This weekend, no one went to the movies. Well, not no one. The latest in the Transformers series did $36.4 (in its second week). The modestly budgeted Melissa McCarthy comedy “Tammy” did decently at $32.9, while the other two new films supernatural thriller “Deliver Us from Evil” and family friendly sci-fi “Earth to Echo” both debuted to disappointing results.
While Hollywood may have become accustomed to disappointing weekends in the past few decades, this was the 4th of July. This was the weekend the movie industry could still plan on putting butts in the seats with popcorn, explosions and free air conditioning.
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Since the days when "Jaws" first swam into our hearts, the 4th of July has been nearly synonymous with blockbuster entertainment. Along with Memorial Day weekend, Independence Day is when Hollywood has traditionally released its biggest tent pole films. When Roland Emmerich rolled out his big, dumb, aliens vs. humans epic “Independence Day” in 1996, there was much chuckling about the joke inherent in the title. Though there was some vague thematic reference to the humans’ independence from alien overlords, the real point of the title was simply to tell you what you would be doing over the holiday weekend. “Obviously, you’re going to go see a big dumb action movie…here’s the one for you!”
So what happened this year? Why were box office returns the lowest they’ve been since 1987 (adjusted for inflation)? Did people give up on the movies? Or did the movies give up on the 4th of July?
The fact that the 4th fell on a Friday may have some bearing, as it probably encouraged more travel and outdoor activity. The World Cup Quarter-finals may also have contributed, giving families and singles a viable viewing option (either at home or communally) that didn’t come with an exorbitant ticket price. Moderate weekend weather may have also convinced more people to simply have fun outdoors.
But looking at the slate of releases that came out around the holiday weekend, it seems that Hollywood simply decided to punt and hope for the best.
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In all likelihood the thinking was that “Transformers: Age of Extinction” would devour the competition and that there was no sense in fighting. Despite opening the weekend before, it was expected to take the lion’s share of holiday weekend blockbuster viewing. The films that opened against it were intentionally counter-programed (a female fronted comedy for “the ladies,” a gentle, Spielberg-esque sci-fi for little ones too small for explosions, and a dark supernatural thriller for teens who think they’re too cool for giant robots).
The "Transformers" series has been one of diminishing returns that was bound to bite Hollywood sooner or later. Initial critical reaction was totally dismissed as the snobbish response of the elite, but older fans of the 80's cartoon were bothered by the almost nonexistent plotting, the robotic acting (from the humans), and probably the most grievous of sins, the totally incoherent action sequences that seemed like a series of randomly edited images. Without the fan-boy parents, there was no one to take their kids to see the robots. The film fell 63.6 percent from its opening weekend and is currently tracking well behind the domestic gross of the other three films in the series.
Interestingly, “Transformers,” like the other three, continues to dominate the foreign box office, particularly in China, which begs the question of when Hollywood will simply stop opening blockbusters in the US at all.
Undoubtedly the returns of this July 4th will be discussed through at least next year, and at least the initial response from studio execs seems to be that this was a one-time event that will not be repeated.
But can Hollywood afford to spurn Independence Day two years in a row?
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