The general assumption when it comes to critical consensus and box office success is simple: negative reviews hurt independent films more than they hurt blockbuster tentpoles. Reason being, if a kid (or lets face it, adult) wants to see Action Man Smash Crush, the pouty review in the Friday paper warding them away with cries of contrivances and retina-searing bombast won’t stop them. Yet, for an indie trying to make a name for itself with the trailer featuring leaf-embroiled festival banners and that song you haven’t heard, they need all the help they can get. Thus, year after year we see some of the most poorly-received blockbusters still manage to be amongst the highest-grossing.
However, a recent study conducted by a Reddit user (with a tip of the hat to ScreenCrush) suggests that this general assumption may be as unequivocally fabricated as that visual effects creation socking that even bigger visual effects creation in its face out in the middle of that exploding city. Taking a look at 14 blockbusters released so far this year — all with budgets of $100 million or more — the study, seen below, demonstrates what could be a direct connection between a fresh or rotten score, and a film’s box office pull.
With the perhaps poorly-timed Kung Fu Panda 3 and the critic-proof Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice being the only two exceptions to the rule, it is a rather convincing insight that implies critics may hold more sway over audiences opinions on summer mammoths than was previously thought. Perhaps 20th Century Fox had a little of this early insight when they decided not to screen their Independence Day sequel to U.S. critics before opening.
Now, what a study like this doesn’t take into account — along with international grosses — is the potential, and likely additional, correlation between the conceit of the film itself and its draw to audiences. How many people truly wanted The Huntsman prequel/sequel, another Divergent film, or a return to the world of Alice in Wonderland? On the flip side, Pixar and Marvel films tend to well in past years as well, but it’s a safe guess the positive reviews boosted the grosses of Disney’s remake of The Jungle Book and Zootopia. While’d be curious to see this study expanded for the rest of the year, as well as the previous ones, it’s worth considering how and why an audience is swayed to take a trip to the dark room with money in hand, as well as the impact a critic has on the films they critique.
Does critical consensus sway your opinion on seeing a film — and does it vary if it is an indie or a blockbuster? Let us know below.