Comments on: Harvey Weinstein Says He’ll Probably Lose Money on ‘The Master,’ Wishes He Had Marketed It Differently

By: clamsaid

clamsaid — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

I remember seeing commercials for this movie played during NFL games. The arty trailers that PTA came up with were not the only advertising used for this film. These trailers made it seem like a very mainstream type drama, hocking the big name actors like you would any mainstream movie. The reason this film failed to perform was bad reviews and bad word of mouth.

By: Alan B

Alan B — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

Give me a break, Harves. This is a film in which Phoenix masturbates on a beach … in the opening sequence. There is a ceiling on the film's success that no amount of nifty marketing could have breached.

By: jimmiescoffee

jimmiescoffee — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

best movie of 2012. harvey fucked up.

By: Yod

Yod — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

The title of this article contains poor English. It should say "…., Wishes He Had Marketed It Differently".

By: Harrison

Harrison — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

I had a hard seeing this film, only one theater in my entire area was showing this film.

By: bob

bob — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

I think in the long run, it will do fine. A bunch of films have done shit in the theaters and have found a much bigger audience on DVD or cable tv. In my opinion, "The Master" is the kind of movie that will be watched and rewatched for years to come. It's not the kind of film that will just make the quick buck back at the box office and then be forgot about a year later. It's more then that!

By: Helgi

Helgi — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

Please consider the possibility that the so-called fan-base of PTA is only this big, meaning small. You cannot squeeze certain movies down the throat of the entire population. Different marketing does not change this simple fact.

By: JIMMY

JIMMY — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

I want the director's edition of The Master.It'd be a masterpiece.

By: Brendan Thomas

Brendan Thomas — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

The only way this movie would've been a financial success is if it had some Oscar buzz behind it. This could've been achieved by releasing it later and trickling it out slower. So if it had been released in late November or something it'd be fresher in the Academy's minds, and MAYBE they would've nominated it for more awards. Then going wide in January would've had a bigger impact. (not that I'm really complaining–seeing this in early September was an unbelievable treat)

However, I'm not convinced this movie would ever have appealed much to the Academy, so perhaps it was destined to lose money regardless. I think Harvey's right that it'll have a long life down the road (think most of Kubrick's films, and their releases as opposed to their legacies). And I still think it's the best movie of the year.

By: Ray H

Ray H — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

I agree with many of the other comments. It was released too early and lost most of its Oscar momentum and a more gradual release would have helped build buzz and word of mouth. But to be fair, it's a tough movie to sell to audiences. The trailers and advertising were among the best of the year.

By: James

James — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

Don't feel too bad for Megan Ellison Harv. Things could, as they say, be worse.

By: Sofia

Sofia — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

I think releasing the film too early made it lose steem to the big awards (and let's face it, that's the only thing HW was after since even I knew it wasn't going to be a big crowd pleaser by watching the trailers…) and maybe they thought it would have the performance of There will be blood… It is a difficult (yet brilliant) film and should have been taken with parsimony until it would find its own crowd.

But they're releasing worldwide now so I do think it's too soon to tell. During the three times I've seen in Brazil (it opened a week ago) the theatres were packed!

By: rodie

rodie — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

I wish Anderson had written it differently. Fantastic performances, cinematography, score and a genuinely interesting concept all wasted because of a sub par screenplay.

By: Ahmed

Ahmed — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

The marketing was fine. Going wide in the second was an awfully dumb decision.

By: steven

steven — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

It might've done better if they stuck with the October release date, too. It seemed lonely coming out in September when the rest of the big guns were out in the months following.

By: oogle monster

oogle monster — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:43:52 +0000

I don't think it had anything to do with PTA taking control of the trailer, etc. It has EVERYTHING to do with dumping the film into 700+ theaters after ONE week of limited release. Once again, take a look at the marketing strategy behind The Descendants… EVERY polarizing film could utilize that approach. The Descendants was a shit-filled movie but it had one hell of a marketing strategy. Platform release, Weinstein… PLATFORM RELEASE!