Horror films, which are always part of Hollywood’s ecosystem, are suddenly very hot. The $5 million production of “Insidious: Chapter 2” rolled up about $41 million in domestic box office on its opening weekend of Sept 13-15 for distributor FilmDistrict. “The success of the genre has upended a release calendar that once relegated horror movies to the winter months and … [Read more...] about Horror-film Hits Enchant H’wood
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Film School Dreams Versus Job-Market Realities
I’ve always been amused—and somewhat dismayed—that film schools are so production- and history-centric in their curricula. Web pages and brochures use photos of earnest young people peering through camera lenses—often presenting lads who are reminiscent of young Spielbergs! It strikes me as more dream than reality, because production jobs that are pictured are scarce. And … [Read more...] about Film School Dreams Versus Job-Market Realities
Docu Celebrates Film Poster Guru
Movie poster creator Drew Struzan, who is famous for iconic materials ranging from “Back to the Future” to “Star Wars,” gets the star treatment in a new documentary. “Drew: The Man Behind the Poster” is receiving a limited theatrical release this summer via distributor Kino Lorber. The PG-rated movie runs 94 minutes. “While this overly group-huggy docu’s theatrical life … [Read more...] about Docu Celebrates Film Poster Guru
Critic: Political Correctness Topples Movies
While Hollywood frets that an unprecedented number of big budget films have flopped this year, an opinion article in the New York Post by Kyle Smith purports to answer why: two of the big disappointments so far injected Hollywood’s “political correctness.” The big-budget flops are Walt Disney Studios’ “The Lone Ranger” ($250 million production cost) and Sony Pictures’ “White … [Read more...] about Critic: Political Correctness Topples Movies
Panic Attack for ‘Pacific Rim’ Softness
Audience tracking surveys suggest big-budget sci-fi film “Pacific Rim” will be a box office disappointment, so distributor Warner Bros. and producing partner Legendary Pictures scramble in marketing triage. “Pacific Rim” will premiere July 12. Warner and Legendary collaborated on Superman reboot “Man of Steel,” which is a box office hit with $271 million in domestic (US … [Read more...] about Panic Attack for ‘Pacific Rim’ Softness
Brad Pitt’s ‘War Z’ Undergoes Reshoots
Hollywood has a pretty good track record of avoiding box office catastrophes with big-budget movies—meaning production budgets of $120 mil. or more--and Paramount is determined that its “World War Z” doesn’t get added to that short list. A "Hollywood Reporter" article recounts how Paramount Pictures engaged in a late revamp of its Brad Pitt apocalyptic yarn “World War Z” … [Read more...] about Brad Pitt’s ‘War Z’ Undergoes Reshoots
Advocacy Group Rips On-screen Smoking
An anti-smoking advocacy group asserts that audience impressions of characters using tobacco products doubled from 2010 to 2012 in youth-oriented films, “returning to levels of a decade ago.” That’s the upshot from Legacy, a Washington D.C.-based organization funded by tobacco companies in settlements over litigation with government agencies. The Legacy analysis multiplies … [Read more...] about Advocacy Group Rips On-screen Smoking
Confessions of a Horror Film Mogul
Horror filmmaker Eli Roth is a “brand” that he milks online and in other media. A creative force behind "Cabin Fever" and "Hostel," Roth provided a fascinating tour of the horror film genre in an interview at the Variety Film Marketing Summit last week. His big break came as director of “Cabin Fever” released in 2003, though that low-budget film that was a hit with $21 … [Read more...] about Confessions of a Horror Film Mogul
Book review: ‘Creating Blockbusters!’
A new book provides insightful analysis of the building blocks for successful Hollywood films, from script to promotion to licensed merchandise—all from point of view of marketing to the audience. “Creating Blockbusters!” by consumer researcher Gene Del Vecchio covers movies, TV programs, video games and books. Most film books lean toward arty but “Creating Blockbusters!” is … [Read more...] about Book review: ‘Creating Blockbusters!’
Conviction for Fake Vintage Movie Posters
Vintage movie posters are a big business and there are pockets of fraud for posters and lobby cards. A Georgia man who was an active collector and seller was convicted in federal court to 6 ½ years in prison for manufacturing replicas of posters from famous old movies and selling them as original. The convicted man Kerry Haggard “worked his scam by paying a New York City … [Read more...] about Conviction for Fake Vintage Movie Posters