As a film enthusiast who has witnessed the ebb and flow of Hollywood careers, I must say that Michael Keaton‘s journey is nothing short of inspiring. His resilience and determination to bounce back from critical disappointments like 2005’s White Noise are truly commendable.
As a devoted cinephile, I can’t help but marvel at the extraordinary journey of Michael Keaton in Tinseltown. This versatile actor has graced us with iconic performances in timeless films such as Beetlejuice, Batman, Toy Story 3, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and more. Critics and audiences alike have showered these movies with praise, reflected in their high Rotten Tomatoes scores.
What Is White Noise About?
By the early 2000s, Michael Keaton faced a difficult time in his career. Few movie roles came his way, his public image faded, and the films he starred in often failed to impress critics or audiences alike. Regardless of his diligent efforts, Keaton found it challenging to reclaim the success he had enjoyed for two decades prior. However, everything changed with the arrival of White Noise.
Have you ever come across the movie titled “White Noise”? If not, that’s alright as it wasn’t widely seen in theaters. “White Noise” is a supernatural horror film revolving around something called electronic voice phenomena (EVP), an unusual phenomenon where voice-like sounds are detected on electronic audio recordings and thought to originate from the afterlife, essentially, like audible ghosts. Keaton was chosen for the main role in this movie, portraying a character who becomes fixated on attempting to contact his deceased wife through EVP, which unfortunately draws the attention of three malevolent demons.
Critics Tried to Silence White Noise, but It Still Managed to Get a Sequel
Critics mercilessly dismantled the movie “White Noise,” labeling it as “confusing” and “unfulfilling.” It currently holds a mere 7% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the lowest-rated film in Keaton’s otherwise distinguished body of work. However, these harsh reviews failed to deter the public from flocking to see “White Noise.” The movie surprisingly thrived at the box office, generating $91 million against its modest $10 million budget. Nevertheless, it appears that the audience didn’t find the film particularly enjoyable, as evidenced by its 31% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, a slight improvement over the critics’ rating but still quite poor.
As expected, studio executives couldn’t resist the allure of capitalizing on our initial success and quickly released a follow-up titled “White Noise: The Light” just two years later. To my surprise, critics didn’t pummel this sequel as harshly as its predecessor, instead showering it with praise. Remarkably, “White Noise” managed to garner positive reviews, boasting an impressive 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – a significant 68% improvement from the original film.
White Noise’s Box Office Success Made Hollywood Reevaluate How the Box Office Works
Besides receiving unfavorable reviews, the movie “White Noise” also faced another challenge – it was released in theaters during the first weekend after New Year’s Day, a period notorious for being one of the least profitable weekends for new releases. Studios often release films with low critical and commercial expectations on this weekend, almost ensuring their failure by doing so.
However, the unexpected triumph of the film “White Noise” led Hollywood to reconsider their tactics, particularly with horror movies. It became clear to studio executives that even a movie like “White Noise,” which had been poorly received, could rake in big bucks during January. Therefore, they reasoned that a high-quality film in the same genre would likely perform even better under similar circumstances.
It might not be immediately apparent, but this theory has been subjected to multiple tests in the past. J.J. Abrams’ horror masterpiece, “Cloverfield,” hit theaters in January 2008, which was quite risky before the emergence of “White Nose Syndrome.” Breaking records for January releases, it grossed $40 million on its opening weekend, a feat unmatched until 2014. “Cloverfield” was an unprecedented success, ultimately earning $172 million. Similarly, the horror film “The Devil Inside” was released during the first weekend following New Year’s Day in 2012. Like “White Nose Syndrome,” it was panned by critics. However, just like “White Nose Syndrome,” it proved to be a financial success at the box office.
Among all the movies, it was this small horror film released in 2005 that gained significant attention, causing production studios to pause and reassess their approaches to launching new films in January, as its success became a model for Hollywood.
Keaton Eventually Got His Proper Career Comeback
Although White Noise enjoyed significant box office earnings, it didn’t mark the anticipated career resurgence for Michael Keaton. It was only in 2014 with Birdman that he found his success again. Alejandro Iñárritu’s award-winning film, Birdman, served as a return to Keaton’s superhero persona, casting him as an aging actor attempting to break free from his superhero past and seeking a career revival.
In essence, Keaton truly embodied this character, and the part in Birdman marked a significant resurgence in his acting career. This role garnered him an Oscar Best Actor nomination and a Best Actor award at the Golden Globes.
Since then, Michael Keaton has shone in numerous well-received productions such as Spotlight, The Founder, and Dopesick on Hulu. Over the past two years, he’s had opportunities to revisit some of his most memorable roles: Batman in 2023’s The Flash, and more recently, the eccentric Beetlejuice in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Despite a string of critical setbacks, including White Noise in 2005, Michael Keaton has persisted, returning to Hollywood’s elite circle. And judging by his recent work, it seems this 73-year-old acting gem has no intention of slowing down.
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2024-09-18 02:31