Making a Blockbuster

Reported March 2010

EVANSTON, Ill. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- On March 7th, the who's who of Hollywood will be headed to the Oscars. Ten movies are vying for the top spot. This year's Avatar is a smash hit, raking in more than $2 billion worldwide to become the highest grossing movie of all time. So what makes a Hollywood movie a big hit? Is it the big named celebrities starring in it, the director, or the mind-blowing special effects?

The top-grossing movies of all time are Avatar, Titanic, The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Dark Knight. But why do some movies rake in billions while others flop? Big stars and high tech animation attract ticket sales, but the best way to pack a theatre might be to get the word out.

According to research sociologist Brian Uzzi, Ph.D., of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., constant chatter about a movie, called movie buzz, can help a film become a blockbuster hit.

"Movie buzz is basically word of mouth marketing that comes from the people who will eventually see the movie or the people who have seen the movie," Dr. Uzzi told Ivanhoe.

Experts say the buzz before a movie is released has a big impact on whether or not people will go see it.

"The movie companies have moved very heavily into research on buzz," Dr. Uzzi explained. "One of the things they have created is websites everywhere that's meant to generate more and more buzz about a movie."

Movie buzz creates a "tipping point." This is the point where so much has been heard about a movie, it hits a threshold, and the likelihood of seeing it sky-rockets.

"Once you hit the tipping point, everyone wants to go and it acts like a blockbuster," Dr. Uzzi said.

And that's before a movie is even released. The buzz after opening weekend has a different effect because it's more factual information viewers can trust. And even though movie chit-chat increases ticket sales, a little star power never hurts.

Seven of the movies listed on the top 50 highest grossing movies of all time were from 2009, the most from any year.

The American Sociological Association contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Richard L. Thomas
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL 60208
(847) 491-8072
uzzi@northwestern.edu

Jackie Cooper
Media Relations Officer
American Sociological Association
(202) 383-9005 x332
http://www.asanet.org
JCooper@asanet.org

Is it real or is it fake? Making body parts so life-like even your mother can’t tell the difference! You won’t want to miss this story! The before shots in this story are shocking, but the end results are amazing!

One in eight women will be diagnosed with it. Now, a transplant is giving breast cancer survivors pain-free lives after chemo.

A tiny Zebra Fish could hold the key to giving 30 million people their hearing back.

One woman doctor defies the odds and runs her office all by herself. But can she be as effective as a bigger office with more people? She can and she does! How this doctors office of the past, could cut our health care costs in the future.

Walk while you work! A new treadmill desk may be the hottest new way to spend your day at the office.

It takes a lot more than superstar actors to make a Hollywood hit. We’ll share the secret behind the movies.

Coaches, players and fans who think refs make unfair calls might be right. We’ll break down the numbers and show you how the refs can affect the score.

Cell phones signals may be the best way to track travelers at the airport and warn you before you leave the house if the lines are long.

New laser mapping technology could predict the next big natural disaster and help to save millions of lives.

125 million cars are on the road today. That’s billions of pounds of steel and glass. Now, there’s a new movement to replace some car parts with coconuts.

203 million Americans have one … and almost all of us have to deal with dropped calls. A new super chip may keep you out of the dead zone forever.

There’s a way to have a garden without watering it all the time. It’s called Xeriscaping and it can help you save money, go green and grow flowers all at the same time.