Posted on 01/22/2015 3:27:09 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Warner Bros. domestic distribution chief Dan Fellman can't count the number of times he has called Clint Eastwood over the years to relay opening-weekend box office. But never had he phoned with news like this: American Sniper was exploding. It was Saturday morning, Jan. 17, and Fellman informed the 84-year-old filmmaker, who lives in Carmel, Calif., and doesn't use email, that Sniper looked to cross $80 million over the four-day weekend. Fellman wasn't planning on calling Eastwood again until Monday — but by late Saturday, it became clear that the $60 million-budgeted Sniper was surging to a historic $107.2 million North American launch. So he called again: "I've never seen anything like this in my career," he told Eastwood.
American Sniper's performance is a seminal event for Hollywood. Not only has the adaptation of the late Navy SEAL sharpshooter Chris Kyle's memoir energized Middle America, it also is resonating with more upscale, liberal audiences after landing six Oscar nominations, including best picture and best actor for Bradley Cooper. Sniper recorded the top opening of all time for a non-tentpole, eclipsing the $83.8 million debut of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. And heated political debate around the film (Michael Moore suggested it is pro-war and that snipers are cowards; Sarah Palin thanked Eastwood and Cooper and lashed out at "Hollywood leftists" criticizing the film) has made it the talk of cable news and social media.
Even the most cynical pundits credit Warners with orchestrating a shrewd marketing campaign that played on patriotism and heroism without alienating moviegoers less prone to flag-waving. They also applaud pairing Eastwood with Cooper. Steven Spielberg, closely aligned with the Democratic Party, originally was set to direct the movie but dropped out. Eastwood is a favorite among conservatives, particularly after his appearance at the 2012 Republican National Convention and his "empty chair" debate with an imaginary President Obama. "People trust Bradley Cooper, and the combination of him and Clint Eastwood really helped. Plus, Oscar nominations were a huge validation," says box-office analyst Phil Contrino. He and others likewise praise Warners for opening Sniper in select cities over Christmas, the traditional release for sophisticated awards fare, before expanding nationwide the day after Oscar noms were announced. Sniper did strong business in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas during its limited run, posting some of the best per-theater averages of all time.
All the while, Warners aggressively courted members of the military and veterans groups, hiring Glover Park Group, a leading Washington-based consulting firm. Most modern war films, from Green Zone to Zero Dark Thirty, have ignited potentially damaging debate about U.S. policies before their openings, but not Sniper (only with its phenomenal launch has such debate begun). "This is the first contemporary mainstream war film that really tells a personal story about soldiers. It is very unusual," says Sue Kroll, president of worldwide marketing and international distribution at Warners. Oscar winner The Hurt Locker likewise focused on the personal, but the indie film, released in June 2009, never was seen by the masses and topped out at $17 million domestic.
There are at least 22 million veterans in the U.S. and more than 1.5 million active-duty members of the armed forces. Add family members, and those numbers grow exponentially. Just before Thanksgiving, Warners and Glover Park began screening Sniper for leading veterans groups. The support was immediate, sparking glowing press within the military community. "About 2.8 million men and women have served in the post-9/11 wars, yet there is still a clear military-civilian divide in this country," says Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "But director Clint Eastwood — an Army veteran himself who used the GI Bill to go to college — got it right." The film was screened at 20 military bases, and on Dec. 19, Cooper and co-star Sienna Miller sat for a Q&A at the Fort Hamilton Army Base Theater in Brooklyn, followed by another Jan. 14 at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. "If, because of this movie, people are talking about veterans and what they've sacrificed, that's a victory," says Greg Silverman, Warners president of creative development and worldwide production, who immigrated from South Africa as a child and says he has an affinity for those serving in the U.S. military.
Many veterans live in the Southeast, Midwest and South, where Sniper did huge business, from the smallest towns — unusual for an R-rated film — to bigger cities. Bucking the normal pattern, top theaters included sites in San Antonio, Moore, Okla., Richmond, Texas, and Albuquerque, N.M. Compared with the norm, Sniper underindexed in L.A. (where it already had opened), as well as in San Francisco, Oregon and Canada. Other especially strong markets were North Carolina and San Diego, both of which have a big military presence.
