Summer Indie Recap:
Overall Box Office suffered significantly during the summer months of 2014. Quality over quantity was an issue as people lacked a reason to go to the movies. When the programming looked sub-par and a movie like Guardians of the Galaxy became the biggest movie of the summer as well as the year, there’s an issue with the state of movies (just my opinion since GOTG failed to wow me). What is more alarming is that quality independent movies seemed off from year’s past. There were less hits than in years past. Nothing really stood out.
We live in a different movie world when 2002’s My Big Fat Greek Summer shocked the industry with grossing $241 million. Most summer blockbusters in 2014 didn’t match that gross. Just think, today’s ticket prices are higher due to rising costs, inflation, 3D surcharges, and an upgrade for IMAX.
The major issue is movies aren’t allowed to breathe at the box office for audiences to discover them. It is a quick in and out. When a movie opens, people need to see it, especially a limited release playing in a suburban multiplex. When a limited release opens in a smaller town, the opening weekend is important. If they don’t see it by then, it is too late. Gone. I know this is festering problem. Thankfully some limited release movies found audiences and succeeded.
Chef is the kind of movie that would’ve opened to a wide release even five years ago. This is how much the movie industry has changed. With the social media theme and a big heart, a world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival was an ideal though unexpected launching point. Jon Favreau’s love letter to food and relationships was a sincere and sweet movie that appealed to older adults and potentially Latino audiences. Re-releasing on Labor Day weekend was helpful to cross $30 million domestic gross.
Richard Linklater’s Boyhood reaffirmed and possibly transformed indie cinema for the better. Riskier projects will be financed because of this success. A narrative filmed over 12 years, the momentum was built over the course of the year playing at film festivals and the best reviews of the year. The audience engagement increased with big publicity campaign from The Tonight Show, The Daily Show, The View, among many other shows. The media finally paid attention to a little movie. Premise and creativity overcame lame branding. This brought more people in to art house cinemas ready to discover a unique experience.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s last dramatic leading role was in A Most Wanted Man. The slow-burn movie had limited appeal for general audiences. However, fans of Mr. Hoffman showed up to support his last leading role which debuted at Sundance and released by Roadside Attractions which needed a boost of attention from a once emerging indie studio. For many, A Most Wanted Man was hotly anticipated and the $15 million gross is fairly robust for a smaller movie.
Weinstein’s Begin Again should have been a bigger indie cross over hit considering the lack of limited release competition during the late June to mid-July weeks as well as the feel good appeal and fun soundtrack. Two stars of TV’s The Voice should’ve drawn in audiences with additional promotional potential. The Labor Day weekend re-release to gain an additional million or two was a last minute effort to help the final gross stuck around $16 million. We will see if this can win the Best Original Song Oscar.
Oh, Woody Allen. As a follow up to Blue Jasmine, Magic in the Moonlight was a colossal let down both critically and commercially. It was an unfair comparison which met its demise lucky to make $10 million. Even To Rome with Love performed better. It looks like Woody Allen is one or two more movies away from being stuck in rut again. The talented, legendary director can do better. He will need to improve since Sony Pictures Classics has enjoyed the additional revenue.
Out of nowhere, Snowpiercer shocked the industry performing well in theaters and VOD simultaneously grossing around $5 million in each format. Usually when success happens with a movie in both formats, older adults unfamiliar with the technology go to the theater to watch the movie (as was the case with Richard Gere’s Arbitrage). Cult classic status is likely as moviegoers will discover this movie in the coming months. It is the sci-fi movie for our times.
Zach Braff proved why filmmakers need to raise money on Kickstarter with the lackluster performance of Wish I Was Here at the box office. Dumping The Signal was bad enough for Focus Features, but they had a rough summer with audiences with both movies bombing. Peaking at $3.5 million while expanding to 750 theaters was a dud. The critics killed this movie and the Braff fans pretty much showed up opening day/weekend.
The black-and-white subtitled foreign film Ida quietly grossed nearly $4 million in the box office. A commercial success for Music Box Films, expect a solid awards campaign in the coming months and appearing on a few top ten movie critics lists. Older, urban audiences potentially with a Catholic or Jewish background (a neglected segmented audience), who appreciate the humble nature of Ida made this an unexpected indie hit of the summer.
Dinesh D’Souza’s America disappointed because it failed to tap into Obama rage like his first movie did as well as how Michael Moore connects with liberals. The premise about America being a cause for good performed so-so on a July 4th release date. Even Lionsgate studio distributed the movie. They clearly saw big money making potential. The values in the movie failed to connect with the holiday people celebrate. I predicted this to be the biggest of the limited release this season and it made $14 million. Excellent for a documentary, but a letdown to have an impact.
Liongate’s Cantinflas opened with almost $4 million on 300 screens during its opening weekend reminding the industry that Latino audiences are under-served. They have a long way to go, but it is a promising start on the Labor Day weekend normally abandoned by the industry. This studio released Instructions Not Included during Labor Day weekend last year to become the highest grossing limited release movie from summer 2013.
With solid reviews, strong word-of-mouth, and a racial theme, Belle benefited as being the only movie for adults to play in theaters during the blockbuster heavy May. Also, trailers for this Fox Searchlight feature played before their Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave for months. In its own way, this was a major benefit for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel when its trailer played before the Oscar winning The Descendants which had a similar audience engaged.
The Roger Ebert documentary Life Itself wowed critics, (possibly) performed well on VOD, but didn’t connect with movie goers in theaters like it should have. Or maybe this was expected? Grossing less than a million dollars wasn’t shocking since this had a very niche audiences: die-hard cinephiles. This critically-acclaimed seemed more primed for Netflix anyway. It will gain a following when movie critics (not shockingly) highlight at the end of the year.
A24’s edgy rom-com Obvious Child broke barriers this summer with its taboo theme regarding reproductive rights. The Jenny Slate movie performed a robust, niche limited release in urban art houses. This was a decent box office despite the actual controversial “abortion theme.” The weekly, minimal box office declines were very minimal indicating excellent word of mouth from audiences. Here’s hoping it woes critics and awards voters at the end of the year.
Too many bombs. Many indie movies flat out performed poorly this summer including I Origins, Happy Christmas, Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, Life After Beth, Ping Pong Summer, among many others. All these movies had decent exposure and word of mouth at film festivals. They just never connected with audiences. Discover them on Netflix, because all these movies are worth seeing…even the ones with minor to major flaws.
