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For years, there has been a lot of hand-wringing about the death of originalfilms.
Audiences Arent Showing Up.
I have some disagreements with the article’s thesis.
Audiencesdoshow up to original movies, but studios need to be smart about how much they spend on them.
Companion made $36.7 million on a $10 million budget.
Pig alone makes Michael Sarnoski an excellent pick.
Minecraft,Fortnite,PUBG,Stardew Valley, andOverwatchare all huge and all based on original ideas.
But way more of the best-selling games are original than, say, the highest-grossing movies.
Of thetop 100 highest-grossing movies of all-time, there are only 11 original movies.
The top-selling game on Steam right now, Schedule 1, is original.
The top movie at the box office?
Based on an original game.
So, why are original games so much better at connecting with audiences than original movies?
Well, there are several reasons and some of them aren’t replicable for movies.
How Original Movies Can Up Their Game
For one, games have variable pricing.
Minecraft, the top-selling game of all time, was never a $60 game.
Wii Sports, the third best-selling game of all time, was free with every launch Wii.
Movies have variable pricing, too, but it never tends to work out in the audience’s favor.
Movies getmoreexpensive (for IMAX, 4DX, etc.)
but unless you’re going in the middle of the day, tickets don’t get less expensive.
What would that look like?
Popcorn and candy as the microtransactions?
There are problems with this approach, too.
Success in Hollywood is measured by box office gross, not the number of tickets sold.
The best option might just be to bringallticket prices down.
Nintendo Directs, State of Plays, Xbox Developer Directs, and Summer Games Fest serve a similar purpose.
Audiences want experiences that feel fresh, yet familiar, and these events make the games familiar.
Long beforeDeath StrandingorGhost of TsushimaorElden Ringlaunched, we knew what to expect from them.
But it isn’t impossible to build something more monolithic: The Game Awards, but for film.
CinemaCon just happened in Las Vegas.
Yet unlike E3, most of what is shown at CinemaCon isn’t simultaneously shown to the public.
The Death Of The Movie Star
Studio names mean much more in gaming than in movies.
However, playersdoshow up for original ideas because studios like Naughty Dog or Supergiant are making them.
Movies used to have this and can again.
Movie stars have always been the key to getting audiences to show up for risky ideas.
Eyes Wide Shut and Vanilla Sky were successful because audiences loved Tom Cruise.
Some current stars have learned from their example and avoided superhero movies, as a result.
Not all of those movies will be huge hits.
With upcoming releases Warfare and The Materialists, A24 is going for broader appeal.
