It was a major setback for Warner Bros when its latest movie “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” failed miserably at the box office in spite of several advertising ploys. The film directed by Guy Ritchie took $300 million to make and market worldwide, but it could collect hardly $14.7 million at North American theaters over the weekend.
In the overseas market, “King Arthur” managed to collect around $29-million in spite of releasing in about 18,000 screens across more than 50 countries, and this has come as a rude shock to the studio.
Probable reasons for the flop
New York Times reports that the main reason for the audience to reject a movie in this fashion could mean that there was something wrong with the basic concept because it did not gel with the younger audiences. Another factor responsible for the debacle could be some flaw in its marketing. The audience is no longer impressed with marketing gimmicks but relies more on the review of the movie from related sites that provide more meaningful reviews.
“King Arthur” stars Charlie Hunnam but it failed to recover from a major marketing miscalculation. It goes back to July last when Warner Bros decided to reveal some footage of the film in an International fan convention.
It was not up to the standard, and the message spread fast via the social media. To add to its problems, Warner shifted the release date three times because of Guy Ritchie, the director, wanted to rework certain portions. This left the future of “King Arthur” high and dry with the social media once again pouncing on a juicy bit of morsel.
When Warner finally decided to release “King Arthur,” it faced stiff competition from “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” This sequel elbowed “King Arthur” out of the picture.
Warner’s recovery process
The field of entertainment has its highs and lows, and Warner Bros plans to wipe out the memories of “King Arthur” and focus on its upcoming projects.
It already has two major hits in the form of “Kong: Skull Island” and “The Lego Batman Movie, ” and there are also several flops including the lavishly budgeted “King Arthur.”
However, it does have a couple of movies in the pipeline that are expected to recover the losses. One of these is “Wonder Woman” – this is another big-budget film, scheduled to release on June 2. Other movies that Warner pins its hopes on are Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” set for release on July 21, and the horror film “Annabelle: Creation,” to be released on Aug. 11.
The world of movies has changed, and instead of word-of-mouth, everyone has instant access via the internet and shares information through social networking websites to spread the message at lightning speed.
Obviously, those who are involved in making movies have to always be alert to the sentiments of the global community because they can make or break a well laid out plan. They must be pampered and their views and opinions must never be ignored.
