Hey, look, y’all. I found another one! Another of those hand-wringing articles bemoaning the state of the cinema these days. “When a movie lacks a superhero or, at the very least, a well-known action franchise, it has very little chance of succeeding in the current box office climate.” That’s literally the first sentence. Then, concerning the massive failure of WEST SIDE STORY: “The adaptation of the 1957 musical (and 1961 film) opened with $12 million domestically on its way to a $24 million U.S. total and a $36 million global take, according to data from Box Office Mojo. That’s a massive flop for a film with a nearly A-list cast, brand-name director, and a $100 million budget before marketing expenses”. If you were paying attention, there, the author managed to hit a very important nail on its very important head, seemingly without realizing it. What is the salient point? Allow me to repeat it: “a $100 million budget before marketing expenses”.
Let me fix that first sentence for them. It should have read “When a BIG BUDGET movie lacks a superhero or, at the very least, a well-known action franchise, it has very little chance of succeeding in the current box office climate.” There. Now it’s factual. Because WEST SIDE STORY is considered a flop because of the size of its oversized budget much more than the number of tickets sold.
You know what genre is immune to this problem? Yes, let us say it again! HORROR! If you’re a fan of fare like WEST SIDE STORY, then yes, you should probably be a tad concerned. The theater today isn’t a friendly place for such films. (With a much smaller budget, the overblown musical would have succeeded just fine.) If you’re a Horror mark, though, you should be celebrating. The moviegoing experience today was tailor-made for big blockbusters and Horror movies!
