LOVE, SIMON | 03.16.18 | Fox | trailer on page 1

[filmlover]

11 minutes ago, DAR said:

I’m not certain if he’s being facetious or not.  But we have to still be able to like or dislike films on its  own merits as a film

Pretty sure he's being facetious lol. That said, it's hard to imagine anyone (or at least anyone but the most cynical film fanatics - who will complain about it being a John Hughes knock-off, how it "sugarcoats" the struggles many gay teens face in real life, etc. - or, obviously, homophobes) actually disliking the movie, and I say that as someone who didn't love the film (though I gave it a strong B+).

Edited March 26, 2018 by filmlover

[LonePirate]

13 minutes ago, DAR said:

I’m not certain if he’s being facetious or not.  But we have to still be able to like or dislike films on its  own merits as a film

I agree with what you're saying. I merely added that tweet because it is emblematic of the intense emotional attachment many viewers have with Love, Simon. 

 

Given that most of us are movie fans on this site, it's great to see people connecting so strongly with a film. Maybe we're spoiled right now because we're seeing it with both Simon and Black Panther. Such strong feelings about a movie don't happen very often. Sure, plenty of good movies are released every year which people enjoy. LS and BP are on a whole other level. Wonder Woman seemed to generate a similar response last year but I cannot remember the last film before WW to do that. It's rare and special. It deserves to be appreciated.

 

For those of us on this site, at least for me, it is unusual for a film to evoke such attachments but not set the box office on fire. I kind of wish I worked at Fox right now, even in an unpaid position, just to study and learn from this film's targeted marketing and impact. Fox knew months ago they had a good movie on their hands but I don't think they knew how to market it effectively and obtain the audience they wanted for it.

[LonePirate]

 

He’s seen it again. Hopefully he’s bringing some friends with him each time as the film needs every dollar it can muster. 

 

While he is certainly an extreme case, you don’t need to read through very many tweets to find multiple people who have watched LS at least twice. For a film that has not yet reached $25M, it is amazing how many repeat attendees it has.

[Cap]

The Youths on Tumblr are still Lit.  According to Fandometrics, a site that tracks fandom activity on tumblr, for the last week:

 

Movies

• Week March 19: Love, Simon debuted at #3 (#1 Black Panther, #2 Infinity War)
• Week March 26: Love, Simon rose +2 to take the #1 spot from Black Panther. (#2 Black Panther, #3 Infinity War)

Side Note: Call Me By Your Name bumped up to #4 and Moonlight reentered at #20.  Surfing through the tags, they're definitely getting a Love, Simon bump.  (A lot of posts comparing the three films.)

 

Celebs

• Week March 19: Nick Robinson #14
• Week March 26: Nick Robinson rose +9 to #5 (the biggest positive move on the chart). Keiynan Lonsdale enters at #20.

Side Note: Filmlover can breathe a sigh of relief.   Timothée Chalamet is #3.

 

It missed cracking the Top 20 Ships, which is disappointing, but considering not shocking.

 

[LonePirate]

 

The emotional impact of this film is extraordinary. Her experience is anything but rare and is exactly the type of WOM from an adult female that this film needs. 

 

Has anyone seen TV/internet ads featuring people emerging from the theater in tears or in ecstatic emotional states?

[LonePirate]

 

 

 

Should the film have been marketed as a family movie?

Edited March 27, 2018 by LonePirate

[filmlover]

28 minutes ago, LonePirate said:

 

Should the film have been marketed as a family movie?

Honestly, if you take out the mild profanity, this would've easily passed for a PG.

[Cap]

59 minutes ago, filmlover said:

Honestly, if you take out the mild profanity, this would've easily passed for a PG.

But then we wouldn’t have gotten one of the most effective “one fuck in a PG-13 movie” since X-Men First Class! 😎

[YLF]

I’m at an amc now watching previews and I’m the only one at this showtime...

 

Edit: 5 people came but then 2 of them walked out? Wtf? This is my second viewing of the movie. This movie is definitely way more enjoyable with a packed theater. My first viewing was an experience to remember; The cheers, the laughs, the tears. There obviously was none of that this time and the people that were at the theater weren't laughing at anything. The ending is still really touching, though!

Edited March 28, 2018 by YLF

[Krissykins]

The 14.6% drop from last Monday is great. 

 

Hopefully it can get over $40m. 

[LonePirate]

It looks like Simon is going to top out somewhere between $40M-$45M which is well over a 3x multiplier; but less than most would have expected given the reviews and Cinemascore. Meanwhile, repeat viewings of the film are rampant. I wouldn't be surprised if more people have seen it twice (or more) than have seen it only once. Then there's this guy who has seen it 17+ times already. I have no idea what Fox and Berlanti expected the film to gross. They certainly made a film that is adored by the people who have seen it.

 

 

[YLF]

Well the movie still has yet to open overseas and even moonlight grossed more than double of what it made in the states. Im sure it will do decently in Europe.

[Avatree]

On 3/26/2018 at 3:23 AM, filmlover said:

Pretty sure he's being facetious lol. That said, it's hard to imagine anyone actually disliking the movie, and I say that as someone who didn't love the film (though I gave it a strong B+).

Can you imagine me?

 

Also in no world is it a John Hughes knock off. I might like it if it was though.

[filmlover]

2 minutes ago, November Treejax said:

Can you imagine me?

