Summer Releases Fizzle Due to Lack of Interest

"Meh" as a facial expression, from the show that defined it.

Studios would never admit it, but movies rarely become genuine cultural events anymore. Sure, they still make truckloads of money. And yes, people are always interested in random categories like “highest grossing movie of the year” or “biggest bomb of the summer.” Some even get focused on categorical technicalities that don’t remotely matter, like which flick made more on a particular Tuesday in late September than any other in history.

But that behavior generally comes from a specific subsection of fandom that tends to miss the forest for the trees. They treat box office results like the stock market, despite having no skin in the game whatsoever, and ignore crucial factors like quality and entertainment value. Yes, Think Like A Man might’ve dethroned The Hunger Games for a couple of weeks in April, but does that mean it’s the better movie? Which one do you think people will still be watching in 20 years? (I can’t say definitively, but I’ll make an educated guess.)

That doesn’t matter to the average moviegoer. For most people, going to the theater is too expensive, too frustrating and too lackluster. It’s hard to justify spending $13 to watch another sequel, remake or reboot with crummy post-conversion 3-D. Especially when you have to put up with the idiot in front of you checking Facebook on his phone every two seconds. Or the lady behind you yelling, “Who’s that guy?! Why did he shoot that other guy?!” directly into your ear when she thinks she’s whispering.

That’s a lot to endure when you can rent the same movie for a dollar at Redbox just four months later. As a result, the decision is a no-brainer for many. I can’t count the number of times people have told me they enjoy reading my reviews (thanks!) even though they never go to the movies. Instead, they try to remember my thoughts on a flick when they’re standing at a Redbox kiosk, adding a title to their Netflix queue or flipping through their satellite channels. They enjoy watching inexpensive movies on their terms, preferably in the comfort of their own living rooms.

Taking those factors into account, it’s no surprise that a movie only rarely dominates the pop culture conversation these days. Last year there was the final Harry Potter installment, Bridesmaids and maybe The Help. So far in 2012, we’ve had The Hunger Games and The Avengers, with The Dark Knight Rises looming like a juggernaut on the horizon.

In the meantime, potential summer blockbusters like Dark Shadows, Battleship and (I’m taking a shot here) Friday's Men in Black 3 have massively underperformed. Even counterprogramming like What to Expect When You’re Expecting and The Dictator have fizzled. Why is that? I’m glad you asked…

In my expert opinion (disclaimer: not an expert), people desperately seeking originality in filmmaking will seek it out however they can. If that happens to be in a book adaptation or a flick that works as a sequel to four other movies, so be it. As long as the take on the material is fresh, entertaining, witty and emotionally involving, audiences will generally appreciate it. That’s why The Hunger Games and The Avengers resonated so much with moviegoers.

It’s also interesting to note that both those properties were effectively singular visions. The Hunger Games filmmaker Gary Ross worked directly with series author Suzanne Collins on crafting the screenplay, while The Avengers director Joss Whedon pretty much threw out a script written by Zak Penn and wrote his own from scratch.

I’m about as far from a Hollywood insider as it gets, but I’m willing to bet serious money that these flicks were signed off on by execs who understood that Ross and Whedon knew what they were doing and got out of the way. That’s why I wasn’t exactly enthusiastic when I heard Ross declined to return for Catching Fire. We’re several years out from Avengers 2, so it’s too soon to speculate whether Whedon is coming back.

Regardless, these blockbuster misfires are sending Hollywood an important message and I hope it’s one decision makers are listening to. Yes, audiences generally want bigger, better and more. But we’re not stupid; we know when we’re being treated like idiots. Everyone in the world knew Battleship was a ridiculous idea from the moment it was announced, which is why nobody bought a ticket.

Moviegoers aren’t saying stop making sequels, reboots, adaptations, etc. (Well, I’m saying that. But I know I don’t represent everyone.) They’re just saying that if you do make them, the effort you put in will be rewarded accordingly.