Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro and Apple’s first major theatrical release, has generated $120 million globally after three weekends of release.
Is that a good result for a movie backed by a streaming service? A terrible outcome for a glowingly received, $200 million crime epic directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro? Or somewhere in between? Everyone who follows the movie business has a different take, so parsing these ticket sales could take longer than the film’s daunting three-hour-and-26-minute run time.
“I don’t see how its current global box office puts it in a position to turn a profit,” says Eric Handler, a senior media and entertainment analyst at Roth Capital Partners. “It will need to drive a lot of new subscribers to Apple TV+.”
If a traditional studio released “Killers of the Flower Moon,” it would be branded a flop… But the reality is that it’s less cut- and-dried for streamers because these companies have different metrics of success. Apple, for one, isn’t judged by Wall Street based on the money it makes or loses on its films, nor does it place the same emphasis on box office as it does on streaming subscribers.
“I don’t think we’re going to know how this turns out for weeks,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, referring to Scorsese’s latest. Beyond the box office, Apple is hoping that shiny trophies will validate the price tag for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Awards season doesn’t kick off in earnest until later in December and early January when Golden Globe and Oscar nominations are announced. “The challenge for the film,” Gross adds, “will be holding up through November and into December.”
MacDailyNews Take: We’ll never know, because Apple will never release – or even really know exactly – how much “Killers of the Flower Moon” boosts Apple TV+ subscriptions. But, a second Best Picture win (after CODA in 2022), or even major acting and/or directing awards are wins for Apple that goes beyond mere profitability. Think of any monetary loss on the film as a marketing expenditure for Apple TV+, especially if Killers of the Flower Moon grabs some major award wins.
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Not sure about anyone else but if I haven’t already watched the movie in the theaters and it wins awards, the result is I may put it on my ‘to watch’ list. Getting around to actually watching it, let alone subscribing to the streaming service that it may be showing on exclusively is another matter. IMO If Apple is depending on awards to increase AppleTV+ subscriptions, they’ll be waiting much longer than they think. It may have worked when there were much fewer streaming services and covid still kept everyone mostly homebound.
The assumption that those actors are still a big box office draws maybe in for a shock. Quite a few people are really bored of star antics these days
Apple will realize—like their competitors are realizing and will continue to realize—that the anti-White agenda doesn’t pay the bills.
The movie tanked at the box office just like I knew it would, and Apple wasted every cent it spent on yet another Scorcese flop.
I have a hard time taking social issues involving DeNiro seriously.
I don’t know this story, but if it is the same formula as most woke BS then the true history will be lost on cheap shots at the culture that built this nation and, on occasion, made huge mistakes that it learned from, just like the rest of the world supposedly does (even though none are held to anywhere near our standards by the WokeCastrada…).
Oh look, the down-vote bot is hanging around so he can feel like the entire world is being represented by his lack of knowledge….which may eventually come true.
…and that a dam shame.
Two things “proud white guy”:
1) The film isn’t “anti-white”, it’s a true story about how a bunch of white people were “anti-Indian,” to the point of a vast conspiracy and murder spree.
From an article in the “The Oklahoman” newspaper: “Working from David Grann’s nonfiction bestseller, director Martin Scorsese is taking on a true-to-life story:… The Reign of Terror, a series of ruthless murders of Osage Nation citizens in 1920s Oklahoma, after an oil boom made them the wealthiest people in the world per capita. The killings led to an investigation by the then-fledgling FBI…”
2) The film may not make a profit, but it’s definitely not a flop, and not much of an issue for Apple. As one industry expert pointed out towards the bottom of the Variety piece: “Apple making a $200 million movie is like you buying a cup of coffee and spilling it.”
I was interested in seeing this at the theater but balked at the 3hr runtime. Oppenheimer is the last overrated 3hr vanity project I will ever subject myself to.
Even if AppleTV+ had a couple dozen movies of this caliber in their streaming catalog I would not be tempted to subscribe. I’m not a big TV watcher (almost all my watching is done on Youtube Premium, best $13.99 you can spend) but among the few series that have actually appealed to me in recent years have been Narcos, Yosemite and its spinoffs.
The big reason of course is that the above are not politically correct lectures (from the marketing this movie really hammers on “old white men BAD”), but besides that the blockbuster movie is becoming archaic. It seems like Apple is more interested in ingratiating itself with Hollywood than actually providing its customers with watchable content.
As a shareholder I am not pleased that Apple is spending billions of dollars to earn hundreds of millions in their entertainment division. We’re still waiting for a movie or series that will have broad appeal or even better, specifically appeal towards conservatives, Republicans and people on the right. The half of Apple’s customers base that they studiously ignore.
Whilst waiting for that elusive movie / series which appeals to the “right”… there are plenty movies about fascism that you can re run…