Posted on 10/30/2007 8:40:06 AM PDT by Pyro7480
Bella to Anti-War Movies: Show Me the Money!
The independent pro-life film trounced Hollywood's anti-war movies in per-theater revenues, in spite of hostile mainstream media reviews.
You won’t see this fun movie fact in any mainstream media outlets, but the little pro-life movie Bella, which just opened, beat the socks off of several anti-war/anti-American movies in opening weekend per-theater revenues.
This despite the fact that Bella was panned by critics in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Variety and other mainstream outlets.(For an interesting article on how movie critics inject their politics into reviews, click here.)
Here’s the breakdown. Bella opened with a limited release, meaning it was only shown in 165 theaters, according to the Web site Boxofficemojo.com. It grossed $1,324,000 or roughly $8,024 per theater.
Compare this to the recent opening weekends for three anti-war movies: Valley of Elah, Rendition, and The Kingdom. Valley of Elah opened in 762 theaters and grossed $1,512310 or $1,984 per theatre. Rendition opened in 2,250 theaters, and grossed $4,060,012 or $1,804 per theatre. The über violent The Kingdom opened in 2,793 theatres and grossed $17,135,055 or $6,135 per theater....
Hollywood pays attention to box office numbers. Given that this little independent, pro-life movie did better than many major players, will it get an “expansion” too?
Tune in next week to find out.
(Excerpt) Read more at cultureandmediainstitute.org ...
Ping!
‘The Kingdom’ was antiwar? I remember some Freepers raving about it.
I don’t think Bella will do very well - it should go on the IFC.
I haven’t been to a movie for years and hope this one plays in my community. I’ll check the link to see if there is any info on that. It said 165, so maybe it has already played here.
Hollywood is all about money, but ideology is extremely important. If financial sacrifices on the part of the investors and shareholders must be made to protect the orthodoxy from ideological deviationism and subversion of the equalitarian and inclusive notions that Hollywood loves so dearly, then so be it. They are only benighted investors and shareholders anyway, and not the educated, insightful elite. So they deserve to lose out on higher returns on their investments.(/sarcasm)
Let’s try to keep up the momentum with this movie.
Going to see it this weekend- the first time I’ve been to the movies since “Vanilla Sky”, the worst movie I’ve ever seen. I’ve had high school students construct better plots.
because of the end of the movie
It was a terrible remake of a modest Spanish film called ‘Open Your Eyes’.
The 1st Amendment is not a suicide pact. ‘Rendition’, ‘Elah’, and all others of their ilk should be shut down, and anyone responsible for them should be arrested and tried for sedition.
Careful what you wish for.
...”but ideology is extremely important.”
Understatement of the century (just kidding).
Think of it in these terms for the Hollywood mind:
“If it gets me high or give me an orgasm, then that’s my motivation.”
In the end, it morally equated terrorists with FBI agents.
That’s exactly what would have happened if such defeatist enemy propaganda was made during WW2 or Korea. I guess only ‘Rat presidents had the authority to quash such trash.
Who decides what’s ‘defeatist’? What qualifies as defeatist? A melancholy tone? An unhappy ending? I don’t want goverment with that power.
It’s the Fall of the Hollywood Traitor movies.
The first sentence was written in the style of a Stalinist speech. Think of the diversity and depth of Hollywood political thought. The second was written in the supremely arrogant style that many ignorant Hollywood lefties adopt once they really get going blathering. Think Tom Cruise and the like.
Oh come on Vanilla Sky wasn’t all that bad. I thought the ending was hilarious TECH SUPPORT!!
Tom Cruise makes political speeches? the only he talks about publically is his Scientology bilge.
I have met a few of these types and your summary is right on the money.
You’re correct. I picked an idiot out of the wrong hat. Think Alec Baldwin.
“Hollywood is all about money, but ideology is extremely important.”
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Michael Medved (”Hollywood vs. America”) among others has shown that movie industry denizens care more about the adulation of their peers and their own prejudices than in making money for investors and shareholders. The numbers for years have been showing that “family-friendly” fare makes more at the box office than sex, violence and fashionable existential despair.
The hate-america genre is an especial money-loser but that sure doesn’t stop them.
Family films will always make more money because parents have to go to the movies with their kids. As opposed to teens or adults going by themselves. It’s stating the obvious. As for violent films not making money ‘Saw IV’ made a lot this last weekend. If you cede the marketplace to anti-social teenagers you’ll get what you (don’t) pay for.
Hmmm, how about a little thought experiment with that reviewer's smarmy little homily...
1. "...each with a child who is gay a necrophile. It watches as child and parent struggle with this issue until each realizes that it doesn't have to be an issue at all and that love will conquer all..."
2. "...each with a child who is gay a pederast. It watches as child and parent struggle with this issue until each realizes that it doesn't have to be an issue at all and that love will conquer all..."
3."...each with a child who is gay a practitioner of bestiality. It watches as child and parent struggle with this issue until each realizes that it doesn't have to be an issue at all and that love will conquer all..."
