How To Make A Billion Dollars At The Box Office

dontdiedontkillanyon
dontdiedontkillanyon Members Posts: 10,172 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited May 2012 in Lights, Camera, Action!
How To Make A Billion Dollars At The Box Office
Your guide to making one of the biggest movies of all time

There are now twelve films that have passed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box-office (unadjusted for inflation), making it the new benchmark for a big blockbuster. The Avengers is the latest to pass the ten-figure mark, joining Avatar, Titanic, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part Two, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Toy Story 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Alice In Wonderland and The Dark Knight. So what do all these films have in common? Here's what we've learned about the billion-dollar club...

WORDS HELEN O'HARA


1. Make A Fantasy Film

return-of-the-king.jpg

With the admittedly glaring exception of the number two film, Titanic, all of the billion-dollar club members are either science fiction or fantasy films. In fact, with the exception of Titanic the top 40 is entirely composed of sci-fi and fantasy films, and you have to go down to Mamma Mia! at number 65 to find a 'real life' film that doesn't feature nonsensical conspiracy theories, debatable religious figures or Tom Hanks as an improbably successful idiot. And in real life, people don't usually break into song so regularly as they do in the Abba blockbuster, so that might qualify as "fantasy" too. Ken Loach, in other words, will probably never enter this company, and that pasty-looking character who used to sit reading books with dragons on the cover during lunch hour should become your new best mate.


2. Hire A Strong-Minded Director

christopher-nolan.jpg

You'd have to search far and wide to find a film director who's a shrinking violet, but James Cameron, Christopher Nolan and Peter Jackson, in particular among these filmmakers, are strong-minded men with definite ideas on the films they want to make. Happily, they're also extremely talented filmmakers with a knack for storytelling and a great sense of pace. More than that, they're unafraid to hire extremely talented people to surround them: great editors, cinematographers and effects guys are a must. Just ask any member of, say, the Harry Potter team about production designer Stuart Craig's contribution, and prepare yourself for several minutes of superlatives.


3. Get Out Of Hollywood

international-bluff-sign-post.jpg

Cameron and Jackson's decision to film Avatar and Rings in New Zealand was at least partly because of its distance from the pressures (and possible studio interference) of Tinseltown, while Nolan shot his Batman movies in the UK and Chicago rather than a studio backlot. Same goes for the Harry Potter films and Alice In Wonderland, which were both UK-based, while Toy Story 3, of course, comes from Pixar's Emeryville Studios outside San Francisco and Star Wars was shot in Australia. In fact, the only three of these films to shoot in Los Angeles for any length of time were the two Pirates and the Transformers threequel, and even those spent lengthy periods on location. As if that weren't evidence enough, most of the rest of the top twenty highest grossing films were also shot outside of Hollywood (largely in New Zealand and England), adding weight to the rule that you gotta shake the LA dust off your feet before shooting begins.


4. You Gotta Spend Money To Make Money

james-cameron-titanic-sinking.jpg

Officially, the lowest-budgeted of these films was Return of the King at $94 million - but that movie shared production costs with its two predecessors and made significant savings as a result, so its true cost would probably have been much higher as a stand-alone movie. The others all cost north of $180 million, and realistically you're now going to have to fork over more than $200 million to join this exclusive club. But hey! That's just inflation, right? And if you check down the back of the sofa, we're sure you can come up with the cash.


5. Don't Squander Your Budget On Stars...

kate-leonardo-james-titanic.jpg

Looking at these films, you might think that movie stars don't matter anymore - and to an extent that's true (they make the difference between $50m - $500m, not $500m - $1bn). A couple of well-chosen up-and-comers (Kate 'n' Leo; Sam 'n' Zoe; Keira 'n' Orlando) are more useful here than the $20 million paycheque boys - with the bonus that you might still be able to afford them for the sequel. Harry Potter, Avengers and The Dark Knight are arguably the exception to this rule, but even the big names there don't command huge salaries in other films: it's a collection of beloved character actors (Alan Rickman, Mark Ruffalo, Gary Oldman) rather than A-listers.

Comments

  • dontdiedontkillanyon
    dontdiedontkillanyon Members Posts: 10,172 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2012
    6. Except Johnny Depp

    johnny-depp-pirates-on-set.jpg

    In many ways, the two Pirates of the Caribbean films are the exception among the top nine films here: they're where the producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, is the name above the titles rather than directors Gore Verbinski or Rob Marshall, and they're films more closely associated with the studio system than the rest. The magic ingredient is Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow, a character that the entire world adored first time around and the main reason that everyone forked over for the sequel. Heck, even after the relatively disappointing Dead Man's Chest, most of them forked out again to see him in At World's End - and even after that, they forked out for On Stranger Tides to see him again. Sometimes one brilliant character is enough; see also The Dark Knight's Joker or Avengers' Tony Stark (arguably another exception to the no-A-listers rule).


    7. Unless James Cameron Is Directing, Make A Sequel

    harry-potter-deathly-hallows.jpg

    With three exceptions, all of these films are sequels of one sort or another (we're counting Episode I's prequel and Avengers' group-quel) - as is the entire top 20 apart from the first Potter and The Lion King. But the pattern of sequels are interesting: Lord of the Rings started strong with its first instalment and did steadily better. Pirates started lower, shot up to number 4, faded to number 12 with the third effort and rallied for 6th place for On Stranger Tides. And Nolan's Batman Begins managed only 135 on the list, its reputation steadily growing (and Heath Ledger's sad death contributing) before its sequel went nuclear. If there's a moral to that, it's that DVD releases will build your market, but a disappointing aftertaste can erode your future success. The three exceptions are interesting: two are originals directed by James Cameron, a law unto himself in the billion-dollar club, and the other is Alice In Wonderland 3D, a film whose success can chiefly be attributed to the magical combination of Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, a recognisable property and the 3D bump.


