Alex cross

A homicide detective, will push his limits in order to catch a serial killer whom of which specializes in torture and pain. With his love and life being threatened will Alex Cross be successful?

Classification Alex cross has been classified as

certificate 15, which limits the target audience to an older range of people. This is important as it reveals to the audience the film will consist of violence and strong language which are key codes and conventions for any crime or action film due to it helping suspense and a sense of realism to be created.

Release dates

Source: Imdb.com

Release dates Alex cross is set to be realised throughout the

autumn and winter, this is a typical time to release a film of the crime genre due to the atmosphere being accurate as the film itself has a dark tone to it thus the season will reflect that. Also, in the US Alex Cross is realised before Halloween which is the time for thrillers to be realised, therefore the date for Alex Cross is suitable and will result in a better atmosphere for viewing. Also as the film is aimed at people aged 15 and over by releasing the film at this time means students will have spare time due to it being in the holidays. This is also during the awards season which will mean it will bring in a lot of viewers.

The distributorsForeign marketing not only spreads out the costs evenly but it means that the different distributors know how to appeal to the difference audiences around the world.

The production company

The production company Why is it important?This is a good starting point for the film to be backed up with a well know production company as it broadens the audience as fans of the companies films are more likely to hear about the film resulting in ratings to expand. By having a decent production company also helps to create a ‘buzz’ as the more popular a company is the easier the product is to market and be recognised which results in the news on the film being spread more quickly and effectively if it portrays enough potential. However this company isn’t the most successful and after researching the company I found some information to be interesting which will affect the film.I found the fact the company are popular with teens that enjoy films of the romance genre interesting as it appears to be set back for Alex Cross. The production company also doesn’t appear to have success with the genre of this film therefore I think It is risky for this company to be producing the film as they lack knowledge of the genre and the specific audience suitable for the genre. Because of this flaw this film could be yet another flop to add the company’s list, and the film probably won’t receive a very positive reputation and a buzz is unlikely to be created.

The Director: Rob Cohen The fact the director is more known for being a

producer rather than a director suggests he isn’t very qualified or suited to the role of a director and Reveals, the directing throughout the film could be poor thus resulting in bad acting for example causing the film to have a downfall and not be as successful as it could be. Most films directed by Rob Cohen are rather well known, or successful (regarding a few) which could affect have a positive outcome of the film, especially considering Cohen is a veteran director. Cohen’s most successful film being ‘The mummy – tomb of the Dragon Emperor’ which is part of a franchise which was an advantage for Cohen as he would already have original fans wanting to see the film, this made a total of 401,128,639 $ grosses which is rather successful. Cohen again has the advantage of having a pre-sold audience due to Alex Cross being both a film franchise and originally a novel series, this will help the films viewings be higher which will emphasis the success of the film .

Other films by Rob Cohen

“Cohen directed directed the critical and commercial flop Stealth”

I think this is of importance as an audience are likely to have higher expectations for Cohen’s films due to his failure in directing stealth, which means Cohen will need to prove himself successful in his upcoming films to achieve a status as a successful director.

Other crew members Producers - Bill BlockPaul HansonJames PattersonSteve BowenRandal EmmettLeopoldo Gout

Screenplay Marc MossKerry Williamson

Cinematography Ricardo Della Rosa

This was confirmed on Patterson’s website and also that the film will be based on the book cross. I found this interesting as Patterson wrote the Alex cross book series thus he knows of all the elements needed in order to make the film’s story successful

The MAIN ActorsTyler Perry as Dr. Alex CrossMatthew Fox as PicassoEdward Burns as Tommy KaneRachel Nichols as Monica AsheCicely Tyson as Nana MamaCarmen Ejogo as Maria CrossGiancarlo Esposito as Daramus HolidayJohn C. McGinley as Richard BrookwellJean Reno as Leon MercierIngo Rademacher as Officer Sacks

Tyler PerryTyler Perry is taking the lead role for the film as the protagonist ‘Alex cross’ originally played by Morgan Freeman. The fact Morgan Freeman, isn't staring in this film suggests the film isn’t going to meet the standards of the others due to the impact the actor had on the previous films as a whole. Fans of the previous films may also consider not viewing the film as it isn’t the same without the original actor. The fact the protagonist is being played by Tyler Perry, an actor known for comedy, might be a setback for the film as he having to adapt to a completely new genre of film. I think Tyler Perry is a bad choice for the main role due to him not having the expertise to meet the standards of Morgan Freeman.

