which can drive future engagement.

However, this mindset arguably contributes to a self-fulfilling cycle. Commentators have noted that attaching negative labels to a film, e.g. “disappointment” or “bomb”, early in its theatrical life, creates a negative association that can follow a film forever. Affecting box office, and therefore future licensing and home media sales.

Nevertheless, as Stephen Galloway told Variety, “based on the cost of movies and inflation, reliance on opening weekend is Hollywood’s only strategy. There is no alternative.” But is that true?.

Word of Mouth

Cinemas have faced an uphill battle to bring in customers post-COVID. Especially when everyone knows a film will be available to stream soon after it releases. Big properties still attract crowds, but titles with little to no name recognition, especially those with big budgets, are more unpredictable. Even if they have acclaimed directors behind them. This is where word of mouth comes in. Many have theorised that current audiences are more discerning about spending a night out at the cinema, potentially due to how much it costs. Thus, they will likely wait for positive word of mouth before watching a specific film. This means it can take longer for original titles to make their mark. However, when positive word of mouth can be hugely impactful.

To analyse this claim, let’s look at two films from last year: Sinners and One Battle After Another. Both were made by acclaimed directors playing outside genres they were used to. And both had long tails at the domestic box office. 

According to Box Office Mojo, Sinners stayed in the domestic box office top 20 consistently for around 13 weeks. It also didn’t drop below half its first week’s takings until its fourth week. Which is an incredible feat. One Battle After Another, while not as successful, remained in the domestic box office charts consistently for 26 weeks. Being in the top 20 consistently for 10 weeks. Awards attention definitely kept the film in the public consciousness, but the film didn’t truly become an awards frontrunner until several weeks after its release. Meaning it stayed running because of audience interest and critical praise. Considering the average theatrical window is currently around 30-45 days, both these films demonstrated extraordinary staying power.

International Box Office

Additionally, the international box office played a big role for both movies. Sinners was already successful, pulling in around 3 times its budget domestically, but with its international takings, it became the second-highest-grossing original movie worldwide in 2025. And while One Battle After Another was an overall flop, international screenings allowed the film to make its budget back.

Keeping Up

Matt Weisbecker has said that film marketing is primarily focused on the opening weekend, with promotion dropping significantly afterwards. This is incredibly counterintuitive. There is no way that everyone can see a movie during its opening weekend. Even after months of building anticipation. Considering the long tails that are provided to movies based on positive feedback from audiences and award bodies, surely this is proof that marketing up to release is not the sole way to maximise box office returns.

More marketing materials need to be spread throughout the theatrical run to keep more eyes on the film. This can then be used to take advantage of positive word of mouth. With focus needing to be put both online and in person to drive audience interest.

Likewise, even films that underperform domestically can recoup substantial sums at the international box office, which means international marketing needs to be maintained and further prioritised. Especially since it accounts for a huge amount of Hollywood box office and can also drive further interest down the line in international markets.  

The US opening weekend is still a good data point. But considering the power that is demonstrated by international takings and word of mouth, it needs to stop being considered the make-or-break factor when it comes to judging if a movie is financially successful.

The post Word of Mouth Replacing the Opening Weekend appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

We are looking at the 2025 box office to see what the genre’s performance tells us about audiences and the industry. As well as what opportunities are being presented for other films.

The Year Of Change For Superheroes?

The main topic of discussion this year is the lack of high-performing superhero movies. This is the first time since 2017 (excluding 2020) that a superhero movie hasn’t been in the top 5. Additionally, the top performer is not a Marvel film but DC’s new Superman reboot.

Marvel’s usual dominance has been completely shattered. Both their newer titles (Fantastic 4: First Steps and Thunderbolts*) and their returning branding (Captain America: Brave New World) failed to crack the top 10. Something that hasn’t happened (excluding 2020) since 2011. Analysts have mentioned superhero fatigue before, but this is the first year the box office seems to reflect it.

Up and Comers

Outside of the superhero bubble, this is also the first time since 2020 that we have had two top 10 performers not in the English language from more than one country. Ne Zha 2 (China) and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie – Infinity Castle (Japan).

Video game adaptations continued to do well. A Minecraft Movie is 2025’s third-highest-grosser at the time of writing. Horror also performed well. Of the year’s 20 highest-grossers, 4 were horror films. And while many of the biggest films are still sequels or films using existing IP to bolster their performance, Sinners and Weapons, 2 original films, made it into the top 20.

What This Means

Superheroes are far from being done. Superman’s success proves that, and as Kofi Outlaw points out, Marvel could recover its top position with the next slate of big brand titles, Spiderman: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars. However, this year proves Marvel’s name isn’t a guarantee of dominance anymore. The MCU films mentioned above are part of franchises that are between 8 and 13 years old. Marvel can’t rely on dedicated fans to sustain them forever. Superman’s reboot managed to capture a younger audience and DC’s diverse upcoming release portfolio covers a range of interests and age groups. If Marvel wants to succeed in the future, to justify those huge budgets, it must get younger audiences invested in the next saga project. Not just those familiar with the MCU. But even then, superheroes are seeing competition from other areas.

The top 20’s 4 horror movies each cost around or below $100 million, and took between $268 – 494 million worldwide. A market still clearly exists for mid-budget films. These films also included the year’s two highest-performing original films. Showing that when well-marketed and written, audiences will go to see new ideas.

Similarly, Demon Slayer, on a $20 million budget, claimed over $760 million. Over $520 million came from territories outside of Japan. Also, while Ne Zha 2 primarily made money in China (over $1.8 billion on an $80 million budget), it still made almost $40 million in other territories. According to Think China, it is the 10th highest overseas takings for a Chinese film. It could have made more if it weren’t for distribution challenges. Again proving, given an outlet, international cinema can be popular. 

Lastly, video game movies are having a resurgence. After the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy and The Super Mario Bros Movie, A Minecraft Movie captured family audiences and made almost a billion dollars. Thus, studios are preparing a slate of video game adaptations. Including Return To Silent Hill (Cineverse), Mortal Kombat 2 (Warner Bros), Super Mario Bros Galaxy (Illumination) and The Legend of Zelda (Sony).

Conclusion

Competition for the top is definitely getting more diverse. Among the constant non-comic book sequels, Disney animations and remakes, DC’s newfound strength will hopefully encourage Marvel to get less insular to keep audiences interested. Video game movies are also coming out to play; mid-budget horror and international releases have proven capable of reaching great heights, given the chance, and even original IP has a crack at the top. It’s definitely an interesting time to be going to the movies.

