The BOXOFFICE.com Suggestion Box: What interests you most on the site? Also, share article ideas!

[Walt Disney]

I always like articles about the big 6 studios, and what they have in their pipeline. An article about which upcoming movie next year could be a break out hit for each of the big studios would be interesting.

[Talkie]

I'd love to see articles analyzing the marketing campaigns for various films. Oftentimes fans make assumptions about the efficacy of film marketing that may or may not be supported by facts. Or they may notice definite deficiencies in a campaign and wonder why a studio would make such mistakes (e.g.: John Carter's lackluster marketing). It would be interesting to have these things put into perspective so that we can better understand how decisions are made and the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches. There are bound to be behind the scenes power struggles and in-fighting that figure in, and perhaps you could shed some light on those things.

[Wadey Wilsoney]

Hi, Shawn. I don't know if you can make an article of this, but I would like to know what your definition is of a "dark" movie. Sometimes I feel that the term is being used too liberally. Like now for IM3 people deem it dark simply because of a more serious tone. Is "serious" and "dark" the same thing?Do you have any thoughts on this, what makes a movie dark, and can you name movies that are actually worthy of the term?

[fishstick]

Perhaps it could be wanting to see a breakdown of the strengths and flaws of a new release's marketing campaign.

I like this because marketing is supposed to sell a movie, not make people gush about extravagant idea while forgetting that movie is why marketing is in place to begin with. case in point is GWTDT`s "bold" campaign with topless maramania which turned off many people or simply failed to raise interest in the movie. It was praised as novelty advertising but turned out to be completely ineffective when it comes to selling the movie. I`d also like to hear opinion on whether titles really turn off some demographics or it`s a myth. case in point is removing Mars from John Carter (aka Princess of Mars) because some survey`s showed that women were less likely to see movie with Mars in the title. Like, LOL?I`d also like to read about Big Movies Small Career, Small Movies Big Career - why big movies don`t necessarily launch stars and why small movies are likelier to do so.The invasion of octogens. Movies with older stars are doing terrific business these days - Skyfall is beating the shit out of Bond movies although it`s only prominent female is 70 years old lady. Neeson is an action star. Expedanbles, RED are also hits starring actors over 50. Lincoln is a boxoffice beast. This is all happening while YA is all rage and movies are made mostly for teens. I find the paradox interesting. Care to elaborate in a column? This could tie in with Return of Sly that Unagi suggested.Also something about the change in star system. Classic one is dead. There are still relicts of the past who hold onto star = brand (Cruise) but now brand (Marvel, Potter,etc) is the star while biggest names in the business rely more on quality team behind (director, script) and in front of the camera(co-stars) than on their own names alone. Examples, Pitt, Leo, etcTied with the above - how directors stole the classic star status from actors. Nowdays, movie-goers passion is strongest for directors, not actors. Nolanites vs Cameroines, nuff said. And that`s just one example.So, yeah, write away!

[IndustriousAngel]

I'd like articles focusing on the theater side of the business. Most we talk about are distributors or producers or single films, but in the end the theaters and theater chains play as important a role as the makers and distributors, and it's there that we finally come face-to-face with the finished product. I think most here will agree that we do care very much about our theatrical experience, but few talk about how theaters make their money, how they try to attract the audience, how they cope with changing demographics and technical innovations. What makes a theater a good theater? Differences between countries would also be interesting.Another item would be the technical side of the business. The step from 35mm to digital, 3D, HFR, projection systems, sound systems, camera systems, light, IMAX ... it's maybe a dry theme but important for makers and theaters alike because wrong decisions can take a very high toll. When talk about "The Hobbit" started, it became obvious that there is a lot of ignorance (here and in other media) about the technical aspects of film-making and projecting. I understand that boxoffice.com is about the success at the boxoffice, but most of us here are film geeks or fans (who will turn over time into what's termed "cinephiles") and as such I think many of us are interested in more than just weekend numbers.

[delfinasu]

The best part of the site in my opinion is the long range forecast.

I wish that the "Long term projections" section to remain always in home page.Thank you!

[ChD]

Sorry guys, I didn't catch your questions about the Derby in this thread.The answer is definitely yes, the Derby is still a work-in-progress. We've stopped asking for donations for legal reasons. But I'm doing my best to get the game developed through other means. We have a fully functioning application that I've been testing as a single player for the past few weeks, so I'm hoping we get to start testing with multiple players in the coming weeks.I really wish I could give you something more concrete, but as it is, I don't want to make any promises that can't be kept...so I won't even dare projecting a launch date anymore. But I'm pushing as hard as I possibly can to have it finished this year.

