Crimson Peak and Hollywood's inability to market a movie

By now, it's obvious that my wish for Crimson Peak to cause waves at the box office isn't coming true. It had an abysmal opening weekend, did not bounce back with word-of-mouth, and didn't shake the international box office. According to BoxOfficeMojo, it made back its budget, but you don't need to be a finances maverick to know that a studio doesn't sink fifty-five million into a movie (plus the promo budget) to make back under twenty million in profit.

There are probably many reasons why this movie failed, or close to it, at the box office. Some of them are obvious. The economy is poor and consumers have less money to spend on entertainment. When they do go to the movies, they're much more likely to throw down some cold cash for a franchise that has proven itself to be competent, if not groundbreaking. Del Toro, much as I love him, just isn't a wow-type director that will put asses in seats with his name alone (is there such a director anymore?). Maybe the movie just wasn't as good as I thought it was (I recognize when I enjoy something because of nostalgia and personal taste rather than inherent quality).

But mostly, I think the promo for the movie was just inadequate. I mean, just look at this trailer:

I liked it, but then I liked almost everything about the movie. And as I said in my first post about the subject, I would go see just about anything by del Toro.

But would I go see this movie if I was Random Movie Goer Type X, who doesn't know anything about del Toro and couldn't care less about horror? Probably not. And if the trailer somehow did convince me to drag myself to the theater instead of watching something random on Netflix, would I think the movie I watched was accurately represented by the trailer? Again, not so much. And as I recall, the other trailers for the movie promised similar things. But any person who showed up to this movie expecting horror only to find a melodramatic, incestuous love triangle with some silly red ghosts for flavor walked out of that theater disappointed. And they did not tell their friends to go watch this.

In all honesty, I think Random Movie Goer Type X would be disappointed. The trailers for Crimson Peak promised horror, and nowadays horror is synonymous with Paranormal Activity type nonsense or torture porn. Crimson Peak was neither. I'm not sure I'd call it scary either. I watched this thing with my mother, and not once was she even slightly scared or anxious. At points, she laughed (not in a particularly mean way; she enjoyed the movie for the campy fun it was).

At its core, Crimson Peak was a tragic romance. The ghosts could have easily been removed and the story would not have changed much, if at all. I would go as far as saying that if the ghost chases had been replaced with more interaction between Edith, Lucille, and Thomas, the movie would have probably been stronger. The last act and Thomas' feelings with regards to Lucille and Edith in particular could have used way more development. That being said, I know that del Toro loves his ghosts and he would not have enjoyed himself as much as he did if Crimson Peak's ghost had been more metaphorical.

I think Hollywood, and perhaps del Toro himself, didn't understand who Crimson Peak's target audience should have been. If the trailers and promotional material (and the story itself) had focused more on the twisted love triangle, then more people (and by that I mean women) might have shown up on opening day. Ultimately, I think women (and men) who enjoy cheesy romances are the ones most likely to enjoy this movie. Del Toro's love for detail and beautiful sets are a joy to watch, but I even I don't pretend that they alone can make sitting in front of a screen for two hours worthwhile.

I'd be lying if I said I was surprised about Hollywood's marketing decisions. The truth is that they tend to disregard women, never mind that data shows that women are the most frequent movie goers and the ones who plan family outings (including which movies to see at the theater). My guess is that the only movies marketed directly to women are romantic comedies. Crimson Peak just doesn't fit that mold, so Hollywood tried to exaggerate the "horror".

Crimson Peak won't get a sequel, which in all honesty is for the best. One of the things I enjoyed most about the film was the completeness of its story. What makes me sad about its commercial failure is not the fact that there won't be a sequel, but the fact that every failure like this makes Hollywood less and less likely to take chances with potential blockbusters that aren't a sequel, reboot, or MCU entry.