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Topic: Are there too many "tentpoles?"

Sam D. Chavez
Film God

Posts: 2153
From: Martinez, CA USA
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 07-25-2013 03:01 PM

Exactly, but with better language skills.

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Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012

posted 07-26-2013 06:39 AM

quote: Bobby Henderson
I have provided numerous examples to prove that

You have provided one example (and it was not a good one as Silence of the Lambs was not a tent pole movie) that was a fluke. R.I.P.D or Pacific Rim would not of done any better if they were released in Jan or Feb, I guess you are too dumb to realize that. Jan-Feb are not tent pole movie release times and using Silence of the Lambs as an example was downright stupid.

A very good example of tent pole movie would be Star Trek Into Darkness, it was the 2013 tent pole for Paramount. The opening numbers were tent pole numbers and the worldwide gross were very good. I can't imagine how shit the movie would of done if it were released in mid January. Well, maybe some of the older Star Trek losers would of went to see it, but it would never of done as well as it has done without a summer release.

quote: Justin Hamaker
As you go through the list of box office hits by month (see link), there are plenty of examples of movies opening well in every month of the year. Only two months of the year don't have a record opening over $50 million (January and September), and 8 of 12 months have a record over $80 million. Plus, every month multiple openers that went on to gross well over $100 million.

In the last 10 years, yes I will agree. Movies have done better in the Jan-Feb months, but it is rare for a costly $200 million dollar production to gross back $200 million type numbers in Jan-Feb months. I don't think there has even been a movie grossing $200 million movie that was released in Jan-Feb.

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Sam D. Chavez
Film God

Posts: 2153
From: Martinez, CA USA
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 07-26-2013 09:45 AM

How about we withhold food and water and turn out the lights?

No doubt this is a troll.

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Justin Hamaker
Film God

Posts: 2253
From: Lakeport, CA USA
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 07-26-2013 01:46 PM

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't know of a rule that says a tent pole picture needs to cost over $200 million.

The fact that no $200 million picture has been release in the "off" months, is more of a reflection of the "conventional wisdom" that big budget movies need to be released in the summer and/or holiday time frames. It becomes a self fulfilling mantra. Until a studio is willing to take a chance by putting a big budget production in an "off" period, we'll continue to see no big budget productions with big grosses in these months.

But as has been said over and over and over, there is ample evidence that a good movie will draw audiences in no matter what time of the year.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-26-2013 02:02 PM

quote:
R.I.P.D or Pacific Rim would not of done any better if they were released in Jan or Feb,

Well I agree with you about that but it has nothing to do with their "tentpole" status... they didn't gross so well because they were movies that nobody cared about because....wait for it.... they weren't very good.

quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
Star Trek Into Darkness, it was the 2013 tent pole for Paramount. The opening numbers were tent pole numbers and the worldwide gross were very good. I can't imagine how shit the movie would of done if it were released in mid January.

You are obviously off your meds. That was one of the most anticipated movies of the year and it could have been released anytime at all and done just fine.

What needs to happen is, the entertainment media needs to get off its high horse and quit branding any movie that doesn't come out in "blockbuster season" as a "probable dud" just because of its release date. That would help a lot, right there.

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Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 07-26-2013 02:11 PM

Surely I can only give hints. I know, it itches in your fingers, but stop feeding! [Smile]

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Sam D. Chavez
Film God

Posts: 2153
From: Martinez, CA USA
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 07-26-2013 03:23 PM

This is like the joke about wrestling a pig in the mud.

At some point you realize they are enjoying it.

All the points have been made and good ones from Michel, Mike, Justin, Bobby et al.

It's time to close the thread.

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Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012

posted 07-26-2013 06:32 PM

quote: Justin Hamaker
But as has been said over and over and over, there is ample evidence that a good movie will draw audiences in no matter what time of the year.

I totally agree with this. There is no doubt a good movie will draw a good gross at anytime of the year. However, when you have giant $200 million movie such as Pacific Rim, you want to maximize your chances of a huge gross and the summer time has historically been the best time to release one of these pictures.

quote: Justin Hamaker
I don't know of a rule that says a tent pole picture needs to cost over $200 million

It does not, but what a tent pole has that others do not is a somewhat guaranteed audience base that will come and see the movie. And in most cases, the tent pole movie is that one movie that the studio is banking as a sure hit.

The media called Pacific Rim and R.I.P.D tentpoles, they are not really, they were released by the studios that released Man of Steel and Iron Man 3. Those were the tent poles for those studios.

Is Fast 6 a tentpole for Universal, it sure is and it grossed tentpole numbers.

Is the Lone Ranger a tentpole, not really, Lone Ranger was giant gamble that just did not work.

Was World War Z a tent pole, I would think so.

quote: Justin Hamaker
Until a studio is willing to take a chance by putting a big budget production in an "off" period, we'll continue to see no big budget productions with big grosses in these months.

I don't think we are going to see a $200 million budgeted film release in Jan of Feb. Anyone remember Cloud Atlas, it released in October with $200 million price tag and did not do anything.

