Negative reviews of "Expelled" may backfire
Panda's Thumb has posted a long string of negative reviews of "Expelled" that have been published in the general media. If the reviewers really wanted the movie to be ignored to the maximum extent possible, they would give the movie two thumbs up. So many movies get positive reviews that a lot of people are just going to ignore those movies because there doesn't seem to be anything special about them. However, a movie with a lot of negative reviews is likely to attract a lot of viewers who want to see what is so terrible about it.
posted by Larry Fafarman | 4/18/2008 12:56:00 PM
21 Comments:
Don't worry ... it's a documentary and people don't need a special excuse to not see a documentary.
>>>>> Don't worry ... it's a documentary and people don't need a special excuse to not see a documentary. <<<<<
But the negative reviews are giving them a special excuse to see it.
Some people may go to see it for the laughs, just as many come to this blog.
"However, a movie with a lot of negative reviews is likely to attract a lot of viewers who want to see what is so terrible about it."
I hope you movie producers out there are taking notes about this amazing marketing angle ...
>>>>>> "However, a movie with a lot of negative reviews is likely to attract a lot of viewers who want to see what is so terrible about it."
I hope you movie producers out there are taking notes about this amazing marketing angle ... <<<<<<
I think that people would not want to see a low-rated movie that is purely for entertainment. However, they might want to see a low-rated documentary in order to see a different or unorthodox point of view. And a really bad documentary could be regarded as a kind of satire.
We should all thank Roger Moore, the film critic for the Orlando Sentinel, in Florida. He reviled the movie repeatedly beginning on Feb.1. Apparently for that reason EXPELLED opened at five theaters in Orlando, which is a lot for a relatively small city. And some of his blasts were reprinted nationally. Thanks, Roger!
Jim said,
>>>>> Apparently for that reason EXPELLED opened at five theaters in Orlando, which is a lot for a relatively small city. <<<<<<
I'm jealous. I live smack in the middle of Los Angeles but the movie is not being shown in any theatres near me.
Actually, I don't think his negative reviews were the main reason -- there is now a big controversy going on in Florida over evolution education (concerning the new Florida science standards and "evolution academic freedom" bills).
I saw EXPELLED yesterday in San Francisco. There were about 20 people there, in a daytime Friday showing. Apparently the movie did quite well at the box office on opening day, according to Bill Dembski's blog Uncommon Descent; around the country.
I'm probably going to watch it again, perhaps today. Of course, Ben Stein doesn't really need my money. But then again...he has to eat, too. And he's doing a good job, in the public interest.
Here's one for the paranoid Darwinist-believers to consider: did Roger Moore attack the movie because he's working for Ben Stein, to stir up interest?? You never know when a foul plot is being hatched...
And Larry: it opened in more theaters in Orlando than in Miami, which is about twice as large. It seemed to be especially popular in Orlando, in proportion to population. I may check.
There's an old saying that in such cases, there's no such thing as bad publicity.
Yeah, it didn't publish this comment when I clicked below the preview. So now I hope it doesn't publish this twice.
Jim said,
>>>>> Apparently the movie did quite well at the box office on opening day, according to Bill Dembski's blog Uncommon Descent; around the country. <<<<<<
Overemphasizing opening weekend results is unfair because they depend to a great extent on the strength of the competition.
Panda's Thumb has the statistics. It looks like the results for Expelled are pretty good on a per screen basis.
>>>>> Here's one for the paranoid Darwinist-believers to consider: did Roger Moore attack the movie because he's working for Ben Stein, to stir up interest?? You never know when a foul plot is being hatched... <<<<<
Now you have me worried about conspiracies.
There is ample other evidence that people are losing their marbles. This is just one more example.
Your Illustration of the Descent of Man cartoon captures the unfortunate situation all too well.
"I'm probably going to watch it again, perhaps today."
Watch it every day, Jim. And twice on Sundays. You have nothing to lose.
Your statement does make some sense if we ignore one clause: we need to pay to watch movies. When it comes to spending some money to watch a movie, wouldnt one rather see a movie with positive reviews> Its elementary game theory. Why bet on something which you might not like based on statistics, unless of course one discovered a penchant for liking movies others dont?
Movie reviews that I saw implied that EXPELLED is a dire plot, or a threat to all that's decent and true, or whatever. They didn't say that it's badly done, or boring. So some people might want to see it, to find out what this alleged threat actually is?
Eugenie appeared in he movie, although I don't think her role was a stellar one. She might better have phrased herself thusly:
Eugenie exclaimed, "Go to Hell
With your Constitution! I'll tell
Each laddie and lass,
In biology class,
Which religions are perfectly swell!"
Jim Sherwood, the poet laureate of the anti-Darwinist movement, strikes again.
I'm archiving your limerick in the "Outhouse wall for outhouse poets" post under the "Limericks and other poetry" post label.
For Florida cities of pop. 200,000 or more in 2005, here are the number of theatres showing EXPELLED, per 100,000 population:
Orlando 2.35
Tampa 1.23
Miami 1.04
Jacksonville 0.51
Hialeah 0.45
St. Petersburg 0.40
So it looks as if Roger Moore may have helped the movie by his convuslive tirades against it, in Orlando.
find out what this alleged threat actually is?
Gegen Dummheit kämpfen die Götter selbst vergebens.
jim sherwood:
For Florida cities of pop. 200,000 or more in 2005, here are the number of theatres showing EXPELLED, per 100,000 population:
Orlando 2.35
Tampa 1.23
Miami 1.04
Jacksonville 0.51
Hialeah 0.45
St. Petersburg 0.40
So it looks as if Roger Moore may have helped the movie by his convuslive tirades against it, in Orlando.
How many cinemas are in each of these cities?
< How many cinemas are in each of these cities? >
NP, what is your point here? This strikes me as a rather half-baked (or less) question -- and I know you are capable of much better, as can be seen in your posts "The "Great Debate" Illuminated" and "What Expelled Isn't Telling You".
Anon, I was just wondering whether some cities have a higher number of theatres per capita than others.
For example, if Orlando has more theatres for every 100,000 people than say, Miami, then jim's numbers would be expected.
And the number of theatres showing the film is one thing, the number of people actually filling them is quite another. He might still be correct, but his evidence for saying Roger Moore's criticism helped the film isn't very compelling - at least not in the way he's presented it.
JIm said,
--"So it looks as if Roger Moore may have helped the movie by his convuslive tirades against it, in Orlando."--
His tirades may have come too late to affect the number of first-run theatres showing the movie in Orlando. Also, I don't think that a negative review would encourage theatres to sign up for the opening of a movie.
I think that another factor was that Orlando was the site of the last regular public hearing (Feb. 11) on the evolution section of the new Florida science standards. The state board of education later scheduled another public hearing -- with a limited number of public speakers -- that was held in Tallahassee on the day of the decision.
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