More Springsteen-Deliver Me From Nowhere

It's a business. Just because you liked the film, that does not mean it will be a commercial success, which was my point.

Funny how all the left wingers who can't understand how people vote for Trump can't understand that the masses might not go to see this movie.

This is no different from the Swifties, who spew hate at me fifteen years later. They're defending their turf. The rest of the public?

Shrugs.

The goal of making a major motion picture is to make money, how do you achieve that?

If you have a niche product, then your film must be extremely good, so great that it engenders word of mouth, such that people who were not paying attention in the first place are going to be motivated to go.

This is what happened with the Dylan movie, "A Complete Unknown." It opened domestically the first weekend to $11,655,553 and then continued to $23.2 million in the first week and ultimately $140 in all.

As for Bruce's movie... The initial three day gross was $9.1 million.

However, unlike "A Complete Unknown," the reviews were not so positive. The Dylan flick has an 82 critics' rating on RottenTomatoes as opposed to "Deliver Me From Nowhere"'s 61. So will the general public be inspired to see it? Will people enjoy it if they aren't fans of Bruce? You needed to know nothing about Bob to enjoy his movie, as for the Boss?

Now $9.1 million may seem close to $11,655,553, but the devil is in the details... "A Complete Unknown" opened in 2,835 theatres and "Deliver Me From Nowhere" opened in 3.460.

As for international...

Let me quote "Variety":

"'Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere' a musical biopic about the making of his beloved 1982 acoustic solo album 'Nebraska,' is falling flat with $7 million at the international box office and $16.1 million globally. Analysts suggest the film is struggling because unlike, say, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'Rocketman,' which were all-encompassing, crowd-pleasing looks at Queen and Elton John, 'Deliver Me From Nowhere' focuses on one, less commercial chapter in Springsteen's expansive, decade-spanning career."

https://variety.com/2025/film/box-office/box-office-springsteen-fizzles-overseas-black-phone-2-hits-80-million-1236561522/

There you have it.

And if that's not enough for you:

"'Springsteeen' Box-Office Ain't Glory Days"

"Though he delivered a number of worldwide hits, quintessentially American rocker Bruce Springsteen hasn't been able to translate that into box-office success.

"The biopic "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere" was released in multiple markets this weekend alongside its U.S. release and is bombing – the title earning just $7 million overseas. At the same time, its domestic debut is coming in smaller than projected – slipping slightly to $9.1 million and fourth place.

"Budgeted at $55 million, the film's audience exit scores haven't been strong, with the blame going less on the film's makers or cast – rather its subject matter. Namely, the choice to focus on Springsteen's depression and his arthouse album "Nebraska". While critics may love it, the album has none of the major hits that made him a global superstar."

https://www.darkhorizons.com/springsteen-box-office-aint-glory-days/

I could quote stories ad infinitum, but I think you get it.

I remember hearing "29 Palms" on "Fate of Nations," Robert Plant's 1993 return to form, and wondering why it wasn't a hit. I was speaking with Danny Buch, the Atlantic promotion man responsible, and he said they tried with the song and album at rock radio, but the music didn't react, it didn't resonate with the audience, and therefore radio stations dropped it. Does not speak to the quality of the tunes, but the audience reaction.

Once again, it's a business.

So you want to make a profit. You have the budget, the marketing and the theatrical gross, of which only half comes back to the studio. DVDs are dead, but there are streaming television licensing fees. That means so far, the studio is only entitled to $8.05 million of the proceeds on the Springsteen movie. How is it going to make its money back on a $55 million budget?

It's not.

Now not every picture goes into profit, but a bunch of them better, or...

So looking for the highest grosses, studios decided to make big budget pictures that could play around the world...believe me, the average person in China is not a Bruce Springsteen fan... Ergo, superhero movies, high concept flicks. But along the way, the world changed. Now China has its own domestic production, with 2025's "Ne Zha 2," which has grossed in excess of $2 billion dollars ("Ne Zha," released in 2019, grossed $707 million).

Now you might tell the studio to make cheaper films. But the irony is it may cost just as much to promote/market a $2 million film as it does a $50 million film. So the opportunity cost is just too high.

But by stopping the production of more adult/meaningful fare, by stopping taking risks, whole swaths of the public have given up on the theatregoing experience. YOU may have gone to see the "Springsteen" film this weekend, but most Boomers and Gen-X'ers never go to the theatre at all.

So the question is...is theatrical movie distribution dead?

Well, looking at summer grosses, as the year is not over yet... 2025 sits at $1.6 billion...whereas in 2019 it was $2.6 billion. It's going in the wrong direction.

A great picture will draw people to the theatre... But those are always left field productions that no one thought would become juggernauts. Think of "Star Wars," even "Pulp Fiction." They were sui generis. Where are the unique titles made and promoted by the studios today? Nonexistent, because the cost and ultimate risk is too high.

Begging the question whether a pivot is necessary...

Which is what Netflix is. It was such a joke in Hollywood that everybody licensed their content to the streaming company, helping them build a monolith while they were left behind. Can you see why the Springsteen movie is a dud?

If not, you know nothing about business...

Now it costs much less to make and promote an album than a movie... And the business used to be based on growing nobodies into ubiquitous somebodies. But the majors can't manage to do that anymore. So, like the studios, they've retreated to signing and promoting that which will theoretically appeal to the largest audience...which is rarely unique...unique is too hard to sell!

Meanwhile, developing indie acts don't spend 200k making an album.

But we live in an emotional world. Facts are secondary in not only politics, but the arts. And when confronted with the truth, no one wants to acknowledge it.

Split Ticketmaster from Live Nation and ticket prices will go down?

Don't make me laugh.

As for the ticket fees... Without them, there's no show, they're part of the budget. But the acts won't tell you that...they too beat up on the fees, even though the benefit from them...and Ticketmaster is paid to take the heat.

You may be an early adopter with a broad audience able to influence others. But everybody knows word of mouth doesn't happen unless the product is good.

But if it's good, something can build over time.

But with the movie business you get one shot, you fire all your guns at once, and if you don't go boffo at the b.o. right away...good luck. Hell, insiders can tell whether a film will make money within HOURS of its opening.

You're entitled to your personal biases. But if you think everyone is going to agree with you, even if you're angry about it, you're wrong.

Enjoy what you want, there are no rules. But that does not mean what you enjoy others will.

As for "Deliver Me From Nowhere"... As a streaming project with a low budget... The Mötley Crüe movie "The Dirt" only has a 37% RottenTomatoes rating...but I watched it, the viewing experience was baked into my Netflix subscription. As for the budget, it was less than half of the Springsteen flick, $23.1 million.

Netflix doesn't need to have every project hit. Just enough that people won't give up their subscriptions. And it's always the left field, unexpected productions that become a cultural phenomenon. Like "Stranger Things" and "Squid Game." They were not promoted for eighteen months ahead of time. They were dropped on the service and people checked them out, enjoyed them, told everybody they knew about them and then you had to watch the series to be in the know, to participate in conversation.

Meanwhile, Hollywood can't stop beating up Netflix for not opening its films in theatres. As box office goes down, the studios consolidate and...

The worm turns.

Turn with it.


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