Yes, movie musicals are back but......- Page 2

[Broadway Bound2]

Posted: 12/24/07 at 3:28pm

Back in the day when Musicals were really strong in the film business there also was not all this other technology that distracted young people from enjoying a film. My great-grandmother would tell me that it was so nice to make a day of going to the cinema and see a movie. Now people have the outlets of just waiting for the DVD, or watching On Demand, or recieving the movies from netflix. It is much more conveiniency out there now. Yes , certain films such as The Harry Potter franchise will have there flocking and followers and gross tons of money, but for the musicals which a lot of younger people are not as familiar with will just wait to see them on DVD or elsewhere.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/24/07 at 3:45pm

And I admit to doing that for some movies. I like musicals but did not go to see Hairspray in the theater. I will rent it before the awards shows.

[dented146]

Posted: 12/24/07 at 3:49pm

Making 100 million gross from a movie like Dreamgirls or Hairspray is peanuts in the profit department. On Broadway a musical like Dreamgirls or Hairspray will do almost one million a week gross and about 40% is profit. That could spell a profit of well over 50 million in one year in one house.

In addition, the bookkeeping for Broadway productions is quite simple since mostly the money comes in one window (sort of ). By comparison, Hollywood can fabricate anything and everything with their accountants.

I can not imagine that any producer would risk the golden egg that is a hit Broadway musical show until it has run for years and years.

[AvenueQResident]

Posted: 12/24/07 at 3:55pm

Tch, my flatmate thinks Hairspray is automatically rubbish because he listened to two songs off the soundtrack...his brother thought it was automatically rubbish after hearing one lyric from 'Welcome to the 60's'.

I know more people in uni though who love it :) (AND have actually seen it)

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/24/07 at 4:03pm

I automatically became a rental for me when Travolta was cast and I saw clips of him.

[NYC4Life]

Posted: 12/24/07 at 4:30pm

These are box office earnings that do not include the dvd sales that normal make atleast half of what the box office was. I know the last time I looked at the DVD sales chart Hairspray was up to 60 mil. Even if they movie did not gross the budget back in the the theater (rent, producers) they def broke even on DVD and Rentals.

Chicago
Production Budget $30,000,000
Prints and Advertising Budget $30,000,000
Total US Gross $170,687,518
International Gross $135,715,495
Worldwide Gross $306,403,013

Phantom of the Opera
Production Budget $55,000,000
Total US Gross $51,225,796
International Gross $107,000,000
Worldwide Gross $158,225,796


The Producers
Production Budget $45,000,000
Total US Gross $19,398,532
International Gross $13,554,463
Worldwide Gross $32,952,995

Dreamgirls
Production Budget $75,000,000
Total US Gross $103,365,956
International Gross $51,200,000
Worldwide Gross $154,565,95

Hairspray
Production Budget $75,000,000
Total US Gross $118,823,091
International Gross $78,700,000
Worldwide Gross $197,523,091

Rent
Production Budget $40,000,000
Total US Gross $29,077,547
International Gross $2,593,073
Worldwide Gross $31,670,620

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 12/24/07 at 7:08pm

I think what the poster is trying to say is that they aren't considered of interest to the mainstream and probably never will be again. Of course, the time when movie musicals are really popular was a different time in films. One where a film played for several weeks to recoup the money spent (now I sound like the old guy in The Holiday)...

Now, stars and award nominations are often the draw to the musical along with a small theatre fanbase. AND if the film isn't a cult hit or award nom, it doesn't stay in the theatres very long.

It used to be normal for films to have music in them, now many viewers walk out when characters start singing. And that's ok, it is a different time, but there is still an audience for the films...

[SpellingBeeFan4Ever]

Posted: 12/24/07 at 7:30pm

All I wanted was for it to be on in the backround.

[worrell4077]

Posted: 12/24/07 at 9:54pm

It seems to me that some movie musicals are popular with some, but it seems the majority of the movie going public would rather go see a movie with big budget special effects and no real plot or a paper thing plot(Take that Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer).

I've actually mananged to get some friends of mine who probably would never see a musical onto seeing a few. I was talking to a friend of mine about Sweeney Todd being made into a movie and about the story and yada yada yada and he was interested in it, but when the trailer came out, he was really hooked on seeing it.

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 12/24/07 at 10:13pm

I agree that word of mouth is probably the best advertising. I was very excited about the Rent movie, and I convinced several of my friends to go see it on the release date. One of my friends never would have seen it had I not mentioned, but she fell in love with the movie and in turn with the show. I have had more than one person roll their eyes when I mention movie musicals, but that doesn't phase me.

[NYC4Life]

Posted: 12/24/07 at 10:59pm

you are saying all this but Chicago is # 125 on the highest grossing movies of all time! That is not too bad. Most movies with a lot of critical and awards acclaim don't really make that much money. It is sad but true.

[SpellingBeeFan4Ever]

Posted: 12/25/07 at 10:33am

You guys proved me wrong.