“The hate-america genre is an especial money-loser but that sure doesn’t stop them.”
The free market is not being allowed to work here, then.
Hollywood is defined by the gross financial over-compensation of those with limited talent. “Acting talent”......please. “Directorial genius”....yeah, right.
Hollywood needs some serious competition from a major league purveyor of video with a conservative orientation.
I think only an idiot would think “The Kingdom” was an anti-war movie.
There have been some rumblings about the Amerikka-hating genre really being made for the overseas market.
That’s what was being said about “Syriana.”
Every now and then someone takes time to mention the fact that Hollywood is our most successful export and worst ambassador.
Ask a Sumatran peasant why he thinks Americans are all a bunch of gun-waving, sex-crazed psycho a**holes, he’ll tell you he saw it in the movies.
Bump to your Medved reference.
It’s NOT about money; wish it were that easy!
It only was a moral equivalence if you believe violence is never justified. I think only pacifists take that position.
American movies have been a draw towards the U.S. which is generally depicted as a land of impossible privilege. That’s the impression a lot of immigrants I knew had in the late 70s/early 80s. They were surprised that money wasn’t lying around in the street.
Not quite true. You’re going strictly by the term “family” or “children’s”. It holds true for every “rating” - PG makes more in real $$$ and in ATTENDENCE (a # NEVER used by Hollywood) than R, etc.
It is also a comparison of eras. When disgusting displays were not allowed by common decency, movies were in real attendence more popular. There was some decline with TV, but a massive % decline after “the Code” was dropped and “the ratings system” was adopted - in the ‘60s.
It’s not as simple as “parents have to go with kids”. How many families and whole groups of relatives or friends go together whether they “have to” or not?
Sometimes, I loathe being correct in my assessment.
(I was going to say “I hate being right”, but I don’t want “right” to be misconstrued as conservative”...uh, maybe more info than what was needed...but uh, you get it, yes?)
Sort of like “Munich”?
Wow, I thought “Kingdom” was supposed to be quite good.
The conservative film industry is proving slow getting off the ground but the potential is gradually revealing itself.
Basically, any movie that isn’t obviously violence and sex-drenched, full of obscene language or anti-american, anti-christian, anti-western civilization can be called “conservative.”
Strange that such movies would be considered rare, even now.
Apropos Medved; he observed that the end of the hollywood code and the adoption of the rating system changed the industry often overnight. 1966 Oscar winner for Best Picture was “The Sound of Music”. For 1968 it was “Midnight Cowboy.”
The rest is history. According to Medved’s figures the number of people going to the movies regularly absolutely nose-dived soon after that.
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Not really, Hollywood is all about the 'deal' (A-list producer gets A-list director signed on to project which draws A-list talent which gets distribution). That's why we keep getting crap from them. If it were really about money we'd be getting in line to see "The Wiggles Meet High School Musical - IV".
“American movies have been a draw towards the U.S. which is generally depicted as a land of impossible privilege. That’s the impression a lot of immigrants I knew had in the late 70s/early 80s. They were surprised that money wasn’t lying around in the street.”
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Hee! Hee! Even we seem to have to find that out for ourselves with every generation that goes out into the world.
I still can’t figure out how all those struggling youngsters in the ads/sitcoms/MTV find and afford those glamorous apartments.
Especially that gargantuan Georgetown pad Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy had in “St. Elmo’s Fire.”
That’s been a long standing joke/complaint amongst some critics. A journalist, a teacher, a waitress...will live in a swank Manhattan loft.
Ideology is more important to producers and directors. They say it’s about money, but it’s not.
I don’t know the stat, but it’s long been exposed that a highly disproportionate number of R rated films are produced which consistently fail to break even. They’re made solely because sicko directors want their “vision” of whatever filth is foisted upon us.
IIRC, strict wartime censorship rules were imposed on the media up until the Korean War era, and we were actually a much freer country back then than we are today. If we are really serious about winning this war, we need to start worrying less about the "rights" of those who want to see America defeated, and more about defeating the enemy on every front, including (and especially) the propaganda front.
Not just entry-level youngsters either. Think “Desperate Housewives.”
I forget who wrote the article estimating the incomes of the characters in question then estimating the cost of the houses they were living in. Think Alfre Woodard’s piano teacher.
That impression of America long pre-dates the movies. There's a joke from about 1900 about an immigrant just stepping off the boat. As he walks away from the docks he sees a $20 gold piece lying on the ground. He starts to pick it up, then stops. "My first day in America. Why should I work?"
Why are you hijacking this thread?
If you’re using ‘Elah’ as an example of ‘defeatist propaganda’ than you can use just about anything that’s not ‘uplifting’. Ever see ‘They Were Expendable’ (1945)? The Steel Helmet (1951)? There were plenty of melancholy, ambiguous war films back then as well.
Oh yes. Quite fascist.
Actually you aren’t to far off, Cruise has a new anti-american movie coming out this week or next; with Redford. Apparently he thinks he can get back in Hollywood’s good graces by being liberal.
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