A key indication that active-duty military turned out: 37 percent of ticket buyers were under age 25, an unusually high ratio for an R-rated adult drama. "It's mind-boggling the way it has played," says Fellman, adding that he received a call from Regal Entertainment president and COO Greg Dunn, whose Knoxville, Tenn.-based chain has a major presence in small towns in Middle America. "They've never seen such fantastic grosses. There are people going to see Sniper who haven't been to the movies in two or three years." Cooper, star of The Hangover films, is another draw for young people.
Many are estimating Sniper will gross $250 million or more domestically and another $125 million overseas, where the American story faces inherent challenges. Sniper already has grossed nearly $20 million in Italy, where Eastwood is beloved.
In addition to possibly boosting ratings for the Feb. 22 Oscar telecast (Sniper already has grossed more than the other best picture nominees), the film is poised to ride the controversy. "With the success of the movie and with such an emotional subject matter, everyone will have an opinion," says Kroll. "This is based on a man's life; we are not making a political statement."
January isn’t traditionally where you’d plan to release a top-grossing film. It’s the dead zone.
Regardless, it killed. Completely killed.
This, combined with the midterms, is going to raise some interesting discussions about where Hollywood is ideologically, and what effect that is having on their bottom line.
http://www.tmz.com/2015/01/22/blake-shelton-american-sniper-seth-rogen-kid-rock/
Here’s what Blake Shelton had to say.
“Even the most cynical pundits credit Warners with orchestrating a shrewd marketing campaign that played on patriotism and heroism without alienating moviegoers less prone to flag-waving.”
Correction:
“The most cynical pundits credit Warners with conspiring a shrewd marketing campaign that played on patriotism and heroism without alienating moviegoers less prone to flag-waving.”
Fact is, it’s an honest - and true! - hero story that honestly resonates with mainline & conservative American values, the kind of movie people actually want to see. The marketing didn’t “play on patriotism and heroism”, the movie IS about patriotism and heroism, doing so without propaganda levels of flag-waving.
I’m reading the book now, before seeing it. There’s nothing “orchestrated” about it, the content just lists first-person anecdotes. It’s the kind of book that would benefit greatly from a movie adaptation, as (paraphrased) “we blew the front door, there were 13 heavily armed people of mixed ethnicity inside, we all looked at each other for a moment confused, and then my team proceeded to clear the room of what were later confirmed recruited terrorists” just doesn’t carry the weight _watching_it_happen_.
-—some interesting discussions about where Hollywood is ideologically, and what effect that is having on their bottom line
And whether Congress should repeal the Hollywood Tax Cuts like Instapundit says.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/sunday-reflection-repeal-the-hollywood-tax-cuts/article/2503964
It would help Oblather punish the rich!
I think they got to see the live version.
It was a very good movie. Very fast moving. The war scenes were very realistic and graphic. But at other times, when Chris Kyle was between tours, at home with his wife and kids, there was a softer tone. Clint Eastwood did a great job directing this film.
There was no enthusiastic clapping or cheers when our soldiers got the bad guys, as some might expect. The audience was quiet and respectful. When the film was over, there were some tears and quiet sobbing. It is a very emotionally moving movie. You could hear a pin drop when the credits were rolling. The audience was somber and obviously moved by the experience as they left the theater.
I can see why the liberals hates this movie. Besides breaking box office records and whipping Selma in the numbers, it is about everything the progressive left in this country hates. Our country, our military, patriotism, family, defending America and our freedoms and liberties. It feels good to see a pro-American war movie come out of that leftist sewer of Hollywood once in a while. Selma may win the Oscar because of the lefties who vote but American Sniper will win at the box office. The American people cherish movies like this at a time when our so-called leaders are running down America every chance they get.
Break even will be about 180, so it’s probably going to make it in the first week. NICE!!
“Great moto for the troops who are so browbeaten by the highest ranking member. Thank you, Mr. Eastwood.”
Exactly, but I would replace the word “member” with the words “empty chair!” ;-D
LOL
We need patriotism in America to be brought back into our lives and
"Most" Americans will pay to see and hear it.
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