Matthew FoxMatthew Fox is taking the role of the infamous antagonist Picasso. Fox is most commonly known for played the character Jack in the TV series lost, a helpful and kind hearted character however this role is oppositional to what he is known for. I believe Fox was chosen for his villainous appearance and talented acting( this is clearly identified through the number of awards in which he won or was nominated for, for Lost.) However if he is unsuitable for the role of a villain the film could result in having bad casting thus making the outcome disastrous.

Actors pay

Tyler Perry received $5m upfront for his performance. ‘Tyler Perry is the highest paid man in Hollywood’ With this being true choosing Perry for the main role is a risky decision due to the cost of having him star in the film. Mathew Fox’s pay is currently unknown however, Perry and Fox were the top paid actors followed by Rachel Nichols.

Source: http://www.theroot.com

The genre of the filmAction | Crime | Mystery

Clouds, show uncertainty and objectives being unclear which represents case.(portrays mystery and crime genre)

Dark figure, adds to mystery genre due his identity being unknown.

Black connotes darkness and death which is an expected occurrence for the film, this adds to the crime and action element of the film

City as the location, adds to action genre due it being a stereotypical setting.Viewing of a weapon which is key iconography for any film of the action genre, revels there will be violence and deathBlue used for title, connotes loneliness and gives a sense of one of the characters personalities whilst revealing a theme..

Product placementProduct placement throughout Alex cross was mainly through the cars as all vehicles in the movie are GM vehicles such as Cadillac CTS and a red Chevy Camaro. This makes an audience want to purchase these vehicles as their talents are being shown off.

Skype, a social network, is another product placement as it is used in Alex Cross for the characters to discuss the case thus resulting in a popularity increase for the network.

Tie-in promotions

With the release of Alex cross the film is being promoted through the book it is based upon, this works to lure in the target audience as they are in for a chance to win tickets rather than pay. The creation of a competition is always good for selling any film due to the satisfaction of winning.

Tie-in promotions

Tie in promotionsBy making reference to Perry’s diet for Alex cross makes the appeal for men to see this film stronger, especially considering the popularity on men's health magazine. Men would want to see Alex Cross more to see just if this diet works as seeing him in visual motion form would be more accurate than a photo.

Finance production costsThe total estimated film budget is £35,00,000 however The finance production cost is unknown. Below are estimated figures based on films with a similar budget.

Writer $300,000Director $2,000,000Producers $2,000,000Cast $9,000,000Above the line expenses $285,000(etc)=$13,585,000 EST

Box office (US)

Alex Cross didn’t succeed at box office due to the film only making $25,215,000 which doesn’t even cover the budget for the film thus the film hasn’t got any money back and is in fact loosing money.

Box office Distributed in

lots of cinema’s allows lots of people to see it worldwide, means if a buzz is sent out a large profit will be made due to the audience having easy access to film.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com

Opening weekendAlex cross was a flop at the films opening weekend due to it earning only $11.75 million which is substantially low considering the budget of the film was 35 million. Alex cross also came in at number five in the box office chart.

Opening Weekend: $11,396,768 (USA) (21 October 2012) (2339 Screens)

Gross: $24,603,042 (USA) (11 November 2012)

The fact the films earnings is already low is interesting as it already clear the film is going to be a flop in cinema’s and probably will not recover through DVD either due to the negative reviews the film has received.

Premiere “ Instead of typical red carpet, a black carpet graced the grounds”

Trailer

Trailer

Ratings

Reviews/feedback from critics

Reviews/feedback from critics

These are critic’s opinions on Alex cross which I found on http://www.cbsnews.com all of these reviews are negative. I find this interesting as it is promoting the film to be a failure already, as not a single critic appears to of complimented the film in any form

Recent news

Recent news

Browsing film

http://www.boxoffice.com

Things found interesting In an article I read that Idris Elba was

originally going to star as Alex cross, however was replaced by Tyler Perry. I personally think Elba would be more suitable for the role considering his past roles in films of the same genre such as prom night and obsessed. Elba would of also received a smaller pay which would work on behalf of the films profit, rather than Tyler Perry who is currently over rated as a comedy star.

www.alexcrossmovie.com This is the website for the movie

which is very limited on the information provided and consists of mainly the trailer and synopsis to try and sell the plot to an audience.

Although the film is based on the books this still works as a form of synergy as if people have an interest in the film they are likely to want to purchase the book so by advertising this on the website creates an opportunity for the book sales to be increased.

Movie posters

The fact each poster consists of the actors faces reveals they are what is being sold to the audience as appose to the creativeness of the story line for example. The fact the film was in the top 10 worse film posters of all time portrays this technique is doing nothing but creating bad reputation for the film which lacks creativity and a unique selling point.