 

Also in no world is it a John Hughes knock off. I might like it if it was though.

[TalismanRing]

10 hours ago, LonePirate said:

It looks like Simon is going to top out somewhere between $40M-$45M which is well over a 3x multiplier; but less than most would have expected given the reviews and Cinemascore. Meanwhile, repeat viewings of the film are rampant. I wouldn't be surprised if more people have seen it twice (or more) than have seen it only once. Then there's this guy who has seen it 17+ times already. I have no idea what Fox and Berlanti expected the film to gross. They certainly made a film that is adored by the people who have seen it.

 

 

It's a romantic comedy and has done very well for that genre in the current cinema landscape

 

The Big Sick with better reviews and awards hoopla did $42m.  In the past 6 years only a handful have made $40m+ and only two have made more than $50m (and they both did $100m+) - Trainwreck and Silver Linings Playbook

 

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=romanticcomedy.htm&sort=date&order=DESC&p=.htm

[Hiccup23]

I think this can get over 45M. Needs to hit 47M to get a 4x multiplier 

[LonePirate]

7 hours ago, TalismanRing said:

It's a romantic comedy and has done very well for that genre in the current cinema landscape

 

The Big Sick with better reviews and awards hoopla did $42m.  In the past 6 years only a handful have made $40m+ and only two have made more than $50m (and they both did $100m+) - Trainwreck and Silver Linings Playbook

 

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=romanticcomedy.htm&sort=date&order=DESC&p=.htm

 

It is almost stunning how far the romantic comedy genre has fallen. About 10-15 years ago, mediocre to bad rom coms could hit $50M or come close with little effort. Nowadays, even the ones loved by audiences and critics barely make much a dent at the box office, outside of a rare exception. Yet somehow all three awful romantic (?) thrillers in the Fifty Shades series cleared $100M. I’m not expecting the Overboard remake to break the rom com genre from its slump so it looks to be another rough year for rom coms.

 

Audiences and critics in Australia/NZ and the UK are reacting to Simon just like North American audiences so maybe the film can squeak by $100M WW by the end of its run.

[Hiccup23]

 Well this weekend was disappointing. It dropped pretty hard on Sunday, which cost it a $3M weekend. 

 

Should be at $40M by Sunday and then hopefully its got has enough steam to reach $45M.

[LonePirate]

12 minutes ago, Hiccup23 said:

 Well this weekend was disappointing. It dropped pretty hard on Sunday, which cost it a $3M weekend. 

 

Should be at $40M by Sunday and then hopefully its got has enough steam to reach $45M.

Warning: rant incoming!

 

Yeah, the numbers this weekend were very disappointing. Given the strong reviews and out-of-this-world reactions from viewers, Simon should not be dropping like it has been. Plenty of films would pay a mint for the critical and fan reception Simon has received; yet the film is behaving barely better than the average film.

 

I think Fox had absolutely no idea how to market the film. They went after the teen girl audience with little attention paid to anyone else. They surely knew they had a well-made film that would resonate with adult audiences, especially given the intense emotional reactions people were having to the film. Adults of all stripes have bawled their eyes out over the film and fallen in love with it. Fox should have released it in October which would have helped tremendously in that regard. Most of the film takes place during the fall which only makes a fall release more sensible. Then they could have fired up a typical awards season marketing campaign filled with the usual praiseworthy blurbs from critics, especially since there were so many available. Treating the film as an awards contender, replete with a world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September, would have propelled this film more than anything else.

 

There are millions and millions of straight adults in the US who watched and appreciated Brokeback Mountain ($83M, 2005), The Birdcage ($124M, 1996) and In & Out ($63M, 1997). They would have enjoyed Simon as well and the film should have easily landed in that range of unadjusted grosses. Not only that, but Fox should have heavily targeted LGBT audiences. Instead, it seems like they were a secondary and minor consideration. None of my adult LGBT friends, acquaintances and co-workers had even heard of the film until after it was released. Those two adult audience groups would have helped push Simon to a much larger opening if they had been made aware of it.

 

Alas, Fox seemed more focused on earning every possible dollar they could for the far more expensive and far inferior, Maze Runner 3 which was released a few weeks earlier than Simon. They had two movies to sell simultaneously to teen audiences and they mainly focused on recouping their investment on MR3. Simon received a cheaper and smaller marketing push, almost as if it was an afterthought. Perhaps Fox thought it would bomb since Moonlight and Call Me By Your Name didn't light the box office on fire.

 

If I were pursuing a marketing degree in college, I would jump at the chance to write a dissertation on how Fox approached (and bungled) the marketing for this film. There are certainly some lessons to learn here. I am just not sure Fox or anyone in Hollywood is interested in learning them. It's a shame given that Simon is truly a great film, almost certainly the best film Fox will release all year. Reactions from the UK, Australia and New Zealand match those from the US and Canada and prove how real, universal and human Simon is.

 

Berlanti and company have created a film that is deeply affecting and improving the lives of so many people. You can't put a price on that even if the box office dollars only deem it a minor success at best.

[dxmatrixdt]

Weekend #8 will be the first weekend of May. I would assume maybe it is still at 350 screens then.  

Then Mother's Day weekend would be weekend #9.  Maybe 200+ locations still.

Then, Deadpool opens at week #10 and could propel the total gross upwards of 0.15+ million if there are drive ins.  

(Red Sparrow will be week #12 at that time)