September could be the next big month for movies
There are many great things about September. The seasons are changing, leaves are changing colors, and pumpkin spice lattes are filling up everyone’s Starbucks cups. Yet despite this wonderful time of the year, there is one area where September historically falls very short: the film department. Historically, September is one of, if not the weakest, months for film out there.
Why is this the case? In simplest terms possible, it’s just about supply and demand. The summer is obviously the high point in demand for the film industry, as the biggest movie-going audience, teenagers, are out of school. Therefore, we are attacked with big budget blockbusters left and right in May through August. But come September, the dust has settled.
Movie studios don’t think people are going to be seeing movies this month, so what movies do they release? The ones they don’t believe in. Once we get into October, the great Oscar-contending fare starts to get released slowly but surely. As unfortunate as it is, when a studio sees they have a real stinker on their hands, the clear place to put it in the puzzle of release schedules is September.
This unfortunate history of September is where we’ve been, but luckily for both Hollywood and audiences, it might not be where we’re permanently headed. After decades of sloppy Septembers, it seems that there is really a change in our midst. This change started last year, where September gave us successful films such as “The Visit,” “Sicario,” “Black Mass,” “The Intern” and “Hotel Transylvania 2.” The change become noticeable when you compare that with 2014, which gave us “Dolphin Tale 2” and “The Equalizer.”
When you look at this line up of films released in September, there is one notable trend, minus “Hotel Transylvania 2,” a seasonal exception: these are adult movies. While “The Visit” was a horror movie that maybe appealed to teens, the rest of these films were mature movies that were not meant to be seen by groups of teenagers on a Saturday night. Instead, they were catering to older audiences who might not even rush out the opening weekend, but over time will build a healthy audience.
Because the summer is so overcrowded with kids’ fare, the studios have found a great give-and-take by scheduling some time in the early fall for movies that will appeal specifically to real adults. This year we have some exciting adult fare such as “Sully,” “Snowden” and “Deepwater Horizon” to look forward to. Sure, there are still your horror movies — another September classic — and a few animated picks, but this month is dedicated to the grown-ups who just like to see a captivating story on screen. In this age of nonstop sequels and franchises, I’d say September is now more important than ever.
Erik Benjamin is a junior Television, Radio, and Film major. You can reach him at ebenjami@syr.edu and @embenjamin14.
Published on September 6, 2016 at 9:38 pm