Steven Soderbergh Says It’s “Frustrating” When Mid-Budget Films Like ‘Black Bag’ Underperform At Box Office: “Not A Good Thing For Movies”
Steven Soderbergh Says It’s “Frustrating” When Mid-Budget Films Like ‘Black Bag’ Underperform At Box Office: “Not A Good Thing For Movies”
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was a phenomenal film crafted with great care by experts. Comparing self-described mid-market spy films to that one is like comparing your house painter to Van Gogh. It's not that they can't be that good, but if that's your benchmark, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
I think the more troubling thing is that a filmmaker who made a mid-market spy thriller is just now discovering that audiences have abandoned theaters as the preferred venue. Theaters are too expensive, and wages are too low, for people to just drop $100 on a Friday night watching average movies and eating shitty popcorn. We have too many options, and too little disposable income to tolerate the leveraged abuse of consumers. For 40 years, theaters have squeezed every drop of profit from their privileged market position, and now they cannot afford to keep the lights on.
If you want to make money making average films, you need to meet viewers where they are, at home on their couch.
Back in the early 00s, I had the supreme pleasure of discovering Alec Guinness as George Smiley in the BBC's miniseries masterpiece Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy from 1979, then the sequel and conclusion three years later, Smiley's People, not as transcendent but then again, how could it equal, let alone surpass, perfection.
Around 2010, my first reaction upon hearing of a remake was of complete disdain - "here is an already perfect miniseries, what is it with this incessant compulsion to remake everything?"
So I didn't watch the Gary Oldman movie until a couple of years after it came out, it was playing on TV and decided to give it a try.
To my utter astonishment, I realized I was watching what was to become my favorite film of the entire decade. What an achievement!
Now I love the film and the miniseries equally, as separate mountaintops.
To be honest, I'm not sure if Black Bag is really much of a spy movie. There's barely any action or international intrigue, it's almost all just stuffy british dialogue. For that reason I'd call it more of a mystery/whodunnit flick that just happens to be set in a spy agency. It's definitely no Bond film, but I think it holds up pretty well for what it is. I had a good time watching it.
This is the answer.
Black Bag sucked LARGE. B-minus Netflix-worthless retread tripe with predictable story and plot lines.
Soderbergh should be embarrassed that he made this.
I’m sorry but complaining that his own movie isn’t performing is just an ego trip.
When you keep catering to Asia, there's your problem
Yeah but it was an entirely forgettable movie. Movie tickets are pricey and in the US, we're all poor af and worried about spending right now. We have to be particular in what we spend on recreations. If the movie isn't something we are super hyped for, yeah, we ain't going.
Maybe I'm wrong to post this in this sub but I just don't care about movies. I don't understand why the movies industry gets so much coverage in the press. If movie theaters vanished nothing in my life would change.
Here you go 🍪
Thank you
The problem isnt THE MOVIE. I took my 5yo to see Dogman and got McDonalds afterwards and spent $100.
I don't know why everyone is ganging up on you. Movies and fast food have both skyrocketed in prices recently. It feels like for two people to see a movie shouldn't be $100, but maybe I'm the old man yelling at clouds.
Thats exactly my point, Its now a kind of "premium" activity. It cost one adult and one child who had fast food afterwards $100. If you're out on a date (not the kind of romantic situation where you want to be smugging in snacks) dinner and a movie is $100 per head if you eat somewhere half nice, that goes for a couple who have a night without the kids too and thats your primary market for these original films aimed at adults.
Was Dogman good for a 5 year old? I'm worried from the previews that it was just a lot of action chase scenes.
Fast paced, bright, colorful and simple themes.
Actually a perfect movie for 5.
Why add the McDonald's to the equation? Don't blame the movies for McDonald's prices.
Because I couldnt be fucked googling the exact price of items at McDonalds but the Double Quarter pounder meal was $15.30, the Happy Meal was $5.95 and her soft serve cone was $0.50
So we spent about $78 at the movies. On two tickets, a large popcorn, a bag of chocolates and two drinks.
Because McDonald's is the cheaper alternative to eating at the movie. Most of the places near me will bring a shitty bar food to your seat in exchange for a mortgage payment. If you make the mistake of going hungry, you'll leave poor.
If you think the movie was the less expensive component of the McDonald's + Movie experience, you haven't been to either McDonald's or the movies in years