In the dazzling world of Hollywood, it’s both common and fascinating to watch films make incredible splashes at their premieres, only to experience sharp declines in audience attendance right after. One prime example of this paradoxical phenomena is the recent buzz-generating box office sizzler “The Color Purple”. For a film that held such grand promise given its record-breaking opening night, the sudden slump in sales that followed was an unexpectedly bittersweet pill for the industry, echoing the same fate as some other silver screen powerhouses who faced similar fates.
“The Color Purple” first washed over audiences with an impressive wave of tickets sales and rave reviews. It was lauded as the film of the year, slated to carve an indelible mark on cinematic history based on its attention-grabbing opening weekend success. However, much to everyone’s surprise, post-premiere ticket sales took a nosedive, drawing parallels with the likes of other enveloped-in-hype films like “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”, and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”, which also startled with their post-launch sales precipice.
Investigating the reasons behind the sudden downturn of these films reveals several factors at play, not limited to the masses’ collective critical opinion, timing of release, direct competition with other films, and of course, the finicky nature of public interest and acceptance.
For “The Color Purple,” an artistic tour de force examining the nuances of color and emotion, the record-breaking opening seemed to be an indication of a remarkably long and vigorous run at the box office. Yet, much like other films before it, “The Color Purple” met with a jarring cool down after the initial hype and anticipation faded. This effect, interestingly enough, is not unheard of. High-budget franchises like “Star Wars”, “Batman “, and “Harry Potter”, despite their renowned characters, gripping storylines, and jaw-dropping special effects, also witnessed similar trends in their sales graph.
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” for instance, despite its notable opening weekend sales, dipped by a hefty 67% in the second weekend. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” suffered a similar fate with an even steeper drop of 69% post-launch, while “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” revealed a drop of 72%, even though it remained a highly profitable venture.
When analyzing the abrupt revenue decline these seemingly hot films experience, one cannot help but point out an interlocking jigsaw of reasons. The mixed reviews from critics and audiences, which tend to roll in after the initial excitement of a movie premiere, can be both a driving or deterrent force for potential viewers. In the case of “The Color Purple”, there was a distinct shift from ecstatic praise during the initial launch to increasingly ambivalent reviews post-premiere, leading to dwindling audience interest.
In some cases, such as with “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”, negative reviews largely acted as a singular force in causing a rapid sales descent. However, it’s not just reviews that play a role. The timing of a film’s release, the competition it faces from concurrent films, and even the season in which the film is launched can dictate fluctuations in the audience’s interest, thereby influencing the consequent box office sales.
In the case of “The Color Purple”, an unfortunate combination of wavering reviews, the heavy inflow of other compelling films, and the competitive holiday season release timing may have likely led to its sales plummet. Typically, audiences are brimming with choice during holiday seasons and are likely to scatter their interest among multiple films, causing even the most promising among them to dwindle faster than expected.
However, such declines, while steep and quick, do not spell absolute doom for these films. For instance, though “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” suffered a significant drop-off, it still ended up grossing over $1.3 billion worldwide.
While the sharp decline in audience numbers for record-breaking films like “The Color Purple”, “The Last Jedi”, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”, and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” may be initially shocking, it’s evident that this trend has become more or less accepted in the film industry. It just stands as a stark reminder that while initial hype can drive unprecedented sales, sustaining audience interest for the long haul is a complex, multi-faceted challenge that even the biggest and most anticipated films are not immune to.
