The Legacyquel

In response to: http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/dec/29/jurassic-world-star-wars-furious7-avengers-age-of-ultron-minions-2015-global-box-office-in-review

               The “Legacyquel” refers to a continuation of a film franchise years after it was supposed to be over. These aren’t a new thing, the prequel trilogy of the Star Wars Franchise did this years ago. But, this has become a huge trend in Hollywood recently, specifically this year. These are not reboots, but build on the movies that came before it.  This year we have had continuations to Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Terminator, and Fast and Furious. All of these have brought in a lot of money and have broken every conceivable US film record possible. The films themselves are not always the best, but with the built in fan base, it is a surefire way to make a lot of money.

               This summer’s movies weren’t doing well in the box office, and then Jurassic World came along, and crushed the competition. The movie, which not only continued the story of the theme park that housed laboratory created dinosaurs, also put in a whole lot of nods to the original, making any fan of the original series very happy. This caused them to keep coming back and made the movie one of the biggest successes of all time. Jurassic World was good movie and it kept people coming back to it all summer.

               Other Legacyquels weren’t as good, and although they made a lot of money, the success didn’t last long. The premade fan base made them enough money to make the film a success, but not enough to make it a hit. Films like the new Terminator and the New Fast and Furious are great examples of this. They had the fan base and the legacy to get them going, but not a good enough film to keep people.

               The other big success this year came from Star Wars the Force Awakens. This movie has been long awaited and people were prepared to be very critical of it. The movie’s trailer was viewed more times than any other video for a long time. The advanced ticket sales also broke records. The movie itself, luckily, turned out to be great and made people happy, so they kept coming back. The film is expected to break every US film record in record time by tomorrow.

               The Legacyquel isn’t new, but it is what Hollywood has been cashing in on recently, something that has been very lucrative for them. The built in fan base and nostalgia assures them financial success to begin with, and if the movie is good, that means it is poised to do amazingly. The Legacyquel is a surefire way to make money.

The Pay Gap Is Not Just Between Sexes In The Entertainment Business

In response to: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/13/jennifer-lawrence-s-equal-pay-crusade-does-more-money-really-equal-more-respect.html
and
http://www.mtv.com/news/2719851/chris-rock-jennifer-lawrence/

               When Sony got hacked a lot was revealed. One of the most shocking was how much less Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams were paid compared to their costars for American Hustle. This brought to light one of the biggest issues nowadays, the gender pay gap. This is not a new issue, but it has been getting a lot more attention nowadays. But, the article and Chris Rock pointed out two other major pay gaps, racial and stature. While gender and race are commonly brought up, stature is one that many don’t consider, but nonetheless is a major factor.

                The gender pay gap has been a constant issue. Women, who have constantly fought for equal treatment, have yet to achieve this, which is ridiculous, but is nonetheless true. People usually think of this as applying to regular jobs, but this also applies to high profile people like actresses. Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, and countless other women who have starring roles in movies are getting paid less than the male counterparts, which, considering the size of their roles, is not fair at all.

               Also, race has always been a major issue when it comes to pay. Again, this also applies to celebrities and actors. This has also been becoming a more well-known issue, for good reason. Because there are now more parts available for people who aren’t white, starring roles, they should be paid for the size of the role. But, because of how the world works studios believe they can get away with paying them less, which isn’t cool.

               The biggest issue though is paying people by how famous they are rather than the part they play. Big name celebrities can have ridiculous salaries for a cameo in a movie. It doesn’t make sense. Someone who is in ¼ of the movie shouldn’t be paid $50 million more than its star. But, because of the nature of Hollywood, they get paid a ridiculous amount more. Such was the case of Harrison Ford in Star Wars the Force Awakens and Robert Downey Jr. In Avengers Age of Ultron. Although Robert was in far more than Harrison was in in their respective movies. If this issue were fixed and everyone was paid more or less equally and in consideration of the part they play then studios would be able to have a much bigger budget for films.

               The fact that there is a pay gap is wrong. And, the fact that gender, race, and stature are causes of it are stupid. If there weren’t a pay gap, movies could make a lot more money.

Hamilton Rules Over The Economy Once Again

In response to: http://deadline.com/2015/10/hamilton-on-broadway-returned-25-of-its-12-5m-costs-in-five-weeks-1201579336/

               Hamilton has been a revolutionary show on Broadway, and yes that was intentional. Not only has it proved original work can survive on Broadway nowadays, but it has had unprecedented financial success. The more than 3-hour show, which centers around the life of the first US Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, sounds like it would bore everyone to tears. But, seeing as this was created by the visionary Lin-Manuel Miranda, this is one of the most groundbreaking shows in years.

               One of the biggest factors that makes this show so special is its cast and score. The characters are all historical figures who are white men. But they have been cast with people of color. This is meant to show America then with America now. The score also sets it apart. Unlike other shows about this time period, 1776, it isn’t a traditional Broadway score. The score is all hip hop, something Miranda specializes in. All of this combined has given the show amazing success.

               Because of the diverse cast and score it has attracted a very wide fan base. It has brought people into theatre that would never have even considered listening to a show tune before. The album has topped all the charts, making it mainstream, something most shows nowadays don’t even dream of. The show also sold out for the next year, again something that most shows can’t even fathom.

               The show also has done something no other show has done as perfectly, held a lottery. Every day hundreds of people have been lining up to pay $10 to try and win 1-2 of the 21 seats given away. One of the biggest draws is the fact that Miranda gives people a show while they wait, so that even if you don’t win, you get to see something on Broadway, and usually they are really good. This lottery makes them so much money in itself.

               The lottery, the album, and the ticket sales have all made Hamilton a financial juggernaut. This is great not only for the show, but for Broadway itself. It is bringing in new audiences. It also proves that work like this can be successful, as well as give lots of opportunities for actors who aren’t white. The fact that this show is making back its investment so quickly is amazing. It will encourage more investors to try and invest in Broadway shows, which will bring on more shows. And more shows mean more financial success for Broadway.