Chapter 241: Stellar Debut?
Surely... $11,152,500 could be considered quite a stellar debut!
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With all the teasers, the endorsements, and various propaganda mediums being used to disseminate everything about Back to the Future... it had come to be a film with an established concept in the minds of those that were drawn in by it.
The title of "Back to the Future" itself has a somewhat explicit take on what the film is offering.
Could it be a different take on the time-travel concept?
Nothing much was really clear from how the film's publicity strategy "teased" it... but the strategy sure did it masterfully in keeping things somewhat vague making people wonder.
Anyways, something was a bit much concrete, and the fact that... The protagonist of the film would have to go "back to the future".
This would come to be an established notion and theme that moviegoers were expecting from the film.
Many of them went into the theaters and they armed themselves with this knowledge.
Imagine their surprise when they finally took in the full force of what the film had to offer.
Oh... how wrong and underwhelming were their expectations of this new summer offering!
Back to the Future outright destroyed their preconceived thoughts on how the story would go and also outright surpassing it... in a handful of levels!
Of course, some of the said moviegoers were still processing things and reeling from what they have paid tickets for.
Some of them were even asking why this time-travel film is titled "Back to the Future' when the film summary said that this Marty character would be sent back to the past.
Of course, the answer was obvious to many... but there are still folks who are a mix of wonder, whimsy, and gullibility.
These were mostly the kids that watched the film though.... mostly! Well, at least these were the types that are easily immersed in these types of stories.
Anyhows, a factor that can be noted for Back to the Future's box office boom and great audience reception is how it plays with expectations!
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All of it boils down to the strategy that Columbia and Creed Pictures employed, of course.
They can't just release a film with willy-nilly and spendingly advertise it without a plan.
As for how they came up with that plan...
Well... it mostly dawned on them when they've got test screenings.
A lot of these tests were done for their collaborative studios' internal judgment and gauging of the film's potential.
There is also a separate set of test screenings... which is mostly catered to the theater companies.
These test screenings and test audiences do give a lot of insight and perspectives that Back to the Future could get from.
Still... one thing did stand out!
Test audiences generally didn't know the movie was a comedy!
For example... before Back to the Future was officially released as it has been now, a test audience got to see the film when it first screened in May of 1985 at the Century Domes Theater Complex in San Jose, California.
Some audience members won tickets from an MTV contest. A gimmicky avenue to gain traction for the film.
Unlike a premiere, there were no signs or hints about what the movie would be about.
People did get excited when the opening credits revealed the film was created by Robert Zemeckis, but many still had no idea what to expect.
As a result, when Doc Brown sent his dog Einstein forward in time one minute and made him vanish, Bob Gale recalled that some audience members were distressed because they thought the dog had been killed.
However, once Marty traveled to 1955 and met his teenage father, the story clicked with the audience, who immersed themselves in the story.
These test audience reactions gave an abstract demonstration of how many ups and downs and overall fun ride that the roller coaster-esque movie could offer.
With an audience being withheld components such as the film's comedic take... an overall subversive but enjoyable experience was made.
From these reactions and analytic observations, a strategy was formed and it was the strategy that Columbia and Creed Pictures used!
Of course, there is also no denying that this publicity strategy may just be floundering of things and didn't amount to any contribution to the film's success at all.
Maybe Back to the Future was just that good?!
Still, 11+ million dollars on its opening weekend must have some reasonable explanation as to how it happened.
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Granted, the average film enthusiast had already given their testament to being enamored and delighted by Back to the Future's quirky and innovative storytelling.
Of course, with the "average" film folks done... there are also "elites" as well.
Perhaps it is also these "elites" and their guiding insights that swayed these "average" film folks to watch Back to the Future in the first place.
Whether this was also Columbia-Creed's strategy or not... it can't be denied that critics loved the movie!
Some films take a while to find their audience. Even movies that are later considered classics don't always receive a warm reception at the box office or enjoy favorable reviews when they first come out.
But not Back to the Future!
From the start, film reviewers from major publications like The New York Times and Variety all gave the movie glowing reviews.
Some, like Newsweek's Jack Kroll called the film, "the smartest, sweetest, funniest comedy in many summers."
Others, like Empire's Adam Smith, praised the screenplay, calling it a "near perfect script" — an observation that would be echoed in film classes for decades.
Film critic Roger Ebert was particularly complimentary, giving the film 3 ½ out of 4 stars.
In his review, Ebert compared the film to Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946), praising the hopeful way it allowed audiences to see their parents in a new light.
Director Robert Zemeckis also received accolades from the legendary critic, with Ebert stating his touch gave the film "charm, brains, and a lot of laughter."
Considering Zemeckis and Gale's project was turned down 40 times by multiple studios before being made, the warm critical reception to Back to the Future had to be extremely gratifying.
Of course, there are also circulating accounts that the entire film was anchored by a little picture book... but the proprietor of said picture book hadn't really risen to any film critic's attention... yet!
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Anyways, for the 80s with Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and [E.T.]... Back to the Future was a flick that gave its viewer another refreshing intake on what films can achieve and what boundaries can they break!
Even the "elite" film critics had managed to achieve a pretty major consensus amongst themselves that Back to the Future is a must-watch.
Through a well-executed publicity strategy and the gimmicky content of the film itself... it gave the film's watchers a subversive but welcomed shock!
With its familial and nostalgic themes... alongside its innovative advancement in both storytelling and filmmaking techniques... $11,152,500 is really well-deserved!
There is another thing that is clear though... $11,152,500 is truly just a stellar debut... because there is a lot more to come!