How much money do you need to make a decent film? How do you know whether or not it will be successful? Here are a few lessons from the industry’s best and brightest.
Target Audience
Valentines Day, Friends With Benefits and Bridesmaids are the top 3 most successful “chick flicks” of all time, according to Venus Buzz. The latter had a budget of 32.5 million (KES 2.8 billion) made USD 288 million (KES 24.5 billion) in the box office so far. The movie’s target audience was mainly women but its comedic approach to marriage made sure to include the masculine part of the equation, says Complex, a pop culture magazine.
Fight Club, a film that almost fell short of its projected success, had a budget of USD 63 million (KES 5.4 billion). It didn’t fair well in theaters but went on to make a total of USD 100.9 million (KES 8.6 billion) due to the success of its DVD sales. The movies directors owed its success to its target audience. Fight Club is a coming of age film that targeted young men. The use of violence as a metaphor helped the film become a cult classic. According to Box Office Mojo, a film review resource center, Fight Club ranks 18th among the world’s most controversial films.
The Story
According to Lindsay Doran, Executive Director of films like The Firm and Sense and Sensibility, happy endings don’t always mean that a movie will be successful. As long as a large audience can relate to the characters, success is almost always guaranteed. Such is the case with movie franchises like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Audiences feel invested in a film when one of the main characters dies. It gives them a reason to watch the sequel. When Dumbledore faced death at the hands of the seemingly treacherous, professor Severus Snape, Harry Potter fans were sure to watch the final part of the franchise. If tragedy is anything to go by, the proof is in the pudding.
IMDb reports that the last installment in the Harry Potter series made 26% more than the one before.
The Constant Gardener a dramatic thriller about the murder of a London activist, was predominantly shot in Kenya and had a budget of USD 25 million (KES 2.1 billion), and later grossed USD 82.5 million (over KES 7 billion). The plot was based on an actual case from Kano, Nigeria.
Marketing
Marketing is a major part of any business. The more people are encouraged to purchase a product, the more likely they will actually buy it. Take for instance, the continued success of the Blair Witch Project. According to an article by CNN, the movie practically marketed itself. Due to the fact that it was based on a local legend in the town of Burkittsville, Maryland, audiences were hungry for more Blair Witch trivia. This opened up online forums and public discussions that prompted others to go watch the film for themselves.
Despite being made over 10 years ago with a budget of USD 60,000 (KES 5.1 million), the film has made over USD 230 million worldwide (KES 19.6 billion), making it the most profitable movie in American history. It has also spawned a series of books and merchandise that are still available in some parts of the world.
Budget and Special Effects
The bigger the budget, the more the writers, directors and producers can do. Take it from George Lucas, the creator of the cult classic science fiction franchise, Star Wars. The first movie had a budget of USD 11 million (KES 935 million) but went on to gross USD 775 million (KES 65.9 billion) worldwide. Lucas believed, that with more money, he could make even better effects. He later made five other visually stunning movies from the acclaimed series. Lucas has since established Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), the biggest special effects studio in the motion picture industry.
James Cameron director of Avatar, spent a USD 237 million (KES 20.1 billion) budget making the movie (according to The Numbers). It is the highest grossing film of all time having made over USD 2.78 billion/ KES 236.3 billion in the world wide box office.
Naliaka is Going, a movie that debuted in the 2011 Zanzibar film festival had a budget of KES 2.1 million. Albert Wandago, the film’s director noted that he was forced to shorten the filming period from four weeks to two weeks due to the limited budget.
The Rugged Priest a locally-made film about violence in the Rift Valley Province, had an estimated budget of USD 300,000 (KES 25.5 million), according to IMDb. The film was a non-profit project and won a Golden Dhow award at the 2011 Zanzibar film festival.
Writers, Directors and Producers
Juno, an independent film written by Diablo Cody (real name Brook Busey), had a budget of USD 6.5 million (KES 552.5 million). Thanks to Cody, writer of Candy Girl, a book about her exploits as a stripper, Juno went on to make over USD 230 million (KES 19.6 billion) worldwide. Cody is also the creator of United States off Tara, one of HBO’s most successful shows.
IMDb reports that James Cameron was living in a car when he wrote the script for the iconic movie, Terminator. The initial script for the film was sold to his wife, Gale Anne Hurd for USD 1 in 1987 (USD 2.13 or KES 181 today, adjusted for inflation). Terminator went on to gross more than USD 78.4 million (KES 6.66 billion) in the box office. The movie had a budget of USD 6.4 billion (KES 544 million). This indicates a profit of 92%.
Christopher Nolan, writer and director of the last 3 Batman films, is credited with reinventing the character, leading to a combined box office gross of USD 1.2 billion (KES 102 billion).