Indiewire: 2012 Box Office Wrap-Up

Cynics among us may quibble over the various typifications of movies [for example, why This is 40 is considered a Hit while Paranorman is typified as a Recouper]. But there is a lot to learn from analyzing this list, supplied by IndieWire. Check out these numbers:

As a screenwriter, I’ll tell you what I lock in on: Low Budget Hits. I don’t own the rights to a property like Pokemon, or a board game like Monopoly, or even Slinky: The Movie. But I generate and develop high concepts, and in trying to take the line of least resistance with buyers, that is write a spec script that is a great story and has no negatives [e.g., period piece, tough genre, difficult shoot), I have come up with a story that is all that, plus it’s a low-budget project.

If you check out the Low Budget Hits list, then cherry pick Hits like Chronicle [$12M budget] and Smashes like Magic Mike [$7M], low-budget, high-concept is definitely one consideration screenwriters should have when assessing potential spec script concepts.

How about you? What do you see in this list? What jumps out at you? I’ll see you in comments for your analysis of the 2012 box office.

For the whole IndieWire article, go here.

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