Now Martin Scorsese Is Talking Sense

Credit: Justice League

Well, Martin Scorsese isn’t a big fan of comic book movies, but he makes a lot of sense when he talks about how the box office numbers of any movie are misleading and even a bit vulgar when one really stops to think about it. The unfortunate thing is that a lot of people won’t stop to think about it since if their favorite movies are being maligned in any way there are plenty of fans that will end up standing firm in their belief that such movies are necessary, and that the box office numbers prove it. Unfortunately for those that look to the box office as a measure of how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ a movie is, they’ve lost the plot almost entirely since the truth is that the box office is really just a counting system that makes it obvious to see how many people came to see the movie, and is no longer a manner that can be used to gauge how popular a movie is. Yes, people would argue that this makes no sense, that fans rush to the theater because they have a real desire to see a movie, and that makes it a success. Those who believe this to be true must have fallen asleep right after watching The Last Jedi, or various other movies that were financially successful but ended up being routinely mocked shortly after their release. 

Credit: The Last Jedi

The box office determines how financially successful a movie is, not how good people believe it to be. 

There’s no denying the numbers of people that buy a ticket and crowd into packed theaters, at least pre, and post-2020 since the money that’s spent makes it tough to think that a movie isn’t going to be successful. The truth is that a movie can recover its budget and keep making money, but the fact remains that despite the millions to billions of tickets sold, the opinion of those that are watching the movie won’t be swayed by the numbers since once opinions start flying its kind of like a mosquito swarm, one way or another a movie will have to duck into the cloud and hope like hell that it can withstand the onslaught. Most movies do manage to weather the process, but at the same time, there are a lot of reputations that have been damaged or otherwise ruined over the years by a poorly written or acted movie that managed to bank on one element or another to make a killing at the box office. 

Some of the biggest movies ever made have been deemed stinkers even if they’ve made a fortune. 

There are quite a few lists out there that manage to show how a lot of movies have made a great deal of money but have somehow still failed to catch on with fans. Star Wars is a great example since initially the prequels were hated in such a massive way that trying to talk to any superfan about them was nearly impossible. Pirates of the Caribbean is another story that went downhill in a rush once the trilogy was over, but somehow still kept making money. One could say that Disney was banking heavily on Johnny Depp and the other actors in the fourth movie to make something happen, but while they did make their money back, and then some, the reputation of the franchise took a serious hit that it has yet to recover from since even Dead Men Tell no Tales didn’t really convince the fans to hop back on board. 

Credit: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Sadly, the financial success emboldens Hollywood execs and directors to keep making the same garbage since they know people will pay. 

One of the worst parts about this mess is the fact that the movies continue to make money, which means that the directors and executive producers, and everyone who gets to be in charge tend to think that they did something right. They did something that’s going to be paid attention to, that much is very true, but much like a spoiled child that isn’t shown the error of their ways, or is told too often that they’re special, those who run the show in Hollywood tend to think that the numbers show that they’re infallible, when in truth their movies are just good enough that people want to take a look and will pay the price to do so. Imagine what might happen if theaters went out of business much as video stores did, and streaming took over. That’s kind of an amusing thought to be sure. 

The box office numbers probably won’t be ignored anytime soon. 

The fact is that the theater experience is still considered to be a good time, which means that even if the streaming does continue to push against the theaters and perhaps, in some paranoia-induced nightmare, threaten to take over, people will still buy a ticket. Short of convincing everyone to stay out of the theaters, not bloody likely, it’s fair to say that the box office will remain rooted in place, and its numbers will continue to be the measure that’s used to gauge cinematic success.