Sunday, August 14, 2016

The Latest Animated Hit

... is more Fritz the Cat than Toy Story 3. An entertainment journal explains why it prospered:

1. It’s one of a few original concepts. ...

2. Fans who saw it early liked it. ...

3. A very popular trailer. The trailer was viewed more than 182 million times when it dropped, marking the biggest red-band trailer launch in Sony history. ...

4. Sizzling reviews. The film started last week with a super-high 93 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, which settled into a still-glowing 83 percent. ...

5. Timing was key. ...

6. Seth Rogen got creative with marketing. He ... was featured in a video with a talking cantaloupe. And Rogen narrated original food recipe videos — just to name two examples. Indeed, the movie’s marketing budget was spent on online promotion — approximately four times more than the 12 percent that’s usually allocated. ...

Also too, Rogen has spent years building the Rogen brand. This is the End, Superbad, Neighbors, Pineapple Express, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Knocked Up, come on already. Seth is known for raunchy comedies, and SP sails right down the middle of that fairway.

Various critics are amazed audiences turn out for a naughty cartoon, but they apparently missed the memo (now widely circulated) that animation is a style of presentation, not a genre. R-rated animated features should be ... and eventually will be ... no rarer than R-rated live-action comedies. (That other Seth, the one named MacFarlane, also knows a lot about edgy animated and live-action comedies, having made his share).

Sausage Party also has the benefit of being produced with Free Money, since it was made in Canada. And when production costs stay low, it becomes easier to see your movie go into profits. Seth's latest animated feature looks to be making money in relatively short order.

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