The post From Demon Slayer to Minecraft: The 2025 Box Office Shift Beyond Superheroes appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Indian Cinema in China

Despite things like quotas on international film imports and the censoring of certain topics making China’s cinema market difficult to enter, Indian movies (particularly Bollywood films) have started to slowly gain a foothold. Recently the releases of Indian films in China’s cinemas have slowed down. But over several years in the 2010s, Bollywood releases became a fixture of film imports. Culminating in 2017, which saw the highest box office gross for a Bollywood film in China, and 2018, which saw 10 Indian films officially released in theatres. A huge jump compared to the number of releases at the beginning of the decade. Additionally, the prominent screenings of Indian films at this year’s Shanghai Film Festival and discussions among producers seem to indicate an ongoing interest in bringing Indian films into China’s cinemas.

Chinese Audience’s Love Indian Films

Researcher Yanyan Hong found, through interviewing 32 people, 4 specific qualities made Indian (specifically Bollywood) films attractive to Chinese audiences. These included:

• The featuring of social issues that are important in both countries (in particular gender equality, women’s rights, pressure in education and patriotism) while fostering a sense that these challenges can be overcome in a way that can be ultimately uplifting.
• The appeal of stars, notably actors like Aamir Khan.
• Bollywood exhibits cultural attitudes that are seen as overlapping with the sensibilities of Chinese audiences. Such as observing traditional values and beliefs tied to cultural identity (i.e. the importance of family, uniting as a community, overlapping philosophical concepts and patriotism). As well as showcasing traditional clothing and a more reserved attitude towards kissing and nudity.
• Focus being paid to the film’s story content. Romantic musicals were not looked on favourably. However, respondents said that entertaining and emotionally engaging storylines are the root of their fondness for Indian cinema.

India’s Soft Power

The past decade has seen the reach of Indian cinema grow significantly on the world stage. With films like RRR making a significant international box office and cultural impact. It was the first Indian feature to win Best Original Song at the Oscars. This decade has also seen movies from across India’s film industries release some of their biggest international successes.

With this growing prominence India’s various film industries have begun to be seen as a form of soft power. The films promote India’s culture and values worldwide while also helping to bring revenue back to the country. It is therefore understandable why filmmakers would want access to one of the world’s biggest film markets and with the revenue sharing and flat fee models implemented by China’s film industry, it’s easy to see potentially high profits if more Indian films are screened in China’s cinemas. It also helps to act as a cultural exchange across boundaries between the two countries. Whose governments have frequently been involved in geopolitical clashes. 

The Future

It’s hard to say how the love between Chinese cinemagoers and Indian cinema will progress. Yanyan Hong’s study does present several potential problems for film exchanges between the two countries. Aside from the aforementioned censorship and quotas Hong mentioned how some of the elements presented in Indian films can feel repetitive and negative stereotypes about the country due to biased reporting have caused some audiences to hold incorrect views about India. The lack of decent translation and promotion for films, the prominence of piracy for Bollywood films potentially undercutting revenue, and clashing with Hollywood releases also act as potential challenges for the future of India-China film exchanges. Along with, of course, the impact of geopolitics.

But developments around the Shanghai Film Festival, the shifting of successful Indian films like Kalki 2898AD more towards storytelling innovation over star power, the popularity of viewing Indian films online and the hunger among Chinese audiences for films that relate to their experiences could still represent good opportunities for the future development of Indian cinema in China.

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2022s Box Office Top 10

At the time of writing these are the top 10 highest-grossing films at the worldwide box office in 2022 according to Box Office Mojo. 

10. Moon Man (Over $460,237,600)

9. Water Gate Bridge (Over $626,571,600)

8. Thor: Love and Thunder (Over $760,928,000)

7. The Batman (Over $770,945,500)

6. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Over $831,942,300)

5. Minions: The Rise of Gru (Over $939,628,200)

4. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Over $955,775,800)

3. Jurassic World: Dominion (Over $1,001,978,000)

2. Top Gun: Maverick (Over $1,488,732,800)

1. Avatar: The Way of Water (Over $1,749,253,900)

In total the top 10 highest-grossing films earned over $9,587,993,700. There were 2 non-English language films in the top 10 (Moon Man and Water Gate Bridge). 4 of the big earners were produced by companies owned by Disney (Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness came from Marvel Studios while Avatar: The Way of Water was from 20th Century Studios), 2 had some involvement from Universal (Minions: The Rise of Gru and Jurassic World: Dominion), 1 was distributed by Paramount (Top Gun: Maverick) and 1 came from Warner Bros (The Batman).

The 2020s At The Box Office

How does this list and its revenue look when viewed next to the rest of the 2020s? Well, comparatively, 2022 was a very solid year. With pandemic restrictions firmly relaxed across many countries cinema-goers have returned to the theatres in good numbers. The top 10 movies this year earned almost 3 times what 2020’s top 10 earned. It even managed to outperform 2021’s top 10 by around $1.9 billion. This year also saw 3 movies cross the $1 billion mark and all 3 came from different studios. Interestingly, this also marked the first year since 2015 (excluding 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic) when the year’s two highest-grossing films were not affiliated with Disney.

But what does this box office top 10 tell us about the industry and what the future potentially holds? 

Lessons From 2022

2022 showed us primarily that franchises continue to be the big audience draw. So franchises are still likely to produce the biggest hits going forward. However, Top Gun: Maverick and even Avatar: The Way of Water have proven that smaller franchises still have the possibility to attract huge box office numbers. Additionally, the top 3 have shown that non-Disney-made films may have a chance to earn greater attention than in the pre-covid landscape.

Secondly, while international language pictures may be struggling in the box office rankings post-covid, with only 2 non-English films in this year’s top 10 (2021 had 3 and 2020 had 5), 2022 showed they still have potential to pull in good earnings in the future with Chinese language films proving to be a particularly big draw recently with growing interest in international releases. We could possibly see more big international hits if they are given better worldwide distribution.

Finally, while these figures prove the industry has certainly not reached pre-pandemic box office levels it is still in a healthy spot. This year’s top 10 managed to outperform 2016s (over $9,320,848,700) and while it is a way off from 2018s and 2019s numbers those movies were dominated by highly anticipated franchise entries, like the conclusion to Marvel’s Infinity Saga, which will be hard to immediately replicate. Thus 2022 showcases that the industry is on the road to recovery. Hopefully, 2023 will yield even more interesting and healthy box office results.

Also Read: Time To Rethink The Box Office Film Charts?

The post Box Office 2022: Returning To Cinemas appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Today we will investigate how the average runtime of popular films has changed over the past 15 years. As well as what the data suggests about the current media landscape. To do this we used the Box Office Mojo UK Box Office Top 10 figures from 2007 onwards and film runtimes provided by IMDb.

