How Do You Keep Up With The Movie Box Office, You Cinemophile!

I’m supposing a picture of an average adult. He leaves his resident for his workplace where he has to spend an average of 8hrs on a 9 – 5 (which often is an actual 8 – 5:30, unless he’s the boss, in which case this post may not apply for him). He gets to his work environment, settles down, and engages in small talks. Typically he’d participate in light conversations with his colleagues around domestic events, technology, international politics, choice carmakers, social media captions, preferred Super Sports channel, or the worst defenders in football history.

During lunchtime, he unboxes his packed meal, or he places a meal order, or he goes along to the work cafeteria to get some meal. Amongst other coworkers around at lunchtime, he’d chat about workload, politics, business ideas, or plans before work time resumes for the later half day. End of the business hour, he leaves for the bar solo/accompanied by coworkers/friends, or heads towards home.

Perhaps, in either option, he meets somebody along the way and they talk about general happenings. Somehow, a movie or series topic surfaces.

3 times out of 5, the movie brought up has spent some time at the Box Office chart, and has had some trailer out, or a publicized date for a premier to be released, or billboard advert placements across town. 3 times out of 5 this movie has been hyped or blacklisted or generally rated during banters on social media. Or as it was back in the days of old, reviewed on the last pages of a magazine or newspaper and the worthiness of the screen action being critiqued.

Related: Do You Understand the last movie you watched?

3 times out of 5 this movie was brought up singularly by the popularity of the lead actors (or the majority of the cast). Especially those with outstanding gossip topics or relatively recent scandalous activities. Without which the movie’s existence would not be known. 3 times out of 5 this movie was brought up because you have a friend who is informed and interested, and has uttered the movie name a couple of times as a result of impatience, or simply anticipation for its release. And you carelessly memorized it.

3 times out of 5, the only movie that will be familiar to you would be that which is made known to you on a platter (such as the above instances). Unless you’re a cinephile (or cinemophile), one with a passionate interest in cinema, then it would mean you actively search and find movies to occupy and fill your leisure regularly. There would be zero need for prompts/adverts to make you binge-watch. (Fun fact: a movie aficionado is one who is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about movies. It doesn’t have the negative connotation of a freak).

Read: What Happened at the Movies last weekend

At this period in history, the movies making the rounds are majorly re-enactment of epic tales and a few of the franchises and also the ones that would potentially become one of the top-grossing films (this you would know when you see them). For this year alone there have been Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity Wars. To come, we have X-men: Dark Phoenix, Mission Impossible 6, A Star Wars story, to name the few dominating the hypes.

Last year had franchises like Fast and the Furious, Guardian of the Galaxy, Wonder Woman, The Mummy. Not forgetting 2016 with Ghostbusters, Logan, X-men Apocalypse, Doctor Strange…

These top-grossing movies are not usually the only movies being released at the time, but they would huddle to be the most highly anticipated screenplays. They would form an invisible line on an arbitrary queue, and would be selected back to back on the Box Office Charts.

It’s amazing how, with an average of 2,500 movies being produced universally in a year, making 200+ being released every month worldwide (about 50 movies monthly on the average from Hollywood) we only boast of seeing 3 – 5 movies each month. True, not all 200+ movies released would genuinely be good (relatable) ones. More so, not all good (relatable) ones would subjectively fit into our scope of preferred genres.

But if we should be fair, a lot of good ones get far from the Box Office ratings. They would be lost in the upheaval of high budgeted movies and franchises. To which, frankly, quite a lot turn out to be highly overrated. Above par movies, good independent movies, and awesome low budgeted ones get over-passed.

But how do we reach and learn about these low key, underrated movies?

I’m supposing a picture of an average adult. His movie options are built around what is being advertised, premiered, discussed or reviewed on a blog. In other words, his movie awareness is limited to Box Office rated movies only. But how else do you get to find out about your movies, if you’re ever interested in one?

Read: How the series Ally Mcbeal taught a lesson to learn

Are you a cinephile, movie maniac, film geek, movie master, film fanatic? What kind of movies do you prefer?