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Open Letter to the Admins; Box Office
Topic Started: Oct 9 2004, 05:58 AM (349 Views)
mc48
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Hey,

Regarding the box office numbers, I don't see how a real life weekend consisting of a $47 million and a $22 million opening can yield $18 million and $16 million openings for the two HTG films.

If you calculated the scores with the eight other short films, I guess I could see that happening but I don't see how that's fair.

Sureshot and I chose this weekend assuming we'd be getting higher-than-normal BO numbers with Shark Tale and Ladder 49 and, therefore, were willing to take the consequences of opening against one other film.

However, as it stands, we opened against NINE other films, eight more than we anticipated.

While we understood that the short scripts were going to be in theaters, we were under the assumption that they would NOT be earning box office money and, therefore, would not affect the box-office grosses.

Now, if you intended for the short scripts to factor into the box-office so that the the two full-length films don't get crazy numbers, I can understand the reason behind that. However, the first weekend obviously being the most crucial weekend, I still don't think its fair to make the two films open against eight other OPENING movies, thus unjustly penalizing the two films for having the balls to open first and for being ready on time.

I think it would be fairer for both films involved to open against the eight other films, but with the eight films using second-weekend box-office formula instead of the opening weekend formula (i.e. assume the short films were in their second weekend of release).

Doing this would not penalize the two films for opening on the first weekend, while assuring that they don't get crazy returns.

I know that I'm a lowly producer and that I can't really do anything about it except to kindly ask you to reconsider and recalculate the box-office numbers to better compensate the two films involved.

I'm sure Dom would agree with me here too.

Thanks for your time,
mc48
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Sureshot
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I agree with the above statement. If BS and I had known the short scripts took a slice of the BO we would never had released this week. My gripe isn't that they factored in the BO it's that this wasn't mentioned in the rules of the short script contest, and that the studios releasing weren't notified. The short scripts cost producers nothing to make, but Dom and UFI have to struggle to make a profit in what we both projected would have been a very lucrative weekend.

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PJFlip
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The Short Scripts did very little to the Box Office. Last weeks real BO wasn't that great, only about a $121mill total. On a normal week you would be up against 19 other films in HTG once it gets going, all taking a piece of the $121 or whatever that weeks real BO is. This week you only had 10 films in the theater, 1/2 of normal. Plus people need to vote more only 10 people voted total. Also Shades of god had a really low Talent Score, its lead only had a .5 rating.

Hollywood
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Sureshot
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None of that excuses the fact that the studios weren't notified. As we mentioned before, we wouldn't have released. Now, the short film entries were already given $20m in prize money. Do you think it's fair that two studios spend over $50m to fund their films, when in the same week 8 others open with no budget and a chance to make as much money. If you're going to change the rules of a competition please notify us in the future.

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mc48
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PJFlip,Oct 9 2004
09:02 PM
The Short Scripts did very little to the Box Office.


Opening against 9 films is way different than going up against 19 second-week-or-more films.

For example:

Assuming second-week films earn 60% of their opening gross and that the short scripts were considered second-week films:

Film: Gross in Millions

Todd Cricket: 7.68
Quickie: 7.56
Six Rolls: 7.14
HTF: 6.78
Night Tale: 6.24
Tube: 6.12
CBK: 5.22
The Drink: 4.92
Total: 51.66

Leaving: 69.34

Divided Into the Two Opening Films at Current Ratio:

Giver: 36.8
SoG: 32.6


A HUGE difference to the 18.5 and 16.4 million grossed at the current box-office.

Even if the short films films retained a more-than-generous 75% of the opening-weekend box-office gross:

Giver: 29.91
SoG: 26.5

Todd Cricket: 9.60
Quickie: 9.45
Six Rolls: 8.93
HTF: 8.48
Night Tale: 7.80
Tube: 7.65
CBK: 6.53
The Drink: 6.15

Again, a HUGE difference.

PJFlip,Oct 9 2004
09:02 PM
Also Shades of god had a really low Talent Score, its lead only had a .5 rating.


Nobody is arguing that.

What I'm getting at is that studios and producers of both films were unknowingly forced to open against 8 more OPENING (as opposed to currently-playing) films than anticipated and then penalized several millions of BO money as a consquence.
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mc48
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I think this is a great way to kick off the HTG Court House, don't you? ;)
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DominatinMvp
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I gotta agree with MC48 and Sureshot. Although I'm glad my film has opened number one, it is not to the numbers we were suspecting. The weekend that Shark Tale and Ladder 49 opened too spawned big numbers. I think mc48's suggestion that the short films start off with 2nd week numbers is good and should be worked in. I also assumed that the short films would be working under "arthouse"-type earnings.
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PJFlip
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Quote:
 
Now, the short film entries were already given $20m in prize money. Do you think it's fair that two studios spend over $50m to fund their films, when in the same week 8 others open with no budget and a chance to make as much money.


None of the Shorts are getting there Box Office. They are just there to fill the theaters.