UK Box Office Top 10 Average Runtimes

One clear trend the data reveals is that the average runtime for UK box office top 10 films has increased between 2007 and 2021. The average runtime of a top 10 movie in 2007 was 120 minutes. Fast-forward to 2021 and the average runtime is around 134 minutes. The highest point in 15 years.

A surprising find was that half or over half the movies in many of the top 10s ran 2 hours or longer. 2008 and 2011 were the only outliers. This appears to buck the assumption that audiences prefer shorter movies and that shorter movies are more successful overall.

In fact, since 2007, no more than 4 movies in each yearly top 10 had a runtime of 100 minutes or less. The highest number of movies with runtimes of 100 minutes or lower was 2009.

We Only Have 100 Minutes

Of the successful movies that ran 100 minutes or shorter a vast majority (over 78%) were rated U or PG. Many are also animated movies (over 69%). This suggests that the shorter movies that generally earn the most are movies accessible to either everyone or family audiences. As animation is generally seen as a medium for children’s stories, which are perfect for family viewing, it is no wonder these results emerged. And with younger viewers having lower attention spans these movies being shorter is understandable.

Conversely, over 80% of the films that ran 120 minutes or longer were rated 12a. With the vast majority being action films of some kind e.g. pure action, sci-fi action, fantasy action, etc. This means the longer films that perform best are aimed primarily at teen audiences. This is understandable as teens spend the most time at the cinema. They are also more likely to be influenced by the advertising of tentpole action films. And because teens will have a more developed attention span a 2-hour runtime or longer may not be seen as a hindrance.

Epic Runtimes In the Age of Binging 

So why are long runtimes not a barrier to popular films like they used to appear? This could be attributed to two primary factors. Firstly, previous successes have encouraged this development. For example, 2009’s Avatar, a sci-fi action blockbuster, had a 162-minute runtime. It also became the highest-grossing film ever at that time (not adjusting for inflation). This showed that long genre-inflected movies could still succeed.

But the most likely reason for this change is the rise of streaming services. Companies like Netflix have provided both competition and opportunities for cinemas. Most notably with the practice of releasing full series all at once to encourage binge-watching having proved quite successful since its implementation, it’s easy to see how an extended runtime would no longer present a problem for a film’s box office. Companies just have to focus on reaching the right audience. And with a bigger audiovisual experience on offer, it’s easy to see why visually intensive stories like action films (and their various subgenres) would attract audiences to the cinema.

Also Read: Time To Rethink The Box Office Film Charts?

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Today we will review how Scream (2022) managed to succeed at the box office. As well as what we know about the upcoming sequel and what this means for the franchise moving forward.

Screaming Success

On a budget of around $24 million Scream (2022) managed to rake in over $138 million. This makes it a much more successful franchise revival than Scream 4 and shows that the franchise can still draw an audience.

How did the film achieve this? Firstly, the film was released on January 14^th and it didn’t have much competition from new releases. Many of the high-grossers on the week of release were films like Spiderman: No Way Home, The King’s Man and Sing 2. Which had been in the box office charts for weeks. Scream (2022) gave cinemagoers something fresh to watch.

Secondly, it had a strong marketing campaign that hit the ground running. The first trailer was released in October 2021 and a steady stream of social media and physical campaigns helped keep interest up. There was not 6 months of long build-up, Scream (2022)’s marketing was very tight and well-paced.

And it had the benefit of being a franchise film. Meaning it already had an existing audience. But with it also marketing itself as a requel focusing on new characters it drew in new viewers as well. All of this came together to make Scream (2022) a solid box office performer.

Scream 6: What We Know?

Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment officially announced the development of the next Scream sequel less than a month after Scream (2022)’s release. All we currently know is that directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett as well as writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick will be returning to helm the project. It is set to start shooting this summer.

Good or Bad?

Now on the one hand it is nice to see the Scream franchise return triumphantly to the big screen. The series holds a special place in many horror fans’ hearts. So to see it return at the height of nostalgic requels is incredibly appropriate. Even though series creators Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson (beyond an executive producer role) were not involved fans and critics seem to appreciate this film’s handling of the series’ legacy.

The danger of another sequel this soon is that it risks transforming Scream into just another slasher series. Previous films always skewered a breadth of horror and general movie tropes. Slasher tropes, sequel tropes, tropes of trilogy conclusions, tropes for reboots, and now tropes for requels. But with requel sequels being less of a phenomenon the series has comparatively little to parody. Thus it could be less effective. Alternatively, it can just focus on its own mythology however that means it would lose part of its unique identity.

A new Scream sequel should be handled carefully. Especially if, as James Vanderbilt admitted, a sequel was not planned.

Conclusion

Scream (2022) proved me wrong. It became a huge success thanks to its tight marketing, a good choice of release date with a lack of new competition, and it pulled in a huge audience of horror fans and general audiences, old and new. Scream 6 was inevitable. Still, cranking out another sequel so soon risks the series losing something special. Personally, I want the series to wait for the right moment to return. Rather than rushing ahead simply to chase box office returns.

Also Read: Netflix Horror Movie Written Entirely Using Artificial Intelligence

The post Carry On Screaming: Scream 5 Revives The Series appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

This year we are going to look at the 10 highest-grossing original films released in the UK during 2021 (as of 17/12/21 according to Box Office Mojo). Meaning that the movies listed here are not part of an ongoing franchise (this includes sequels, remakes, prequels, and spinoffs) or based on pre-existing material (books, comics, plays, videogames, etc.). Along with this, we will also look at each film’s Rotten Tomatoes score to see how they fared with audiences and critics.

10. Nobody (£1,256,781)

With some brutal fight sequences and a great performance from Bob Odenkirk, Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry) continued to demonstrate his talent for directing action. Audiences and critics also loved the film. It received a critical score of 84% and an audience score of 94%.

9. Malignant (£1,485,484)

A new horror film from James Wan (Saw, Insidious & The Conjuring) sounded like an amazing prospect. But despite Malignant initially performing well it soon became an audience punching bag (52% RT score). However, critics seemed to view the film more favourably (76%).

8. The Courier (£2,087,220)

This contemporary cold war thriller starring Benedict Cumberbatch with echoes of Hitchcock and Le Carre surprised both critics (85%) and audiences (95%). It did not make Bond-level money but it showed that spy movies can still draw people in.

7. Respect (£2,215,353)

Despite the modest taking and the middle-of-the-road critical consensus (67%) audiences really enjoyed this biopic of Aretha Franklin’s career (95%).

