Sci-Fi/Fantasy - Sci-fi/Fantasy films take the top grossing spots

jjt · 02-02-2003, 02:18 PM

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Entertainment Weekly released the top grossing films for 2002 in millions

1. Spiderman
US 403.7
Total 805.7
Budget 100

2. StarWars AOTC
US 310.4
Total 647.8
Budget 120

3. Lord of the Rings TTT ... still in theatres
US 308.8 so far
Total 732.0 so far
Budget 100+

4. Harry Potter ... CoS ... still in theatres
US 258.9 so far
Total 818.1 so far
Budget 120+

Of the top 50 .. the ones I count as being in the sf/f, horror or comic market are about 20 .. so 2/5 of the top 50 money films were in genre. [img]smilies/clap.gif[/img]

Miss Cranky-Pants · 02-04-2003, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jjt:

Of the top 50 .. the ones I count as being in the sf/f, horror or comic market are about 20 .. so 2/5 of the top 50 money films were in genre. [img]smilies/clap.gif[/img]

That's fantastic news. Why isn't this translating over to the small screen, it is obviously a popular genre.

Mogley · 02-04-2003, 09:23 AM

Wow, that's some serious money made by genre films.

Are people attracted to the explosions? The special effects? That could create a problem in regards to the small screen - doing that every week would be prohibitively expensive.

thescoobygang · 02-06-2003, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Miss Cranky-Pants:


That's fantastic news. Why isn't this translating over to the small screen, it is obviously a popular genre.

I've been trying to figure that one out for years. A few people have suggested to me that TV SF/F doesn't perform well because of the smaller budget and complex story arcs. I would agree that this is indeed a large part of the failure to attract a mass audience.

But TV execs have been saying for years that SF/F is only a niche genre with limited numbers. So if the market is so small then why do the movies do so well? When a good SF/F movie comes out it's the die-hard fans with deep pockets that will go for multiple viewings. If the movie has explosions, action, special FX and good-looking people then it will also attract the casual fan. These 2 groups alone can drive a box office to boom and once that happens it's the curious moviegoer who buys a ticket to see what all the buzz is about. So that's three sources of moviegoers right there to keep the genre alive on screen. But with TV we just have the die-hard fans watching and that's it. No casual fans and maybe an occasional curious one. And unfortunately for the true fans... multiple viewings/recordings of our favourite SF/F program mean absolutely nothing to the financial success of a show.

tSG~

jjt · 02-07-2003, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by thescoobygang:

And unfortunately for the true fans... multiple viewings/recordings of our favorite SF/F program mean absolutely nothing to the financial success of a show.
tSG~

Well said TSG .. but ya know .. they never look at the whole picture for small screen scifi. I mean think of the money we spend in merchandising alone. We buy the tie in novels. We buy tshirts and dvds and well anything. We're so hungry for quality stories that we latch on to any that come along. [img]smilies/sigh.gif[/img] So yeah, Joe Millionaire and Survivor and such get good ratings and sell ad space .. but what do they do for them long term. Something has got to change with the ratings system. Or we'll fall into programing to the least common denominator and that is not acceptable.

Timeo · 02-10-2003, 01:05 AM

Exactly. The TV networks have got to stop thinking so short term. So what? Joe Millionaire's got a 10.whatever/whatever rating. But will it be able to have a continuing series to it? Will people go out and wear t-shirts with the guy's face on it? No! The TV executives take their crack, get high and happy for the short term but don't think clearly about long-term things...like staying away from drugs and finding happiness in that way. Sigh. (yeah...the analogy kind of broke down, but that's okay)

Blairy the Fairy · 02-17-2003, 03:24 AM

Hey now. Survivor's viewers are for the most part loyal. The ratings continue to be high and it's already on it's sixth season.

You have a point, though. The problem with reality tv is that it isn't popular in syndication.

[ 02-19-2003: Message edited Blairy the Fairy ]

enigma777 · 03-12-2004, 11:22 AM

I know there was a more in-depth discussion of the success of sci-fi/fantasy films but the lack of success of this genre on television, but I can't find it right now so I am posting this here. It's a discussion of how big successes at the movie theater are unlikely to be successful on the small screen.
http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/m...mx-movies_heds

**Cryostar** · 03-13-2004, 08:18 PM

Great article E7.

I wonder if the success can be attributed to budget and time. While the effects that make the story believable are there in the silver screen, you have neither time nor money to do those in a regular season of TV. Either that, or the writing talent is really watered down for the TV market.