Travis Knox a professor at Chapman University recently offered insight behind decisions to release daring films like Nicole Kidman's erotic thriller Babygirl on Christmas day and also including the release of horror filled retellings like Nosferatu and that the reason does not solely focus on holidays. Instead Travis Knox stated film releases revolve heavily around award eligibility to various events such as the Oscars showcasing film studios specific release strategies.
Adult Oriented Films Challenge Christmas Day Movie Norms Along with Award Season Targets
Two of the three major movie releases on Christmas day feature adult subject matter with movies like Nicole Kidman’s Babygirl an erotic thriller featuring an office affair with her young intern costarred with Antonio Banderas plus Harris Dickinson. Nicole Kidman herself has characterized Babygirl that also involves both husband and lover within its complicated storylines exploring subjects like sex desires inner thoughts marriage and consent at the Venice Film Festival. A24 Studios released the Babygirl trailer which showed an erotically charged atmosphere. Kidman also noted that the story was liberating but also exposed various levels of raw and truthful moments while promoting the film at various film events this year.
Nosferatu provides a new perspective from the original 1922 silent film adaptation from the story of Dracula that stars Lily-Rose Depp. Lily-Rose Depp jokes that "Who doesn't love a good scare on Christmas?" during her interview with Entertainment Weekly which is directly juxtaposed with holiday cheer however acknowledges her character's connection to the setting noting "you know, there's snow!". Depp mentions the various Easter eggs included in movie making the experience interesting for fans when they watch on Christmas showcasing an unconventional choice for holiday film viewings that is promoted heavily by its production team to all media groups and fans. Focus Features also promoted this unique perspective of Christmas on social media channels during the holiday season this year.
Travis Knox Highlights Oscar Eligibility As Driving Force Behind Christmas Release Dates For Several Titles
Chapman University professor Travis Knox revealed a specific strategy behind Christmas releases noting it is driven more by award eligibility not the holiday. Travis Knox explained during a Fox News Digital interview how Oscar qualifications demand a seven day theater run which makes December 25 an ideal launch date which in turn allows the films to then potentially have nominations at the Oscars. Knox notes the Christmas Day opening is useful for studios that can tuck the film in with an limited theater opening that in turn helps create Oscar eligibility opportunities within the market while keeping theaters open at a limited capacity.
Many films such as Babygirl and Nosferatu have great award season consideration and receive Oscar eligibility after their December 25 theatrical release date further explaining these release strategies that were created with various awards in mind during production meetings. Studios keep certain movies at lower screenings through to new year focusing on how to get as many awards as possible in order to later capitalize the film at theaters if the film wins different accolades. All major productions like to capitalize on positive sentiment about their projects so to boost profits at the box office with a carefully created promotional roll-out strategy that has been known within film for decades. Timothée Chalamet’s Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” also releasing Christmas Day will also capitalize on a younger demographic who are fans of this actor showcasing other award-season possibilities from various distributors.
Sing-Along Screenings and Streaming Options Allow Family Viewership Variety Across Different Film Choices
Wicked provides a sing-along screenings which is offered also on Christmas day showcasing family-friendly appeal at various major movie theatre locations that have been well received by fans as senior writer for Tell-Tale TV Lara Rosales stated during interview with Fox News Digital. Many people want opportunities to sing along with these iconic soundtracks including both adults and children alike so new opportunities like a movie sing-a-long version could give a wider opportunity to new audience members and fans alike. Rosales points out that a streaming trend is causing Christmas movies and holiday entertainment options to become accessible through many platforms instead of a limited capacity of movie theatre screens which makes the decision making for consumer viewing habits more relevant to the final decision making.
Streaming Services Lead Changes in Holiday Movie Availability While Theatres Continue to Host Big Budget Titles
Streaming services such as Netflix Hallmark and Lifetime show many family friendly holiday based movie options reflecting shift in entertainment access due to changes caused by the recent COVID-19 pandemic according to various reporters such as Lara Rosales. When cinemas opened many individuals chose to remain streaming at home and became more popular when cinema doors opened back up that have changed how many families and friends choose entertainment for movie watching in recent years. Many streaming services provide cost effective options to watch films without high costs related to numerous individual ticket sales for theatres. Streaming at home offers flexibility for home based viewings of family movies compared to theaters particularly when watching with young children. ”
Some families still go to the theatres so to offer these groups movie options that focus on bigger budget fare for options include theatrical options “Wicked” “Moana 2” and “Mufasa The Lion King" providing traditional studio films that show audiences still wish to be entertained by larger than life and grand cinema styles of films. Travis Knox mentioned holiday movie releases not being based on already created intellectual properties and major movies may scare many from launching family based movie options however some studio productions like "Red One" choose theatre launches in November which proves this is still a large component to business models within film.
"Red One" Release Details: Theatrical and Streaming Performance Evaluated By Industry Experts
Amazon MGM launched action comedy film “Red One” starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans in early November which reportedly made only 32 million dollars in revenue from theaters before later reaching Prime Video showing 50 million views after initial poor reviews. Kevin Wilson head of theatrical distribution of Amazon MGM feels releasing in theatres provides marketing for a movie prior to its streaming debut showing an active promotion schedule while offsetting advertising costs with additional viewings. Travis Knox views claim about “Red One” financial success with skepticism questioning actual net returns while using basic profit and loss evaluations. He considers it a bad business decision for Amazon after it lost more than 250 million before its streaming release as its new subscribers have likely been there a long time due to existing infrastructure. He stated these results might also signify irresponsible overspending during this project that has created such a large loss on a single project.
Lara Rosales suggests that “Red One” might have been more successful in cinemas when premiered during Christmas season and that the streaming platform provided accessibility for many fans now. The close proximity of release dates matters in providing “Christmas spirit” making movies more successful when released at the right times that match to the general sentiment of consumers who look for a mood match in holiday film viewing that must relate to overall social moods. Several historical examples provide details on the top-grossing movies launched at Christmas include "Sherlock Holmes" "Django Unchained" "Les Miserables" "Unbroken" and "Into the Woods" demonstrating the power these popular productions with already established fanbases possess when attracting wide varieties of consumer groups.
Travis Knox explains that major releases at this time relate directly to award opportunities rather than focusing entirely on holiday based revenue however noted films like Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained Sherlock Holmes and Les Misérables have wide audience demographic. Going to cinemas on Christmas Day is a tradition for many different fan communities that are attracted to very diverse offerings of films making these release dates relevant and valuable in market. “Babygirl” will appeal directly to the groups of viewers who prefer unique perspectives and are not looking for typical movies with an expected audience reception that further enhances audience choice to attend theatre events. Lara Rosales stated various genres draw wide variety of people and that when certain genres that like Christmas specific movies or family friendly titles start releasing a few months prior that the audiences may also choose another selection after exhausting traditional choices which proves various choices should be available at theaters.