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http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/columns/grove_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002237885March 29, 2006
Bigger boxoffice boosts from Globes than Oscars
By Martin A. Grove
Boxoffice boosts: As wonderful as it is for actors and directors to win Oscars, the real reason studios spend big bucks competing for Academy Awards is to win Best Picture and see that translate into a big boost at the boxoffice.
This time around, however, the Oscars' impact on ticket sales wasn't much to write home about. In fact, looking back at what happened this year indicates that the Golden Globes packed more of a boxoffice punch than the Oscars. In focusing on how Hollywood's two key awards affected the boxoffice, we see that for various reasons the Oscars didn't do much for best picture nominees "Brokeback Mountain," "Crash" and "Munich" although they did give a post-nominations lift to "Good Night, and Good Luck" and "Capote."
Much of this has to do with the best picture nominees' release patterns. "Crash" was already out of theaters and in DVD release when the Globe nominations were handed out. "Brokeback's" expansion pattern was well timed in terms of Globe nominations and wins. "Munich" hadn't opened theatrically when the Globes nominees were announced. It didn't get a best picture-drama nod, but it did get into the best director and best screenplay races. "Munich" was playing when the Globes were handed out in January, but they had no impact on its boxoffice performance. "Munich" lost in both of its categories and wasn't generating any awards season heat at the time. The release patterns for "Good Night" and "Capote," however, were both more in synch with the timetable for Oscar nominations. As a result, those films did get some help at the boxoffice from being nominated.
On the other hand, the Oscars should wind up helping "Brokeback" when it comes out on DVD April 4 via Universal Studios Home Entertainment after winning Academy Awards for best director, adapted screenplay and original score. But in terms of boxoffice clout, it was the Globes that mattered most to "Brokeback," going back to last Dec. 13 when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced its nominations. The Globe noms were perfectly positioned as they always are to give movie marketers something to use in their ads to help drive the holiday boxoffice.
The Globes are the only award besides the Oscars that really means anything to moviegoers across the country and that's because the public knows about the Globes after years of seeing them on NBC. It also helps that the Globes generate a tremendous amount of media coverage geared not only to the awards, themselves, but also to the celebrities who attend and participate in the show and the fashions they wear on the red carpet. In recent years the Globes have come to have special value as a Hollywood marketing tool. Understandably, ads with headlines trumpeting how many Globe nominations a film had received were running almost immediately after the awards were handed out. In the case of "Brokeback" the fact that it received seven Globe nominations, way more than any other film, became one of its key marketing points.
Anticipating correctly that "Brokeback" would do well with the HFPA, Focus had planned its release pattern so that its second weekend in theaters (Dec. 16-18) came right on the heels of the Globe noms. The film expanded from 5 to 69 theaters that weekend. Fueled not only by having 64 more theaters but also by being in the spotlight because of the Globes and all the media coverage the nominations generated, "Brokeback" saw its gross soar 358% over the previous weekend -- from $0.5 million to $2.5 million. That brought its cume to $3.5 million.
Focus went wider with "Brokeback" in the following weeks, making the most of those seven Globe nods throughout the holiday season. The film's third weekend was the four-day Christmas weekend (Dec. 23-26) when it widened to 217 theaters. The $2.95 million it grossed was up nearly 18%. Its fourth weekend was the four-day New Year's weekend (Dec. 30-Jan. 2) when it was playing in 269 houses. Its $4.8 million gross was up 154% and its cume had climbed to $15.1 million.
"Brokeback" got another good bump up in mid-January when it captured four Globe wins -- for best picture-drama, director, screenplay and original song. After the Globes were announced Jan. 16 there was a major expansion of "Brokeback" for the four day Martin Luther King holiday weekend (Jan. 13-16). The film went from 383 to 683 theaters while its $7 million gross rose 23%. Its cume was now an impressive $32.1 million.
Between the Globe nominations being announced just before its second weekend in theaters and the Globe wins right before its sixth weekend, "Brokeback" did quite well at the boxoffice. In fact, the Globes effect continued for another weekend. In its seventh weekend (Jan. 20-22) the film added 513 new runs, putting it in 1,196 theaters. Its $7.4 million gross was up 28% from the three-day Friday- Sunday portion of the previous holiday weekend. Its cume was now a sizable $41.7 million.
One weekend later (Jan. 27-29) "Brokeback" went even wider, adding 458 runs and going into 1,654 theaters. Its $6.5 million gross was down 12%. The film, of course, had already done a great deal of business in its original major markets and was now moving into smaller cities where it was finding good acceptance. By now, the boost it got from winning its Globes Jan. 16 was starting to evaporate. Nonetheless, its $51 million cume as of Jan. 29 reflected its Globes success and represents 62% of the $82.6 million "Brokeback" had grossed through last weekend as it was ending its theatrical run.
How did "Brokeback's" eight Oscar nominations Jan. 31 -- more than any other film received -- affect its boxoffice business? In the past, there would typically have been a post-Oscar nom boost, but that wasn't the case. The first weekend after the noms (Feb. 3-5) "Brokeback" added another 435 playdates, bringing its theater count to a very wide 2,089. But its $6 million gross slid 8% from the prior weekend despite its Oscar nods.
