The whole, “comic-book movies and their fans may have reached the tipping point” thesis keeps rearing its head. Will this premise rise to a chorus and what are the facts they have to base their case on considering Hollywood is still reaping the massive benefits of “The Dark Knight?”
The Hollywood Reporter is at it again with a piece that propounds the question: Are the geeks overrated in Hollywood? It doesn’t prove much and fumbles around in the dark a lot – it’s more an exploratory piece than a straight up condemnation – but the fact this concept continues to repeat itself is worth noting.
One unnamed director who frequents Comic-Con year after year said anonymously that the online crowd doesn’t necessarily matter as much as everyone thinks. “The total number of people in the blog world is probably only a few hundred thousand, and as much as they might hate to hear it, for most movies that’s not going to make the difference between a success and a failure.” God, if they would have named that person, he would’ve been ripped to shreds by the fanboys. Should we care to guess who it was? Kevin Smith? Zack Snyder? Frank Miller? Man, if this person was to be outed, sparks would fly and we’d love to see what transpired from it.
NBC marketing chief John Miller, notes that even his network’s most ardent fans for shows like “Journeyman” and CBS’ “Jericho,” can sometimes only be a dedicated but marginal voice that doesn’t move mountains or rating. “Sometimes that small group can be loyally fanatical and will never grow to the point of critical mass. There are some shows you’re never going to find profitability with no matter how much a fan base loves it.” (“Jericho” was cancelled, brought back by fans, and then ratings plummeted).
This is the the article’s most compelling nut graph.
“It might be that the fan revolution is being driven not so much by compelling data or a clear strategy but a more intangible psychological factor. In the echo chamber of a fan campaign, it’s hard for execs and creators not to get caught up in the hype.”
However, the piece does illustrate the concern filmmakers feel about potential backlash, geek talk and anti-hype. Michael Bay’s producing partner, Brad Fuller, said he was “terrified” over how the Comic-Con audiences would take to the “Friday the 13th” reboot and the Reporter also states that Paramount was so nervous about its “Star Trek” prequel they didn’t show footage from the film because they weren’t confident that the unfinished clips would look appealing to discerning eyes.