Any news on this, Shawn?

[delfinasu]

I really like the "2013 Preview" series of articles. Will you continue after "March" and "May"?I'm interested in reading an article or two about the most anticipated movies of the next year (summer and winter, or the whole year).Which do you think will be the bombs and the surprises of 2013? Some numbers for OW and total would be great!Which sequels will be greater than its predecessors?I know that Will Smith was the most bankable actor years ago. How about the last 5 years? Which actors have the highest number of $100M domestic gross movies? How about the best average in the last 5 years? Which ones will have big projects in the next 2-3 years?What records can be broken in 2013?

Edited January 1, 2013 by delfinasu

[Wadey Wilsoney]

What about a thread discussing the various lists compiled by BOM. On the Monday box office thread of January 1st a member posted a list of highest grossing directors which received quite a bit of responses/debate.Perhaps every second day a new list can be brought up for discussion.

[Shawn Robbins]

Hi, Shawn. I don't know if you can make an article of this, but I would like to know what your definition is of a "dark" movie. Sometimes I feel that the term is being used too liberally. Like now for IM3 people deem it dark simply because of a more serious tone. Is "serious" and "dark" the same thing?Do you have any thoughts on this, what makes a movie dark, and can you name movies that are actually worthy of the term?

Its interesting, I feel those two words get overused (or at least mistaken for each other) pretty frequently. I've been guilty of it too, I'm sure, but my opinions is that is "dark" is usually referring to something a bit more esoteric and less palatable for a wide audience (many Tim Burton movies, certainly Paul Thomas Anderson's flicks, and more) while "serious", in my mind, just means a larger focus on character development.But, they could mean two totally different things for others.Thanks for all these suggestions, guys. Definitely going to leave this as a revolving subject because its good to hear what people are interesting in reading and/or talking about.

[Wadey Wilsoney]

What about a weekly column about the winner and loser of the week regarding things like overall reception from audiences, critical acclaim, box office, PTA, legs, etc.?

[Moviedweeb]

This is not about a column but under the "recent topics" box in the forums, I think a "recently liked" comments box would be cool so one can see which comments are currently "trending."

[grey ghost]

Black and minority star powerWhich movies with black stars or cast do the best recently and why is the overseas market less forgiving to movies with black cast?Also why are minorities willing to watch white movies but not the other way around? What are the exceptions and why?

[John Marston]

has there been an article talking about  the box office prospects of 2013 blockbusters similar to this one

 

http://boxofficetheory.com/2012/01/30/2012-forecast-top-10/

[Shawn Robbins]

has there been an article talking about  the box office prospects of 2013 blockbusters similar to this one

 

http://boxofficetheory.com/2012/01/30/2012-forecast-top-10/

 

Hmm, yes and no. We've done a few scattered articles that cover specific months but since we have the Long Range Forecast, I'm not sure we'll be doing one big article with predictions like the one I had done for BOT last year.

 

That said, I won't rule it out completely yet.

 

Here is the most recent comparable article, which covers May: http://www.boxoffice.com/articles/2013-02-is-may-over-crowded-with-iron-man-3-star-trek-into-darkness-fast-furious-6-and-the-hangover-part-iii

 

I'm aiming to do something similar for June and July when the inspiration hits.

[chasmmi]

Will we ever see a $1B grossing movie from one territory alone and will America or China get there first?

 

Or

 

Why do movies gross better in the summer? Is it because those movies are the most popular or do the most popular movies go there because its the best time? What gross would one speculate The Avengers would have achieved with say a February release? How would a summer release have affected Titanic or Avatar? How does one go about choosing a release date to maximaise profit/minimise loss and are there classic examples of a studio getting things spot on/totally wrong?

 

I mean if a film is going to bomb, why not let it bomb at a slightly better time of year?

[tommycruise]

I'd like to see an article about what you think this summers comedy prospects are and how they will compare to former years.

[The Movie Man]

Movies, TV, Sports and Politics.

 

PS. Not sure if this is still supposed to be pinned as it is mainly from last year???

Edited May 8, 2013 by Truman Burbank

[Water Bottle]

Movies, TV, Sports and Politics.

 

PS. Not sure if this is still supposed to be pinned as it is mainly from last year???

 

I'll leave this pinned for now since people might still have suggestions for the site. Shawn can decide to unpin it if he wants.

[Olive]

Monthly previews.