This column was written by a Hypable user!

Having recently read about Lionsgate’s attempt at shutting down the Harry Potter Alliance and Imagine Better’s “Hunger is not a Game” campaign, I was frustrated at how the major film studios still seem unable to understand the fans of the franchises they create.

With every major movie franchise there seems to come that point when the studio makes a decision which it’s clear will anger fans, and yet they go ahead and make it. Then in most cases after a week or so of death threats and hate mail, they retract their statement, humble and red faced, and try to continue like nothing ever happened.

Perhaps it was understandable with Warner Brothers and JK Rowling’s legions of loyal followers, or at least to begin with back in 2001. The Potter fandom was the first of its kind and certainly was, and is, one of the largest; I expect WB had never had to deal with fans who wanted to create their own content, as well as watch what was officially released. And with the simultaneous rise of the internet (which both created and solved problems) it was easier than ever for people to make their opinion known in a way that was far easier than writing a letter or using the telephone.

Of course there were going to be a few legal battles at the start, before everyone figured out where the boundaries were. But it’s now been eleven years since Philosopher’s Stone and yet the studios still don’t seem to have learnt that alienating fans helps in absolutely no way.

I get that they want to make money; they’re a business, that’s their job. However we fans might want to see ourselves, to them we’re basically a giant stream of money and attention that will continue long after the average person has lost interest.

We’re the ones who buy special edition DVD collections, posters, bed sheets, set replicas, the ones who pay to watch the movie multiple times. In a way, don’t we have the power? For example, Buffy fans are threatening to boycott the big screen remake in protest, and I think the film makers need to listen. Even if half of the Slayer’s fans refused to see the movie, it would make a big dent in the profit, especially as I highly doubt there are that many casual viewers of the TV series that still care. There are similar examples from other fandoms, but it still seems to me that our opinions are largely ignored.

Basically what I’m saying is that film studios need to learn to listen and to take notice of what goes on in the fan community. Because if they don’t they’ll either lose some of their precious cash or have to eat their words, neither of which ends in a happy situation for anyone. If your reading this, film makers, please listen: we’re the ones you need to please if you really want to be successful around here.

(And seriously WB, please don’t ever remake Buffy without Joss Whedon. Please)