BAFTA Awards: What ‘Artist’, Dujardin, Streep … 
64th BAFTA Awards Winners: ‘The Artist’, Meryl … 
BAFTA 2012 Preview: Very British Affair Takes On … 
RECORD-BREAKING WEEKEND! 4 Films Open $20+M: ‘The … 
Remembered: Jennifer Hudson To Perform Whitney Houston … 
Live From NY, It’s Jean Dujardin On 
R.I.P. Whitney Houston 
TOLDJA! Indomina-BET Buy Sundance ‘LUV’ 
Midnight Madness For ‘Breaking Dawn’ DVD 
Saoirse Ronan Bigger Teen Action Queen 
WME Signs Writer-Director Jon Kasdan 
‘Glee’s Jane Lynch Joins Indie Film Comedy 
Universal Revives ‘Dracula Year Zero’ With … 
Jodie Foster Sending Mel Gibson Film ‘The … 
‘Roseanne’ Reunion: John Goodman To Co-Star In … 
UPDATE: Closing Arguments Conclude In Golden Globes Trial; … 
Series Adaptation Of ‘Legion’ With … 
Lionsgate Calms Investors With Talk About Charlie Sheen, … 
Ridley Scott Commits To Next Direct McCarthy’s … 
Marvel Studio’s Tim Connors Defects To Legendary As … 
UPDATE: Warner Bros Lawyers Dig In Garbage Over ‘The … 
First a dog movie is No. 1. Then a Zac Efron movie will top the box office this weekend with what my gurus tell me should be be a $40-plus million opening. This is why serious screenwriters weep. (While Peter Barsocchini laughs all the way to the bank.) Not only did High School Musical 3: Senior Year move into MovieTicket.com’s Top-20 Pre-Sale List of All-Time Tuesday night, and currently sits at No. 20. As of 12 PM ET, HSM3 accounted for 83% of tickets sold today at MovieTickets.com. Additionally, the film has made up 85% of the site’s ticket sales this week. Meanwhile at rival ticketseller Fandango.com, HSM3 is eating up 86% of all its online ticket sales. So it’ll be interesting to see how HSM2‘s huge Disney Channel ratings translates into HSM3‘s theatrical ticket sales. After all, no one can recall a TV movie (as opposed to TV series) that has been made into a theatrical motion picture sequel. One for the record books.
If HSM3 is merely lumped into the musical genre category, then it has to be compared against the under-$30M North American opening weekend grosses of Mamma Mia and Hairspray which went after predominantly younger and female audiences. But, get this: Disney thinks there could “a very tough competitive weekend ahead” because of Lionsgate’s Saw V which also has a built-in fan base that consistently opens that revolting franchise in the $30sM.
Somebody’s smokin’ something on Dopey Drive… Different genres, different audiences, no overlap. Female teens and over-18s who are the audience for musicals as well as horror flicks are increasingly demonstrating that they’re repelled by the content of hardcore gorefests which are no longer suitable for Date Night, especially if they contain torture porn. That’s one reason why pics like Saw V are quickly becoming a thing of the past in favor of Soft R and PG-13.
Meanwhile, it’s incredible how the fabled Walt Disney PR machine, which used to be so formidable, has completely collapsed. It used to be that Disney would have at the ready all sorts of advance business info about their upcoming films, down to the smallest detail about marketing and psychographics. Now it’s like pulling teeth. I know it only seems as if Disney is making 6 pics a year when it’s really 12 to 13. But has Bob Iger slashed his publicity and marketing departments to the bone? Or is Disney’s infamous penchant for secrecy interfering with its ability to sell effectively?
Loading ...
Oh Lord… the apocalypse is upon us.
At least it has no chance in hell in outgrossing “The Dark Knight”, which is actually, you know, a good movie. The Disney made-for-TV movies were horrible.
The movie just came out here in England, and after seeing it tonight, I can say that it’s actually quite good. I’m not sure what kinds of movies the “serious” screenwriters you talk about would choose to write at this moment, but High School Musical is exactly the type of fun, escapist fare that historically has done well during tense economic times. Remember Busby Berkeley? Truly “serious” work.
