II Thursday, January 31. 1980 Weekender Page 3 J
Lighfv-fiims:score:bigr.heavi(3s' do well in 1 979
By TOM MOORE
January, a rather dismal month
with New Year's Day hangovers,
income tax forms and a return to
college after a much-too-brief
vacation, does have some nice
aspects. If you are an incurable film
junkie, like me, the nicest thing about
January is the anniversary issue of
Variety, the show business
newspaper.
The thick anniversary issue of
Variety always is full of information
and trivia about the entertainment
business. One of the most interesting
features in the issue is the list of the
films that made the most money
during the past year.
During 1979, this being the age of
the megabuck, super-hype movie,
over 35 films grossed more than $10
million in the United States and
Canada in rental fees (the money the
distributors take in, not the total
ticket sales receipts).
The leading money-making movie
in 1979 was Superman, which brought
in $81 million. Every Which Way But
Loose, Clint Eastwood's feeble
attempt at Burt Reynolds' style of
comedy, was the second-biggest
earner of the year at $48 million. Clint
was followed closely by Rocky ,
Sylvester Stallone's remake of Rocky
that was thinly disguised as a sequel;
the boxing melodrama made $43
million. Alien, a haunted-house
drama set in outer space was fourth in
the money-making race with $40
million.
The Amityville Horror, a drama set
in a haunted house, made $35 million.
Masses of Trekkies made Star Trek the
sixth-biggest grosser in of the year,
though it was only in release for three
weeks in 1979. Spock and company
earned a phenomenal $35 million.
James Bond continued to be a top
UgqIxgb&qi?
is the feature magazine published
each Thursday by The Daily Tar
Heel.
Dinita James
Editor
Melanie Sill, Assistant Editor
Elliott Warnock, Columnist
Chf Qailii aar Hrrl
David Stacks, Editor
Michele Mecke, Managing Editor
Susan Ladd, Features Editor
Laura Elliott, Arts Editor
Reid Tuvim, Sports Editor
Andy James, Photography Editor
Obey the 55 mph speed limit.
draw at the box office; Moonraker
made $33 million.
The cutesy Muppet Movie racked
up $32 million, California Suite netted
$29 million, and the Academy Award
winner for best picture, The Deer
Hunter, wound up with $26 million.
Cinema
The list goes on with few surprises.
What made the most money were
light, escapist pictures backed by
huge advertising campaigns that you
couldn't evade if you read
newspapers or magazines, watched
TV or listened to the radio. And the
biggest money-earners weren't just
entertainment items, they were
events that anyone between the ages
of 13 and 30 almost had to experience.
It's not surprising that Superman
made $81 million, but it is quite
surprising and encouraging to look at
the earnings of Manhattan, The Deer
Hunter and Apocalypse Now in the
United States and Canada.
Depressing f ilms like Apocalypse ($23
million) and The Deer Hunter usually
don't make bundles even when
backed by ultra-hype advertising
campaigns. Woody Allen's
Manhattan went in for none of the
media blitz that all of the other
moneymakers of 1979 had, and it too
dealt with life in unglossy, rather
dismal terms, despite the romantic
Gershwin score and some very funny
scenes. That Manhattan grossed $17
million is a sure sign that there is a
large audience for intelligent
American pictures that don't rely on
special effects and stupendous
advertising campaigns to sucker
rubes.
Maybe Hollywood will realize this
and offer more pictures like
Manhattan and fewer like the
repulsive 7947. After all, it makes
better sense to put $3 million into
Manhattan and make $17 million than
it does to risk $30 million on 7947 and
have it fall on its face with $15 million
in earnings.
Tom Moore is a staff writer for The
Daily Tar Heel.
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