6. Last Night in Soho (£2,306,076)

A stylish horror thriller, Last Night in Soho was, while not director Edgar Wright’s highest-grossing film, the highest-grossing original horror film of 2021. And it still managed to score highly with critics (75%) and audiences (89%).

5. Spencer (£2,790,786)

Spencer follows Princess Diana during a Christmas break in Norfolk where we see her battling with her mental health problems and the power exerted over her by the royal family. Although the film divided audiences (52%) it delighted critics (83%), with Kristen Stewart’s performance receiving particular praise.

4. The French Dispatch (£4,071,484)

Wes Anderson’s latest tale concerns several reporters and the stories they encounter while writing for the titular magazine. Even though it is Anderson’s lowest-rated film since The Darjeeling Limited it still received good reviews from viewers (75% from critics and 76% from audiences).

3. Encanto (£4,201,894)

The first animated movie on this list is a beautiful look into various aspects of Colombian culture. Encanto, is about Mirabel, who has to deal with being the only member of her family without a special ability. Disney continues to showcase its artistic power with Encanto being readily embraced by all (90% from critics, 93% from audiences).

2. Ron’s Gone Wrong (£4,570,319)

2021 was a good year for original animations. Following Barney and his defective B-bot Ron as they learn about friendship and the dangers of the tech industry this film was the first feature from Locksmith Animation (co-produced alongside 20th Century Animation and TSG Entertainment). And with great reviews from cinemagoers (94%) and reviewers (80%) it’s certainly a good film to start their careers with.

1. Free Guy (£17,383,060)

The highest-grossing original film in the UK this year and the 7th highest-grossing film in the UK in 2021 (at time of writing) Free Guy focuses on the journey of a videogame NPC who slowly breaks out of his predetermined path. An entertaining film that people really took to (80% for critics, 94% for audiences) Free Guy proves that not only is Hollywood improving when it comes to making movies about games but also that original ideas still have pull in cinemas.  

This concludes our look at the top 10 original movies at the UK box office in 2021. Overall the number of original movies in the top 10 high-grossers this year was disappointing compared to 2020. But the diverse range of genres on display at least shows cinemagoers are interested in watching a range of different stories when it comes to original productions. Here’s hoping 2022 will be better for original ideas at the movies.

Also Read: Top 5 Movies That Don’t Need a Sequel, Reboot or Remake

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10. Chinese Doctors ($197,143,218/£142,009,160)

Despite only seeing a major release in China, Australia, and New Zealand this tale of a group of doctors working together in Wuhan to combat Covid-19 has become an unlikely hit at the box office.

9. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It ($201,965,074/£145,472,413)

The latest instalment in the popular Conjuring franchise, based on the real-life trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, was the first main series entry not directed by James Wan. Instead, it was directed by The Curse of La Llorona’s Michael Chaves. And although not as highly regarded as the other main Conjuring movies it definitely encouraged horror fans to return to the cinema.

8. Cruella ($222,184,131/£160,035,897)

Released simultaneously on Disney+ and in theatres this origin story for everyone’s favourite dog skinning maniac managed to outperform Disney’s previous live-action reinterpretation of an animated classic, Mulan (2020). But it remains one of Disney’s lowest-performing live-action adaptations of an animated movie.

7. Free Guy ($242,943,984/£175,030,208)

Free Guy follows a videogame NPC (Non-Playable Character) called Guy as he slowly becomes self-aware and breaks out of his predetermined path. Currently, Free Guy is one of the highest-grossing original IPs of the year.

6. A Quiet Place Part II ($297,372,261/£214,243,332)

While not quite as successful as the original, A Quiet Place 2, which takes the Abbot’s into the wider world outside their home, still performed admirably after a long release delay. And is currently the year’s highest-grossing horror film.

5. Black Widow ($372,376,568/£268,328,969)

Marvel’s highest-grossing film this year follows Black Widow as she goes off-grid and confronts her dark past. But its release has been mired in controversy. The film’s star Scarlett Johansson announced she would be suing Disney (Marvel’s owners) over Black Widow’s simultaneous streaming release. This is because it allegedly breached Johansson’s contract, which said the film would be released theatrically with her salary being tied to its box office earnings.

4. Godzilla vs. Kong ($467,863,133/£337,135,156)

The fourth entry in Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse managed a higher income than its prior entry, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. And it also marked the second time the classic movie monsters have fought. The first being in 1963’s King Kong Vs Godzilla.

3. Detective Chinatown 3 ($686,257,563/£494,506,906)

Chinese cinema continues its presence in the top 10 with the Detective Chinatown series’ highest-grossing entry so far. This time detectives Tang and Qin are involved in a battle with the strongest detectives across all of Asia to solve a case in Tokyo.

2. F9: The Fast Saga ($710,873,160/£512,244,536)

F9 follows Dom and his crew as they battle against a new threat. Dom’s estranged brother. F9 is the highest-grossing Hollywood movie so far this year and the highest-grossing Hollywood film since the Pandemic started.

1. Hi, Mom ($822,009,764/£592,327,906)

So far the highest-grossing movie of 2021 is not a huge blockbuster, instead, it’s a small movie about a young woman travelling through time, who befriends her own mother and tries to give her a better life. It’s exceptional taking also makes Hi, Mom the highest-grossing film ever made by a solo female director.

This concludes our look at the highest-grossing films at the 2021 box office so far. And while the receipts for the high scorers are not as high as those of 2019 they are still higher than those of 2020 and the films are an interesting mix. With 3 foreign language films (all produced in China), 3 films not based on pre-existing material, 2 horror films and only 3 Disney/Disney affiliated movies being included. It shows that cinemagoers are looking for different film experiences to sit alongside big blockbuster releases. Let’s hope for even more diversity when the year-end list comes.

Also Read: Did High-End TV Replace The Mid-Bidget Indie Film?

The post Top 10 Highest Grossing Films At Cinemas Worldwide In 2021 (So Far) appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

10. Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (£9,400,000)

Cathy Yan’s DC Universe offering sees Harley Quinn teaming up with a group of female heroines to fight against the evil Black Mask.

Audience Thoughts: 78% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.2 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “While watching Birds of Prey, it becomes clear that comic book movies are still going to dominate the box office for many years to come. If any of those could be as much fun…then we would be over the moon.“

9. Parasite (£12,000,000)

Bong Joon Ho’s Best Picture winner sees the poor Kim family scam their way into working for the rich Park family. But do the Kim’s deserve our sympathy and what secrets are the Park’s hiding?

