Of everything I've posted so far the largest response has been to my speculation that Brokeback Mountain will not live up to some people's expectations that it will "break out" and become a mainstream hit. The reason for this is a post on a homosexual oriented blog which said that I "dissed" the movie. If saying that "it might be a very good movie, well written and acted" is slamming it then I guess I'm guilty.
The point of my post (which I stand by) is that this movie, while well made, lacks a true broad based appeal. It will almost certainly turn a profit for its investors, but will not be a success if we judge it by the standards which other movies are judged. It will not provide the kind of box office numbers that Jarhead or A History of Violence did. It will not even make the kind of money that gold-plated flop Doom did.
I know that there are a lot of people in the gay community who are very invested in this picture. If it becomes a "hit" it means that society has moved from tolerance to approval. That they themselves have become mainstream. Sorry this isn't the movie that's going to do it for you. It will not crash and burn the way that Ellen did after she came out, but it isn't going to be the gay answer to Lord of the Rings (box office wise).
And before anyone starts in about how many awards it has been nominated for don't go there. In an environment where Michael Moore [spit] can win an Oscar for a "documentary" who's every claim had been documented to be false awards are less than meaningless.
Less than meaningless to you? But definitely not to the actors, Hollywood, and many viewers, particularly the urban and cultural elite. Do you think it would have broken box office records for limited release films already if almost every critic and awards group weren't calling it a phenomenal film? All the buzz has translated into bigger ticket sales not just in blue America, but in red America too as the article below notes. More movies similar to it will be made not because it is doing very well at the box office, but also because of all the glory and pats on the back this movie has brought.
ReplyDelete'Brokeback' breaking all the rules
Bill Muller
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 22, 2005 12:00 AM
If the lines at the Harkins Camelview 5 in Scottsdale seemed longer than usual last weekend, it wasn't anyone's imagination.
So many people crowded in to see Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee's romance between two 1960s cowboys, the theater set a record for weekend attendance, selling about 8,000 tickets.
http://www.azcentral.com/ent/movies/articles/1222mullercol1223.html
"More movies similar to it will be made not because it is doing very well at the box office, but also because of all the glory and pats on the back this movie has brought."
ReplyDeleteA number of articles and at least one book have been written on the topic of how producers/directors will make movies that lose money in order to win awards and get pats on the back from their Hollywood peers.