HSM3, BHC ETC
It makes me happy to see the movie industry do well, especially after the predictions just a few years ago, of its imminent death. Box office receipts remain strong for many pictures, and the studio slates are loaded with upcoming projects.
As a long-time moviegoer, fan of pop culture, and borrower-of-property-equity-for-my-clients, big box office gives me pleasure. And confidence. But what makes me choke on my 3,000 calorie tub of popcorn are the very movies that generate the most business.
High School Musical 3 opened to predictable success–$42 million last weekend, pushing Beverly Hills Chihuahua aside, along with its $78 million, 4-week take. Not to mention the fifth (!) installment of Saw, which took $30 million in Halloween receipts. And #4, Max Payne, is a videogame shot on film.
So we have the desperate-parent-bored-teenager franchises covered. But what about the thinking public? The sushi-eating-green-tea drinkers? And it’s the same thing with rentals. The Incredible Hulk is the most-rented movie in the country right now. Followed by Indiana Jones and Iron Man. And this should really scare you: Don’t Mess with the Zohan is in the Top 10, too.
So, while I should be happy we’re all going to the movies, I am instead taken aback by the low threshold we’re accommodating. This is pure escapism, all of it. Comic books and predictable pulp fiction beating thoughtful, ironic storytelling by hundreds of millions of dollars! And it’s the same with the All-Time Box Office, too.
According to IMDB, the ultimate movie repository, Titanic, Batman The Dark Night, the original Star Wars, Shrek 2 (Shrek 2!), ET, Star Wars I, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Spiderman, Star Wars III and @@#!* Lord of the Rings are your Top 10 all-time money-makers.
Wow. Get the feeling this country’s looking for salvation right now? Holding Out for a Hero? I guess there’s no room for little, emotive pictures, like last year’s The Man in the Chair, or this year’s Sundance favorite, Frozen River, two amazing little pictures that together spent about 12 hours in release.
Oh well. At least I found comfort in IMDB’s popularity poll. Moviegoers picked The Shawshank Redemption as the #1 movie of all time. Redemption indeed! But then I remembered Stephen King wrote it . . .
