So here’s a crazy thing that happened this weekend, The Blind Side beat New Moon to become the number one movie in its third weekend of release. A movie that did not open in the number one slot rarely then climbs to number one. Just doesn’t happen.
But it happened with The Blind Side, an undermarketed and underappreciated movie before its release. It became a success in spite of minimal studio support because people are really liking it and lots of them are women and those women tell their friends and that my friends is how word of mouth works. This is a perfect example of the power of women at the box office. It might take us a little longer, but if it is good and people recommend it to us, we will make see it.
The Blind Side has now grossed $129 million domestically and looks to continue to play through the holidays. Just a little perspective, 2012 the Roland Emmerich world is ending calamity movie cost $200 million to make and is in its 4th week of release. It has grossed almost $149 million. The Blind Side cost somewhere between $29 and $35 million to make and it will probably beat the domestic gross of 2012. So tell me, what’s the better investment?
Slowly, quietly, Sandra Bullock has turned out to be the most successful box office star this year. She has two films in the top 20 and both will wind up grossing over $150 million each.
Also, New Moon is on its way to being one of the top five grossing films for the year, and worldwide it has now grossed over $570 million.
Go Sandra, go! I think she’s the new box office queen.
cool
I think you’re right to point out that more films like The Blind Side should be made, but it’s worth emphasizing that the film benefits from all kinds of marketing angles: it’s a remake of a popular book for male readers; it’s being talked up and advertised to men on NFL broadcasts; it has an incredible feelgood narrative that conforms to relatively familiar storylines (wealthy good-hearted white family adopts lost but plucky black child).
I think it will be a deeply successful film and commented (with some irony, I’ll admit) that The Blind Side is this year’s Forrest Gump. And Sandra B is a big part of it, but the film works because of its cross-gender and cross-age and even cross-party appeals.
Of course the film hits multiple quadrants, but that doesn’t account for longevity. It has to be a good film and have a star with appeal if it’s going to maintain success week after week. Beating out New Moon last week for number 1 says something very powerful about the combination of story, star and demographics. It can be done.
Sandra Bullock is this year’s Meryl Streep; clearly the number one woman at the box office for 2009. And it couldn’t happen to a classier woman. And note, Meryl and Sandra are both supposed to be at that age that makes women undesirable at the B.O. Take that Hollywood!
That’s because America loves a good underdog story! Well, the whole world does. Look at Susan Boyle.
Did you guys hear that the TV Guide Network is airing an exclusive documentary about Susan’s rise to fame?
I just read about it here:
http://www.tvguide.com/special/susan-boyle/