[Ads-l] tentpole

[Jonathan Lighter]

Thanks, Ben.

Diabolical.

JL


On Sun, Sep 2, 2018 at 2:08 PM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sun, Sep 2, 2018 at 1:58 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Huh?:
> >
> > "There’s so much to like about the picture *in theory*: a sophisticated
> > literary adaptation with a distinguished cast, geared toward grown-ups,
> > only gently suggesting itself as a tentpole. But Branagh just can’t find
> a
> > tone that works, ...."
> >
> > http://flavorwire.com/611271/messy-new-murder-on-the-
> > orient-express-adaptation-is-a-missed-opportunity
>
>
> I wrote about the use of "tentpole" in the movie industry in this 2015 WSJ
> column:
>
> -----
>
> https://www.wsj.com/articles/from-stage-to-tv-to-screen-the-rise-of-tentpoles-1431713515
> At this time of year, the major Hollywood studios roll out the franchise
> movies that they hope will hit it big. This week sees the release of "Mad
> Max: Fury Road" from Warner Bros. and "Pitch Perfect 2" from Universal,
> competing against Disney-Marvel's "Avengers: Age of Ultron," already in
> theaters.
> All these movies carry the label of "tentpoles": known quantities that
> studio executives have strategically timed so that their gross revenues can
> financially prop up an entire year's worth of releases, offsetting any
> flops.
> The "tentpole" analogy for blockbuster movies goes back to the mid-1980s,
> when Paramount Pictures was lining up the high-budget "Star Trek" and
> "Indiana Jones" franchises, as well as star vehicles for the likes of Tom
> Cruise and Eddie Murphy.
> Paramount chairman Frank Mancuso Sr. laid out his "tentpole philosophy" to
> reporters from Newsweek and the New York Times in the summer of 1987, when
> "The Untouchables" and Mr. Murphy's "Beverly Hills Cop II" were dominating
> the box office. "Tentpoles," Mr. Mancuso explained at the time, were movies
> "that because of content, star value or story line have immediate
> want-to-see."
> [etc.]
> -----
>
> --bgz
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


-- 
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------------------------------------------------------------
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