![\"Logo](\"http:\/\/vqt.nlm.mybluehost.me\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/indiewire-logo-HORIZ-300x59.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“80 For Brady” isn’t a fluke. “A Man Called Otto” will out-gross 11 nominees in the Best Picture and lead acting categories combined.<\/p>\n
Clearly, adult audiences aren\u2019t going to the movies: Steven Spielberg\u2019s \u201cThe Fabelmans\u201d (Universal), a leading Oscar contender with strong critical support and elevated film festival presence, grossed less than $17 million in the U.S.\/Canada. Except\u2026 in its initial week, \u201c80 for Brady\u201d (Paramount) was the #1 film with $19 million.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what\u2019s going on: Adult audiences are going to the movies. In fact, we suspect they\u2019re going to the movies in about the same numbers they did in pre-COVID \u2014 but what\u2019s changed is the movies they choose to see.<\/p>\n
As the box office continues to recover, we\u2019ve seen adult-driven specialized cinema remain in a state of collapse. Logic might suggest the problem lies with a slow return by those adult audiences who might face more acute health concerns, but the performance of films like \u201c80 for Brady\u201d and \u201cA Man Called Otto\u201d present a major kink in that narrative.<\/p>\n
Initially perceived as Oscar bait, Sony changed its tactics when it became clear that reviews would not be kinder than mediocre. Instead, it went with a release strategy that maxed out at 3,802 screens. It might have looked like a Hail Mary pass, but it was not: \u201cOtto\u201d will end its domestic run with $65 million-$70 million \u2014 more than the combined gross of 11 nominees in the Best Picture and lead acting categories combined.<\/p>\n
Those 11 titles are \u201cThe Fabelmans,\u201d \u201cThe Banshees of Inisherin,\u201d \u201cThe Whale,\u201d \u201cTar,\u201d \u201cWomen Talking,\u201d \u201cAftersun,\u201d \u201cTriangle of Sadness,\u201d \u201cAll Quiet on the Western Front,\u201d \u201cLiving,\u201d \u201cTo Leslie,\u201d and \u201cBlonde.\u201d The outliers \u2014 the Oscar nominees supported, if not propelled, by older audiences \u2014 are \u201cTop Gun: Maverick,\u201d \u201cElvis,\u201d and \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opening weekend for \u201cMaverick\u201d saw 55 percent of ticket buyers over 35 (unlike the MPA, studios break down attendance by over- 25, 35, 45, and 55). Other titles that resonated with adults in 2022 include \u201cThe Lost City,\u201d which opened last March and reached over $100 million, with 65 percent over 35. Even Channing Tatum\u2019s \u201cDog\u201d saw 40 percent over 40. \u201cElvis,\u201d a major hit, initially saw 65 percent over 35.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s good reasons for older audiences to return, the decline of COVID being only one of them. Studios took the risk of releasing these films in theaters rather than favoring their streaming channels (many faced that possibility, including \u201c80 for Brady\u201d). Original, non-franchise titles may appeal more to older audiences more than the younger-skewing franchises. And TV \u2014 broadcast, cable, or streaming \u2014 has lost its habit of catering to older viewers as it once did with \u201cMurder, She Wrote,\u201d \u201cThe Golden Girls,\u201d or \u201cER.\u201d Streaming programs like \u201cThe Crown\u201d and \u201cBridgerton\u201d are packaged for binging.<\/p>\n
Based on the last 12 months, we know what attracts adults to theaters? The promise of familiar experiences with non-controversial entertainment. We see it in the stars (Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, the veteran quartet of \u201c80\u201d) and the brands (Agatha Christie, Elvis, best-seller adaptations) Not all adult-oriented hits are feel-good; \u201cWhere the Crawdads Sing\u201d involves a gruesome murder. But as a pick for Witherspoon\u2019s Hello Sunshine Book Club, much of its audience may have known it would have a happy ending.<\/p>\n
That preference may explain the adult-audience disinterest in Oscar contenders. Issues of quality aside, this year\u2019s Oscars picks have a much darker tone. \u201cThe Fabelmans,\u201d with Spielberg\u2019s biographical content about his parents\u2019 divorce (and counting on interest in Spielberg\u2019s teenage years as its draw) doesn\u2019t have the same appeal as Best Picture nominees like \u201c1917,\u201d \u201cFord v. Ferrari,\u201d and \u201cLittle Women.\u201d<\/p>\n
All credit to Paramount, but \u201c80 for Brady\u201d is not an anomaly. It\u2019s just the latest refutation of the myth that adult audiences don\u2019t go to theaters.<\/p>\n
View this article at IndieWire<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yes, Adults Still Go to the Movies \u2014 but Now They\u2019re Less Interested in Oscar Nominees: “80 For Brady” isn’t a fluke. “A Man Called Otto” will out-gross 11 nominees in the Best Picture and lead acting categories combined. Clearly, adult audiences aren\u2019t going to the movies: Steven Spielberg\u2019s \u201cThe Fabelmans\u201d (Universal), a leading Oscar
+ Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,23,31,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cooper-ward","category-elsa-ramo","category-erika-canchola","category-indiewire"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6666"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6668,"href":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6666\/revisions\/6668"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}