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It happens all the time. A film is released that makes a lot of money when it doesn't deserve it. And there are films that don't do so well (I'm not saying terribly, just not so well) when they do deserve the cash.
There are so many good films that never do particuarly well but are hugely popular around this forum and through people. There are brilliant films such as Memento, Dogma and Fight Club that are hugely popular, but didn't make a lot of money. This is because these films weren't advertised enough in the first place.
There are also films like Pearl Harbour. It was hyped up as being a great remake of the World War II disaster - the new Titanic. Everybody who I know who has seen Pearl Harbour has hated it. There have been loads of complaints that it is long, boring and doesn't show the disaster well. But still, it grossed a huge amount of money, and was at the top of the UK film charts for 3 - 4 weeks. The reason is because people want to see a film about a very famous disaster. They are curious to see what it will be like, but do not care if it will be bad or not. This means films get credit, just because people are curious.
But it's not always the case, luckily. The films that are considered by pro's to be the very best, the films that have been getting oscars in recent years aren't always (with the exception of Gladiator) advertised that much but just enough to win awards. Makers of Titanic and Gladiator made a wise choice when they advertised their films a lot on top of the fact that they knew that they would be popular (Don't ask me why Titanic did well, I have no idea).
Maybe film directors (maybe they already do, I dunno)should invest in a bit of market research. This way they can get completely random people to watch the film early, say several months before the film is released, and see if it is liked by them. I don't mean ask them changes that could be made to the film, just see if they like it or not. If they like it, then the film makers have to make sure that it is advertised enough so people can hear about it first, and go see it. If it isn't liked, then I'm afraid that's tough luck, you'll have to release it and just see what happens.
There are so many good films that never do particuarly well but are hugely popular around this forum and through people. There are brilliant films such as Memento, Dogma and Fight Club that are hugely popular, but didn't make a lot of money. This is because these films weren't advertised enough in the first place.
There are also films like Pearl Harbour. It was hyped up as being a great remake of the World War II disaster - the new Titanic. Everybody who I know who has seen Pearl Harbour has hated it. There have been loads of complaints that it is long, boring and doesn't show the disaster well. But still, it grossed a huge amount of money, and was at the top of the UK film charts for 3 - 4 weeks. The reason is because people want to see a film about a very famous disaster. They are curious to see what it will be like, but do not care if it will be bad or not. This means films get credit, just because people are curious.
But it's not always the case, luckily. The films that are considered by pro's to be the very best, the films that have been getting oscars in recent years aren't always (with the exception of Gladiator) advertised that much but just enough to win awards. Makers of Titanic and Gladiator made a wise choice when they advertised their films a lot on top of the fact that they knew that they would be popular (Don't ask me why Titanic did well, I have no idea).
Maybe film directors (maybe they already do, I dunno)should invest in a bit of market research. This way they can get completely random people to watch the film early, say several months before the film is released, and see if it is liked by them. I don't mean ask them changes that could be made to the film, just see if they like it or not. If they like it, then the film makers have to make sure that it is advertised enough so people can hear about it first, and go see it. If it isn't liked, then I'm afraid that's tough luck, you'll have to release it and just see what happens.
I'm not so sure that advertising plays the huge role you say that it does. Films like Memento did not get a general release, ie they were not on at every cinema in the country. If this happens then they don't get advertised because there's no point. Films like Memento and Fight Club may garner the praise of critics but don't forget critics are like you and me; they watch enough films to discern between tripe and class. The perception of the critic is not always the opinion of the public. Often it doesn't matter what the critic says, indeed one film's advertisers got into hot water for willfully quoting a critic out of context. By that I mean a critic might say "Not the best film I've ever seen" and be quoted as "the best film I've ever seen".
That's a digression though, basically a lot of people want to watch a bog-standard no-brainer when they go to the cinema. Some people do not want to be challenged by a film. So while the films you've suggested may be very good, they will not be very successful as they do not appeal to the mainstream. Personally I think that's a good thing because as soon as you try to appeal to the mainstream you get shafted by the production company: no bleak ending, no controversery, no 18 certificate scenes. At least the fringes of the cinematic world have freedom to move.
That's a digression though, basically a lot of people want to watch a bog-standard no-brainer when they go to the cinema. Some people do not want to be challenged by a film. So while the films you've suggested may be very good, they will not be very successful as they do not appeal to the mainstream. Personally I think that's a good thing because as soon as you try to appeal to the mainstream you get shafted by the production company: no bleak ending, no controversery, no 18 certificate scenes. At least the fringes of the cinematic world have freedom to move.
It happens all the time. A film is released that makes a lot of money when it doesn't deserve it. And there are films that don't do so well (I'm not saying terribly, just not so well) when they do deserve the cash.
There are so many good films that never do particuarly well but are hugely popular around this forum and through people. There are brilliant films such as Memento, Dogma and Fight Club that are hugely popular, but didn't make a lot of money. This is because these films weren't advertised enough in the first place.
There are also films like Pearl Harbour. It was hyped up as being a great remake of the World War II disaster - the new Titanic. Everybody who I know who has seen Pearl Harbour has hated it. There have been loads of complaints that it is long, boring and doesn't show the disaster well. But still, it grossed a huge amount of money, and was at the top of the UK film charts for 3 - 4 weeks. The reason is because people want to see a film about a very famous disaster. They are curious to see what it will be like, but do not care if it will be bad or not. This means films get credit, just because people are curious.
But it's not always the case, luckily. The films that are considered by pro's to be the very best, the films that have been getting oscars in recent years aren't always (with the exception of Gladiator) advertised that much but just enough to win awards. Makers of Titanic and Gladiator made a wise choice when they advertised their films a lot on top of the fact that they knew that they would be popular (Don't ask me why Titanic did well, I have no idea).
Maybe film directors (maybe they already do, I dunno)should invest in a bit of market research. This way they can get completely random people to watch the film early, say several months before the film is released, and see if it is liked by them. I don't mean ask them changes that could be made to the film, just see if they like it or not. If they like it, then the film makers have to make sure that it is advertised enough so people can hear about it first, and go see it. If it isn't liked, then I'm afraid that's tough luck, you'll have to release it and just see what happens.
There are so many good films that never do particuarly well but are hugely popular around this forum and through people. There are brilliant films such as Memento, Dogma and Fight Club that are hugely popular, but didn't make a lot of money. This is because these films weren't advertised enough in the first place.
There are also films like Pearl Harbour. It was hyped up as being a great remake of the World War II disaster - the new Titanic. Everybody who I know who has seen Pearl Harbour has hated it. There have been loads of complaints that it is long, boring and doesn't show the disaster well. But still, it grossed a huge amount of money, and was at the top of the UK film charts for 3 - 4 weeks. The reason is because people want to see a film about a very famous disaster. They are curious to see what it will be like, but do not care if it will be bad or not. This means films get credit, just because people are curious.
But it's not always the case, luckily. The films that are considered by pro's to be the very best, the films that have been getting oscars in recent years aren't always (with the exception of Gladiator) advertised that much but just enough to win awards. Makers of Titanic and Gladiator made a wise choice when they advertised their films a lot on top of the fact that they knew that they would be popular (Don't ask me why Titanic did well, I have no idea).
Maybe film directors (maybe they already do, I dunno)should invest in a bit of market research. This way they can get completely random people to watch the film early, say several months before the film is released, and see if it is liked by them. I don't mean ask them changes that could be made to the film, just see if they like it or not. If they like it, then the film makers have to make sure that it is advertised enough so people can hear about it first, and go see it. If it isn't liked, then I'm afraid that's tough luck, you'll have to release it and just see what happens.