The next weekend (Feb. 10-12), "Brokeback's" 10th stanza in theaters, it lost 123 playdates but was still quite wide with 1,966 theaters. Its $4 million gross was down 33% from the previous weekend. In its 11th weekend (Feb. 17-20), the four day Presidents holiday weekend, "Brokeback" lost 366 more runs and was in 1,600 theaters. It grossed $3.8 million, which was down over 4% from the previous three-day weekend and was off nearly 21% on a three day to three day comparison -- $3.2 million for Feb. 17-19 versus $4 million for Feb. 10-12.
It was the same story in its 12th weekend when "Brokeback" had 1,359 runs (a drop of 241) and grossed $2.3 million, down 28% from the previous weekend. Its 13th weekend, however, was a lucky one in terms of benefiting from its Oscar noms. When the Oscars were telecast Mar. 5, "Brokeback" was playing in 1,272 theaters (87 fewer runs). Its $2.5 million gross that weekend was up nearly 8% from weekend 12, presumably reflecting last minute business from people who wanted to see all the nominees before they watched the Oscars.
Of course, to nearly everyone's surprise (including my own) "Brokeback" didn't walk off with the Best Picture Oscar. So it's really impossible to say what effect an Oscar win might have had on "Brokeback." But with Lionsgate's "Crash" taking home the big prize, "Brokeback's" next weekend (March 10-12) saw it lose 395 runs. It took in $1.2 million in 877 theaters, plunging nearly 52%.
Because "Crash" had opened last May 6 and had ended its theatrical run in early September, it was in the unusual position of receiving absolutely no boxoffice boost from either the Globes or the Oscars. "Crash" was already in DVD release last fall, well before the Globes nominations. That early DVD release, however, gave Lionsgate a tremendous advantage in being able to send out during the awards season some 130,000 DVDs of the movie to all members of SAG, the other guilds, the HFPA and the Academy without worrying about digital piracy.
That extensive mailing of DVDs, particularly to SAG members since actors make up the Academy's largest voting branch, is widely believed to have made the difference for "Crash" between winning and being a strong second choice. Because Lionsgate sent "Crash" on DVD to all SAG members, it was probably the only film that every single member of the guild saw (or, at least, was able to see). When SAG handed out its awards Jan. 29, "Crash" was honored as Best Ensemble Cast, the guild's equivalent of a best picture category.
At that point, the SAG award was the one big race that "Crash" had managed to win. "Brokeback," on the other hand, had already taken home the best picture-drama Globe, the Critics Choice Award for best picture, the Producers Guild of America award for best picture and the Directors Guild of America's award to Ang Lee as best director. "Brokeback" still had a BAFA best picture win to come. Although no one knew it then, "Crash" had a best picture Oscar in its future. Needless to say, it's not the Academy's fault that its best picture winner wasn't playing in wide theatrical release when its surprise Oscar best picture victory could have helped it.
Looking at the three other best picture Oscar nominees, here's a quick overview of how they were or weren't affected at the boxoffice by the Globes and Oscars from mid-December through early March. Sony Pictures Classics' "Capote" didn't receive a best picture-drama Globe nomination. Its only Globe nod went to Philip Seymour Hoffman as best actor in a drama. Not surprisingly, the Globes nominations didn't do anything for "Capote." Its 12th weekend (Dec. 16-18) gross of $0.3 million in 193 theaters (down 14) fell nearly 11%.
"Capote" added 218 runs the weekend (Jan. 20-22) after the Globe wins were announced. Helped by its expansion to 348 playdates and by Hoffman's Globes win, "Capote's" gross of nearly $0.9 million jumped 108%.
"Capote" benefited from SPC having timed its major expansion to follow the Oscar nominations Jan. 31, where the film did much better than it had with the HFPA. "Capote" was nominated in five prime Oscar categories -- best picture, director, actor, supporting actress and adapted screenplay. The weekend of Feb. 3-5, "Capote's" 19th weekend in theaters, saw it gross $2.3 million at 1,239 theaters (an increase of 914), up 229%. This was the kind of meaningful boost films used to enjoy if they received a best picture Oscar nomination.
Being a best picture nominee definitely helped "Capote" at the box office the weekend of March 3-5 as people opted to see it before Sunday's Oscar telecast. In its 23rd weekend in theaters "Capote" expanded to 744 runs (up 269) and grossed $1.6 million, an increase of nearly 49% over the prior weekend.
Warner Independent Pictures' "Good Night, and Good Luck" received four Globe nominations Dec. 13 -- for best picture/drama, director, actor-drama and screenplay -- but they were no help at the boxoffice. The weekend of Dec. 16-18, its 11th in theaters, "Luck" had 322 playdates (down 190) and grossed $0.3 million, off nearly 37%. When the Globes were handed out Jan. 16, "Luck" didn't win anything. It slid over 25% the next weekend (Jan. 20-22), grossing $0.2 million at 118 theaters (down 26).
