Part 1
Begin by determining what comparison films gross (as a percentage) in the domestic marketplace (U.S. and Canada) vs. the international market place (i.e., what is the share of each). Take the total domestic gross and divide by the total worldwide gross to get the domestic share (percentage), and then do the same with the international gross for the international share (percentage). Then, using your comparison films, figure out what an average share would be for your movie. Make sure you make a compelling argument and support why you chose the comparison films you did (e.g., did you look at movies of a similar genre, movies with same stars, similar source material, etc.).
I have decided to choose the movie “Hidden Figures” starring Taraji Henson. I believe this movie is a great movie to compare
For comparison films I decided to use 4 categories:
1. Space epics
2. Taraji P. Henson
3. Black Movie
4. Societal and civil right issues
1. Space epics:
Hidden Figures is a movie about how three women played a vital role in the launch of the now late astronaut John Glenn into orbit as well as in orchestrating his safe return. The movie is constantly relates to their effort to successfully launch spaceship to space and land it back to earth.
The comparison movies I picked on the Space Epics category are Interstellar, The Martian, Gravity and Armageddon.
· Interstellar: As Hidden figures is it is a Space movie where solving an existential equation is crucial. Therefore, I believe the audience is Scholars and Sci-Fi fans.
· The Martian: The Martian is a space movie. Therefore, it attracts sci-fi.
· Gravity: It is a space movie with a Female lead actor. Therefore, the targeted audience is Sci-Fi fans and Female.
· Armageddon: Sci fi fans.
2. Taraji Henson
Taraji P. Henson is the main character; she is portraying Katherine Coleman Johnson. Katherine Colman Johnson is an African-American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. manned spaceflights.
3. Black Movie
Hidden figures lead and co leads are four African-American actors. A black film is defined by classification of film that has a broad definition relating to the film involving participation and/or representation of black people. The definition may involve the film having a black cast, a black crew, a black director, a black story, or a focus on black audiences. (Chicago Tribune, 2005.)Therefore, Hidden figures is a black movie.
4. Societal and civil right issues
The movie is taking place from the 1930s to the 1960s a time during which civil rights and segregation was still a big issue and the movie shows the issues that African-Americans had to face on a daily basis.
In 1961, a time of segregation and rampant racism and sexism, three African-American women overcame every challenge they faced and helped NASA in the early days of the Space Race. All three women are given tremendous opportunities that come at an incredible social cost — they are forced to face the scourge of 20th century racism. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), a gifted mathematician, is assigned to a team of white men to calculate coordinates for the Atlas rocket. Jackson (Janelle Monáe) is assigned to work with the NASA engineers.
I believe that we can put Taraji category and Black films together because they appeal to the same audience : Black families. However, I believe that there is a sub category onto Taraji movies that is black females. Based on my personal experience as a African-American and according to BLAHBLAH black female lead movies attract another sub-set of audience : single black females. Give numbers
PART 2
Make a solid argument (supported with facts/data) on why you think your film performed better either domestically or internationally versus the average you calculated in Part 1? Are there any specific countries where the film performed exceptionally well? Why do you think that was the case? (Was it the competitive landscape? Was there a property that was known in that territory? Or, was it something else? Be sure to support any argument you make with data and references.)
During the 2016 academy awards not a single black person was nominated to any categories. Around 780 million people around the world watched the Academy awards that year (Hollywood reporter.) In my opinion, that explains why Hidden Figures underperformed internationally. Black movies only perform domestically. According to the New York Times, “The international marketplace is still fairly racist.”
I picked the movie Hidden figure because I believe it is one of the few movies that gathers all the genre that I like, space, civil rights and a it is a true story. Additionally, as an African-American student I was interested in picking a “Black film.”
In Part 1 I used 4 categories with a total of 16 comparisons movies. My average domestic share came up to be 68% and my average foreign share came up to be 33%. According to Box Mojo, Hidden Figures grossed 72% of its box office share domestically and 28% internationally. Therefore, according to my calculations using my comparison films, my movie slightly under performed domestically and over performed internationally. I believe Hidden figure performed better domestically due to the fact that it is a black film starring Taraji Henson. In Part 1 the average domestic share of black films using my 4 films LIST THEM is 93% and the average domestic share of films starring Taraji Henson Is 85%. Those numbers clearly show that the audiences watching Black films and or films starring Taraji Henson are located in the US/Canada. My data calculated in Part 1 includes Space Epics movies, which have a international share average of 66%. I believe this number explains why Hidden Figures over performed internationally: It is a space movie.
According to the New York Times, “The international marketplace is still fairly racist.” The movie
PART 3: Finally, take a look at two different same-medium advertising pieces (e.g., two trailers, two TV spots or two posters), one for the domestic theatrical campaign and one from the international campaign (either a country-specific piece or an overall international piece), and explain the differences. Why do you think the film was/wasn’t sold the same way? Use your findings from Part 2 to support your argument. Be sure to select both a domestic and international piece!
20th century Fox made two trailers for hidden figures, one domestic and one international. There are big differences among the trailers. As we talked about in Part 2 the movie did better domestically than internationally due to the audience it targeted: Families mostly black families. Internationally the movie tried to appeal to a broader audience.
The international trailer really shows the goal of their mission and portrays the movie as a true story space movie. It shows the black actors as much as the white actors and the issues they are facing trying to save the world.
