Thanks to The Dark Knight, a new company swimming pool is installed at Warner Bros...Break out the calendar and the calculator!
It's time to find out who has their pulse on the moviegoing public. Time to find out who's moving into the studio head's corner office with the floor-to-ceiling windows. Time to find out who is pathetically obsessed enough with movies to join a fantasy movie league and actually keep track of how many millions of dollars Americans are spending at the movie theater in the middle of a financial crisis that threatens to completely ruin an economy already flagging due to the strains of war, irresponsible investments, and corporate greed.
Care to play?
Last season, fellow Minneapolitan and movie buff Kathie Smith reigned supreme, wisely balancing her slate with smaller fare like The Strangers and larger blockbusters like, well, like a somewhat moderate commercial success called The Dark Knight. You may have heard of it. Check out the full standings and slates from last season here. I still can't believe nobody picked Kung Fu Panda, the 6th highest-grossing movie of the year.
You have until FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, to sign up and choose your slate of eight films for season 2, which officially runs from October 3rd through December 29th. It should be great timing since it will include the last weekend of the calendar year, meaning every Oscar-eligible movie will be included. If you want to choose a film opening this Friday, October 3, you must sign up and select that film immediately. Unfortunately today was the first day that I could register the league, so we couldn't have set this up any earlier. After next Friday, October 10, you will NOT be able to join the league this season. Remember, you can always change your movies after you sign up.
For all you newcomers (and I hope there are lot of you), here's how it works:
1.) Register and create a Box Office Moguls (not Ultimate Movie Moguls) studio with a funny name. If you played last season you can just sign in and create a new studio.
2.) Join the existing private Box Office Moguls league named "Getafilm Season #2". You can search for it or I think you try from the league homepage here. The password is "getafilm". Pretty tricky. It's also the password for my offshore account.
3.) Instruct the next person you talk to in completing steps 1 and 2 at the nearest computer.
4.) Choose your "slate" of movies. You can choose up to 8, but each movie "costs" you an amount of money based on the projected success of its theater run. Huge blockbusters will cost you more and they'll make the most, but what if they bomb? And what if you choose a small, cheap independent film that slowly, gradually gains traction and becomes a massive box office success (hello, Juno)? Choose your slate now, but remember that you can change movies throughout the season as long as the movie you pick up hasn't been released anywhere yet.
5.) Tell everyone you know to go see and the movies you picked.
6.) Follow the success of each movie throughout the season.
7.) Forget to track the success of each movie throughout the season.
8.) Talk trash on the league's message board.
9.) Laugh at me when my indie sleeper pick opens in 63 theaters and then disappears after two weeks.
10.) Win an amazing grand prize. I can't say anything yet, but it may or may not involve a chance to announce the Best Picture winner at next year's Academy Awards ceremony.
There's no reason to wait. It will take all of 5 minutes and then you won't have to worry about missing the deadline.Sign up now, join the private "Getafilm Season #2" League, and choose your slate!
Oh yeah, and if you want some tips, check out the recap from Season #1. Here's a hint if you didn't get it last time: it's to your advantage to choose movies released earlier in the season. But - they still have to be the right movies...
Good luck and thanks for playing!
Sounds like fun! Though I usually hate box office winners, so I'll probably suck at this.
ReplyDeleteHa, then that's half the fun! Forget the blockbusters and stock up on indie underdogs. Besides, it takes a lot of faith in the kids of America to spend 60% of your budget on Madagascar 2...
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, Jandy! Nice blog, by the way. Good luck and thanks for playing!
Okay, but see, they don't give you enough money. :) I think I could make this work if I had ONE MORE DOLLAR. Might have to give up Quantum of Solace, which seems dumb not to have, but it's so expensive. And didn't the "indie underdog" strategy not work out so hot last season, if I read your recap right? :p
ReplyDeleteThanks! I need to try to keep my blog up better.
Hehe, well my final position in the standings is, ahem, probably all the evidence you need that indie underdogs are fool's gold.
ReplyDeleteI haven't actually picked my full slate yet, as you can see, but yeah, Quantum of Solace is pretty hard to turn pass over. I'm especially nervous after having not picked TDK. Of course, I don't think Quantum will do that kind of business, just that there's probably one movie in this season that's going to be a huge advantage like that. What will it be...hmm, Beverly Hills Chihuahua...
In as "Shep Proudfoot" and ready to underestimate whatever GIANT fall/winter movie comes along (as I did with TDK) and go from first to nearly worst again (though still finishing ahead of Daniel ;) ).
ReplyDeleteMade my picks, then looked at yours, Daniel...we don't share a single film. One thing's for sure - this season ain't nothing like the last - outside of the top 5 movies, the rest all seem like crapshoots. TIme will tell...
ReplyDeleteI just completely switched my picks around. Damnit, I'm going to be changing these EVERY DAY. Thanks, Daniel.
ReplyDeleteLike Marge Lundegaard, I'm going to put you in your place, Shep. By the way, you didn't happen to be watching that on IFC last night, too, did you? :)
ReplyDeleteScott, I was a little worried people might mistake me for a 15 year-old girl based on my picks, but we'll see who's got the most money for a mall shopping spree come Dec. 29. HSM is my big ticket right now, too, and actually, had I not already seen Playlist I wouldn't have picked it. I've got a good feeling about that movie...
You're right Fletch, this is a much more wide open field than last time. I don't have any Dec. openings right now, which I thought would be strategic. But then who knows, Seven Pounds or Ben Button could do $150 million in 10 days. Anyway, could be a lot of switchin' going on!
And it's official - Kathie and her monster are back to terrorize the league once again!
Now tell everyone you know to sign up, please...
Woo hoo! Fun stuff. I'll plug this on my next release post, Daniel.
ReplyDeleteI, too, wanted Quantum but just couldn't justify it. My most risky pick was Bed Time Stories, which opens Christmas. But it didn't cost me too much.
Sadly, I showed up too late to grab that Chihuahua movie, which seems like easy bank.
Thanks a lot, Evan. The more people the better, and they should still have time to get in by Friday.
ReplyDeleteA Christmas opening is definitely a risky play here as you'll only get one weekend. Will Bed Time Stories open #1 at the box office? We'll see, but you better start your PR campaign like now just in case...
I'm in. The rest of you should just quit now.
ReplyDeleteOoh man, I have to say, I'm liking Matt's picks the more I look at them.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, this may or may not be obvious, but the price for each movie goes up throughout the season, so it's better to switch as early as possible. Madagascar 2, for example, will basically be unaffordable the week before it opens, so get it while it's "cheap".
I went through everyone else's and I do think I did pretty well. No big risks in mine with plenty that could blow up under the right circumstances. And the bigger priced stuff all has pretty safe built in audiences. I think I should do alright.
ReplyDeleteShould be fun, can't wait to see how this whole thing turns out.
I think your biggest gambles, Gamble (Wow, how often do you get that?), are Transporter 3 and Bees, though the latter may build an audience over the long run.
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea.
ReplyDeleteI think Saw 87 is the biggest. I mean, how much longer can that franchise keep drawing?
Not many sure things this round, so it should make for a pretty wide open race.
The question mark around Saw is: why didn't they release it on Halloween? The 31st happens on a Friday like once every four years, and they back off because of Zack and Miri?
ReplyDeleteAlright so I just completely changed almost all of my picks. This is insane. I must be in a post-debate mindset since I just went after two presidential movies. Pretty risky though, cutting myself down to 7. I don't know if I like what I just did, and the prices are going to continue to go up every week...