Audience Thoughts: 90% – Rotten Tomatoes / 8.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “It’s dark, funny, clever, surprising, and I’m sure I could use almost every adjective in my lexicon.“

8. The Gentlemen (£12,300,000)

Guy Ritchie’s latest gangster films focused on an American marijuana emperor trying to leave the business. But various factions conspire to extort him for all he’s worth.

Audience Thoughts: 84% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.9 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “It is a coarse, convoluted, comical caper that exults in the joys of genre.”

7. Jumanji: The Next Level (£16,100,000)

The gang from Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, along with new additions Danny Glover and Danny DeVito, return to Jumanji to face new challenges. 

Audience Thoughts: 87% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.7 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Jumanji’s next level is rather satisfying.“

6. Dolittle (£16,700,000)

Robert Downey Jr. leads an all-star cast as the famous doctor who can talk to animals sets out to find a cure for an ailing young Queen Victoria.

Audience Thoughts: 76% – Rotten Tomatoes / 5.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “It really is horribly inert, and every time Downey opens his mouth to say something unintelligible, the film dies a bit more.“

5. Bad Boys for Life (£17,000,000)

Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett must team up with a team of younger cops to take down the leaders of a violent drug cartel.

Audience Thoughts: 96% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.7 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Bad Boys for Life is … pure enjoyment and entertainment.“

4. Sonic the Hedgehog (£19,100,000)

Sonic and his friend Tom race to San Francisco to find the rings to transport Sonic off-world before Dr. Robotnik catches them.

Audience Thoughts: 93% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “The world contains many terrible video game movies. This isn’t one of them.”

3. Little Women (£19,400,000)

Greta Gerwig’s remake of the literary classic follows the March sisters as they experience career hardships, romance, tragedy, and triumph during and after the American Civil War.

Audience Thoughts: 92% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.9 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Though we can’t foretell whether time will be cruel or kind to Gerwig’s “Little Women,” it may just be the best film yet made by an American woman.”

2. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (£20,100,000)

The Skywalker Saga concludes. Emperor Palpatine returns to threaten the galaxy. Rey and the remnants of the resistance must find a way to stop him. While contending with the rage of Kylo Ren.

Audience Thoughts: 86% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.7 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “It doesn’t do anything new or even terribly distinctive, but maybe it didn’t have to. It just had to be good enough to stick the landing, and it does that.“

1. 1917 (£46,600,000)

Presented in a pseudo-continuous shot 1917 follows two soldiers tasked with physically delivering orders for a battalion to stand down before German forces kill them all.

Audience Thoughts: 88% – Rotten Tomatoes / 8.3 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “1917 will have you on the edge of your seat from the very first moment and will leave you breathless.“

This year’s top 10 collective taking may be comparatively low (over £188 million) but with a relatively diverse group of creative teams (including 2 solo female directors and a foreign-language film) and an interesting mix of tales (including three original properties not based on pre-existing work or part of larger franchises), 2020 is more interesting than 2019. Which was dominated by comic book adaptations, remakes, and sequels to popular franchises (mostly from Disney and their subsidiaries). Hopefully, the upcoming months will bare good tidings for UK cinemas.

Also Read: What Happens To Your Brain When Watching A Horror Film

The post Top 10 Films at the UK Box Office in 2020 (So Far) appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Filmography

Phillips broke into narrative features with 2000’s Road Trip. A sex comedy that made over $119 million dollars at the box office against a $16 million budget. He followed that up with other successes like 2003s gross-out comedy Old School. 2004s movie adaptation of Starsky & Hutch. 2010s buddy road trip film Due Date. 2016s biographical black comedy War Dogs. And The Hangover sequels, which while never earning the acclaim of the original, were still financially successful.

Comparatively, Phillips’ only unsuccessful movie is School of Scoundrels which earned $24 million against a $35 million budget. However inarguably his most successful ventures are The Hangover and Joker.

Success and Acclaim: The Hangover & Joker

The Hangover became the highest-grossing R rated comedy of all time during its release (not adjusted for inflation). While this record was later surpassed The Hangover was also celebrated by audiences and critics (Rated 7.7 on IMDb and 78% on Rotten Tomatoes).

Meanwhile, Joker has become the highest-grossing R rated movie of all time, making over $1 billion worldwide. Despite mixed critical reception (68% on Rotten Tomatoes) Joker still received great acclaim. Winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and being nominated for many Best Film and Best Director awards. Audiences also roundly embraced the film (it’s currently rated 8.6 on IMDb and is ranked 46th in the IMDb Top 250).

Both films are examples of popular film trends from their time. The Hangover owes some of its success to the popular raunchy comedies of Judd Apatow. And Joker owes a lot to the domination of comic book movies at the box office.

But both films also have something unique, ambiguity. While The Hangover was a raunchy comedy it also had a grimy presentation. This allowed people to view the film as a condemnation of the activities the characters get involved with. Thus even people unsympathetic to the characters could enjoy laughing at them. Meanwhile, Joker presented its villain as somewhat sympathetic by showcasing how many facets of American culture helped to turn him evil but also presented his actions as shocking. Meaning the film functioned as both a disturbing look inside a killer’s mind but also an exploration of the factors that turned him into one. This ambiguous presentation allows for audiences to engage with these films in different ways. And gives critics a lot to analyze. Which is likely something else that lead to their success.

Todd Phillips’ Risks

Surprisingly Warner Brothers were initially unsupportive of both films. They didn’t want to give The Hangover a $35 million budget, because of its R rating (often not as successful as PG-13 movies) and because the leads were relatively unknown at the time. And even though Joker was a sure-fire hit due to the main characters’ comic popularity, Warner Brothers still attempted to prevent the project being made by giving Phillips a relatively small budget of $55 million.

But this ended up paying off well for Phillips. Because of Warner’s reluctance to finance The Hangover Phillips gave up his directing salary to help make the film and asked for 16% of the films gross. Meaning his pay went from $6.5 million to $75 million. And Phillips took a smaller salary on Joker, again asking for a percentage of the gross. Many publications estimate he will make $100 million from it.

Conclusion

In the end, Todd Phillips knows how to get moviegoers talking and how to make a success of it. By using successful formulas his films have struck a note with audiences. And the well-constructed morally ambiguous presentation of Hangover and Joker managed to appeal to many different audiences and critics alike. And thanks to their success and the risks Phillips took to make his two best films he’s now laughing all the way to the bank. What a Joker.   

Also Read: The Unique Style of Wes Anderson

The post Road Trip to Joker: The Success of Todd Phillips appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Today we’re going to look at the 10 movies that lost the most money at the worldwide box office. We will compare their expenses with their takings, according to the-numbers.com (using Google to convert the figures into pounds), to see how much they lost (as of 28/1/20). As well as getting to know a little about the movies in question. Let’s begin.

