英語專業(yè)晨讀美文文化篇:電影云集好萊塢(美音)

[ti:] [ar:] [al:] [by:] [00:02.86]Hollywood Is Flush With Movies [00:11.96]When Meg Ryan and Antonio Banderas signed up to star [00:17.36]in an independently produced comedy-action movie [00:20.41]called My Mom's New Boyfriend, the film's backers [00:24.14]figured they had a slam dunk-a modestly priced film [00:28.04]with bankable stars that would surge at the box office. [00:31.14]The producers say the $17 million movie scored well [00:35.52]in test screenings in the U.S. this spring [00:38.09]and did decent business in Spain, Israel and Russia. [00:41.14]But the U.S. distributor, Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures, [00:45.48]quietly sent the movie straight to DVD on June 17. [00:49.39]“I believe that three years ago this movie absolutely [00:52.71]would have been on screens, if for no other reason [00:55.61]than the actors involved.” says George Gallo, [00:58.73]who wrote and directed the film. [01:00.47]These days, scores of films such as “Boyfriend” [01:03.65]are finding there's no room at the multiplex. [01:06.11]The reason: Hollywood is flush with roughly [01:09.67]$13 billion to $18 billion in financing for movies [01:13.34]that poured in over the past few years, [01:15.43]according to bankers and producers, [01:17.60]vastly expanding the number of pictures getting made. [01:20.53]The flood of money is paying for films [01:23.02]made by both relative newcomers [01:24.84]and veteran film investors and producers. [01:27.51]Another factor in the pullback is a rise in marketing costs. [01:31.22]A decade ago, campaigns for independent movies [01:34.53]were driven by free publicity and word of mouth. [01:37.59]The crowded market is prompting distributors [01:40.52]to spend big to distinguish themselves. [01:42.76]According to the MPAA, the amount of money [01:46.11]the indie labels at the major studios [01:48.52]were spending on marketing shot up 44% to $25.7 million [01:53.29]in 2007 from $17.8 million in 2006. Since 2002, [02:00.98]that marketing spending has doubled, [02:03.40]driving up competition for all films trying to [02:06.33]gain traction in the marketplace. [02:08.41]Yet it is increasingly common to see [02:10.54]critical darlings of the festival circuit get trampled. [02:13.40]Son of Rambow, a coming-of-age comedy [02:17.00]about two boys in England who dream of filmmaking, [02:19.35]was a darling at Sundance in 2007, [02:22.11]where it was reportedly sold for distribution [02:24.80]for about $7.5 million-one of the largest buys [02:28.94]at the festival that year. [02:30.76]Vantage released the film in May 2008 [02:32.45]to top-notch reviews. But it flopped, [02:35.67]grossing just $1.78 million. [02:38.64]The film was put out via a platform release on the same day [02:42.48]that Paramount's Iron Man hit theaters in early May. [02:45.47]While Rambow added screens through May, [02:48.48]it never gained traction in a month [02:50.98]that was chock-full of blockbusters, [02:53.33]from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of [02:55.54]the Crystal Skull to Sex and the City. [02:57.83]“Son of Rambow is the poster child for a movie [03:00.90]that would have worked five years ago [03:02.73]but fails in today's marketplace.” [03:05.15]says Mark Gill, a veteran film executive [03:07.99]who isn't affiliated with the movie. [03:09.82]“It got great reviews, audiences really liked it, [03:13.11]it was well-marketed. It had everything going for it, [03:16.05]and yet it didn't work, because there is such a glut [03:18.95]of movies and a mass of clutter right now that [03:21.65]nothing can break out in this climate.

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