Posts Tagged ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’

Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly's "Cyrus" has been one of the recent indie successes

According to Pamela McClintock of Variety.com the “specialty sector”, or independent film market, has received a recent boost in box-office grosses thanks to releases like Mark and Jay Duplass’ Cyrus starring Jonah Hill, John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, and Catherine Keener, a documentary that follows the raising of several children from all over the world titled Babies, as we as several others.

President of Fox Searchlight Steve Gilula says that the recent (relative) success of these independent films are indicative that there “is life in the [indie] market, even as audiences are being more selective.” Some other examples of these films include City Island, Exit Through the Gift Shop, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

These indie successes hope to continue their theatrical and VOD runs, because as with any film the longer the run the more money they make. However, with word of mouth being the primary propellant of their runs such success is almost completely reliant on audience buzz, which is means these films’ futures are harder to predict than most.

One aspect that’s being tentatively attributed to these films’ financial achievements is how there are fewer large-market films being released during the Spring and early Summer months. Also consider the recent Warner Bros. flop Jonah Hex, for example, and it can be said that independent films have had less competition than usual.

The momentum that the “specialty sector” is building right now will be important for the current releases in creating Oscar buzz come Fall and Winter, as well as help later indie releases like Bill Murray and Robert Duvall’s Get Low, which will open July 30th, to do the same by holding the attention of audiences who may become distracted by bigger films such as Inception, Predators, Twilight: Eclipse, Salt, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and Tron.

Source: Variety

Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel in the upcoming "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," about a wizard training a teenager in magic

There have been a number of films to come out the past few years that incorporate young leading actors, particularly teenagers (or at least roles written to be teenagers), such as Twilight (1 and 2), Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and the Harry Potter series. And what’s more, the trend is continuing with films like Kick-Ass, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the ongoing Twilight series, I Am Number Four, and I’m.Mortal. All of these films not only star young actors but appeal to the teenage demographic as well – naturally. I’m.Mortal, for instance, is a story about earth as a place where people never look older than 21, and so teenagers appear identical to their parents and others older than them.

The Hollywood Reporter claims that this is because studios are convinced that movies starring young actors can work in any genre. Plus, it helps support the idea that what are popular right now with audiences are fresh faces. The trick, they claim, is “casting astutely and marketing shrewdly;” finding young actors that can fit the parts – just like with adult roles – as well as prove marketable to whatever the film’s target audience is (teenage girls or teenage boys, say).

What all of this could mean is that, if these films prove profitable, you can expect to see more of them in the future.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Quick Opinion: I’m not at all surprised to see more movies being made that gear towards teens. The teenage demographic is one of the largest for Hollywood movies (perhaps second only to families), and that was since before the recession. It only makes good business sense that the industry focus on these two primary audience types during a time when they’re trying to make the safest business decisions they can. What’s good about this new attention to teen audiences is that with more teen-geared projects to make, studios can afford to be more daring with which projects they green light. The teen movie genre has opened up to include material that is created for more niche audiences, who would have otherwise probably been ignored.

Add all of this to the following facts:

• some audiences are in fact getting tired of seeing the same faces over and over again and so introducing new talent will potentially raise the interests of a lot of people.
• Young actors are cheap and willing to work, so not only are they cost-effective but you know you’re going to get their best efforts. Less money spent on the cast means more money can be spent on hiring better hands and directors to build the film, increasing the overall quality of the product while also assuring at least decent quality performances (in theory).

The release of Kick-Ass, for example, might spark hope in some of you that niche teenage audiences are finally getting the attention they deserve. However, I wouldn’t be fooled into thinking that this new attention will continue any longer than until the time when they stop acting as a crutch for the studios. Once the recession ends, whenever that may be, I predict that the teen genre will go right back to where it was before – focused on boy-meets-girl high school dramedies. In the end, though, what’s really important is the job market for young Hollywood actors. Congratulations to them!