How to release a bad movie

Avoid critics, advertise heavily and live for opening weekend

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Critics are being shut out of more films as studios forgo advance screenings on flicks they expect reviewers to trash, figuring the movies stand a better chance of box-office success with no reviews rather than bad ones.

So far this year, 11 movies have not screened for critics before opening day, including the Rob Schneider-David Spade sports comedy "The Benchwarmers" and Mo'Nique's fashion comedy "Phat Girlz," both opening Friday.

During the same period last year, just two movies did not screen in advance for reviewers.

The practice does not sit well with critics, who either must do without or scramble to catch the movie on opening day and dash something off if their outlets want to have a review over opening weekend.

But it makes business sense for studios, which may presume the drawbacks outweigh the benefits if critics are likely to hate a movie.
"If we think screenings for the press will help open the movie, we'll do it," said Dennis Rice, publicity chief for Disney, which did not show its fright flick "Stay Alive" to critics before it opened in March. "If we don't think it'll help open the movie or if the target audience is different than the critics' sensibilities, then it may make sense not to screen the movie."

Movies that do not screen ahead of time generally are genre flicks such as horror stories or youth comedies whose audiences pay little heed to critics.

"Like 'Benchwarmers,' if some kid really wants to see that, I don't know that bad reviews are going to stop them from going," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Television's "Ebert and Roeper and the Movies," added a jab at Hollywood whenever a studio did not screen a flick for critics. Along with their "thumbs-up, thumbs-down," Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper included a "wagging finger of shame" for films they were not shown.
They have discontinued that. Ebert got tired of it, and Roeper said too many movies were not screening in advance.

Ebert said he is puzzled by Hollywood's notion that negative reviews would damage a movie's box-office potential. He recalled a conversation he had about five years ago with a studio executive who told him he loved it when the show trashed movies, particularly horror flicks.

"The target audience didn't care that we hated those movies because they just expected us to hate them," Ebert said. "If we reviewed them and showed clips and said they're stupid and awful and violent, that's a selling review for that audience. So the studio head told me, 'Publicity like that can only help us.' "

Of the films that have not screened for critics this year, three debuted as the weekend's top movies: The vampire sequel "Underworld Evolution," the fright flick "When a Stranger Calls" and the domestic comic drama "Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion."

Results have been so-so for other movies that did not screen, including the action thriller "Ultraviolet," the animated tale "Doogal" and the comedies "Grandma's Boy" and "Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector."
Steve Bunnell -- head of distribution for the Weinstein Co., which released "Doogal" -- said that movie was not screened for critics because it was "literally being edited up until the last minute."

Sony, the studio behind "The Benchwarmers" and three other films not screened for critics this year, declined to comment. Executives at other distributors that decided against critic screenings -- 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate and Fox Searchlight -- either declined to comment or did not return phone calls.

"It's telling that most of them won't even comment about it, because it's obviously something they're not proud of," Roeper said. "But audiences are smart. They know if a movie isn't being reviewed, it's not because the studio thinks it's great. Studios are trying to separate a moviegoer from his or her money before not only critical word but word of mouth comes down on it."

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

Maybe papers should respond by stating that the movie was intentionally not screened for criticism in the Friday section before opening day.

As a note, that kids movie Doogal absolutely sucked. I have sat through my fair share of cartoons and kids movies lately and this one was the worst.

My ex dragged me to see <i>XXX</i> because Vin Diesel was in it. Thankfully, I was drunk, and laughing at all the serious parts, which sufficiently annoyed the other movie patrons. It was like a 2 hour long fucking Mountain Dew commercial.

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It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a goddamn shame.

http://www.TheCommittedIndian.com/

I think the real question should be, why are the companies putting out a product that they know is shit.

palatable and profitable are often not one and the same...

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

I understand but if Mc Donald's sells you a crappy burger they will take it back.

Ebert gave Episode I 3.5 stars and Episode II 2.5 stars... and said that Episode II was a better film. Somewhere I think perscription drugs are taking over.

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R.I.P. Mr. Wirtz. Rocky is doing everything you should have done.

Eh, I thought 28 days later was decent and pretty entertaining. Granted I wasn't expecting much and borrowed the dvd from a friend so saw it for free. Not horrible by any means though. Kind of weird and interesting seeing a horror flick like that set in England.

That reminds me. Has anyone seen the movie Sean of the Dead? It's this weird, horror-comedy set in England with zombies. Thought it would be terrible but a very good flick, much different than a lot of movies I've seen in that genre. Give it a try.

Heh, I had no idea it was that hated of a movie. I guess it's good for me though because I got to enjoy one bonus crappy movie where everyone else got angry from seeing it. Everything's coming up Hawkeye!!!

Yea, Hawkeye, while I want to agree with anything Old Gold and Black, I thought that movie totally sucked ass. I was bored out of my mind watching it and just overall, was not entertained.