It's certainly a principled decision by George Clooney, but moving 'The Monuments Men' to February, which is what Fox is angling for (Sony says Q1 of 2014), is a tough thing to do. Very tough.
The reasons given make sense -- sort of. The first reason, according to Clooney, is the effects won't be ready and/or good enough for a November 2013 release. That sounds legit despite the fact 'The Monuments Men' isn't really loaded with effects. However, the second reason doesn't quite hold up as well: A move to February 2014 dodges the crowded awards-season box office crunch.
So...they're moving a prestige product out of the awards race and dropping it into the February low-budget B genre-fest to give it a better chance at the box office? Got it.
At The Wrap, Sharon Waxman is saying different. Rather than an issue with visual effects being the problem, she says it's actually the broad tonal shifts that give Clooney pause. "The movie isn't ready. It's not where it needs to be," a source told her. That, I can buy. That makes sense.
Trailers start out light and frothy like a 50s-style WWII comedy, then turn very dark, and end more like an edgy contemporary drama. Though I liked the last trailer very much the shift in tone was pretty noticeable. I assumed they had it under control and was looking forward to a complex story about a serious historical event, however there's two problems with the way that trailer played. First, you can't do a WWII comedy (like they did in the 50s or not) and, second, the trailer is pretty confusing, partly because we can't process comedy and WWII at the same time and partly because the grave tone toward the end of the trailer comes out of left field. All of which makes the viewer think this movie is a rental or to be caught on TV sometime down the road.
So, turns out they didn't have it under control. I was wrong. December isn't stacking up so nicely after all. Too bad.
Next problem. A February opening. Opening then isn't as bad as it used to be. A lot of films go for that slot and do well at the box office, but they tend to be action or horror movies with a sprinkling of small indie dramas or comedies. A high-profile showcase like 'The Monuments Men' sits rather conspicuously in February. Besides, if one of the stated reasons for moving from the crowded fall/winter season is to give the movie a better chance at earning some money, why land in February? While pure genre flicks can make money at that time, a bigger budget movie can't, or at least, hasn't yet.
I'll bet the current cut of 'The Monuments Men' is fine. I can understand the producers not wanting to alienate certain segments of the audience with a story that starts light but turns fairly dark but, really, are you risking anything? Who will go to see this movie? People looking for a frilly war comedy? It's the more mature crowd that should be targeted and they love a yarn like this. Older audiences would line up to see a movie about saving the art treasures that were plundered by the Nazis. What's so compelling is that some of those works, certainly, must not have been saved. Shots of paintings being burning (by flamethrowers, no less) in the trailer are intense, moving, and yes, kids don't want to see that kind of thing. But adults do. An older audience understands and cares about what was at stake. An older audience understands that kind of thing could happen again.
Hence the problem. If you open in February older audiences will not go the see 'The Monuments Men'. You promised them an awards contender in the fall/winter season, they got geared up to see the movie at that time, then you pull the rug out and tell them they have to wait until February. So, one, they feel cheated and, two, they don't want to see a movie that couldn't compete with the other awards chasers and, three (this is the big one), older audiences do not go to the movies in February.
That's right. While it's not the dumping ground it used to be, while many movies make a tidy sum during that slot, it's because younger audiences turn out in February. Not adults. So, George, you think kids are going to flock to see your movie in February because it's the month of grindhouse and, as such, 'The Monuments Men' must be, well, funny, entertaining schlock and, therefore it follows the movie is exactly what they're looking for? Please.
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Dear George Clooney,
We know you've got a good cut. We know it's not the effects. You're afraid nobody will like the dark turn in the story. Not true. We'll love it. Try us.
Okay, maybe there's a couple issues. Maybe, you're not totally comfortable. We understand a truly compelling edit can be an elusive thing. It's important to you. We know that and respect your artistic integrity. Well, it's important to us too. So, if you must push the movie into 2014 in order to put together an edit you can believe in, do everyone a favor and push it all the way to next year's awards season instead of February.
Yes, that's right. If you can't release the movie this fall, when your core audience wants to see something like 'The Monuments Men', give it to us next fall. Go for November 2014 and forget February 2014 as it's a time when nobody will want to see your movie. We'll be fine with that. Really. We'll wait a year to see 'The Monuments Men' in all its lovingly edited glory, dark tonal shifts and all.
We know it's "a bit of a dance," but if you're going to punt, don't just tap it over the line, kick the living shit out of it. Okay?
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