As with "Capote," the Oscar noms were more meaningful than the Globes for "Luck" because WIP timed its major expansion to follow the Academy's announcement Jan. 31. "Luck" received six Oscar nominations -- best picture, director, actor, original screenplay, art direction and cinematography. With those noms and an expansion of 824 theaters, which put "Luck" in 929 theaters the weekend of Feb. 3-5, it grossed $1.5 million, an increase of 740%. On Oscar night, however, "Luck" ran out of luck and won nothing. The weekend of Mar. 10-12, its 23rd in theaters, it grossed $0.17 million with 132 playdates (down 153), a drop of about 71%.
In the case of Universal and DreamWorks' "Munich" neither the Globes nor the Oscars made any real difference at the boxoffice. "Munich" wasn't playing in theaters when it received two Globe noms Dec. 13 -- for best director and screenplay. When the Globes were handed out Jan. 16, "Munich" didn't win anything. Its $3 million gross the weekend of Jan. 20-22 in 1,437 theaters (down 61) was off nearly 40%.
"Munich" received five Oscar nominations Jan. 31 -- for best picture, director, film editing, adapted screenplay and original score -- but that had almost no impact at the boxoffice. Its gross for the weekend of Feb. 3-5, its seventh in theaters, was $1.7 million with 1,151 playdates (up 171), an increase of only 0.3%. Despite its key noms, including best picture, "Munich" enjoyed no boxoffice bump. The weekend of the Oscars (Mar. 3-5) it grossed $0.45 million at 281 theaters (down 44), a drop of over 10%. "Munich" went home empty-handed Oscar night and the following weekend (Mar. 10-12) it grossed just $0.2 million at 175 theaters (down 106), a drop of nearly 49%.
While every year's best picture nominees will vary in terms of when they opened theatrically and what their release patterns were, based on this year's experience the Globes are proving to be more important than ever at the boxoffice. What works in favor of the Globes is that their noms come right before the holiday movie season when high profile awards nominations are something to shout about. Moreover, the holiday season is the year's second biggest moviegoing period after the summer. There's a lot of new product in the marketplace between Christmas and New Year's and for the most part these are either big commercial films or smaller films from major filmmakers. In either case, those that are honored with Globe noms are able to make the most of it at the boxoffice. Of course, all those ads promoting how many Globe nominations a film has received also help increase the public's awareness of the Globes.
The Oscar noms are unfortunately handed out in a much quieter boxoffice period. By late January or early February the films that opened for the holidays have already done the bulk of their business and people aren't doing as much moviegoing as they do at Christmas and New Year's. So the calendar works against the Oscar noms impacting at the boxoffice in a big way. And by the time the Oscars are handed out in late February or early March, the public's already seen many of the films competing in key categories because they were spotlighted with Globe noms way back in December.
Looking ahead, with best picture nominees now going into DVD release only a few weeks after the Academy Awards the likelihood is that the Oscars' big impact will be on DVD sales. On the other hand, Globe nominations and wins should increasingly drive films at the theatrical boxoffice. As awards marketers become more aware of this factor it should result in increased competition for Globe nominations next year.
Filmmaker flashbacks: From Apr. 29, 1987's column: "Elaine May's 'Ishtar,' which recruited audiences saw at previews earlier this month in Toronto, New Jersey and Connecticut, is being shown to exhibitors this week, Columbia Pictures domestic distribution president James Spitz told me Monday. ... Although there's been speculation that Columbia would open 'Ishtar' on an extremely wide break, Spitz says plans call for it to open May 15 at approximately 1,050 screens. A second wave of playdates will be added June 19.
"Columbia will be setting a precedent in Los Angeles by opening 'Ishtar' day and date in Westwood at Pacific's Metro and in Century City at Cineplex Odeon's Century Plaza. ... Although Cineplex Odeon's two Century Plaza screens are the only ones now in Century City, AMC Entertainment is presently building a state-of-the-art 14 screen multiplex that opens in Century City this fall.
"Exhibition sources expect other distributors to follow Columbia's lead in the future and play day and date in Century City and Westwood. 'The density that exists between Century City and Westwood is such that theaters a block from each other could play day and date,' observes one theater executive. He points out that in the past there have been films that played successfully on a day and date basis at two of Mann Theaters' smaller screens in Westwood.
"'If you've got enough density, it's just a mater of seats,' he comments. 'There are something like 650,000 or 700,000 people in a five mile ring of Century City. ... If you're talking about 500 seats in Century City and 500 seats in Westwood, that's only 1,000 seats. There are 1,400 seats in the Village (in Westwood). It really comes down to the number of seats. If you can put them in two more convenient locations and each exhibitor is willing to pay film rental to make it worth their while, then they'll do it.'"
Update: "Ishtar" became a legendary Hollywood disaster after opening May 15, 1987, to $4.3 million at 1,139 theaters ($3,803 per theater). It went on to gross just $14.4 million domestically.
