The Greatest Showman #647 – The Topic Keeps on

The North American film market is divided into five key periods each year: spring, summer, autumn, holiday, and winter. Among these, the summer and holiday seasons are the undisputed box-office leaders, while the other three—spring, autumn, and winter—pale in comparison.

However, thanks to the rise of the Oscars, the spring season has gradually gained traction. In 2010, "Alice in Wonderland" delivered an impressive $116 million opening weekend box office, and films like Fast and Furious Parts 4 and 5 showed remarkable box-office performances in this period. Over time, spring became the third most profitable period of the year.

Before the 21st century, winter was the least profitable season. The excitement surrounding the awards season grabbed the spotlight, and the cold weather discouraged many from heading to theaters. There's an old saying in Hollywood: "If you want to bury a movie, release it in January."

As of 2011, the record for the highest January opening still belonged to Cloverfield (2008), which earned $40 million on its opening weekend. No movie has surpassed that mark since, highlighting the lackluster nature of winter releases.

That said, the winter season still benefits from the buzz of the awards season, which brings significant media attention. Many films gain valuable visibility and achieve strong box-office results thanks to this.

Autumn, however, has long lacked excitement. The rise of the Toronto Film Festival has drawn journalists away from the U.S., and the recent conclusion of the summer season combined with the start of the school year has resulted in little improvement for fall releases. In fact, until 2011, no film in September had ever opened with more than $40 million. The highest box office opening in September's history was Sweet Home Alabama, which made $35 million in 2002.

To compare, the winter season's highest opening was The Passion of the Christ (2004), which grossed $84 million in February. In contrast, autumn's best was Jackass 3D (2010), which earned $50 million in October. Clearly, the winter and fall seasons remain significantly behind the summer and holiday periods in terms of box-office success.

Even as the North American box-office occasionally surpasses $100 million for premieres, the decline of the winter and autumn seasons remains evident. Quietly, autumn has become the new "off-season," slowly edging out winter as the most sluggish time for film releases.

The films that typically dominate the fall are those targeting Halloween audiences. Low-budget horror films, like the Saw series, Paranormal Activity, and Scream, are the key players during this period. Buried Alive (2014), released in late October, also capitalized on the Halloween craze and achieved strong box-office success.

This year's fall releases have followed suit.

The films released this autumn have faced heavy competition, with the 3D re-release of The Lion King surprising everyone by topping the charts for three consecutive weeks in September. Despite this, the highest box-office for the entire month was only $30 million.

Other awards-season contenders such as Contagion, Warrior, and Moneyball, starring A-listers like Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Jude Law, were unable to revive the box office.

By contrast, the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals were alive with excitement.

"George Clooney's new film, The President's Killing Bureau, has been well-received again, with Ryan Gosling getting rave reviews!"

"Romain Polanski arrives in Venice with his latest, The Killing."

"Michael Fassbender is a top contender with Shame."

"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is set to compete for the Golden Lion!"

"The Chinese film Sister Tao has emerged as a surprise favorite!"

From Venice to Toronto, the award-season buzz intensified, signaling the official start of the race. Many early front-runners began to emerge, capturing media attention and making these two festivals far more engaging than the domestic box-office struggles.

The Toronto Film Festival, while seemingly lackluster in terms of buzz this year, saw a record-breaking number of attendees—over 400,000 people came to witness the event. Quietly, Toronto surpassed Berlin and Venice, now sitting just behind Cannes as one of the world's top film festivals.

Among all the buzz, Renly Hall, attending the Toronto Film Festival for the second year in a row, had become the darling of the audience.

"Crazy in Love's official premiere saw Renly Hall, Jennifer Lawrence, and Felicity Jones on the red carpet!"

"A new generation of acting talent, Renly Hall and Jennifer Lawrence, bring a fresh project."

"Sundance Film Festival Grand Prize winner lands at Toronto."

"A frenzy of movie-goers, over 600 fans were unable to get tickets for Crazy in Love's premiere and lingered at the theater entrance for hours."

"Opening night excitement—Crazy in Love debuts to a 850-meter-long queue at the Toronto Film Festival!"

"Renly Hall: 'I'm starting to feel at home here,' says the actor on his second trip to Toronto."

"Competition heats up as Crazy in Love takes the title of most anticipated film at the festival."

"Renly Hall beats George Clooney and Brad Pitt to become the most anticipated actor at the Toronto Film Festival."

For an independent film with a budget of just $250,000, Crazy in Love's widespread attention is nothing short of a miracle. Even though Focus Pictures distributed the film, the production's modest budget still couldn't match the star-studded blockbusters.

But Focus had been working on the film since the Sundance Film Festival, where Crazy in Love won the Grand Jury Prize and the Special Jury Prize. These accolades set the stage for the upcoming awards season, positioning the film as a serious contender.

Renly Hall and Jennifer Lawrence had already secured Oscar nominations earlier in the year, becoming representatives of the new generation of talent. Their collaboration further amplified the film's anticipation. Focus released two key promotional videos: one featuring a key interaction between their characters in the film, and another showcasing behind-the-scenes moments. These videos helped build significant momentum, increasing expectations for the movie.

As the summer box office battle raged, Renly's name grew increasingly well-known in North America. His performance in Fast and Furious 5, which surpassed $300 million at the box office, was a major highlight and secured his place as one of the top stars of the year.

From January to August, Renly was a constant topic of discussion. When Crazy in Love finally premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September, fans eagerly anticipated the chance to see it. Focus Pictures quickly scheduled a limited release in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, kicking off on October 7th.

The buildup of excitement over the past several months paid off at the Toronto Film Festival, where Crazy in Love became a major success. The film's premiere saw lines of over 1,200 people waiting for a chance to get in—an undeniable sign that another box-office hit was on the horizon.

At the official premiere of Crazy in Love in Toronto, some fans waited 12 hours to get a glimpse of the film. By the time the doors opened, the queue had wrapped around the cinema three times, demonstrating the unprecedented enthusiasm for this independent gem.