Buzz KillI think I’ve mentioned before that becoming a published author has made me much more aware of how things are marketed and promoted, specifically how products, whether they be books, music, or movies, generate that almighty buzz that results in loads of sales. I’ve noticed that buzz is very hard to come by, and once achieved, is hard to sustain. Case in point,
Halle Berry’s new movie
Perfect Stranger. I’m a great lover of suspense/thrillers in both book and movie formats. So when I heard about Ms. Berry’s new movie, I couldn’t wait to see it. In the weeks leading up to last weekend’s release of Perfect Stranger, I’ve seen Halle gracing the covers of everything from
InStyle magazine to
Esquire magazine, and read interviews about her failed marriages, homelessness, suicide attempt, new man, and her desire to have a child. I saw her on Entertainment Tonight, and Letterman, heard how she’ll be going bald for her next movie role, and how she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I actually first started hearing about Perfect Stranger last year. So, after all of the heavy promo for Perfect Stranger, how did it do at the box office? Did it debut at number one? No. It opened at number four. Ouch!
The move that landed the number one slot was another thriller called
Disturbia starring teen star
Shia LaBeouf. I don’t recall having seen a single commercial for this movie. I hadn’t even heard about Disturbia until about a week before it was released and it wasn’t from any media outlet. My twelve year old niece told me about it during Easter dinner. So why did a lesser hyped movie win the box office over an over hyped one? Were people tired of hearing the same old stories about Halle? Did she reveal too much about her personal business? Who knows?
One thing that didn’t do Perfect Stranger any favors were the less than stellar reviews. I didn’t see one single
review, and I read several, that had anything good say about the movie, or Halle Berry’s performance. I’ve yet to see the movie, so I can’t comment on whether I agree with the reviews or not. But one thing that probably boosted ticket sales for Disturbia, which got mixed but more positive reviews, was the well timed
announcement last week that Shia LaBeouf would be joining the cast of the much anticipated new Indiana Jones movie, ending months of speculation and rumors. Already having a built in teen following from his days on the Disney series
Even Stevens, LaBeouf must have also attracted Indiana Jones fans who came out to see what this kid was all about.
So, there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to how buzz is achieved. The ways in which buzz is generated doesn’t seem to have a lot to do with how much money is spent, or how much exposure someone gets. Just ask Kevin Federline. Once generated, buzz doesn’t always have the desired results. In the end, you still have to have a quality product. And even then, it’s a long shot.
And speaking of someone who deserves more buzz, check out this
interview with fellow Crime Sistah, Pamela Samuels-Young.
Have a great weekend!
Angela
