Part of the reason cinema seems to be in the doldrums these days isn’t so much about blockbusters dominating the multiplexes as much as counter-programming and adult fare are struggling to be commercially viable in the streaming age.
Universal Pictures’ just released “She Said,” which follows two New York Times journalists who helped expose Harvey Weinstein’s decades of sexual harassment and assault, scored very solid reviews and has been the subject of awards chatter.
However, it bombed on opening, taking in an utterly dismal $2.2 million this weekend. That’s less than half that of predictions a week ago and makes it one of the worst results in history for a wide theatrical release from a major studio. As with any high-profile flop, questions are now arising as to who and what is to blame.
Shawn Robbins, chief analyst with Boxoffice Pro, tells Variety that political and economic reality seems so bleak right now that people are looking for lighter fare: “It’s a tough sell. People are looking for escapism right now. Even adult audiences are looking for something that takes them away from reality.”
The issue may lie in the general audience’s indifference into getting out to the cinema to see prestige fare these days. Despite rave reviews and strong per-screen averages, this year’s potential Oscar contenders crop like “Tár,” “Till,” “Armageddon Time,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” and “Triangle of Sadness” have all taken in only a few million each after several weeks of release – strong limited debuts not translating into successful wider platform releases.
Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations, tells the outlet: “Across the board, it’s a scary time for prestige films. We may be witnessing a sea change in cinema. Ultimately, audiences decide what gets made and right now audiences aren’t choosing to watch these films in theaters.”
The success of “Elvis” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” earlier this year indicates audiences are willing to come out for risk-taking fare, so it could be they just find the glut of this year’s awards films too depressing.
Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” which began with a successful limited release last weekend ahead of a wide opening this coming week, is seen as one of the few that could crossover thanks to its ‘heart-warming’ nature.
Others like the cannibal romance tale “Bones and All,” somber family dramas like “The Son” and “The Whale,” and the divisive tale of Hollywood excess that is “Babylon” face steeper challenges as a resurging COVID, record inflation, and a looming recession has people becoming much more selective about where they spend – including cinemagoing.
