• Harvey Weinstein says the disappointing box office returns for Grindhouse were the fault of the individual movies not being long enough, leading to speculation that the flicks will be split up and fleshed out for future release.
  • Weinstein also says the studio didn’t do enough to make sure audiences knew what “grindhouse” meant. The RiskyBizBlog says the movie just didn’t have enough of a gimmick.
  • Defamer also thinks that things didn’t work out because audiences seem to prefer shiny, well polished movies like 300 as opposed to edgier fare.
  • The iMedia panel reviews the Grindhouse website.
  • Despite a campaign that definitely appealed to a niche audience, it seems an actual grindhouse couldn’t get the movie for exhibition.
  • Grindhouse is the latest in a series of recent movies that are aimed squarely at geeks, a demographic Hollywood is getting more comfortable with.

5 thoughts on “Quick Takes 4/10/07 – Flop…errr…Grindhouse Edition

  1. I think the biggest problem with the “Grindhouse” marketing is the title of the film. It should have been something more sensational which speaks to a much wider audience. Even something as ridiculous as “Bloody Babe Action Explosion”, sells it better and shows off the more attractive elements of the films. “Pulp Fiction” is a similar type of title. But, I don’t recall them trying to define what pulp fiction is in the trailers. The film opened up with a definition in titles. We all got it, and the film was a success. People aren’t looking for history lessons, they’re looking for entertainment.

  2. Oh come on… how much more sensational could you get than the commercials and trailers for his thing? A huge part of the problem is they made a movie for a VERY niche audience and then were shocked when the mainstream public didn’t show up in droves.

    Vic

  3. Ditto what Vic said about the mainstream not showing up for a decidely niche film.

    Why can’t Weinstein enjoy the artistic success? I was at a sold out 800-seat theatre on Sunday night for the movie and had the best night in a theatre that I have had in a very long time. I spontaneously applauded at the end…and I never applaud!

  4. It’s already made 20 mill on a 65 mill prod. budget in not the widest release either. My guess is this will have enough bloody legs over the next few weeks to creep towards the break-even point. After that, it goes overseas and the French will eat it up. Next to Woody Allen, Quentin is their next favorite American director. It will also likely become a DVD classic.

    And much as I loved the film, Quentin needs to stop acting so much in his own flicks.

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