Box-office analysts were shocked, shocked when “Best Man Holiday’’ nearly topped “Thor’’ at this weekend’s box office with $30 million in ticket sales — just like they were surprised when another movie with a mostly black cast, “The Butler,’’ opened at No. 1 in August.
Actually, people who predict box-office figures, and the studio flacks who feed them information, regularly express astonishment when any kind of films that aren’t aimed at teenage boys do well — especially if they feature black casts and/or women.
Sandra Bullock has become one of the world’s top box-office stars, but that hasn’t stopped (mostly male) commentators from claiming it was some kind of weird aberration that crowds flocked to see her action comedy “The Heat’’ over the summer.
Just like they did a couple of years ago when “Bridesmaids’’ — with Bullock’s “Heat’’ co-star, Melissa McCarthy — broke through.
And of course, these guys have been working overtime to minimize the possibility that the huge current success of “Gravity’’ — $240 million and counting in the United States, and even more overseas — has anything whatsoever to do with it having a female protagonist (Bullock, who is regarded as if she were a rare natural phenomenon like Hurricane Sandy).
Tyler Perry is one of the most financially successful directors in Hollywood, period, but he’s regarded as a niche specialist because his hugely popular movies play mostly to black female audiences.
“12 Years a Slave’’ had barely premiered on the festival circuit in September when there were predictions that it would be shunned outside the arthouse circuit because it’s a story about African-Americans. So far, it’s taken in $25 million in limited release in North America alone, a number sure to swell when it starts getting awards and nominations.
The fact is that under-served audiences like blacks and/or women will often turn out in force to see people like themselves onscreen. They’re actually starved for this.
People who write about box-office grosses, and Hollywood studios, tend to be fixated on the massive numbers generated by superhero movies and other male-driven franchises. Never mind that this ever more fickle audience is increasingly distracted by video games and pirated online movies.
Not every movie aimed at these so-called “niche’’ audiences is as wildly successful, and it’s sadly true that sometimes lamer efforts like the urban comedy “Baggage Claim’’ can rack up better numbers ($21 million) than highly praised female-driven movies like “Enough Said’’ ($16.5 million) and “Before Midnight’’ ($8 million).
But none of these movies costs much more than the catering budgets of this summer’s mega-budgeted, male-driven megaflops like “The Lone Ranger,’’ “After Earth,’’ “White House Down’’ and “R.I.P.D.,’’ which together lost more than the gross national product of some countries.
Consider instead one of this summer’s biggest “surprise’’ successes — the little-hyped and poorly reviewed “We’re the Millers’’ starring Jennifer Aniston. Made for $37 million, it steadily racked up grosses week after week — ultimately returning $266 million in worldwide grosses.
“World War Z’’ boasts worldwide grosses twice that, but cost so much (Paramount admits to $190 million, a number that’s been met with some skepticism) that some experts wonder if it’s actually returned any profit at all so far.
Hollywood studios should stop being surprised and go where the money is.