Monday, November 15, 2010

Megamind Tries To Strike Back


Well, the holiday season is upon us, and there is a demand for animated blue skinned aliens in spandex, which is why Megamind managed to strike back the box office with another $30 million take and a number one spot for the second week in a row.

No movie this year has ever taken two weekends in a row and not made a profit. And most likely Megamind will slowly scrape together the rest of his recoupment and come out on top.

But a $20 million deficit still exists between the production budget and the current worldwide take, and there is the issue of the $50-60+ P&R campaign. Will Megamind reign supreme in the long run?

Two movies that threaten to stop Megamind's slow grow are Harry Potter and Tangled, two family adventures that will be out before November ends. Plus there is enough family fare in December to give Megamind a lot of competition.

But it goes to demonstrate two important things about the Hollywood marketplace. There is a huge demand for not just four quadrant movies, but movies that parents can take their kids too. Family action-adventure is the number one genre.

And yet there is a missed opportunity for our lovable blue mastermind, simply because he skimmed on the story and didn't plan his Box Office escape better before rushing in. His rottentomatoes.com reviews are as mixed as can be, with a critical eye on the film's comedy and the schizophrenic pace.

The holiday season is the busiest and best time for family adventure and the possible score here for a successful family adventure is hundreds of millions in profit. But when movie makers lose sight of the big picture, they fall into a situation where they just miss out on the big haul.

See more of my analysis from last week's more in depth look at Megamind.

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