Over the last couple of weeks, fans the world over have flocked to MTV.com to vote for their favorite franchise for the MTV Movie Awards. Last Sunday, ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Twilight,’ and ‘Hunger Games’ fans tuned in to see which franchise would bring home the gold (popcorn, that is). The Golden Popcorn has become an important award for blockbusters that don’t get a lot of critical attention, which got us thinking…
THE MTV MOVIE AWARDS vs. THE ACADEMY AWARDS: Which is more important to movie studios?
THE MTV MOVIE AWARDS:
Fans are the life or death of a successful franchise. If a movie does not find its audience, it can never be successful. When a movie has a built in fan base like many of the book-to-film adaptations of late, it takes a lot of the pressure off the studio to market the movie. Sure they still spend a buck (or several million) to make sure you see their posters & merchandise, but a built in fan base always helps relieve the tension in the studio’s executive offices.
These award shows are the PERFECT way to measure how well your franchise is reaching its fans. If we look back at the 2008 ceremony, Transformers, having made over $319 million at the box office, took home the award for Best Movie. Fast forward two years and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen rakes in over $402 million.
This year’s top award went to The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, however the other major awards seem to be pretty evenly split between Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and The Hunger Games. While the Best Cast award for Potter may simply be a meaningful sendoff for a beloved franchise, the Best Actress & Best Actor awards for The Hunger Games could be a sign of great things to come for the sequels. When the franchise is just starting out, seeing how they measure up to the powerhouses that came before is vital. It certainly seems like The Hunger Games is doing more than just keeping up, as they took home the most awards for a single film this year.
THE ACADEMY AWARDS:
The now infamous Potter “For Your Consideration” campaign was seen by millions and showcased the exceptional work that had gone into creating these films. Despite the effort, the Harry Potter franchise walked away from the 2012 ceremony winless, leaving a gaping hole in the awards cabinet at Warner Bros. With a total of 12 nominations over the 10 year span of the franchise, Harry Potter was denied their final chance at Oscar glory. Now, after the impressive success of The Hunger Games at the box office, will Lionsgate be pushing for Oscar glory as well? Only time will tell.
SO, WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT?
It’s a tough call. When you think about all the influence that awards from both shows can have, it makes it hard to prove if either award was the direct cause of the franchise’s success. While there may be no way to prove definitively, it can surely be said that the studios definitely relish any award, be it from the fans or the critics.
Which do you think is more important to your favorite franchise? Does winning or losing awards affect your opinion of the movie?