The Greatest Showman #1015 - The Pressure is Coming

In the summer battle of a new generation of young actors, Chris Hemsworth teamed up with Kristen Stewart for Snow White and the Huntsman, which debuted first. However, despite a strong premiere, the media reputation and audience feedback collapsed, leaving behind a dismal response. It's almost unbelievable, but true—

In the initial evaluation, the most favorable response came from professional media, with a comprehensive score of 57. This was the highest rating of all the reviews post-premiere, surpassing even the mass media and audience ratings, which was a surprise.

The film's complete failure in terms of reception shocked many, even reporters. If commercial films are often rejected by critics, that's understandable. But now, even the audience wasn't buying it. What was left? Perhaps a Transformers-style miracle? No, more like Twilight.

Back then, Transformers boasted an 85% popcorn index and an 'A' theater score. Despite harsh media criticism, the movie's box office soared, hitting new heights. Twilight, with its fiercely loyal fans, also surprised the industry, achieving strong box office results despite negative reviews.

Now, Snow White and the Huntsman had to rely on its fanbase. Both Chris and Kristen had massive followings, especially considering Chris' involvement in The Avengers, which was still performing well at the box office. Surely, he could carry the movie?

The answer was a resounding no.

Opening with just $50 million, Snow White and the Huntsman underperformed dramatically.

This was far below media projections, and it still had a long way to go to reach the $100 million mark. With a $170 million production cost, the premiere results spelled doom for the movie. Yang Fan had just received some fatal news on the journey.

After much attention, anticipation, and excitement, the box office results were disappointing. The number was so low that it was almost as shocking as a massive car accident.

Almost overnight, the media grew pessimistic.

Some pointed to Kristen's "derailment door" scandal, which certainly impacted the film's box office. But even with that considered, the actual $50 million box office, versus the expected $100 million, raised serious questions. It seemed unexplainable.

There were discussions about how the $170 million budget, for a movie with neither grand special effects nor top-tier stars, was an expensive spectacle.

Normally, such films would keep their budgets around $100 million. Universal Pictures, known for being frugal, made a serious error in over-budgeting Snow White and the Huntsman, which led to a chain of problems, a costly decision.

Other media outlets were quick to comment, "We were too hasty!"

They noted that the Baby Boomers were still the dominant force in Hollywood. Even though Soul Shadow and Men in Black 3 underperformed, Johnny Depp and Will Smith's star power remained undeniable.

In the past two decades, Generation X struggled to pass the torch. Leonardo DiCaprio, once the most promising actor, had taken the path of self-tortured Oscar pursuits post-Titanic. Now, Generation Y was just beginning, still far from having the same dominance.

Chris Hemsworth and Kristen Stewart had potential, but their star power alone wasn't enough.

Chris' popularity was heavily tied to the Marvel franchise, especially after Thor's disappointing box office performance. Beyond that, he hadn't proved himself in other films. Meanwhile, Kristen's fame, tied to Twilight, had faded after its end.

To put it bluntly, popularity belonged to the work and the character, not the actor.

In Hollywood, "box-office appeal" wasn't that simple. After one or two hits, media outlets rushed to label an actor as box-office gold, but in reality, the actor may not have the mass base needed to consistently draw in audiences.

Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr. had limited box-office appeal—only Tom Cruise and Will Smith at their peaks were real market darlings.

Their names alone on a poster were enough to guarantee audience attendance, regardless of the movie's reputation or reviews. That was true box-office appeal, something that had been fading since the second decade of the 21st century.

Despite Renly's repeated success, the media remained skeptical of his box-office power.

Now, the same skepticism applied to Chris and Kristen. Generation Y's box-office potential was still unproven, and many believed it was too soon for them to take over. Too much too soon.

The media, once eager to proclaim Generation Y as the future of Hollywood, was now urging them to slow down and build their careers. The advice: stick to the fundamentals, build reputation, and avoid rushing.

This was the same group of media who had enthusiastically predicted that Generation Y would lead the industry. Now they were advising a return to reality.

Either way, after the disastrous premiere of Snow White and the Huntsman, the discussions only intensified. The media started suggesting that the younger generation still had much to learn, and expectations for films like Edge of Tomorrow and The Amazing Spider-Man dropped.

Especially Edge of Tomorrow—it had no established fanbase, a weak marketing push, and no box-office appeal.

Expectations kept dropping. Before its release, media projections for Edge of Tomorrow were set at $25 million. Could the expectations be lowered further? Under $20 million? With a $130 million production cost, this would be a catastrophic outcome for the film even before it was released.

In fact, the media's predictions for the box office were surprisingly accurate, given that Edge of Tomorrow (starring Tom Cruise) had a $28 million opening weekend and eventually barely exceeded $100 million in North America.

But this life was different. The film's release had been delayed and the circumstances were now entirely different. What would happen to the box office results now?

As the media continued to clamour for lowered expectations, the pressure continued to mount. The film industry was tense, with studios monitoring every development closely. After The Avengers opened the summer season with record-breaking numbers, the market had suffered through a string of disappointments:

Soul Shadow, Super Battleship, Men in Black 3, and Snow White and the Huntsman all had underwhelming performances.

Now, the industry wondered: Was this a market downturn? Or had The Avengers drained all the potential from the summer season? How long would this slump last, and which film could break the cycle? It was a critical issue for every studio.

This summer, billed as the most explosive in years, was becoming a nightmare for film companies. The fear of stagnation and decline loomed large.

As the pressure increased, the film industry turned its gaze to the upcoming weekend, when Madagascar, Prometheus, and Edge of Tomorrow would all compete for box office dominance.

With three major releases in a single weekend, the outcome was likely to be chaotic—internal competition would hurt all three films. But for other studios, this clash was an opportunity to revive the market, regardless of which film emerged victorious. The key was that the audience would return to the theaters, and the market would recover.

How would this intense week play out? Would one of the films manage a breakthrough, or would all three falter? No one knew. The future of the summer box office remained uncertain.