Will "Rent" Be A Flop?

Except for a very few, hit Broadway shows transformed into movies have been major flops. Think of "A Chorus Line","South Pacific","Phantom Of The Opera","Flower Drum Song",etc. Would "Cats" be a great film? On the other hand, we have such Hollywood hits as "West Side Story", "Oliver", "Funny Girl" and "The King And I". Hopefully, "Rent" with a relatively unknown group of stars, will not join the flops.

with all the rentheads in the world who will be seeing it at least 5 times over, just on that group alone, I don't think it CAN flop.

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And all those rentheads dragging everyone they know...

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It'll make money. I doubt it would be a big blockbuster, especially worldwide where very few people even know the musical existed. I see the movie as a cult hit.

Technically, almost every movie in this day and age turns a profit when you consider dvd sales, international distribution, televesion rights, etc. Even GIGLI

The lack of interest in the film of PHANTOM was a surprise - though it can be attributed to a lot of things -- it's release was poorly timed, it's marketing badly handled, and it's revues less then steller. But ultimately, PHANTOM didn't have what EVERY movie needs to be a blockbuster -- great word of mouth.

RENT is a fairly small budget film, and I think it will in the grand scheme turn a profit. BUT, the film to be a runaway success will have to be good enough to cross over to audiences outside of the fans of the stage production (even if they see it 10 times each, that's not enough).

Reviews and word of mouth will mean everything.

I think one of the big draws that made Chicago so successful (aside form it being a great movie) was its all-star cast. Phantom didn't have that - RENT doesn't really either by Hollywood standards. They seem to be marketing it well and getting great press on it, which should help sales.

I think most of the RENT money will be made in DVD sales, unless word of mouth and critic reviews get the buzz very high when it is released in theatres. I do see it as a bit of a cult hit to start, but if the buzz factor is high, it could do quite well.

We shall see!

Updated On: 9/29/05 at 12:04 PM

PHANTOM lost money in its Northern American release, though it wasn't a disaster. It's perceived as a bigger flop then perhaps it was, simply because people expected the film to be HUGE.

And given that its based on the most successful musical ever, the fact that it only grossed 50 million was a shock.

I see Rent doing much better boxoffice than Phantom. The core audience for Phantom is older (period piece, classical score, old story). These are people that do venture out to the theatre, making the stage show a success, but don't really rush out to the local cineplex very often. They will more or less wait to see the film on DVD or television.

Rent is a completely different animal. A modern, provactive story, loud rock music, pretty looking cast, targeted at young people that make up the vast majority of the movie-going public. Not only will it draw the Rent-heads and curious theatre folk, but I see it drawing in a whole new audience.

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Updated On: 9/29/05 at 12:18 PM

Let's put it like this...cause everyone else is being all "technical" with it


COUGH..........NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!!!!!!!

I will see this movie everyday if I have too!!!!
(NOT JOKING)

I also hope the movie is nominated for OSCARS and everything...I know that "The Producers" will probably be nominated for Oscars and it might not even do that well and watch RENT do well and not get nominated for anything but a MTV Award...when a movie like this deserves a Oscar.

But...no I don't think it will FLOP.

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I agree...I think Phantom could have done well...if they had a better Phantom as well and they should have kept the same ending...the ending in the show makes him "More" of a Phantom...and so does the Graceyard Scene.

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I've said it before but I'll say it again. If there are a bunch of screaming RENT dorks disrupting the screening I attend, I will unleash my water gun.

I Do think that Rent has a narrower audience (I don't mean that in a bad way, necessarily!) The appeal of POTO as a musical reached a wider audience in age, as oppposed to Rent. They both have devoted fans, but the rock music of Rent will keep older folks away (my mom wants nothing to do with Rent, whereas I will probably go see it at least 2-3 times!) I still don't see it being a flop.
What was Rent's budget?

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I think Rent will do better than Phaton did. and the word of mouth is going to be so much better too. So many people have seen and loved the musical, and I am going to assume most people who bought the OBC recording of the CD will go see the movie, using mostly original cast was a great idea, and not only because they are the best for the parts.

And on the star power...I think it has more than phantom. I mean the only big name in that was Minnie Driver. I know almost all Law and Order fans I know (and many in various groups for the show) want to see it becasue of Jesse L Martin both becasue they love him and want to see him doing what he started his career with. Rosario is also going to get a LOT of people to come. After Sin City she has become a bigger deal

Also Idina....with how well Wicked is doing people will want t ocome see her.

The others in the cast def arent nobodys on the broadway scene so their fans will all see it at least once

It is going to come down to marketing though but so far they have done an AMAZING job and it is so much before it comes out...they can only get better. I am expecting to see all of them (together or alone or in small groups) on every talk show, and in every magazine.

All in all I think it will do well but everyone who is a huge Rent fan needs to do their part in getting people who may not be that interested in it to check it out