Cinematical

I think the real question is, does the internet have that much influence on the general public? Sure, there's a lot of information out there, but people have to actually go and get it. Most people aren't interested enough in movies to do that. They'll still find out about an upcoming film from the tv commercials, and that will be the extent of their knowledge.

So since most people are not part of the crowd who's finding out about movies before they come out (or, if they do keep track of them, they're only interested in big name, blockbuster movies), I think sleeper hits should still be possible.

I think the decline in sleeper hits might be better attributed to the rise of the sequel, and the tendency of audiences to flow towards familiar material.

Reply

The sleeper hit is simply shifting to the DVD market. A movie such as Donnie Darko did nothing at the box office but became a cult hit over the years through DVD.

With continued media consolodation, it's virtually impossible for something genuinely independent to make a splash at the box office these days. The home market, however, is wide open, because it's largely controlled by consumer demand in the long run.

Reply

The sleeper hit is not dead. Look at the Medea series, or Woman Thou Art Loosed, which seemingly came out of nowhere to top the box office. Sleepers are more demographically specific now, with word of mouth spreading through communities and resulting in strong box office showings without critcal acclaim.

A movie with a clear and unique message to an underrepresented segment of society will always be a surprise, and may be the next surprise hit.

Reply

Some would qualify "The Illusionist" as a sleeper hit. The film had a slow roll out and has expanded successfully. It's going on its second month here in Houston and has posted stronger box office than well-promoted studio fare like "All the King's Men" and De Palma's "The Black Dahlia."

Reply

There's certainly a definition aspect. I'd class the first Matrix film as a sleeper hit, despite its oversized budget. It came from nowhere.

Thing is, during a period of tripe films, we tend to look for sleeper hits, which makes them, well, not sleepers.

We'll still have them in the future, though. As Culture Snob says above, the DVD market is growing, and there's always the internet, when downloading films becomes more plausible. YouTube, if you can negotiate your way round the pap, contains its fair share of gems already - just wait until the film companies actually get involved with it.

Reply

Well, think of all the internet buzz SOAP had. That didn't translate to box office in the least.

Also, I think LMS had quite a bit of inet buzz in the underground...

Reply

What about the first Pirates of the Carribean? When that movie was announced, noone thought a movie based on a theme park ride would be a success. Boy were we wrong....

Reply