Monday Morning Quarterback Part I

By BOP Staff

November 11, 2014

You should probably update your resume.

New at BOP:
Share & Save
Digg Button  
Print this column
Max Braden: I think the slight surprise with Big Hero 6's numbers comes not just from being a new property, but that the story was somewhat obscured (as was WALL-E's plot in its advertising). It's clear from the advertising that there's a strong relationship between the boy and his creation, which is a big draw, but they didn't really advertise where that was going. The key point for me is that both the winners this weekend banked on their basic premise and hoped that audiences would come see what happens. That may be the way it should be with story entertainment, but it's somewhat of a risky move when the opening weekend number is key to financial success and doesn't give enough time for buzz to spread among friends to encourage "just see it, trust me."

David Mumpower: The one way that I disagree with all of you - and cannot believe a couple of you saw little advertising - is that the marketing represented a Disney attempt to barter their animated popularity for an unknown property. I actually felt that Big Hero 6 was much better reflected by its commercials that the other two recent releases mentioned, Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph. The Frozen ads were a direct rip-off of the Ice Age nut shenanigans while Wreck-It Ralph masterfully disguised the entire story arc. Starting with the teaser, Big Hero 6 plainly identified what it is, a buddy movie about a lonely boy and his robot. And the dizzying visuals that enhance the movie from its opening frame to the post-credits gag have been on full display for over a year now. I've been making San Fransokyo jokes for the body of 2014.




Advertisement



If anything, the surprise here is that Big Hero 6 did not open bigger because it's got all of the perfect moving parts for a mega-blockbuster. It's a superhero tale from Marvel with a lovable toy now on sale at your local Disney Store, and it has gags straight out of the Michelin Man endgame of Ghostbusters. The movie has everything from a marketing perspective.

Kim Hollis: David, I was also going to comment that I was surprised people were saying they didn't know much about Big Hero 6. I just don't know how that's possible. I've seen the trailer a ton of times, and I've seen plenty of ads as well. Then again, I do watch a lot of Phineas and Ferb and Gravity Falls, so maybe I'm just watching the right channels (i.e. Disney). Anyway, Disney should be very pleased with this result and I see the film carrying through the next month and a half in a big way. If you look at it at face value, it appears to be more heavily targeted to boys, but Baymax is sweet enough that girls should find plenty to love as well. It should cross over nicely - more so than Wreck-It Ralph did.


Continued:       1       2       3

     


 
 

Need to contact us? E-mail a Box Office Prophet.
Saturday, April 20, 2024
© 2024 Box Office Prophets, a division of One Of Us, Inc.