Making a movie entails a lot of risks. There is not one single magic formula that determines what makes a successful movie. First and foremost it needs to be an entertaining movie. A brood term, but what is entertaining to some may not be entertaining to others. Star power. Everyone has their favorite star that they will see in any movie totally disregarding the content of that particular movie. Timing, it sounds cliché, but timing is everything. Huge action movies do best in summer when kids are out of school and serious Oscar contenders do best around the holidays.
Movie Storyline
Script of a movie is the basic foundation. A good movie storyline and a well-made script is at the heart of every successful movie. The script must appeal to a wide variety of audiences. It must focus on a particular genre such as mystery, romance, horror or it could be a multi-genre. Successful movies are known to tug at the heartstrings of the audience because they are easy to relate to.
Making a movie
Even if Tom Cruise is your favorite actor you do not want to sit through 120 minutes watching him in a boring, with a poor movie storyline. Granted, there are so many movies that have such a huge buzz going into their opening weekend that people will go and see the movie. But when word gets out that people did not enjoy the movie the second week’s take will be drastically less. If a movie can stay in the top 5 for two weeks and the top ten for 5 weeks it is a successful movie. And you cannot stay relevant when people are telling everyone they know what a bad movie it was. Word of mouth kills a box office.
Star Power of Popular Actors
Famous actors almost guarantee a successful movie. This is because popular actors have huge following and they are known to give quality performances. Angelina Jolie can open any movie and movie executives know it. She took a small movie that wasn’t getting that much press, last summer’s “Wanted”, and turned it into one of the biggest movies of the summer. Popular actors all have their box office bombs.
Take for instance, the blockbuster comedy flick Legally Blonde. The movie is a showcase of Reese Witherspoon’s acting prowess. The script although funny is a bit uninspired. The stereotypical ditzy-blonde storyline is an overused plot in Hollywood.
The movie attempted to marry fun ( represented by the blonde) with stern Harvard. Surprisingly, the somewhat preposterous notion actually worked. Thanks largely in part to Witherspoon’s masterful interpretation which carried the weight of the entire film and made all the difference.
Her onscreen magic waxed eloquent on what would have otherwise been another drab blonde story. Witherspoon’s performance makes the whole story believable even in her seemingly audacious video essay clad only in a sequined bikini. In the hands of a lesser actress, the movie would have come out trivial, at most – or boring, at the very least.
This is one secret on what makes a movie successful. True star power is determined by how you can bounce back with your next movie. The total take of a successful movie can also be affected by star’s personal lives. If they are in the tabloids, for better or for worse, it will help at the box office. If they are talking about your love life then they are talking about you movie opening next week.
Director
A well-known director is another important element of making a movie. A director with a string of cinema successes in his or her belt often attracts good talent. The downside is they also demand higher pay. For budget-constrained films, it would be good to hire first-time directors who already have a background in tv or stage plays. They already have the necessary experience albeit in another medium. This enables them to adapt quickly to the rigors of film-making. Also, these directors have intense desire to prove themselves to the public ñ a necessary ingredient on what makes a movie successful.
Budget
Film production costs a lot of money, making it an important aspect of what makes a movie successful. Having a budget that would adequately cover expensive talent fees and at the same time enable directors to come up with creative ways of making a movie.
Release Date
Why do you think that studios release all of their big budget action movies in the summer? Because there are more people able to see them at any given time throughout the day. School is not in session and people even work less. Plus it is great to be super hot all day and then walk into an air-conditioned movie theater for just a couple of hours. Movies also have to be aware of what other movies are being released and when. This summer you could see “Star Trek” in May and “Transformers 2” in June. Since these two movies have relatively the same demographic releasing them close together would have hurt both of their box offices.
Marketing Plan
This is a critical part of a successful movie. Making a movie, no matter how good or how famous its actors and director are, would not attract much attention if it won’t create some buzz. That is why it is essential for actors to promote their films and attend interviews. Advertisements and other marketing campaigns such as a movie trailer, posters, inviting movie critics to the film’s premiere and other forms of promotions are of utmost importance.
So what makes a successful movie ? There are so many factors to be considered. The public’s verdict is often subjective. One man’s garbage maybe another man’s gold. It is not possible to please everyone. And even if you have all of the popular actors aligned there is still no guarantee. But with a great movie storyline, able and popular actors and directors, sufficient budget and a feasible marketing plan, the movie success will not be far behind. Tags: what makes a video successful, Boxman, what makes a movie succesfful, what makes a film successfull, what makes movie successful