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'Snakes' Might Not Benefit From Net Effect

Posted on: Friday, 18 August 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Scott Bowles

LOS ANGELES -- Snakes on a Plane is one of the few films in Hollywood history that built a cult following before it even hit the big screen. But that's not necessarily a recipe for success.

Despite nabbing magazine covers, late-night talk-show spots and Internet real estate that has become the envy of the entertainment industry, the Samuel L. Jackson thriller is hardly the guaranteed hit some pundits predicted it would be only a few weeks ago.

The R-rated movie is tracking softly. Fans weren't exactly camping out to see the first screening. Snakes opened in more than 200 cities Thursday at 10 p.m.

AMC Entertainment, one of the nation's largest theater chains, says that none of its 265 theaters carrying the movie sold out of its advance tickets.

"We have absolutely no idea what kind of business it's going to do," says Russell Schwartz, head of marketing for Snakes distributor New Line Cinema. "We're really proud of what we managed to do with the movie. But I've heard estimates from $15 million to $50 million. We're eager to see what effect the Internet community has on box office."

That's because the Internet had such a profound effect on the film. No movie opened itself up to more online feedback -- and listened. Jackson has said that bloggers helped persuade New Line to retain the popular original title instead of the title dreamed up by studio honchos, Pacific Air Flight 121.

The studio also decided to give fans more sex and gore, which they also demanded, and even added a line suggested by one blogger that has become the catchphrase of summer: "I've had it with these mother(expletive) snakes on this mother(expletive) plane!"

Certainly, studios are no neophytes to the Internet. In 1999, Artisan used a cyberspace campaign to help propel The Blair Witch Project to $140 million.

But Snakes marks one of the first movies to use fan reaction to craft the product itself.

"I think you may see studios paying more attention to the feedback if this is a hit," says Gitesh Pandya of boxofficeguru.com.

"You're not going to see a Yahoo online survey deciding who Ang Lee casts in Brokeback Mountain," he says. "But this will be an interesting test of how many people who support a movie on the Internet support it in the theater."

David Poland of moviecitynews.com thinks the Internet influence has been exaggerated. "It makes for a good story," he says. "But if the movie doesn't succeed, it's going to be because the marketing didn't reach the audience it needed to. Movies still depend on old-fashioned advertising, like TV commercials. The Internet isn't going to make or break Snakes on a Plane."

Perhaps, but it has given the $30 million movie unexpected publicity, and Schwartz considers it lightning in a bottle. "There are two things that are certain about this movie," he says. "One, no one really knows what kind of business it will do. And two, we'll never be able to do this again."

(c) Copyright 2005 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

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