THB #53: Box Office Story

Steven Spielberg should actually be pleased by how the media has reacted to the opening of West Side Story, as they are really bending themselves into pretzels to find a happy answer to the soft $10.5m launch. This is a testament to The Man. I am not being facetious or mocking in any way about this. This is respect at the highest level.

Here is the simple reality. All this dancing about strategies and dates, etc, etc, etc, is cover for the truth, which is that if you are releasing a commercial movie, either you got it or you don’t got it. Doesn’t matter how great the film is or isn’t (unless it is unwatchably bad). Doesn’t matter if critics like it. Award Season represents a release strategy to push off of a publicity opportunity, not an answer to big box office... which is great when it works and not so great when it does not (the vast majority of films).

It makes complete sense for Licorice Pizza to not go wide right away. It’s a Paul Thomas Anderson movie (all domestic totals: $223…