Cinematic Successes - Made by Marketing? I Think Not...

I just had to share this piece of journalistic wonder with all of you:

This week, in response to Dear John ending Avatar's seven-consecutive-week number one spot, a contributor for The Wrap, one Mr. Daniel Frankel, wrote a piece entitled, "Sex Change:  The Rise of The Female-Driven Blockbuster."

As I read, I was stunned - and almost, overwhelmingly so.

But not because he offered riveting prose or flawlessly crafted structure...

I was struck by this writer's, bottom line:  "Every No. 1 film at the domestic box office not called Avatar has been a chick movie." (Something in the tone left me assuming the next sentence might read, "And in the not too distant future we might even see the day when women are allowed to vote!"  Clearly this one wasn't winning me over from the get-go.)

Mr. Frankel goes on to say that this "estrogen-fueled year at the box office...produced hits driven almost entirely by female audience members," a result, he seems to offer, of more effectively targeting the demographic.  And then he offered real estate to several (mostly male) executives, who, in support of his thesis, put forth such comments as, "Studios are catching on that you have to make the movie for someone" and (my favorite), "It's hard to wrap your head around this because it's never happened before."

(Kudos to Mr. Frankel for allowing his sources to own the most of the truly absurd comments and opinion flaunting.)

Now, don't worry, my major gripe with this offering is not going to be the writer's subtle, yet present, chauvinistic tone.  Rather, I'm interested in addressing the notion that films like Dear John, Julie and Julia, and It's Complicated have been successful because suddenly, studio executives (mostly male), after floundering for DECADES, unable to successfully reel in a female audience, have at last discovered THE KEY to the woman's psyche.  

I stand by a two-part theory that attributes no weight to marketing mumbo-jumbo.  I believe first in good writing and second in the power of a built-in audience; and the film that weds this awesome couple is likely to score the box office gold.

A good movie is a good movie and good movies will (by and large) be well received, and therefore, well attended whether they are "targeted" at men, women, or pre-pubescent tweens.  And this has been true for all of time - even P.T. (pre-Twitter).  To address this recent example, Avatar wasn't marketed well at all - in fact there was hardly a campaign of any sort (we weren't beat over the head with Valentine's Day-esqe ads, that's for certain).  

Say what you will about James Cameron's films, the man knows how to tell a good story and craft a beautifully executed film; and the success of his newest release is owed to little other than that.  People came, they saw, they liked, they told their friends, their friends came, saw, liked...and so on.

The same goes for the aforementioned "chick flicks:"  They were good stories.  Period.

THEN their success was magnified because they all had a built-in, ready-made audience who were eager to grant the movies a warm welcome.  Fans of author Nicolas Sparks and his novels were going to see Dear John; the impressive on-line following of Julia Powell's blog that inspired the film Julie and Julia eagerly awaited its release; and romantic comedy devotees, forced to bide time with empty and painful attempts at the genre (the Katherine Heigl-led Ugly Truth, anyone?) could hardly resist a Nancy Meyers' film - she just KNOWS how to build a story that's supported by the familiar formula, without feeling she needs to beat you over the head with it.  (Bless her!)

And, who doesn't know at this point about the craze that was the Twilight series before it's characters graced the big screen.

True, these predominately reflect female-based followings, but the same "phenomenon" can also be seen with those that are male-dominated.  I don't know a guy who played with Transformers as a kid who couldn't wait for the movie to come out.

But loyal following aside, each of these films wouldn't have performed quite so well if it hadn't been for...yes, you guessed it, the good story.

Granted, there's always a healthy dose of those "well-attended, but turns out they shouldn't have been" type films, often stocked with ubiquitous "names," from which audiences leave, knowing the wasted 90 minutes is time they will never get back.  Unfortunately, these occasional missteps make for a nice-looking opening, which I'm convinced is what keeps studio execs casting choices so narrow.  But don't be fooled!  In these situations, as more people come to realize they've been mislead (i.e. Katherine Heigl does not necessarily a good story indicate), ticket sales will decline and the movie, fade away. 

