I realized today I had forgotten a very important point from the weekend's post, and I am making it a separate one to try to make sure everyone sees it.
Ms. Obst talks a lot about the obsession with a film's first weekend gross, and at one point, in a footnote, she explains why it's so important: because the distributor receives a higher cut of the receipts during the first weekend. After that the exhibitor does better. This obviously makes the marketing ten times more important than it otherwise might be and it is probably one of the biggest reasons that studios don't want to take a chance. I can't imagine why they ever wanted to make this deal, unless they are confident that they can consistently fill the first weekend by sticking to the same formulas. Obviously more good movies would be made if the studios could allow them to take some time to discover their audience, and vica verca.
1 comment:
I don't understand your objection. Doesn't this system facilitate more funds for advertising and thus boost everybody's profits in the long run and, in addition, help the public make better choices.While I'm one of those who think we need a constitutional amendment to protect us from flagrant advertising, in this case I think it may help us rise above our mass confusions and point some better directions.
Lewis Bright
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