Have you lost your mind? Every movie has to be an epic drama written by an award winning scribe? I tend to agree with you on a lot of issues but if you really think it’s a bad thing for the industry to have successful films geared towards kids, families and teens you’ve lost it. Any movie that gets people to plunk down hard earned $$ at the box office especially in tough economic times is good for everyone in the industry – I dare say including yourself!
Gimme a friggin break!
Nikki, I’m a huge fan, but as you sometimes do, you’ve once again snarked an undeserved party. Peter Barsocchini, who wrote the HSM movies, deserves a ton of respect for writing this hugely successful franchise. As a fellow writer, I’d kill to be in his shoes, and I don’t for one second think the fact that it’s a kids-oriented series diminishes his tremendous accomplishment. I don’t hear you bagging on screenwriters who write huge comic book movies (and you shouldn’t), so why this?
AMPTP? Evil. Writer of HSM3? Awesome. There is middle ground on the spectrum.
I think the whole thing is pretty interesting, actually. You have a television movie and its sequel give birth to a threequel on the big screen, which is kind of like…reverse evolution in this industry.
I’m just glad they didn’t go with the original concept of the Haunted High School Musical…holiday theming would have narrowed the appeal way too much, I think. Still, it’s weird that they’re bringing a graduation movie out while the new school year is still relatively young…seems like it would have made more sense to do some grad tie-ins around beginning of summer.
I think you can read this two ways:
1. Eleven-year old girls control the Universe.
2. Audiences are so hungry for simple escapism that they’re willing to watch craptastic calorie-free musicals. Seriously, when the stock market’s down 500 points, who wants doom and gloom?
where is harry potter
Half those HSM3 ticket sales are going to be bought by teens who are sneaking into SAW V.
Silly jk rowling, you know where he is… Warners moved his sixth movie to next July after the humongous success of “Dark Knight” encouraged them that they didn’t need any more money for 2008.
After the fiasco where “Speed Racer” and “Body of Lies” tanked, you’d figure that Warners is regretting that decision even after being publicly flogged by die-hard fans for the July move.
I’m not against musicals, but I suppose this movie makes up for the underperforming “Prince Caspian” Disney stupidly moved to May alongside IM and Indy 4. But I just do not like Zac Efron (or his on-screen/off-screen girlfriend either)… period.
Nikki — two things.
One, Disney’s PR has collapsed because they know in a recession the amount of money parents will spend to keep 11 year old girls happy and see this movie is pretty limited.
Two, this movie will likely not very well, compared to past iterations, because of the recession.
It’s a recession. People want value for their money.
Serious Hollywood Screenwriter circa 2008=contradiction in terms.
this should put to rest any questions about how big an opening ‘twilight’ will have…
Now if only Zac Efron was getting dismembered in Saw 5…
Nikki, we know you hate the horror genre but do you have to harp on it and get histrionic about it every chance you get?
We get it. Jesus.
Considering how much you’re bitching and moaning about it, I’ll laugh if it opens huge. Almost as funny as last year when you were bitching about “revolting” horror yet Saw 4 was being advertized on this very website. LMAO!
I saw a scene from HM3 on DWTS last night and it looked like shit (terrible choreography which is ironic considering it’s directed by a choreographer, terrible lipsynching) but the audience will go to it because audiences want escape from their boring fucked up lives and so they’ll see this or that damn Jamie Lee Curtis dog movie. Few people think Sophie’s Choice is a good time.
This is the kind of film that Disney has always done better than anyone else, aimed at an audience that is primed, and sold by a well-tuned distribution machine that could get 90/10 vs 50 in its sleep. And it’s not just teenage girls who want to see Zac Efron in a musical. Hello? HSM is as gay as the front row of a Cher concert.
Comment by Matt C — October 22, 2008 @ 2:45 pm
Matt, I like you but for you to put HMS3 in the same sentence with Dark Knight is a disgrace to what we call quality entertainment.
HMS3 is for those no-brainers and younglings. DK is not for them. Disney version of quality entertainment are those involving the following;
1) Dog/talking animal/puke galore
2) Mean Hero acting with kids
3) Riding on Pixar animations
4) Nicholas Cage
5) Cutesy Princess in trouble with a Prince to save the day
BV is no WB nor DSKG.