10. The Promise (2016)

Expenses: $99,886,000 (£76,399,615)

Box office: $6,230,913 (£4,765,827)

Loss: $93,655,087 (£71,633,788)

A love story set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, prior to the Armenian Genocide, The Promise‘s main financier (Kirk Kerkorian) never intended to make a profit with the film, instead, the film attempts to simply tell a narrative of the tragedy that wasn’t influenced by the Turkish government.

9. Jupiter Ascending

Expenses: $206,582,000 (£158,007,982)

Box office: $110,744,962 (£84,705,289)

Loss: $95,837,038 (£73,302,693)

The movie about a young woman who discovers her intergalactic royal heritage and fights against evil corporations wanting to destroy earth was intended to launch a new franchise that was not directly based on pre-existing work, though the Wachowski’s drew from sources like The Odyssey and The Wizard of Oz.

8. 47 Ronin

Expenses: $189,988,000 (£145,315,761)

Box office: $93,228,679 (£71,307,643)

Loss: $96,759,321 (£74,008,118)

The Hollywood retelling of the Japanese tale of 47 masterless samurai who set out to avenge their master primarily featured a cast of Japanese actors in the starring roles. However, executives chose to give Keanu Reeves more scenes to capitalize on his star power. Unfortunately, that didn’t pay off.

7. How Do You Know?

Expenses: $140,454,000 (£107,428,784)

Box office: $35,567,289 (£27,204,285)

Loss: $104,886,711 (£80,224,499)

This ensemble, romantic comedy accrued around $50 million of its expenses from paying for its cast and directors’ salaries. Reese Witherspoon received $15 million for appearing in the film, Jack Nicholson – $12 million, Owen Wilson – $10 million, Paul Rudd – $3 million and director/writer/producer James L. Brooks earned $10 million.

6. Jack the Giant Slayer

Expenses: $228,504,000 (£174,775,420)

Box office: $123,521,590 (£94,477,724)

Loss: $104,982,410 (£80,297,696)

A contemporary reimagining of Jack & the Beanstalk, Jack the Giant Slayer had much disagreement behind the scenes regarding who the movie’s audience should be. Eventually, the movie was released with a 12 rating and was considered too dark for kids but too childish for adults. Which explains why it didn’t find a bigger audience.

5. Monster Trucks

Expenses: $149,450,000 (£114,309,538)

Box office: $39,948,907 (£30,555,645)

Loss: $109,501,093 (£83,753,893)

Paramount Pictures’ tale of a young boy who befriends a monster living inside his truck was to be originally released in May 2015 but got pushed back many times, eventually releasing in January 2017 with middling to negative reception.

4. Deepwater Horizon

Expenses: $189,348,000 (£144,826,245)

Box office: $78,201,830 (£59,814,085)

Loss: $111,146,170 (£85,012,160)

Based on the real-world oil rig explosion, unlike other movies on this list, Deepwater Horizon received good reviews from audiences and critics. Many blame the film’s marketing for its failure. Which made the film look like a heroic disaster movie and didn’t attempt to address the incident’s far-reaching consequences.

3. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Expenses: $199,580,000 (£152,652,375)

Box office: $84,928,297 (£64,958,945)

Loss: $114,651,703 (£87,693,430)

Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur adaptation at one stage in its development was pitched as the beginning of a King Arthur cinematic universe, with six films planned. Apparently, this films final script was a mash-up of several ideas from unmade King Arthur projects.

2. John Carter

Expenses: $295,824,000 (£226,266,341)

Box office: $180,857,835 (£138,332,389)

Loss: $114,966,165 (£87,933,952)

An adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom books (noted as influences for Superman and Star Wars) has been planned since the 1930s. When the film failed at the box office author Michael D. Sellers blamed it on the movie’s marketing not mentioning Mars or Edgar Rice Burroughs, therefore not alerting audiences to its source material.

1. Mars Needs Moms

Expenses: $170,166,000 (£130,154,545)

Box office: $26,754,696 (£20,463,814)

Loss: $143,411,304 (£109,690,731)

When Martians abduct a young boy’s mother he goes on a dangerous journey to get her back. This is considered the worse financial loss in history for a Disney branded film.

So ends our look at films all time 10 biggest money losers. Let’s hope the new decade doesn’t bring any financial failures as big as these movies.

Also Read: Why James Cameron’s Avatar Sequel Has Come At The Right Time

The post The Biggest Financial Film Flops appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Big Names

It’s likely you’ve heard of at least one of those three films, if not all of them. “Coco” is from the wizards at Pixar, “Darkest Hour” was based on a true story and pushed for Oscar nods, while “Peter Rabbit” is based off the children’s books that ingrained the character in British Culture.

All of these films are rated fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, so the general consensus is that they are all good films (scores range from 64% – 97%). But clever release dates may also have played a part in their success. “Peter Rabbit” was released in February, making it the only children’s film in cinemas for several weeks. This lack of competition likely helped the film’s success.

Darkest Hour, despite being released in late December, was marketed as an Oscars contender early on, especially Gary Oldman’s performance and the hair and make up effects used to transform him into Winston Churchill. Oscar buzz is a huge selling point for any film.

Meanwhile, Coco is from Pixar Animation, the studio behind classics like “Toy Story” and “Wall-E”. Pixar’s pedigree rivals the Disney Renaissance, with “Cars 2” the only weak link in its (at the time) 19 films.

Where are all the originals going?

As with most years, the top films were all part of franchises. “Avengers: Infinity War” took the top spot, with the number two spot being filled by the “Mamma Mia” sequel. The top ten also consisted of entries in the Jurassic World, Fantastic Beasts, Mission Impossible and Star Wars franchises. As well as a sequel to Mary Poppins and Spider-Man spin-off “Venom“.

Many original stories do get full theatrical releases, but often the biggest ones are feature big names attached, such as the recent “Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood“, with director Quentin Tarantino and actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt involved to draw-in audiences.

A common place to find original stories is on streaming sites, with Netflix having some of the most high profile releases, such as “Okja” or “Velvet Buzzsaw”. Streaming sites have grown in popularity and content in recent years, with content that struggles to find distribution often picked up by streaming sites, such as “The Interview” after the drama caused by the Sony email hack. Although more high-profile releases are heading to streaming sites, such as Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman”.

The Future

It’s unlikely that every film released in cinemas will be a sequel or part of a franchise. There are enough “big” original films released with the likes of Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” and Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” as examples, while streaming will only get more high profile releases.

Avatar, which was recently dethroned as the highest-grossing film of all time, is an original story (although it has spawned a franchise) so there is clearly potential for them to succeed, but perhaps a big name must always be attached in some form or another for them to make a big impact?

