Hollywood Report by Imran Anwar 12/28/98

Hollywood Report

by Imran Anwar

As 1998 draws to a close the Christmas/New Year weekend was used by studios to launch dozens of news movies. While this is the time when most people, especially families, take to movie going, the relatively large number of movies released makes it a tough market to grab leadership in.

This year was no exception. According to industry sources Christmas and New Year falling on a Friday makes it difficult to get extra business, that would be generated, for example, if these holidays were to fall on a Wednesday.

The major contenders this week were Stepmom from SONY, starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon, Patch Adams from Universal, with Robin Williams, Mighty Joe Young, from Disney, as well as A Civil Action, starring John Travolta, and The Thin Red Line. And let us not forget that while the world talks about show business being based on creativity, formula still sells. Why else would we see the re-teaming of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in a romantic comedy, "You Got Mail."

According to studio estimates, You've Got Mail appears to be leading the pack with almost $20 million in its first week alone. The animated drama Prince of Egypt is expected to come in second, with close to $15 million, and A Bug's Life, from Pixar, the animation studio created by Apple founder and interim CEO (for life?) Steve Jobs, was a close third, though it has been running for more than 5 weeks. It made just short of $10 million this week (since it is likely to appeal to adults as well as families with children, especially this holiday weekend). Overall the movie is about to hit the $100 million mark, which surely will not bug Steve Jobs' life at all.

Other movies that are continuing to do well include Enemy of State, as well as the Psycho remake. Elizabeth (photo) is the dramatic production based on the life of one of the most colorful historic figures, and appears to have appealed to the masses, who can have their cake and eat it too (by getting a bit of history lesson along with some entertainment and drama).

Whether you are a fan of the original Star Trek or the newer versions, one thing is for certain, movies based on the series continue to beam in the audiences. Star Trek: Insurrection is no exception. In its second week on the top, at number 4 according to media reports, it has already pulled in almost $36 million.

Of course, a movie's making money does not necessarily mean it is good, or even worth watching. A prime example of this is The Waterboy, which proves that there is always a market for stupidity, by exceeding $141 million in sales already.

On the other end of the spectrum, as far from Adam Sandler movies, the perennial favorites for great movie-making for a quarter of a century, Ismail Merchant and James Ivory have announced the launching of a film distribution company. According to Variety this firm will release and distribute the films of people other than Merchant-Ivory. One hopes this will lead to better film makers getting a chance to release quality wares, when big studios seem hell bent on releasing junk and trash that is just sure to make money.

Before I sign off singing the blues about major studios' lack of guts in making and releasing quality original films, I have to mention how much music and songs have become a part of mainstream film making. While I am not the biggest buyer of soundtracks, or more appropriately, the "albums" that are released with movies, I think it is still a positive and interesting trend that will continue to grow. And while that is happening, artists like Celine Dion will continue to win hearts, records, and millions - as her records, including "Let's Talk About Love" and the unsinkable Titanic album, continue to strike gold (and Platinum) in the record industry.

HR 12/26/98