Am I the only one to notice that the press, when talking about movies coming out to theaters, are a bunch of Debbie Downers? I mean there have been a ton of blockbuster films coming out this summer, so many that I would think it would be difficult for any movie to reach the mega-number dollar mark to be called successful. With each new movie coming out the press pops up headlines "THIS MOVIE WON'T BE SUCCESSFUL! IT WON'T MAKE BACK WHAT IT COSTS TO CREATE!"
The latest film to garner these headlines is PACIFIC RIM. The movie doesn't open until July 12 (with some sneak previews the night before hitting screens) and what is the headline on Variety? "PACIFIC RIM Looking Grim With $25 Million to $35 Million Opening". The article then goes on to talk about how much money it costs to make and how there is no way it will recoup what it cost to make. All of this...BEFORE the movie even opens.
Last week it was the same. THE LONE RANGER opened up but not to the amount they wanted it to. So the press began to talk about what a terrible flop the movie was. I saw it and liked it much more than MAN OF STEEL. It did have a few flaws (mostly making the Lone Ranger appear to be a bumbler and focusing more on Tonto) but it was a fun popcorn movie. But before it came out the press focused on how it would flop and how DESPICABLE ME 2 would do better. It did do better but that's because cartoon/family films usually do. (Side note: the next time Hollywood tries to tell folks that the viewing public WANTS more R rated movies point out the fact that the highest grossing films are either PG or G. Of course they'll ignore you but hey, they do that most of the time anyway).
So what are we, the viewing public, supposed to do when it comes to movies? I say we just go see what we like, what we want to see and screw the press. It doesn't matter if the movie doesn't make it's money back on the first weekend. Most movies never do. They make their money back on the sale of merchandise rights, overseas rights, DVD rights and more. If they make it back at the box office then good for them. But never expect that to be the norm.
The press always seems to think that being as negative as possible is the best way to be. Why have something good to say when they can attempt to topple anyone attempting to make something creative or entertaining? They want to force their opinions more so than any critic who ever wrote. It seems as if their main objective is to bring down movies.
Unless a movie is controversial and not one people want to see. While I can enjoy a movie that has artistic merits, I think the press tends to overdo in that category as well. If it's controversial they love it. If it's something most people will go see, they hate it. Take the movie that won the top prize at Cannes this year (I forget the name and don't even want to bother looking it up). When discussed in the press they noted that it was long (I think around 3 hours) and that it had one of the most revealing lesbian love scenes ever filmed that lasted something like 20 minutes on screen. And then they heaped praise on the film and talked about how wonderful it was and how it was breaking boundaries. Ever notice how a movie that forwards a political idea that Hollywood always agrees with is "breaking boundaries". And yet those movies never play anywhere but either coast, sell poorly on DVD and only get praise and attention from folks in the movie business or snooty critics. Whose minds are enlightened and changed? No ones.
So why bother listening to the press when it comes to their rants and raves about movies? I'm not talking about critics because at least most of them (myself included) watch the movies they're writing about and offer their own personal opinions of the film. That's what critics do, tell you what the movie is about and what THEY think of the film. Find a critic you most often agree with and stick with them if you want help choosing a movie. As for the press and their doomsayer mentality when it comes to movies I think I'll continue to do what I've always done. I'll ignore them.
That being said, I'm off to see PACIFIC RIM this Friday and expect to enjoy the film start to finish. Love it or hate it, I'll update this piece to let you know if they were right to proclaim the film's demise or if they were full of hot air once again.
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