Harry Potter, Pirates Of The Caribbean, even The Exorcist: they’re four-quadrant movies.
But what does that even mean…?
The summer of 1990 was a good one for blockbuster cinema.
In a summer laden with hits, it was one of the biggest.
Other films in that top 10?
The tense Jack Ryan feature,The Hunt For Red October.
Bottom line: a real mix of films, catering to a real mix of audiences.
That way, the possible audience is maximised.
But it points to Hollywoods quest to make what it likes to call a four quadrant movie.
Its a phrase thats quietly dominated box office cinema for the past decade or so.
That is women under 25, men under 25, women over 25 and men over 25.
Its a not a new thing, either.
Theres an interesting piece too atScreenplay Scripts, where it argues thatThe Exorcistis a four-quadrant movie.
Its a rare example in that it doesnt attract a family crowd here, kids!
Youre going to love this one!
but its audience was nonetheless compromised from the four key sectors of the cinema audience.
Spend north of $150m, it wants to be hitting them all.
In turn, likely limiting the box office returns.
The Harry Potter series, a collection of films with near-universal appeal.
It became the most lucrative movie franchise of all time, and every other studio was taking notes.
That one or two big hits would cover everything.
And Horn, financially at least, was correct.
The problem is that now, studio after studio is eyeing the same model.
And whilst the films themselves differ, they all work within the same bracket.
Most of the time, Id strongly argue it’s possible for you to tell.
It affects the films that are being pitched into studios, too.
Its impossible to put a number on, but its unlikely to be a high one.
However, there are slight suggestions that things may change.
On the basis of this years summer releases already,The Mummy 2andPirates Of The Caribbean 6are looking unlikely.
Im not utterly convinced thatll happen, and certainly if it does it wont happen quickly.
But the drive for exclusively four-quadrant blockbuster movies isnt working.
And something, eventually, has to give…
