Movies that are not sequels, prequels, remakes, or adaptations of novels, comic books, popular toy lines, or true stories are growing ever more scarce — but some did, at least, make money this year.
Universal; Warner Bros.; Universal; Universal; 20th Century Fox
There are many encouraging effects of Sony Pictures' decision to allow theaters to screen The Interview on Dec. 25, but perhaps one of the least acknowledged is the fact that it brings the last original studio movie of 2014 to screens nationwide. It's probably a minor consideration for Sony (if one at all), but in a year in which all top 10 grossing films stateside were either sequels or based on pre-existing creative properties, the addition of any original creative work born solely from its filmmakers' imaginations is a significant one.
As Grantland contributor Mark Harris recently laid out, Hollywood's entire business model — and therefore, the moviegoing diet of the vast majority of Americans — has been overtaken with sequels, prequels, reboots, remakes, reimaginings, and adaptations. As a point of contrast, 15 years ago, six original films cracked the top 10 domestic grossers of the year. But even prestige-y, awards-y movies that largely don't bother to compete with major studio releases have also become dominated with telling pre-existing stories: Just this year, Selma, The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game, Wild, Foxcatcher, Unbroken, and Mr. Turner are all based on real people and real events (and all but Selma, Foxcatcher, and Mr. Turner were adaptations of books).
Of course, movies based on other things are often quite good — occasionally, even great — but they shouldn't be the only kind of movie. More and more, however, as far as Hollywood is concerned, they are. Original films do still get made, but they are fewer and farther between — of the top 50 grossers of the year in the U.S., just 12 of them are wholly original productions. Last year, that number was 15.
As you'll see in the list below, some of that drop could be chalked up to quality — namely, a lack of it. But as Harris noted in his essay, Hollywood's resources — both financial and creative — are finite. If the best minds and the most money are being invested in shepherding a suite of franchises scheduled through the rest of the decade, there is that much less oxygen for purely original creativity to thrive.
All box office data courtesy Box Office Mojo, and as of Sunday, Dec. 21.
Interstellar
Total domestic gross: $171,535,531
Total global gross: $635,535,531
Rank for 2014 domestic box office: 15
Let's set aside for the moment the movie's wordy portentousness, and marvel instead that co-writer/director Christopher Nolan is using his clout as arguably the most powerful filmmaker in Hollywood today (arguably!) to make an original movie with as much scope and ambition as this one. Its considerable global box office puts Interstellar ninth worldwide for the year, and makes as plain a case as possible that investing in a filmmaker's original vision can pay off handsomely.
In fact, let's invent a new thing. How about we start calling original filmmakers "human franchises" instead? Perhaps then Hollywood will pay more attention to supporting them.
Melinda Sue Gordon / Warner Bros.
Neighbors
Total domestic gross: $150,157,400
Total global gross: $268,157,400
Rank for all 2014 domestic box office: 18
Another human franchise: Seth Rogen, who was having a very good year (until this month) thanks to the runaway success of last May's very funny twentysomething college student vs. thirtysomething new parent comedy. In addition to starring in the film, Rogen produced Neighbors with his creative partner Evan Goldberg. The duo also wrote, produced, and directed last year's very funny — and quite original — apocalyptic comedy This Is the End, and they wrote, produced, and directed The Interview. What I'm saying here is that Rogen and Goldberg are arguably (arguably!) the biggest force in original comedy today, and I really, really hope the fallout from The Interview debacle doesn't diminish their commitment or ability to make original movies.
Glen Wilson / Universal
No comments:
Post a Comment