Also Read: Five Great Films About Filmmaking

The post Breaking Through the Box Office appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

It’s not been a bad year for the UK box office. With the total takings of 2019s top 10 highest grosser’s (at time of writing) being approximately £388,967,274 (according to Box Office Mojo and google money converter).

So today we are going to look at how the top 10 currently stands. Which movies have earned the most in the UK so far? And what have critics and audiences had to say about them?

10. The Secret Life of Pets 2 – £19,570,258

The latest offering from Illumination managed to rake in the box office, despite a rather lukewarm reception.

Audience Thoughts: 90% – Rotten tomatoes / 6.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “A sequel that feels less necessary than willed into being, but that doesn’t mean it’s not pleasantly entertaining.”

9. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – £21,219,615

While the concluding How to Train Your Dragon movie wasn’t as successful as its predecessors at the box office, it continued to impress both audiences and critics in equal measure.

Audience Thoughts: 87% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Who would have thought that DreamWorks’ “How To Train Your Dragon” would end up as one of the best film trilogies out there?”

8. Rocketman – £23,572,360

The Elton John biopic followed in the footsteps of last year’s Bohemian Rhapsody and became a smash hit across the UK.

Audience Thoughts: 88% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Rocketman is an honest, heartfelt tribute to Elton John’s music and his public image.”

7. Dumbo (2019) – £26,964,177

The first of Disney’s live-action remakes this year, left an odd taste in the mouths of cinemagoers. As despite its high takings, no one really seemed overly enthused about it.

Audience Thoughts: 51% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.4 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “The problem with this latest entry in Disney’s ever-expanding range of recycled classics isn’t that it hews too close to the studio’s original animated masterpiece, but that its many departures only muddle the original’s nursery-rhyme simplicity”

6. Spider-Man: Far From Home – £31,524,501

The most recent film in the ever dominant MCU, like many of its predecessors, deftly managed to please both audiences and critics.

Audience thoughts: 95% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.9 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “It’s not quite the home-run of Homecoming, but Far From Home isn’t far from matching it, with heaps of humour, energetic action, and the answers Endgame left you craving.”

5. Aladdin (2019) – £37,496,448

Back with Disney’s live-action remakes, unlike Dumbo, Aladdin did manage to please audiences, critics however were very mixed.

Audience Thoughts: 94% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.4 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Another lavish and largely entertaining Disney re-do, with strong turns from Massoud and Scott. But…Smith’s genie performance feels disappointingly constrained — both by overdependence on the original and some ghastly CGI.”

4. The Lion King (2019) – £37,816,339

The latest Disney remake has, in only 2 weeks, already proven to be Disney’s most successful solo developed project in the UK. It also managed to capture the love of the general public. But critics have been less kind to this effort:

Audience Thoughts:  88% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.2 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Unfolding like the world’s longest and least convincing deepfake, the new “Lion King” fatally misunderstands what once made Disney special.”

3. Captain Marvel – £42,632,688

Despite its divided reception by both audiences and critics, Captain Marvel continued to prove the power of the MCU’s marquee value.

Audience Thoughts: 55% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.0 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Captain Marvel is … a solid enough movie, but it suffers from an overbearing need for its agenda to be pushed – had it been handled with a little more care, it could have been fantastic.”

2. Toy Story 4 – £53,611,537

9 years after Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4 finally made it to cinemas. It continued the high standards set by the original Toy Story films, opening to almost unanimous praise across the board.

Audience Thoughts:  94% on Rotten Tomatoes / 8.2 – IMDb (#170 on IMDb’s top 250 films)

Critics Thoughts: “This franchise has demonstrated an impressive ability to beat the odds and reinvent itself…It’s a toy store of ideas, with new wonders in every aisle.”

1. Avengers: Endgame – £94,559,351

Lastly, we come to the highest-grossing movie of the year (and of all time). After over a decade of build-up, the MCU finally culminated with a fond farewell that pleased almost everyone.

Audience Thoughts: 91% – Rotten Tomatoes / 8.7 – IMDb (#24 0n IMDb’s top 250 films).

Critics Thoughts: “Avengers: Endgame is all that you hope it’ll be and a bag of chips. The Russo brothers hit all the right notes from start to finish, and the ending in particular is thoroughly satisfying.”

So ends the UK box office top 10 of the year so far. And with big releases like IT: Chapter 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker coming up, this year’s top 10 may even beat last year’s top 10 gross (approximately £523,006,040). We’ll just have to wait and see.

Also Read: What’s Next For Disney?

The post Top 10 UK Box Office Movies of 2019 (So Far) appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Today we are going to explore a recent study and see what conclusions they have come to about how to make a successful film. We will look at the purpose of the study, highlight their findings, their methodology and highlight examples of where their findings can be seen today and places where the study falters.

Purpose & Method

The paper we are looking at is called, The Data Science of Hollywood. This study was made to see how certain emotions can affect the types of media that people want to watch. And how production companies can customise their products to meet the preferences of audiences.

To accomplish this the authors compiled 6174 feature film scripts and charted the emotional journeys presented in each. They did this by analysing the sentences used within the script, declaring them as either emotionally negative, neutral or positive and then charting their use over the course of the script.

The movies were then grouped into one of six categories:

• Rags to Riches – A film that continually builds positive emotion

• Riches to Rags – The film is about a continual emotional decline

• Man in a hole – The film follows someone falling emotionally before rising out of it

• Icarus – The film charts an emotional rise followed by a fall

• Cinderella – This film begins building positive emotions, before declining and then rising again at the end

• Oedipus – This film begins with an emotional decline, followed by a rise and finishing with a decline

They then compared this data with various sources to see how successful these different journeys were with audiences. They looked at box office takings, IMDb audience and critic ratings, award nominations and wins and number of viewers. So, what did the researchers find?

Findings

Of the six narrative categories, the researchers found that the Man in a hole stories tended to have a higher average box office gross ($37.48 million). Cinderella was the second highest ($33.63 million on average) and Oedipus being third ($31.44 million on average).

Particularly successful examples of the man in a hole story from the past year include Black Panther and Halloween (2018). Both were among the top 25 highest grossing films of 2018 and began with the characters leading relatively normal lives before something turns their existence upside down. But they eventually fight to reclaim their happiness.

The Other Side

However, there are less successful films in this category, such as Mortal Engines. Which charted the journey of a privileged citizen as he is exiled from his city and eventually destroys its corrupt government with the help of the rebellion. It was one of the biggest box office bombs of 2018. And garnered an IMDb audience rating of 6.1 and a critical rating of 44/100. Halloween (2018) also did not perform greatly with IMDb users and critics, only garnering a 6.6 from users and 67 from critics.

