Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Tuesday Talkback: High-concept bombs

This week's Tuesday Talkback comes from fellow blogger Kristy at MSP:

Can you think of any high concept movies that exploited their high concept in trailers that bombed in the B.O.?

I know high concept is subjective but my friend and I were going over a bunch of movies with really cool concepts and that had good trailers that exploited those and they all seemed to do really well. I find that trailers now I watch them then I turn to my husband and I say "So what was that movie about?" Because they seemed to be about funny moments or explosions but not really the concept which is the reason I go see movies.

Well folks? Have at it.

10 comments:

  1. Mr & Mrs Smith. Great concept... no story.

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  2. My Super Ex-Girlfriend.

    Great concept. Great cast. Trailer hit all the high points ... directed by Ivan Reitman.

    Terrible movie that bombed.

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  3. Evan Almighty. Most recent Will Ferrell movies.

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  4. Uh-oh... now you've done it TL. Call SNAKES a bomb and former studio exec Jeff Katz will be along any minute now to lecture us on how it actually was quite successful. Seriously. Ask him about it on Twitter (@KatzMoney.) It's kinda fun seeing him get irked everytime the LA Times uses it as an example of a bust.

    But yeah, some REALLY good calls here. I'd totally forgotten about MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND. I disagree with MR & MRS. SMITH, though. As I recall that did quite well. Will Ferrel's SEMI-PRO totally belongs on this list, though. And if I was a betting man, I'd say that Steve Carell's DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is going to stall too.

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  5. Every one of M. Night's movies?

    Except for Signs...because we didn't know better then.

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  6. MR & MRS SMITH made nearly $500m at the worldwide box office, so pretty good earnings.

    Most Eddie Muprhy films could fit in I guess. MEET DAVE, IMAGINE THAT, PLUTO NASH. Jackie Chan movies too, like THE TUXEDO and THE SPY NEXT DOOR. All high concept movies, but I dont remember if their trailers were great or not.

    Just thinking, DRILLBIT TAYLOR? Pretty good concept, pretty bad movie.

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  7. Sorry folks, read too fast and was thinking of films that sounded great from the concept/trailer but turned out to be rubbish, rather than bombed financially.

    Would suggest box office might have had tabloid interest to thank rather than story, but that might just be a pathetic attempt to pretend to be right anyway ;)

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  8. A lot of movies with good concepts bomb, but sometimes if you go back and look at the trailers all the trailer only show "ha-ha" moments because mostly likely it's not a good movie lol

    But it seems to me that films with high concepts that actually SHOW that in a trailer, usually do well. Some examples to me in various genres include Taken, The Proposal, Disturbia, Saw (the first one -- I went to see this when it first came out based on a logline ONLY, there was only like 3 people in the theater, this was before it blew up big), 21. I thought Mr. and Mrs. Smith had a great concept and exploited it and it did well. Anyways the list could go on.

    So I guess to answer the question I asked I'd have to go through a lot of old trailers to see how the movies are portrayed.

    I just find trailers to be so caught up in showing the funny moments or explosions they forget to show what the movie is even about. I hate watching a comedy when I've seen all the funny parts in the trailer. It drives me nuts!

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  9. Mr. and Mrs. Smith may have made a lot of money, but I found it a terrible movie (I read the script too).

    I absolutely agree with Claire -- no story, just set ups for mindless action.

    I just watched "The Secret In Their Eyes," the Argentinian film which won best foreign film at the Oscars this year. I don't believe Hollywood as it is currently set up is capable of making such a brilliant, resonant film, aimed at adults, not teenagers. And all for two million dollars.

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