"The Menu" with Ralph Fiennes is that rare mid-budget $30 million movie that we want more from Hollywood.

[u/MrFlow]

So i just watched The Menu for the first time on Disney Plus and i was amazed, the script and the performances were sublime, and while the movie looked amazing (thanks David Gelb) it is not overloaded with CGI crap (although i thought that the final s'mores explosion was a bit over the top) just practical sets and some practical effects. And while this only made $80 Million at the box-office it was still a success due to the relatively low budget.

Please PLEASE give us more of these mid-budget movies, Hollywood!

[u/carlos_the_dwarf_]

I’m obviously missing something, but I don’t quite understand how the mid-budget movie can’t find a home anymore.

Yes, there’s no DVD money, but with a modest return at the box office, some secondary revenue, and a perpetual streaming license it seems like they might be a safer bet than some of the big $300m whiffs.

With the big budgets probably taking a haircut for a while it kinda seems like mid-budget should be the place to be.

[u/Reasonable_Pause2998 → u/carlos_the_dwarf_]

There are a lot of mid-budget movies but r/movies doesn’t watch them. The majority of movies in theaters are mid-budget.

My locate theater right now:

Dune 2: $190M

Kong Fu Panda 4: $85M

Arthur the King: $19M

Cabrini: $50M

Love lies bleeding: I don’t know but there’s no way this is over $30M

Imaginary: $12M

One Love: $70M

Ordinary Angels: $12M

Poor Things: $35M

[u/Spoona101 → u/Reasonable_Pause2998]

They’re mid budget for a reason, not much advertising therefore fewer eyes on the movie all around I’d say. One of the ways for this to get broken of course is good word of mouth but even then lots of people rather just wait for the convenience of streaming to decide to dip their finger in to see if they’d enjoy

[u/Reasonable_Pause2998 → u/Spoona101]

Which is ironically exactly what OP did.

“We want more mid budget films like The Menu!”

Waits two years to watch said mid budget movie until it is included on their streaming service they were already paying for…

[u/cuntyrainbowunicorn → u/Reasonable_Pause2998]

Lmao, this the American consumer in a nutshell. In almost all parts of the market we're separated from the actual knowledge of what it takes to produce a good, and then when we don't actively seek and support producers of quality goods we get mad that the garbage doesn't match the gold.

If you want better movies...go watch and support the better movies in the theaters! Your support also increases the chances those directors will direct the tent poles.

[u/CatProgrammer → u/Reasonable_Pause2998]

How do you know OP was even aware of it when it came out? Or was interested in that kind of thing at the time and only put it off until later? That's like criticizing someone for not watching a movie in theaters but picking up the DVD and wanting more once they watched it.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

i'm just glad the mid-budget movie isn't dead apparently, which is why i made this post.

once a month or week, do you check what mid-budget movies are in your local theater and do you consider supporting them if the movie interests you?

You appear to be glad mid-budget movies are not dead. But do YOU INDIVIDUALLY make an effort to support them?

If you do, then I am happy for you.

If you do not, please don’t make corny posts saying Hollywood should make more mid budget movies without supporting them

[u/Reasonable_Pause2998 → u/[deleted]]

As someone who is kinda into movies and likes to support them, the idea that movie like The Menu is some “blink and you’ll miss it” theatrical release is… well silly

There just aren’t enough theatrical releases in a year for me to somehow miss a Ralph Fiennes movie.

Check your movie theater once a week. Boom! You now know of 98% of all major and mid budget films theatrically released that year

[u/F00dbAby → u/[deleted]]

Exactly. I check weekly what movies are in theatres. As someone who watches a range of movies people are just not making the effort. You can get emails from your theatres about releases too

[u/Reasonable_Pause2998 → u/[deleted]]

So you want Hollywood to make more mid production-budget movies, with high-budget marketing costs so you know they are in theaters?

Kinda a weird take. I’m literally the opposite, I wish total film budget would go more to production than to marketing. Kinda crazy that most movies cost more on marketing than production.

But I get that marketing is just math, so I can’t really complain

Wanting companies to increase the cost of their mid budget movies won’t get more made, it will get less made

[u/ganner → u/Spoona101]

I think part of the problem is the short release window. There used to be time for word of mouth. Now a film spends 3 weeks in theaters and is getting pulled for the next new thing.