Was Silence of the Lambs a tent pole? Nope, was the Hannibal, it sure was and it was released in February.

quote: Mike Blakesley
Well I agree with you about that but it has nothing to do with their "tentpole" status... they didn't gross so well because they were movies that nobody cared about because....wait for it.... they weren't very good.

Well, the original article is trying play up the release date and overcrowding as the issue and not the fact that nobody wanted to see it.

quote: Sam D. Chavez
This is like the joke about wrestling a pig in the mud.

At some point you realize they are enjoying it.

All the points have been made and good ones from Michel, Mike, Justin, Bobby et al.

It's time to close the thread.

Samuel, you are the one who is trolling. You have posted nothing important in your last few posts, in fact, I don't think you have posted anything of opinion in this thread except for attacks on me.

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Sam D. Chavez
Film God

Posts: 2153
From: Martinez, CA USA
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 07-26-2013 07:45 PM

It's interesting that others apart from me can call you out as an asshole and a troll, but it's my joke about wrestling a pig in the mud that finally gets you to come out to defend yourself.

My comments about "Silence" helped point out this thread is about more than the literal definition of Tent Pole, yet you keep at it.

Now you retort and call me a troll. What's next, "I know you are but what am I, then a scuffle in the schoolyard?

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Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012

posted 07-26-2013 08:14 PM

quote:
Until a studio is willing to take a chance by putting a big budget production in an "off" period,

I totally forgot to add this to my last post before the editing feature timed out. I would say Oz is a good example of a $200 million production being released non summer, it is not Feb but it is early March. Could it of grossed more if it were released in July or woud of gross less? Eventually something North of a $200 million will be released in Feb.

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Justin Hamaker
Film God

Posts: 2253
From: Lakeport, CA USA
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 07-26-2013 08:28 PM

quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
And in most cases, the tent pole movie is that one movie that the studio is banking as a sure hit.

This is the one key point which everyone has been making.

And tent poles do not necessarily have a built in audience. Of course this would be true if they are a sequel/prequel/spin-off, or if they are based on popular source material. But that's not always the case. I'm sure the people at Fox would consider Turbo to be a tent pole, even though it didn't have a built in audience. And Pacific Rim could hardly be counted as having a built in audience - unless you are basing it on the director who does not have a track record of huge box office success.

It's pointless to keep this argument up. You're trying to argue that studios wouldn't release a $200 million production at an off time of the year. Generally, most people agree with that. But the reason for this is based on flawed "conventional wisdom" that big budget movies can only perform during peak seasons. When it comes to what's on the screen the the audience doesn't care if it cost $50 million or $200 million. They care whether it's a compelling story they find to be interesting. And on that basis alone, you can be sure that a good movie will perform well at the box office whether it's release in January or June. Furthermore, the way it performs at the box office is independent of whether the studio views it as a tent pole, or how much it cost to make and/or market.

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Mike Frese
Master Film Handler

Posts: 465
From: Holts Summit, MO
Registered: Jun 2007

posted 07-27-2013 11:40 AM

quote:
quote:
R.I.P.D or Pacific Rim would not of done any better if they were released in Jan or Feb,
Well I agree with you about that but it has nothing to do with their "tentpole" status... they didn't gross so well because they were movies that nobody cared about because....wait for it.... they weren't very good.

Mike I believe these are two titles that we can agree on would have been fine for a non-summer/non-holiday release. (Which you and I have agreed on in the past) I am going to add Turbo to that as well. Both Turbo and Pacific Rim are movies that one would consider good based on their IMDB ratings. They did what they did to the overcrowded lineup.

If you are a parent with young kids, rank the following movies your kids want to see out of Despicable Me 2, Monsters University, & Turbo. All three came out within a month of each other.

What if you have a kid that loves the Smurfs? Where would Smurfs 2 fit in that ranking? What about Planes? That is 5 pretty big kid movies releases in 7 week span.

It has been a great summer season (defined as first week of May through now) with sales of 10% greater than last year even with these high-profile duds. Why? There are plenty of other movies that people want to see. Pretty much everyone I know with 3 screens or more are very pleased with their business.

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Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012

posted 04-29-2014 11:56 PM

Is there anyone on here excited about Godzilla? Its the one tentpole I actually want to see this year.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-30-2014 01:21 AM

The trailer looks pretty good for what it is. But all the superhero/monster/action movies look the same to me. The basic plot is: Some big thing gets loose and wrecks a bunch of stuff until it's destroyed by some ridiculously over-the-top method at the end. Seems like they all make a huge thing out of pavement getting crunched by giant footsteps, and vehicles of all kinds getting tossed through the air.

If they really want to do something different, they should put the giant rampaging beast in a location like, say, the Grand Canyon. Then they'd at least be able to do something besides smash cars and buildings.

There's not really any movies this summer that I can truly say I'm pumped to see, and that's a pretty rare thing for me.

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Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012

posted 04-30-2014 01:40 AM

Agreed, aside from Godzilla there really is nothing that interests me. I am kind of interested to see what Bryan Cranston does with the role. And from what I understand, the director has been given a huge budget for Godzilla where his last movie was budgeted at something like $800k. I am glad the movie is going to be 2hrs

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