Are you listening studio heads?  Tell a good story and we'll pay the good bucks whether or not George Clooney's name is bigger than the title.  Spend more money on talented writers and filmmakers rather than marketing strategists and we'll be there.  

Oh, one more thing, Mr. Frankel:  Is it really any surprise that a movie, any movie eclipsed Avatar finally?  The movie's been out for WEEKS!  There are few, if any people who haven't seen it...and those that haven't were probably never going to see it in the first place, either because they were scared away by thoughts of motion sickness brought on by an "interactive" three-dimensional environment...or because they are in grad school (ahem). 

Tiny Coffee Shops; Long Days in Class; and Conan, Avatar & Miramax in the News......

Sunday was a heat wave!  Well, comparing to the “feels like” near-zero temperatures of the preceding days, Sunday was darn near balmy.  And it was a good thing, since I was venturing out of the warm comfort of regulated central air to interview Nadia Dajani.

I will say here that I am a creature of habit.  For example, if I order in, it’s always from the same Chinese restaurant and it’s always steamed chicken with broccoli, black bean sauce on the side and brown rice.  (And they know it too – it’s practically at my door before I complete my phone order).

I have my places in the city I like to go, and I rarely try a new meet-up spot, especially if the person I am meeting up with is not someone I know very well:  There are always hits and misses from bars to restaurants to coffee shops.  So, when Ms. Dajani suggested that I pick out a place in the West Village for our Sunday interview, I panicked – I don’t have a “usual spot” in the West Village.

So I literally Googled “coffee shops in the West Village,” and the often-trusty New York Magazine was the first to pop up with their “Guide to West Village Coffee Shops.”  Perfect.  I settled on the first option, Mojo, thanks to several user reviews that commented on the relative ease of finding a place to sit, and it’s easy-going atmosphere.

When I walked in at 1:15pm on Sunday afternoon (hoping I’d found the right place since the only visible sign over the door said, simply, “coffee,” with no mention of Mojo from what I could tell), I did in fact see a few available seats, but the place was so small, it was impossible to imagine conducting an interview with the neighboring patron nearly sitting on our laps.

Fortunately, a very kind customer offered his relatively spacious choice window-flanked corner table in exchange for my itty two-top (Thank you again kind sir!).  Shortly after the swap, Ms. Dajani arrived, and the interview was under way (she was just lovely and has a great story which will be posted in the coming days, so check back!)

Monday and Tuesday were filled mostly with classes, however I did receive word back from actor Frank Whaley that he is happy to chat with me and found a few moments for additional phone calls – so I’m certainly encouraged with this feeling of momentum!

And now for some News Nuggets from the past few days:

• Chairman and CEO of News Corp. (and parent of Fox) Rupert Murdoch responded to questions regarding whether or not Fox will move into negotiations to bring Conan O’Brien to the network during their Tuesday earnings call.  According to Murdoch there have been “conversations” but no real negotiations.  He added that Fox affiliate stations currently run profitable syndicated programming from 11:00-11:30, but “If the program people can show us that we could do it and be fairly confident about making a profit, we’d do it in a flash.”

• Murdoch also commented on the possibility of an Avatar sequel…but although he confirmed that both sides are interested in moving forward with the idea, Murdoch said (and I love this), “Being Jim Cameron I wouldn’t hold your breath for an early one.”

• Now that Miramax is up for grabs, it looks like the Weinstein brothers might seek to reclaim the indie studio that bears the combined names of their beloved parents (and holds the library to their stock of films made at what was unarguably the height of independent filmmaking…and of their careers to date).  The Wrap’s Sharon Waxman reported that two hedge funds approached the brothers about a team effort to buy back the studio, which the Weinsteins’ sold to Disney in 1993.  Read more about it HERE.