|
We Used To Be Friends, A Long Time Ago |
|
Posted Mar 17, 2014 - 9:37:02
|
|
So it didn't happen exactly like this, but this weekend Crysta and I went out and saw the Veronica Mars Movie. This meant we got in the car and drove almost an hour to Kokomo, IN to see it.
The disadvantage to not living in a major city is that it's a crap shoot to find showings of films with limited releases.
As for the movie itself, I will say it was definitely worth the drive. I'm a big Veronica Mars fan, so it was nice to get another installment of this prematurely cancelled series. I will also say you don't need to be an existing fan to understand the movie - as it offers a decent jumping in point for the series as well.
Hell, this movie was so good
it made me finally like Piz. In fact, now I like Piz a
lot.
Damn.
If it's showing near you, go see it. If it's not, consider buying it on Amazon or iTunes. You won't regret it. But while I loved the movie, that's not the part that's had me puzzled -- it's how this film coming together will effect the future of the business.
Over the weekend the film brought in just about $2 million, but that doesn't include any digital or on demand sales (as it was simultaneously released online). In fact, it's hard to wrap my mind around how profitability is going to be calculated for this film... because it's kind of a unique beast.
Most people know that the Veronica Mars movie was funded primarily via Kickstarter. They raised, after Kickstarter's fees, about $5 million. Warnder Brothers reportedly kicked in another $1 million for reshoots. Normally we'd think of this as a movie that cost $6 million, so it would need to make that much back to be a success.
But... $5 million of it's budget was paid for by fans. Many of whom received a digital download of the film as a reward. So, arguably, this film needs to only make back what the studio spent on it to be successful... right?
I think? I'm so confused.
But most people writing about it are talking about it in normal film terms (with only a couple of exceptions).
Buzzfeed's take is especially pessimistic on the subject - but it's still framed in old thinking. It's still thinking about this in the way studio funded films have always been thought about.
But it's a hell of a lot more complex than that.
- Traegorn
