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Horror Rebounds via Surprise Blockbusters
The revival of cinema boxoffice now includes the horror genre, after being mostly missing in action during the pandemic and its aftermath. Two unheralded scare flicks — “Obsession” and “Backrooms” — just blossomed into genuine blockbusters. Focus Features distributed “Obsession,” which rolled up $169 million in domestic boxoffice (U.S. and Canada) since its May 15 premiere. A24 released “Backrooms,” which collected $149 domestically since May 29. (Star Renate Reinsve, above, gets squeezed by two walls in “Backrooms.”) “Coupled with ‘Backrooms,’…
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Culture Wars Engulf ‘Odyssey’
Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan takes a thoroughly-modern approach to casting his next movie that is based on a classic ancient Greek tale, igniting a media firestorm from influencers, movie fans…
Defining Cinema Audiences by Passions
Teen, young adult and middle-aged consumers increasingly embrace elements of popular cultural to define themselves, which prompts movie research to sometimes miss their preferences. A 37-page research analysis titled “Fandom…
Change up: Netflix Warms to Cinema
Video streamers are pumping up their theatrical slates, which is good for film supply to cinema. Amazon MGM Studios mapped out a dozen theatricals this year premiering in cinemas, in…
‘Scary’ Film Marketing Mocks ‘Michael’
The new blockbuster Michael Jackson biography movie gets zinged by another movie with the marketing messaging that the late King of Pop is “Touching Fans Everywhere.” Oh, dear! The satirical…
AI Resurrects Actor for Trailer
The late actor Val Kilmer is resurrected in a movie trailer via artificial intelligence technology, in a film marketing milestone. Kilmer, who died a year ago and is famous for…
Kids Demographic Revives Cinema
The kids demographic continues to carry cinema to prosperity. Children-oriented animated feature film “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” (image above) from Universal Pictures is the latest example, bagging a staggering…
Hard-Action Trailer Targets Fanboys
What do the professional film critics say? This audience doesn’t care. What’s the plot of the movie? It’s immaterial. Welcome to the world of the hard-action film trailers. Liongate acquired…
Online Wildfire Over Hollywood Hypocrisy
Hollywood’s glitterati are increasingly getting unwanted star treatment. Scrappy digital media eagerly acts as a megaphone spraying indiscretions like a firehose. Online media blasts alleged Hollywood’s green-climate hypocrisy as evidenced…
‘Bride’ Tagline Aims to Shock
Faced with a difficult movie to market, Warner Bros. Pictures went to the edge of good taste with key copy line “Here Comes the F*%#ing Bride!” The character salad in…