February 10, 2005

Movie Marketing Panel Predicts Low Oscar Ratings

Based on the poor box office performance of nominated films, a panel of marketing experts predicts poor ratings for this year's Academy Awards. According to MediaPost:

In his presentation before media and marketing professionals at the first Screenvision Imelda Staunton Insider's Ball, Fred Nelson, vice president for editorial development at Entertainment Magazine, showed a list of movies in the Oscar Best Actress Category and the nominal box office alongside: Annette Bening ("Being Julia"), Catalina Sandino Moreno ("Maria Full of Grace"), ("Vera Drake"), Hilary Swank ("Million Dollar Baby"), and Kate Winslet ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind").

The box office of all the movies barely totaled $75 million--a box office stinker for even one major motion picture, Nelson noted.

The "nomination effect" this year has been minimal, and if these predictions turn out to be true, there will likely be little post-Oscar bounce either.

Marketing Panel Predicts Low Ratings for Oscars