A recent film to begin showing at local Michiana cineplex theaters is causing something of a stir among the Hollywood players. Nikki Finke at Deadline reported here that the new film 'The Devil Inside' received an F score during it's round of CinemaScore rating survey prior to wide release.
According to CinemaScore (and Guardian.co.uk) F grades, are few and far between. "People really thought [The Box] was a stinker," explained Ed Mintz, who runs CinemaScore. Mintz could recall just three (other) films ever making that grade in the past: The Bug, William Friedkin's psycho-horror starring Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon, backpackers-in-peril horror Wolf Creek and haunted house shocker Darkness.
Adding The Devil Inside to this illustrious list didn't enhance it's box office potential at least in the eyes of it's owners Paramont Pictures. So what a shock to see the ticket numbers rolling in for this weekend, the premiere of the afore mentioned film. Deadline reports that Paramont's low-budget Insurge label made a $1M acquisition of The Devil Inside, which means execs will be kicking up their heels this weekend. Reports of a $35 million weekend projected gross will handlily put this indy film in the black posthaste.
During all the celebratory glad handing and high fiving perhaps it would be more fitting to pause and contemplate exactly why Cinemascore was so wrong. Why are Hollywood's prognosticators so wrong lately? For every Twilight there has been 2 or 3 Green Lanterns or Conan the Barbarians. Despite several record breaking films, Harry Potter being one, 2011 slipped 4% compared to 2010 revenues. Studios are banking on known commodities: sequels, brand names and proven actors but even this is under scrutiny. When James Bond and Indiana Jones coupled with Steven Spielberg producing can't carry a film to the promised land nothing is certain.
Is it now time to wave the white flag and admit that regardless of how many cool special effects, sexy actors and advertising dollars spent to shove a film down our throats an ill conceived project is just that. All the money in the world wasn't enough to convince audiences that Ryan Reynolds wasn't an over acting ham in a CGI suit. As smaller films emerge, just as Blair Witch Project proved in 1999, that tell a small story with no name actors and sneak into theaters under the radar - it seems that audiences relish discovering a gem on their own. Apparently this is something that marketing and surveys cannot track, perhaps happily so.
As you venture out to the multiplex give thought to what you'd like to see more of, more mind numbing CG popcorn films or films that think outside of the (Hollywood) box.
Michiana can experience The Devil Inside for themselves while it's playing at these local theatres:
- Cinemark 14 located at 910 W. Edison Rd., Mishawaka
- AMC Showplace 16 located at 450 W. Chippewa, South Bend
- Carmike Encore Park 14 located at 2701 Cassopolis St., Elkhart
- Linway Plaza Cinema 14 located at 514 W. Lincoln Ave., Goshen
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