Here is how the original BO came out in the formula. Most of the short scripts have values already that would be what the giver & shades would have in their 2nd weeks

The Giver 15.30% - 18,526,687
Shades 13.58% - 16,440,667
Quickie 10.36% - 12,551,477
Time Flies 9.34% - 11,314,007
Coke Bott 7.15% 8,662,287
Night Tale 8.61% - 10,430,100
Six Rolls 9.85% - 11,932,742
Drink 6.82% 8,255,690
Todd 10.58% - 12,816,649
Tube 8.39% - 10,164,928
11 0.00% 0
12 0.00% 0
13 0.00% 0
14 0.00% 0
15 0.00% 0
16 0.00% 0
17 0.00% 0
18 0.00% 0
19 0.00% 0
20 0.00% 0
Total 100.00%



Even if i change it giving values of 3 week & 4 week films for the Short Scripts. Then filling the rest of the theaters with values of 6,7 & 8 week films. It comes out almost the same.

The Giver 17.41% - 21,078,930
Shades 15.45% - 18,705,539
Quickie 8.47% - 10,257,876
Time Flies 8.97% - 10,861,281
Coke Bott 6.48% 7,844,258
Night Tale 6.48% - 7,844,258
Six Rolls 7.89% - 9,553,904
Drink 4.43% 5,370,300
Todd 8.72% - 10,559,578
Tube 6.23% - 7,542,556
11 3.32% 4,022,697
12 1.66% 2,011,348
13 1.16% 1,407,944
14 0.83% 1,005,674
15 0.50% 603,404
16 0.33% 402,270
17 0.17% 201,135
18 0.46% 553,121
19 0.26% 313,770
20 0.79% 955,390



Is this what you wanted to get? That wouldnt be fair to future films.

The Giver 52.98% - 64,159,659
Shades 47.02% - 56,935,575
Quickie 0.00% - 0
Time Flies 0.00% - 0
Coke Bott 0.00% 0
Night Tale 0.00% - 0
Six Rolls 0.00% - 0
Drink 0.00% 0
Todd 0.00% - 0
Tube 0.00% - 0
11 0.00% 0
12 0.00% 0
13 0.00% 0
14 0.00% 0
15 0.00% 0
16 0.00% 0
17 0.00% 0
18 0.00% 0
19 0.00% 0
20 0.00% 0
Total 100.00%

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mc48
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PJFlip,Oct 9 2004
10:20 PM
The Giver 17.41% - 21,078,930
Shades 15.45% - 18,705,539

Hey, I'd take an extra $2 million and increase the gross by 15%.
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Sureshot
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[/QUOTE]Is this what you wanted to get? That wouldnt be fair to future films.

The Giver 52.98% - 64,159,659
Shades 47.02% - 56,935,575
Quickie 0.00% - 0
Time Flies 0.00% - 0
Coke Bott 0.00% 0
Night Tale 0.00% - 0
Six Rolls 0.00% - 0
Drink 0.00% 0
Todd 0.00% - 0
Tube 0.00% - 0
11 0.00% 0
12 0.00% 0
13 0.00% 0
14 0.00% 0
15 0.00% 0
16 0.00% 0
17 0.00% 0
18 0.00% 0
19 0.00% 0
20 0.00% 0
Total 100.00%
Quote:
 


This is what we we're lead to believe the situation was. If we're talking really fair then all films would have budget to make back and no prize money. That is not the case. Including the $20m prize money some of the shorts have already made back a 3rd of what our films made to produce.

Quote:
 
None of the Shorts are getting there Box Office. They are just there to fill the theaters.


Then what are the figures for?

Quote:
 
Is this what you wanted to get? That wouldnt be fair to future films


What's unfair about that? There was four studios in the game when theaters opened, only two chose to release. That's not our fault the others didn't take advantage of what was expected to be a huge weekend. That's business. The early bird catches the worm.


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Zero
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Hey, maybe someone forgot to multiply the money by AT LEAST 2. Cause we have NO OVERSEAS theaters! I gotta admit, I am pissed off because of the low money and the low span between number 1 and number 10 (just look at RL).
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Marlowe
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Howdy.

I hafta admit that I figured that the short scripts would take a slice of the BO pie in order to even out the weight of the money. Giving the two new scripts mega figures to match Shark Tale and Ladder 49 ain't right.

Sure, maybe they could get a little more. Hey, wait a second! They are!!!

The two initial movies will be out forever. If they had released in a full market, they wouldn't have made $100 million. But, since they were initial releases, they'll approach $200 mil.

No tears about that for two very average movies.

And since it's proper to give warnings now, apparently, for exceptions to things, here's a couple warnings:

I will not be buying the Simpsons franchise and converting the nuclear plant into a hotdog factory.

I will not hire Natalie Portman and Keira Knightley to play sisters in a lesbian insest comedy.

I will not pay massive amounts of money to have Fred Astaire reanimated so that he can be hired to star in "Dancing Zombies on Broadway."

Thanks.
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RitchieSteven
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What Marlowe said... well aside from the Portman and Knightley thing, that flick will be hitting theaters in February! :3d)

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DominatinMvp
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I'm just wondering how much does buzz and advertising money help in the box office formula. For two movies that put money towards an advertising budget and garnered votes for the buzz, how can they be separated by only a few million with movies who have done neither.
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mc48
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Also, by grossing most out of all the short films, does that mean Todd Cricket won the Short Script Contest?
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