Wednesday marked the opening of “The Matrix: Revolutions.” Thankfully, it also marked an end to the incessant hype that has been the cornerstone of the franchise since the first film came out of nowhere to enchant audiences four years ago.
The new film, like the summer’s counterpart “The Matrix: Reloaded,” is a $150 million event, which has been marketed nonstop on television, newspapers, magazines, comics, videogames and the Internet, thanks to a gigantic $50 million marketing budget and countless tie-ins. I think I am beginning to suffer from a case of “The Matrix: ‘Revulsion’.”
The problem with all the hype is the films have now become less of something to enjoy and more of an obligation. People are seeing it less because they want to and more because they feel like they have to.
The overload of publicity has taken all the fun out of “The Matrix” saga, and I am not just saying that because “Reloaded” was ruined once they decided to devote most of the running time to show us just how Biblical the story could be.
The first “Matrix” film was an absolute sensation, but not because the audience was beaten into submission with hype. It was a hit because it took the world by surprise. The film was a true word of mouth sensation that kept spreading until it became one of the biggest moneymakers in the history of Warner Bros.
The sequels lost that element of suprise. Once the world decided to take a trip down that rabbit hole it has not been able to come up for a breath of fresh air.
The “Matrix” phenomenon is just another example of the entertainment industry catering to the Attention Deficit Disorder of the public. They will not let moviegoers forget for a second about how great the Matrix is.
However, “The Matrix” films are not the only offender, only the most annoying. It is one in a recent trend of films who are rushing out of theaters almost as quickly as they entered. Nowadays films are lucky if they last longer than two months in the theaters, as opposed to six months just a few years ago. Today, dates for release on DVD are announced before films even debut in theaters. And the DVD comes out just in time to let us know that a sequel is fast approaching.
So will all this hype lead to what all business people fear most: a backlash? Some signs point to yes. “Reloaded” smashed records in theaters this summer making over $735 million worldwide and becoming the top grossing R-rated feature ever. The recent DVD release of the film performed below expectations, selling 4 million units on its first day of release. That is less than the 7 million units of”Spiderman” or the just released 8 million units of “Finding Nemo.”
However, one thing is for certain. This movie needs to come out so I can see it, get it out of the way and take a break until the “Shrek 2” hysteria begins.
