The NY Times ran a page 1 story yesterday about how movies are a ray of hope in this recession. While box office might be up, I sure don’t feel that movies are doing well. In fact, for women, I think they’re doing quite badly. David Poland over at the Hot Blog compares the quarter 1 releases from this year and last year and calls the good news…bullshit. The big movies from this year — Paul Blart Mall Cop and Taken — just outpaced the big movies from last year — Cloverfield and Jumper.
Here’s Poland:
“the biggest point, to my eye, is not just the crowding, but the specific titles and the focus of distributors on hard core niche sells. The was nothing in the market last Q1 even trying to be a Paul Blart.”
Last year’s chick flicks: 27 Dresses, Definitely, Maybe and Fool’s Gold scarily look better than this year’s chick flicks Bride Wars, Confessions of a Shopaholic, New in Town and the one that’s made some money – He’s Just Not That Into You. (I actually liked Definitely, Maybe).
But while things may look ok on the surface once you dig a little deeper you can tell quite easily that the movie business is suffering and contracting. Many of the people I worked with either as clients or as publicists have lost their jobs. Development is at a standstill and because things are so precarious everyone is looking for the sure thing, and we all know that women are not a sure thing in the business.
So women will suffer more.
I already feel it looking at the crop of films on the docket this year. There are a bunch of interesting indies, but the mainstream films that will be seen across the country is pretty light. We have Julia Roberts in Duplicity; My Sister’s Keeper with Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin; Julie & Julia with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams; the Twilight Sequel; Nine (with basically every female actress) and The Lovely Bones. I also intensely watching Nia Vardalos’ My Life in Ruins and Hillary Swank in Amelia.
Screenwriter John August posted notes from a Writer’s Guild event from Script to Greenlight (H/T Filmmaker Magazine) which featured an all male panel of development executives. Here’s some points:
All panelists agree that the business is shrinking. Development slates are being cut in half. According to J.C. Spink, that means half the (400m?) dollars usually being paid out to writers and a much tougher market for selling. Studios walk away from deals much more easily than they used to.
Yes, but movies are doing well, right? Box office receipts are on the up and up.
True, but the motherships (Time Warner/GE etc.) suck out that revenue and use it to prop up other flagging sectors. So that money doesn’t go back into development or the pockets of writers.
Concept is king. Write Big Ideas, well executed.
You know what that means? More comic book movies and less women. This recession is turning into my depression. What do you think?
In Downturn, Americans Flock to the Movies (NY Times)
The Hype, The Hype, The Hype Is On Fire (The Hot Blog)
Notes on the state of the industry (JohnAugust.com)
You’re absolutely right, Melissa. I was excited to see the headline in the Times yesterday, but after reading the article, I too could see that 16% better than dismal is still pretty bad. In my family of 4, I read the reviews and decide every movie we see. Are movies made to appeal to me, or advertised to me? Rarely. But the fact is, my husband doesn’t have the time to go to a movie on his own. And my children are too young to go without me.
Women are the gatekeepers of the entertainment choices for the family. When will the studios get it?
If Mira Nair doesn’t get an Oscar nod for Best Director for AMELIA (presuming the movie will be amazing), I will EXPLODE WITH RAGE!!!!
Let’s wait and see what the movie looks like. As soon as I know something I will pass it on.
Kristi-
This is a conversation that I have everyday sometimes only with myself. I know the reason why it just makes no logical sense how this keep going on year after year.