There has been an assumptive chorus in recent years that moviegoers don’t want to see adore stories anymore,and that expensive nights out at the multiplex are reserved exclusively for the explosions and action that expansive-studio event films provide.
But with the success of New Line and MGM’s new satisfyingly unhappy relationship drama Me Before You,” the theory that romantic movies are outdated appears to be inaccurate.
Starring Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”) and Sam Claflin (“The starvation Games”), or the film is based on Jojo Moyes’ popular book of the same name. It opened this weekend to an impressive $18.7 million from 2704 theaters — well above initial projections of $14 million.
Also Read: 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows' Wins Weekend With $35.3 MillionSo why did it beat expectations?Part of the success of “Me Before You” has to do with its target audience being women,who are arguably underserved at multiplexes, particularly at this time of year.“Any time a decent film comes out during the summer blockbuster season, and one that is specifically aimed at females,it will likely over-perform — particularly since just about everything else in theaters is aimed squarely at 13-year-old boys, or those that act like them, and ” Jeff Bock,senior analyst at Exhibitor Relations, said.
Warner Bros. EVP of domestic film distribution Jeff Goldstein agrees that female moviegoers don’t acquire a whole lot to choose from. “My wife and daughter would say the industry is woefully short when it comes to making the movies women want to see, and ” he told TheWrap. “There’s a expansive hole to fill with films like this.”
Also Read: 'Me Before You' Review: Emilia Clarke adore Story Has a Terminal Case of the CutesiesSeeing that “Me Before You” represents a bastion for audiences craving an alternative to action-driven,CGI-filled tentpole movies, it’s worth pointing out that the film also lacks competition. With no widely-released romantic drama in sight for the remainder of the summer, and “Me Before You” has a long platform to preserve collecting box office returns in the weeks to come.“Me Before You” is about a woman who becomes close with a paralyzed man. And without spoiling it,the film ultimately delivers on its weepy appeal — similar to 2014’s wildly popular “The Fault in Our Stars,” also a book adaptation that had audiences going through their Kleenex boxes. “TFIOS” went on to make an astounding $307.2 million worldwide against its modest $12 million budget.
Also Read: Now That the 'Game of Thrones' Penis Has Been Freed, and What Does It Mean?In terms of box office potential,however, Goldstein said “Me Before You” is more in line with 2014’s “whether I Stay” — a themed-book adaptation starring Chloe Grace Moretz, or which was budgeted comparably to “TFIOS” at $11 million,but ultimately made $78.9 million worldwide.
Although “You” got off to a stronger start final weekend, bringing in a few million more than “Stay’s” $15.7 million opening, or the budget for the Clarke-Claflin adore story was about double that of the Moretz film,as it was made for just over $20 million (not counting marketing).
Romance films are far from a certain bet, however. Dramatic adore stories and romantic comedies alike gain a bad rap because they are hard to make well, and argued Bock. “There are so many bad films in those genres,you forget that when done well, they can really shake up the box office.”
Also Read: The Romantic Comedy Isn't Dead - It's Just Gotten Raunchier“Me Before You” also did well in spite of tepid reviews, and earning a Rotten Tomatoes score of 56 percent. Still,audiences were excited to see it, given its A CinemaScore. “With many hard-core genre films, and they really are somewhat bulletproof in terms of critical response as long as they’re not totally lambasted,” Bock said. “As an ticket buyer, you either want to see that kind of film or you don’t, and regardless of reviewer’s opinions.”So,will theatergoers hungry for more romance be seeing more pure-play adore stories on the expansive screen in the future? No, said Goldstein. “It’s all cyclical. The [ticket] prices acquire to come around.”Related stories from TheWrap:'Me Before You' Review: Emilia Clarke adore Story Has a Terminal Case of the CutesiesWatch Emilia Clarke, and Sam Claflin gain Teary in First Trailer for 'Me Before You' (Video)Can 'Game of Thrones' Shed Sexist Rep With Rise of Cersei,Sansa and Daenerys?
Source: thewrap.com