As someone who grew up in the golden age of cable TV, I can’t help but feel a tinge of melancholy when I think about the passing of an era. The joy of stumbling upon a forgotten gem during those endless hours of channel surfing was a unique experience that has now been relegated to the annals of history.
In my experience, there have been instances when a movie didn’t initially gain traction or garner much attention but eventually grew a dedicated following, becoming a cult classic. A prime example of this is “The Shawshank Redemption,” which has consistently ranked at the top of IMDb’s Top 250 Movies list for years. What makes this film remarkable is not its long-standing position at the top but rather that it gained popularity much later, through VHS copies and late-night airings on TNT.
Many remarkable movies initially gained recognition through being borrowed VHS and DVD tapes, driven by passionate fans who took the initiative. Such films often elude catchy slogans and straightforward marketing, becoming overlooked in the process. However, these cinematic icons eventually regained their prominence through word of mouth and the peculiarities of American television broadcasting. For instance, Fight Club, a movie that could have potentially hampered Brad Pitt and Ed Norton’s careers, didn’t. Instead, it contributed to strengthening their reputations and cultural impact. This was largely due to the widespread distribution of cable networks, which offered limited original content. It is hard to estimate just how many DVD sets, costumes for Halloween, tattoos, and posters were sold as a result of cable TV’s influence.
It’s understandable to ponder: why weren’t they given more attention initially? The truth is, extraordinary performances often struggle to shine in trailers or be encapsulated on posters. A film’s lasting impact isn’t solely decided during its opening weekend but rather in the second stage of its journey. This opportunity for rediscovery and renewed appreciation might be dwindling due to the disorganization caused by the streaming era.
Trailers Can Make or Break a Movie
Marketing can be a demanding and unforgiving field, and advertisements often fail to accurately separate high-quality films from mediocre ones. Trailers, unfortunately, may not always live up to expectations, and the exaggerated voiceovers and sudden sound effects that were popular in the ’90s are far from everyone’s favorite. Remember Don LaFontaine, who could persuade people to buy a second-hand Ford Pinto or flock to see movies like Spice World? The movie that makes the most effective use of its stars, intellectual property, or marketing strategy tends to be successful.
In the extraordinary year of 1982, three groundbreaking sci-fi films – E.T., The Thing, and Blade Runner – made their cinematic debut within a mere three weeks of each other at the box office. Whether E.T. was superior in terms of writing or significance compared to John Carpenter’s and Ridley Scott’s masterpieces is up for debate. However, it’s indisputable that its triumph came at the cost of the more intricate sci-fi films that preceded it.
Advertising has exceeded its own capabilities, often to the detriment of subtle, thought-provoking films. While it can successfully market even the most insignificant or short-lived movies, it struggles when it comes to promoting more complex films that demand a significant investment of time. Masterpieces like Star Wars are initially sold based on their special effects, while Schindler’s List is promoted for its cultural significance. Deadpool movies are marketed around Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, but less mainstream films like The King of Comedy are difficult to sell because they don’t fit the usual marketing strategies.
Critics loved it, but that was cold comfort for Martin Scorsese at the time. How do you encapsulate the black comedy and uplifting melodrama of Office Space into a thirty-second spot? How do you begin to explain what Mulholland Drive is to a bored movie patron who has 20 seconds to decide which ticket to spend his money on? You don’t. You stick it on TBS or AMC and hope it can recoup some losses. Funny enough, in some cases that simple strategy used to work. Emphasis on “used to.”
How Cable TV Gave Bombs a New Lease on Life
As a film critic reminiscing on the timeless masterpiece, “The Shawshank Redemption,” I must say that its redemptive journey begins in a rather ordinary fashion. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, it was not uncommon to find oneself ensnared in the repetitive cable television schedule, where the same films were played ad infinitum, often shown multiple times per day or even a dozen times weekly.
No film so perfectly illustrates the power of hindsight and second chances as the financial failure that was Event Horizon. Two decades later, director Paul W.S. Anderson took a victory lap, telling Inverse that he’s happy regardless of how long it might have taken for people to reassess his sci-fi-horror stunner, “It’s finally got the reaction now that I was hoping it would get 25 years ago. Filmmaking is a long race that you run. It’s not all about the opening weekend.”
Lesser-known films such as “Wet Hot American Summer” and “The Thing” had the opportunity to resonate, gradually building a loyal fanbase through sheer persistence. Some movies were fortunate enough to discover their audience via television, a phenomenon I’ll refer to as the “basic-cable effect.” In this scenario, captive viewers were unwillingly subjected to whatever was being broadcast, often serendipitously stumbling upon exceptional films.
Streaming-On-Demand’s Unintended Consequences
It appears that streaming platforms might have inadvertently diminished a unique cinematic experience. In the past, films could establish their worth amidst being shown out of proportion, edited for TV, and even hacked. Remarkably, HBO sometimes presented these movies in their original form. These “flops” managed to thrive despite the humiliation, proving their quality through sheer resilience. It was through enduring these obstacles that true fans demonstrated their admiration, investing in special edition Blu-ray copies of films like ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ and emulating characters such as Tyler Durden.
As a passionate movie lover, I can’t help but notice the seismic shifts in the film industry with Netflix and Amazon Prime taking center stage. It’s not just about snacking on popcorn at the cinema anymore; these platforms are disrupting the very way we discover new movies. The deluge of fresh content—a dozen new titles each day—makes finding hidden gems a formidable task. Amidst the endless sea of mystery films, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and resort to seeking instant gratification on social media instead.
The traditional model of carefully selected audiences through cable TV has collapsed, as there aren’t enough viewers to sustain the multitude of original shows produced for streaming services. Today, people are no longer subjected to the whims of programming executives choosing less successful licensed shows for their schedules. The old tradition of watching basic cable television is outdated, and all that remains are hashtags and memes online.
It’s common knowledge that viral marketing wasn’t enough to prevent Morbius from experiencing a repeat box-office disappointment. Disregard the initial buzz from opening weekend, if the trailer receives a high number of negative responses a month before the release, the movie is effectively doomed even before its first showing. The era when films could receive a second chance is largely over, much like the golden age of cable television.
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2024-10-13 00:01