On average the study found that Man in a hole films received the lowest average ratings from IMDb users and critics. IMDb Users usually rated Rags to riches stories highest. Successful examples include Avengers: Endgame, which charts the emotional rise from the low point of Infinity War, and is both the most successful film of the year and currently ranked as the 19^th best film of all time on IMDb. This shows that films associated with positive emotions tend to work well with general audiences.

Meanwhile, movies with higher critical ratings tended to be Riches to rags stories. Showing that critics favour tougher emotional journeys. Examples include Jordan Peele’s Us. Which charted the continual emotional decline of its characters and has an 81/100 rating from IMDb critics compared to a 7.1 from regular users. But still managed to gross $175,005,930.

The Studies Failings

There are however several areas where this study opens itself for criticism. Firstly, relying on IMDb ratings to gauge public opinion can cause problems as people only tend to leave feedback/reviews if they’ve had a negative experience which can slightly skew the results. And IMDb scores are usually given by a different audience than those who see the movie in theatres. Meaning that an IMDb score doesn’t necessarily measure the satisfaction of people who saw the film in cinemas and contributed to its box office.

And the oversimplification of the emotional arc categories is very confusing. For example, The Shawshank Redemption is given as an example of the rags to riches story which supposedly continually builds positive emotions, but the film still has several emotional low points throughout. Meaning that the categorisation of these films is somewhat flawed.

Successful?

From this research we can conclude that the words of William Goldman hold true, “Not one person in the motion picture field knows for a certainty what’s going to work”. A film’s success at the box office does not guarantee audience or critical satisfaction. The use of IMDb as a method for gauging public opinion is also flawed. And the categorization is oversimplified and there are continual examples that prove the study wrong on an individual basis.

But this study did raise interesting points with its research. Showing that the most successful films may not be aimed specifically at critics or general audiences. Instead, they are the ones that generate the most discussion. And the mixture of positive and negative emotional arcs ensures the box office success of the man in a hole films because they appeal to the preferences of critics and audiences.

Also Read: Spoiler Etiquette: To Spoil Or Not To Spoil…

The post The Formula For A Successful Film appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

It’s therefore interesting that according to the UK Cinema Association, UK cinema attendance in 2018 was at its highest since 1970, with 177 million admissions. This is impressive considering all the factors going against cinema in 2018, including a boiling summer and competition from the World Cup.

But why did cinema attendance decline during the 1970s? And what was it about this past year that encouraged people to return in larger numbers? Well, join me as we dive down the rabbit hole and try to find out.

1970: Starting to decline

1970 was the year the UK saw the general release of many perennial favourites, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Kes and many others. It was also the year when cinema audiences began to decline dramatically in numbers, going from 193 million admissions in 1970 to 176 million in 1971. By the end of 1980, admissions only reached 110 million.

Many blame the expansion of television and the video recorder for the decline. And with Hollywood going through major changes at the time due to several large flops, the big crowd-pleasing spectacles that had been largely used to showcase its superiority to home viewing quickly dropped off. These pictures then took a back seat in the UK, replaced by a mix of personal and experimental projects that appealed to niche audiences as well as television adaptations and sex comedies. From there, although attendance was not always in continual decline, and tentpole blockbusters returned, the audience figures never reached the numbers they once had – until 2018!

In 2018, attendance numbers rose with huge hits like Bohemian Rhapsody, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther.

2018: What has changed?

There are, of course, many factors that could have contributed to the rise in cinema attendance. Some insiders put it down to the value of the cinema experience. Going to the cinema is not just about the film anymore; it’s about the communal experience. The ability to buy food, drink, alcohol and enjoy a film with your family and friends on a large screen with luxury seating without having to spend as much as you would for a night at the opera or a football match.

The number of venues dedicated to showing films across the UK is also growing, in different geographical areas. This means that it is easier for audiences to get to cinemas, no doubt helping to encourage repeat visits.

On the other hand, the rise could be a result of Hollywood using its old hit formulas with a new approach. The big hits of 1970, M*A*S*H, Love Storyand Airport all had pre-existing fanbases, all being based on novels (some specially written to drum up interest for the movie) and stars with name recognition. Airport, starring Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin,M*A*S*H has Donald Sutherland and Love Story having Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal. Hollywood often used these tactics in the past, but these films also covered a range of genres: disaster, romance, war/comedy and demonstrated an attempt to appeal to different tastes. Airport focused on Hollywood spectacle, Love Story on personal character drama and M*A*S*H on anti-establishment humour rampant at the time. Helping to attract different audiences.

All these elements can be seen in the big hits of 2018. The genres range from musical to superhero and biopic. And all demonstrate a commitment to bringing in broad audiences through either brand recognition or having a big name attached to the project.

But these films also tackle modern issues that help them appeal to different audiences. Instead of focusing exclusively on white straight men, we now have stories about black superheroes, LGBTQ icons and women exploring their sexuality and coming to terms with their own identities. With a lot of money spent on these projects, it must be an attractive prospect for underrepresented groups to see representation on the big screen. All the aforementioned films are also rated 12a. And with cinemas being more easily accessible, it makes it easier for every member of the family to watch these diverse tales. The issues of today are being told with old school Hollywood spectacle, which seems to have struck a chord with people, regardless of their opinions on the films.

A long way to go

But despite rising attendance figures, these must be viewed within context. Comparing the populations of the times, the average person in 1970 would have visited the cinema around 3.5 times a year. In comparison, in the higher population, the average person will only visit the cinema around 2.7 times a year. This makes a difference when considering box office takings.

With the average ticket price in the 1970s being £6.83 (45p, adjusted for inflation) the total box office takings of 1970 reached £1,318,190,000. Beating 2018’s takings of £1,277,122,327 despite the higher average ticket price and higher number of cinemas.

The average viewer just does not visit the cinema enough to equal the 1970 numbers. So, if cinema is to return to the high attendances it once had, there is still a long way to go. And with the predicted continuing increase of the population, cinemas will need to do all they can to encourage visitors to return or attendance will continue to fall. This could result in cinema closures or another rise in the average ticket price.

What now?

Despite this, the high attendance figures of the past few years indicate that if cinemas continue to appeal to audiences, through showcasing big films that can be viewed by diverse audiences at affordable prices, then maybe we will reach the attendance figures of cinema’s heyday again.

The post How Cinema Attendance Hit Record Levels In 2018 appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

In this special edition, we countdown which films have been the biggest draw at the U.K Box Office so far in 2018.

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