There was once a time when I would make a point to see every Julia Roberts film that ever hit the theater. I suffered through The Mexican and even developed a soft spot for America’s Sweethearts, but recently, a strange thing happened – I missed Duplicity. I knew it was in theaters and even went as far as to look up screening times ones day, but I never actually bought a ticket.
Why the non-rush to the theater? Simply, it wasn’t getting very good online user reviews and I opted save $10 with the intention of adding it to my Netflix queue for later this year. Domestically, the film went on to make approximately $40.6 million, which is respectable for a March release, however, the $60 million production budget and Julia Roberts and Clive Owen pairing made the earnings seem less than impressive.
It used to be the case that a big name star equaled box office returns, hence the outrageous salaries a-listers have recently received for their work, but with the ever-sharing, instantaneous environment of online communities, user reviews may be weighing heavy on the blockbuster golden boys and girls. The LA Times recently took a look at this phenomenon, noting that the “heavyweights aren’t winning over audiences that they used to” and claiming that internet chatter can either “help or hinder” a film’s opening.
A little glance at this summer’s box office:
Will Ferrell’s Land of the Lost, despite an aggressive marketing campaign that went as far as to send Will Ferrell into the Swedish wilderness with Bear Grylls, has grossed an estimated $48.6 million domestically as of July 19, with a projected $100 million production budget, and received a Tomatometer rating of 28%. (The Tomatometer is a rating system from film site RottenTomatoes.com that measures the percentage of positive reviews from critics at accredited media outlets and online film societies regarding a film.)
Eddie Murphy’s Imagine That has earned $15.3 million at the box office, despite a $55 million production budget and a family-friendly PG rating. The film’s Tomatometer rating did top that of Land of the Lost, registering a lackluster 44%.
Christian Bale, box office hero thanks to his Bruce Wayne role, took on another franchise this summer with Terminator Salvation. The film grossed an estimated $123.3 million domestically, which by many accounts would be a success, but expectations were obviously higher with a $200 million production budget and pre-sold fans. The movie did perform well overseas however, raking in over $232 million, but only eked out a 32% Tomatometer rating.
Conversely, The Hangover fiercely battled this summer’s big blockbusters without a big name and, to date, has earned over $235.9 million, which is made even sweeter by the relatively tiny production budget of $35 million. The film benefited from glowing peer reviews that spread through Social Networks and Cinephile sites like wildfire, driving moviegoers to theaters for multiple viewings. Unsurprisingly, the film garnered a notable 79% Tomatometer rating.
With communities like Facebook and Twitter, the masses are able to find out nearly everything about a film prior to release, making a star’s involvement no longer the determining factor when deciding whether or not to see a film in theaters. On paper, a family comedy featuring Will Ferrell and dinosaurs generally sounds more appealing than an ensemble, Las Vegas-set, R-rated comedy, but thanks to pre-release internet buzz, conventional wisdom was turned on its head.
This summer’s box office will likely make studio heads think twice about those huge starlet paychecks, now that word of mouth is having such a significant influence on returns. Quality appears to be surpassing star power, which can only means good things for the movie going public.