By the way, wouldn’t it be great if eleven year old girls controlled the universe? We could all ride to work on unicorns. That would be great.
“One, Disney’s PR has collapsed because they know in a recession the amount of money parents will spend to keep 11 year old girls happy and see this movie is pretty limited.”
You don’t have kids do you? My girls have been eagerly awaiting this film for months now, all but counting down the days until it opens. They’ve got a whole playdate/movie/sleepover event planned – and you know what? I think it’s kinda cool that they show so much passion for a movie. Reminds me of, well, me when Star Wars first came out.
It’s simple.
1. Tent pole franchises like “Star Trek” and “Sex and the City” and “Batman” and “will there be a ‘Sopranos’ movie?”
It’s official. Movies are the new series television. Governed by the same principles but on a much more dramatically staggered methodology of distribution so as not to dilute the franchise the way an old-style full season TV series runs out of steam.
2. Appointment television of quality like the old HBO and “Mad Men?”
Short season series television are the new movies. They can end elegantly without wearing out their welcome. Then refresh as movie franchises reconnecting with their old audiences who still miss them because they were of high quality and they didn’t wear out their welcome.
In one form or another the old cliffhanger serials are back – this time with big budgets, massive ad campaigns, and blockbuster lengths and status.
The ongoing transference between the two media is a permanent Hollywood business reality.
Audiences increasingly, probably permanently, do not discern between the two media.
Two hours of your time – is two hours of your time. That’s the way it is.
The few full season network shows that actually stick – are the ones that probably have the most potential to become a movie franchise which, I would imagine, will increasingly become a defining charasteristic of how they get pitched; and factor into why they get bought.
“Desperate Housewives;” “CSI;” “Law and Order,” etc. All future movie franchises begging to happen eventually. And perhaps probably will sooner or later depending on ultimate perceived demand.
It’s the potential for recognizable “branding” that motors the Hollywood economy, such as it is, these days. Hence “HSM3.”
No different than a pair of jeans in terms of marketing a logo.
And yet another reason why REAL “independent” filmmaking has all but evaporated.
James Schamus. I’m talking to you you bad machine.
Comment by Matt C — October 22, 2008 @ 4:30 pm:
“Silly jk rowling, you know where he is… Warners moved his sixth movie to next July after the humongous success of ‘Dark Knight’ encouraged them that they didn’t need any more money for 2008.”
Apparently, the real news from Matt C is that J.K. Rowling had a sex change.
I’m just perplexed that they didn’t film two of these back-to-back.
this is the same generation that thinks “No Country for Old Men” sucks while cheering on for HSM and Twilight.
dear fucking lord, what’s happening to us?
Who wants serious and depressing. If I want that I’ll watch the fraking news. People need to have something fun to see and while HSM’s are not my cup of tea its nice to see a movie company making films for families. I want escapism and adventure not another depressing piece of liberal nonsense that spits on America.
This success was obvious to me when my gf bought a flight across the country to see this movie with her sister, and they are both in their early 20′s. This movie doesn’t just appeal to young Hannah Montana fans.
*A movie like the Dark knight was a very rare jewel, as there are very few films that are well made and correlate with big box office returns.
Ugly Punk Gurl –
Some of us pulled the whiney stick out of our bums, I guess? What’s the problem? Have big dreary pictures like that ever been widely beloved,anyway?
Especially in times like these…I’d much rather be waiting on line for advance Jonas Brothers 3-D Movie tickets to go on sale than bother with the average Oscar Contender(TM)…blech and yawn – and I say this as a cinemaphile.
As upsetting as it obviously is for whatever asinine reason people choose to come up with for being angry that alot of adults, teenagers, children, and parents are going to see this film, the fact remains it’s already a stellar success just based on preweekend ticket sales and it’s going to be much bigger before the weekend is over. Face it. You are witnessing the birth of one of the top ten movies in revenue for the year. Light hearted fun family films never harm anyone but kill thrill movies create a world of fear, depression, and paranoia. If you want to be miserable choose another film and avoid all the kids decked out in the red and white of East High. They are coming to a theater near you by the bus load.