Could 'Nice Guys' or 'BFG' become classic movies?
Classic movies tend to hide in plain sight.
The Shawshank Redemption was overshadowed by Forrest Gump and The Lion King in 1994. Citizen Kane wasn't well received in 1941. It's A Wonderful Life was essentially shrugged off in 1946. None of them made much noise at the box office.
Which makes you wonder: In a summer when both critics and audiences have been largely disappointed in new movies, have we missed a classic?
“It’s definitely possible,” says comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
The best movies (so far) of 2016
Some of 2016's most acclaimed movies are near the bottom of the box office. Sing Street is a critical favorite, with 97% positive reviews on RottenTomatoes.com, but made $3.2 million in the USA. Colin Farrell’s bizarrely charming The Lobster has a 90% approval rating, but has only pulled in $8.8 million. Despite a 91% thumbs-up for The Nice Guys, the throwback buddy-cop comedy got lost in the weeds, grabbing just $36.2 million.
“Those could be movies we remember years from now,” says Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. “Thing is, no one has really seen them. Or will see them until they hit (streaming) or TV.”
Film historian Leonard Maltin notes that classics aren't always hidden: E.T. and Star Wars were smash hits. But classics can be overlooked in their day, he says, for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the movie.
Citizen Kane didn't get much publicity in William Randolph Hearst's newspapers, since the film was loosely and controversially based on his life. It's A Wonderful Life and The Wizard of Oz weren't as popular until they started airing on TV every holiday season. Shawshank suffered because no one knew Shawshank was a prison or why it would need redeeming.
Voices: The enduring wonder of 'It's a Wonderful Life'
These days, there's another factor: The number of original movies per year is shrinking. The market is saturated with sequels, which are rarely remembered as classics, says Dergarabedian, citing The Godfather: Part II as an exception. “It becomes harder to find classics when everything is so cookie-cutter,” he says.
There isn’t a clearly defined path for how a movie becomes a classic. Not all Oscar winners are remembered. 2011 best picture winner The Artist is already forgettable, Bock says — but so is 2014 box-office winner American Sniper.
“You wish there would be more gems, but there's more fool's gold,” he says.
A few movies since 2010 have potential to become classics. Boyhood, shot over 12 years, could be one; The Wolf of Wall Street could be another, thanks to Leonardo DiCaprio's performance and Martin Scorsese's brash direction; and The Social Network will certainly be remembered, Bock and Dergarabedian say, because of Facebook's cultural impact. Maltin thinks Mud, Ex Machina or Bernie could become classics, too.
Review: Steven Spielberg conjures a little magic for 'BFG'
As for 2016 films, Maltin is high on Sing Street and Don't Think Twice. Dergarabedian's vote is Nice Guys. Bock's bets are on Hail, Caesar! or The BFG.
"There are movies that age like fine wine," Dergarabedian says. "Others age like bread. They get moldy and stale and people forget about them.
"What makes (movies) classic is their staying power, and there are a few of those the past few years, even this year."