It’s strange that in this world of instant reviews that film companies still think that if they don’t screen a film till the very last possible moment they can save themselves from negative reviews.
The Great Gatsby opened in the US last weekend to mixed reviews but it still over performed at the box office. Box office experts were predicting it to take upwards of $30m but instead it took over $50m.
In the UK Warner’s screened the film very late to critics with reviews coming online today getting very mixed reviews. These reviews have been Tweeted to their followers and re-tweeted. Tomorrow it will be screened to foreign press ahead of its European premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
Delaying the reviews closer to a film’s release date could possibly do more damage than if the film was screened earlier and reviews came out the normal time as by delaying them they all get released at the same time flooding the media with potential poor reviews, rather than the drip drip effect that can be contained.
This weekend is very interesting one in the UK being the second weekend for Star Trek into Darkness that opened with £8.4m in its opening weekend it will be very interesting to see how much it declines in its second weekend anything less than 60% with the competition of Fast & Furious 6 and The Great Gatsby will be very impressive.
It was strange that Universal are releasing Fast & Furious 6 a week ahead of the US release. It was partly made in the UK but these films are far more successful in the US and it will be aimed at the same male dominated audience of Star Trek Into Darkness. The problem Universal had is with The Hangover 3 opening the following week they couldn’t go day and date with it.
Which leaves the door open to The Great Gatsby as it could possibly mirror its opening in the US with women that have no interest in either Star Trek or Fast & Furious and whom are likely to ignore the reviews and still go to see it.
