FrontRowGeek

Pain and Gain is exactly the kind of movie that stands to lose the most money due to illegal download. Its core audience makes up the core illegal download populace. I bet Pain & Gain will be at the top of the most downloaded movie of the year list, as well as most money lost due to illegal downloading.

Michael Bay had to have been aware of this during the process. There is no way this was an overlooked error. Some sort of missed calculation? It cost just 26 million, that’s what it cost to storyboard Transformers. No this was a gift from the benevolent Michael Bay. To his fan base, the dudes and bros just like him. So while they sit at home on their computers watching his movie, he doesn’t have to worry about how much money hes losing on the front end. This film solidifies him with his base, and they will support him in the primaries, Transformers 4, by being first in line at the midnight showing at every IMAX 3D, digital 3D, or regular 2D screen in the country.

This was a brilliant move by Bay and it keeps him sharp and gives him a more rounded character. It will be interesting to see how the physicality of this Pain and Gain affects how he tackles Transformers 4. There have already been reports quoting him saying as much. Suggesting that there would be something different about the next film in the saga.

I think this weak weekend says as much about Bay as it does about his fans. Not only his fans but the movie going public in general. They want big loud action fests, on the best speakers and on the best screens. They want to be wowed, and it looks like they will be this summer. However, the fact that this small film by Bay is not doing well right now can mean two things, the first being that the average movie goer can tell the difference between a small movie that they feel will be entertaining to them or not. We have seen this time and time again, this year and last, and in 2011 and every year before that. People go see the movies that are marketed in such a way that it appeals to their sensibilities, and not so much which actor happens to be starring in it.

This also means that this kind of action dark comedy genre film is better left to the ranks of horror, and that means cheaper is better. I like the 5 to 15 mil range for something like this if it comes from a studio. The right indie project could do big numbers in this genre.

But that’s kind of the point. This is an indie for Michael Bay. And how much it grosses doesn’t matter, It’s just a heavily priced commercial for Michael Bay’s brand, along with its two stars, Wahlberg’s  main fan base his action movie dudes, and The Rock’s main fan base is Wrestling fans. I think that’s a cross section of fan base, Wrestling, Action Movie, Michael Bay movies, and illegal downloaders. The studio takes a hit, but they will recoup in the long run, they always do, and it’s a gift to Bay for the billions.

– W.B. Preston

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