As the year starts, the huge blockbuster movies that you've been waiting for since last year start to become real. However, interestingly enough, they generally will not be released in January. It appears that the production of action movies dwindles in quality during this month before studios decide to release hard-hitting and blood-sugar-increasing movies that excite our bones later in the year.
Photo courtesy of Canal+.An example of this is "Taken 3," released Jan. 9. We all loved Liam Neeson’s “I will find you, and I will kill you" line, but no one knew that the producers of this movie would overkill with two more sequels. From an intense screenplay of a man saving his daughter from being kidnapped in a foreign country to being framed for murdering his ex-wife, the plot has declined greatly. The first sequel receiving a low rating should have been the sign to retire.
With award ceremonies such as the Oscars and the Golden Globes in season, the pressure to create an award-winning script and cast is high for all production companies. However, with a look at an article by the Huffington Post, winners for 2000 to 2012 were released mostly in December or a couple months before the end of the year. With the Oscars being held in February, the month before is not a time of creation in the movie industry for films with intelligence.
Other titles released this month are "Vice," "American Sniper" and "Blackhat." Essentially, January just is not the month to go out and see a movie if you're looking for action.
That being said, there are a few exceptions to this statement. On Jan. 16, "American Sniper," based on a true story, brought excitement to movie theaters across the country and now has several nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards. If producers know what they are doing and promote their work right, January doesn't have to be a dead zone for action movies.
Photo courtesy of IFC Productions."Boyhood," winner of best drama, was released in August. The key to this was that it took several years to actually create the movie because each year as the actors aged, they would tape the scenes of the movie in real time. It seems that they could have chosen any month to release the movie, but they chose to do so toward the end of the year rather than the beginning because of this constant pattern. If you want your movie to have a chance at an award, then the end of the year from August to December is the right time frame.
Timing in the film industry is essential, because there is a balance to be met. Movies need to be constantly released but also producers want to captivate their audience a little before nomination season.
If you're looking for a great action movie, it might be best to stick to Netflix and cable for the first couple months of the year.
Reach the reporter at ryan.santistevan@asu.edu or follow her @ryanerica18 on Twitter.
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