    8. You Need A Heck Of A Trailer

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jqq4j52Fb4

    Much as we all tend to despise studio marketers most of the time (sorry guys, but we do), on these films you see talented marketing teams working at full tilt - particularly with the trailer. Each of these films had at least one stand-out, must-see shot in the trailer (the truck flip! The wheel fight! The boat standing up on end! Hogwarts exploding! Iron Man bringing the party to us!) or a quick montage of amazing shots. These snippets made it clear that this is a film that must be seen on the big screen, at least for the first time or two, whether due to groundbreaking effects / stunning visuals / old-school action / gorgeous stars. That's how these films recall the glory days of Hollywood's Golden Age in the pre-TV era and draw in the massive crowds.


    9. Paint Your Story In Broad Strokes - Or Twist It Like Spaghetti

    pirates-stranger-tides.jpg

    Most of the criticisms directed at Avatar (and before it, Titanic) centred on the plot and dialogue, which was decried as "unoriginal" and "corny" - but that didn't stop cinemagoers from turning out in massive numbers. The same could be said of Lord of the Rings - or, heck, all the way back to Gone With The Wind and Snow White - so criticism be damned! Broad's the favoured option for would-be billionaire movies. But The Dark Knight, Deathly Hallows, Avengers and Pirates of the Caribbean take an alternative approach, layering betrayals, twists and multiple characters into something that may not make much sense but certainly keeps the pace going. It helps to be funny, so remember to pepper your script with levity and/or have Hulk sucker punch someone.


    10. Go 3D - Maybe

    jake-sulley-avatar.jpg

    Seven of these movies have joined the billion-dollar club in the last three years, and all of those are 3D movies. Coincidence? We think not. The "bump" on 3D ticket prices is an invaluable tool in pushing your grosses through the roof, and can get you to the billion mark faster than ever before - Deathly Hallows Part 2, Avatar and Avengers all managed the feat in just 19 days. The bump can also insulate you against bad reviews and weak word of mouth - and if you're out in IMAX too, as many of these films were, that's yet another way to bump tickets upwards. But a word of warning: there is anecdotal evidence that 3D is decreasing in popularity as more and more films with bad 3D come out. If Alice In Wonderland were released now, we're not sure it would do as well. Do 3D well, and you'll benefit. Do 3D shabbily, and we're not sure it will continue to give you a guaranteed boost.

    http://www.empireonline.com/features/how-to-make-a-billion-dollars-at-the-box-office/
  • CottonCitySlim
    CottonCitySlim Members Posts: 7,063 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Wait....alice in wonderland made a billi? Really?!
  • eyes low
    eyes low Members Posts: 3,614 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Sion. wrote: »
    MobTown wrote: »
    Wait....alice in wonderland made a billi? Really?!

    I had to google that ? fam.... apparently it's true..... dayum.....

    Yeah it made more than the dark knight

    http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/
  • CottonCitySlim
    CottonCitySlim Members Posts: 7,063 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I dont remember any type of hype..in fact it seemed like a movie that was jsu there quietly in and out the theaters
  • CallMeWelvin
    CallMeWelvin Members Posts: 6,485 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Yea, I thought to myself no one would watch that ?

    I was wrong

    Johnny Depp bring them out b
  • eyes low
    eyes low Members Posts: 3,614 ✭✭✭✭✭
    MobTown wrote: »
    I dont remember any type of hype..in fact it seemed like a movie that was jsu there quietly in and out the theaters


    In the us it made like 330 mill but overseas it killed it made 690 mill
  • ocelot
    ocelot Members Posts: 10,019 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Damn@ Alice making a Billi... So that's why him and Burton made their newest movie... That overseas money...
  • dalyricalbandit
    dalyricalbandit Members, Moderators Posts: 67,918 Regulator
    1 Avatar $2,782,275,172 2009 [# 1]
    2 Titanic film currently playing $2,185,246,990 1997 [# 2]
    3 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 $1,328,111,219 2011 [# 3]
    4 The Avengers film currently playing $1,199,984,788 2012 [# 4]
    5 Transformers: Dark of the Moon $1,123,746,996 2011 [# 5]
    6 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King $1,119,929,521 2003 [# 6]
    7 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest $1,066,179,725 2006 [# 7]
    8 Toy Story 3 $1,063,171,911 2010 [# 8]
    9 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides $1,043,871,802 2011 [# 9]
    10 Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace film currently playing $1,027,044,427 1999 [# 10]
    11 Alice in Wonderland $1,024,299,904 2010 [# 11]
    12 The Dark Knight $1,001,921,825 2008 [# 12]


    so only 12 movies have hit that feat
  • ocelot
    ocelot Members Posts: 10,019 ✭✭✭✭✭
    ^^^^ didn't have know about half of them


    Like I said before if that new Snow White movie had Peter Jackson directing it would be on the billi list...
  • dalyricalbandit
    dalyricalbandit Members, Moderators Posts: 67,918 Regulator
    a billion is alot of money but how many of these u think would have hit a billie back in the days lets say anytime before 1999?

    ? movies like the matrixs, e.t, old star wars etc aint even get to hit that mark, and movie prices where like half the price as they are now days
  • earth two superman
    earth two superman Members Posts: 17,149 ✭✭✭✭✭
    the story of alice in wonderland is a lot more popular in europe than here, especially since its creator was british.

    a billi though....damn.