Obsession. The box office measured something real.
A 750,000 dollar horror film by a 26 year old YouTuber just did what no film has done since E.T. It had no ad budget, so people just told each other.
THE GIST ON OBSESSION: "Box Cutter"
What did Obsession do?
Obsession is a 750,000 dollar horror film by a 26 year old YouTuber, and it just did something no film has done since E.T. in 1982.
What is an opening weekend really?
Movie studios spend hundreds of millions of dollars on marketing to make their opening weekend happen. Normally they spend as much on advertising as they do on making the film. You spend that money and you get the opening. Then it drops by 50% the following week when the ads stop.
Obsession didn't do that. People just told each other about it.
Why does it matter?
For over four decades Hollywood has used opening weekends as proof that audiences want a film. Sequels, casting and distribution are all green-lit off that one number. Obsession has just proved that the number is purely marketing.
Is it the same everywhere?
Everybody does this. Netflix counts two minutes of watching as a view. Spotify says 30 seconds is a stream. Universities chase league tables. It's the same trick every time: build a measurement, game the measurement, and forget what the measurement was even for.
The film's director didn't have a budget, so he couldn't play the game. So the box office had to measure something real for once: what we actually want to see. Be honest, when was the last time you saw a film because a friend told you about it?
When did a friend last make you see a film?
Your take. One tap, then see how everyone else voted.
Quick answers
What is Obsession?
A 750,000 dollar horror film by a 26 year old YouTuber.
What normally happens after a film's opening weekend?
Studios spend about as much on marketing as on making the film, and takings typically drop by 50% the following week when the ads stop.
Where else are measurements gamed?
Netflix counts two minutes of watching as a view, Spotify counts 30 seconds as a stream, and universities chase league tables.
See you on the next one.
What should the next one be? Suggest a topic for Huw to explain
The conversation
Comments
Nothing here yet. Start the conversation: Huw reads every comment before it is published.
