And STILL Hollywood remains clueless as to why their profits are dropping like the proverbial lead balloon!
Full disclosure here: I am a gay, bleeding-heart, do-gooder liberal. I am not here to make fun of anyone's views, but I do think you will find my comments relevent to the discussion.
Hollywood has (almost) always pushed the envelope on social issues, but the reality is that movies are made to make money. Although I am sure they considered it a gamble, the producers would not have made Brokeback Mountain if they did not think people would want to see it. Judging by their less than $20 million budget they did not think it would have broad appeal.
Brokeback Mountain has now made $50 million in the US and $60 million total worldwide. My source is www.boxofficemojo.com. No, it is not as much as Chronicles of Narnia or King Kong. It is not a fair comparison. Those were big budget movies with huge marketing budgets.
It is not just gays going to see this movie. There just are not that many of us! It is showing in my hometown of Manhattan, Kansas. This Manhattan is not a hotbed of liberalism. I have been told, and I admit this is just anecdotal, that it is doing very well there. It is called the free market economy.
Rather than blame Hollywood, I have two other targets for your anger.
First, blame MTV. Sixteen years ago they premiered Real World. For the first time millions of teenagers met a real gay person and felt like they got to know him. Since then the Real World and other MTV shows have included gays and lesbians as part of the cast.
Was it an attempt to promote the "Homosexual Agenda?" I tend to think not. I bet they were just trying to appeal to teenagers and the teenage need to rebel against authority. The teens and 20-somethings who started watching the Real World 15 years ago are now 20 to 30 somethings.
Second, go ahead and blame me. When I was a teen I did not know anyone who was gay or lesbian. I was only aware of the swishy stereotype seen occasionally on TV. I have 11 nieces and nephews. They know me as their uncle who happens to be gay. I am the uncle who took them to Disney movies when they were little, played football with them at Thanksgiving and now talks to them about their jobs and families. They are just 11 of the millions of young people today who have a gay or lesbian uncle, aunt, brother, sister or good friend. They know us for who we are, not for a stereotype.
That is why Brokeback Mountain is being seen by more than just the gay and lesbian community.