Advertising

The fact the film has two advertisements on the same website means it is unavoidable for an audience, however I think this shows the films desperation to get noticed as two advertisements aren’t needed in the same place. In main advertising for the film is currently online which shows the film desires as much attention as possible.

All advertisements have Tyler Perry appearance present which means the actor is being sold to the audience rather than the actual film, which will create an immediate appeal to Tyler Perry fans and since he is currently Hollywood's top paid actor it means his appearance should send out a buzz.

Advertising

Advertising on Facebook allows audience to easily interact with film and share it easily to friends, which is a simple way for a buzz to start however the low number of shares emphasises the lack of interest the target audience has for the film.

Reception

This reveals the acting in the film is rather decent and the failure of the film is caused by the director which was my hypothesis as to why the film wouldn’t be successful as he wasn’t fit for the genre of the film.

TV Spot on yahoo Movies

By having an advertisement online opens the film up to a wider audience due the to internet being so highly used, this is an essential spot for the film as it could be it’s last chance to attract attention and earn more money.

InterviewI personally find this interview interesting due to it being spontaneous which allows the actors personality to come through and almost forces honest answers as time to think is limited. This interview made me want to see the film more due to it touching upon questions that I myself was asking. In the interview Patterson, author of the Alex Cross novels, quotes ‘I think this is better than kiss the girls and along came a spider’ this is interesting as critics don’t seem to agree however this convinces the audience that the film possibly isn’t as bad as it is being made out to be especially if the creator of the books thinks it is the best film yet.

Who does the film appeal to? Since all the actors are American it is expected

that the film will do better in America.

With Tyler Perry being African American and playing the protagonist in the film allows the film to open up to an African American audience

Although the film is an action film which stereotypically doesn’t appeal to women the character Monica, played by Rachel Nichols, defeats this as she is portrayed as strong which allow the film to also be appealing to women.

Film appealing to teenagers

The creation of a game for Alex Cross was done so the audience could have more interactive elements of the film and also allows teenagers to be targeted as games are commonly associated with that age group. The variety of games also allows an audience with different traits to have an interest in the film.

My opinions on the film – Tyler Perry

I personally thought Alex Cross was a poor edition to the Alex cross films, especially considering I myself am not a fan of prequels as the destiny of the character is already known. Firstly although Perry’s acting was very admirable there was no way he was able to meet the standards of Morgan Freeman, perhaps if the film was an entirely new production rather than part of a franchise I would see more enjoyment in it. I also didn’t like how the character Alex Cross was portrayed, as he acted violent and aggressive which didn’t fit the characters profile as in previous films he is seen to be relaxed and intellectual

Average

Opinions on Alex Cross - Story

I found the film to be extremely predictable through minor details such as the ring, which stuck in my mind through out the remains of the film thus I knew it would have something to do with the twist which is always present in Alex Cross films. As a result of this the film ended up being less impactful than it was intended, I blame bad directing for this. The twist at the end of the film defiantly didn’t meet my expectations as it was expected where as in along came a spider for example it was more abrupt. A death in the film is also foreshadowed badly, through the dialogue, ‘it’s unlucky to toast with water’, and through the music heightening when the character exists, this results in the death being less dramatic.

What I liked- I personally liked how the themes of family and

friendship came through the film strongly as it allowed the film to have an emotional effect.

- I also liked the special effects in the film, the explosions were very dramatic and emphasised the action genre well.

- The acting from Yara Shanhidi was very emotive which I personally liked as it allowed sympathy to be created for the character.

- - I think Matthew Fox made an impressive villain and his acting didn’t go unrecognised, and I think he successfully managed to anger the audience at least he was one of the key aspects of this film which was a positive.

Appeal to an audienceAfter watching Alex Cross it is clear to see what type of audience to film will strongly appear to. Due to the protagonist being African American and intelligent it is clear that the film will appear to African American’s as the negative stereotypes of black people aren’t being portrayed. I personally think The film is not highly recommended for females simply due to them being portrayed as weak due to three deaths in the film consisting of female characters.

Getting feedback from othersVery good |||Good ||||Average ||||Poor |||Very poor |

What I have learned from feedback

From the feedback I was given from questioning people about the film I learned that Alex Cross was mainly enjoyed or at least worth watching once. These results go to show that maybe critics were to hard on the film as the general viewers didn’t think it was a complete failure however someone commented the film ‘wasn’t the same without Morgan Freeman’ and that ‘the sequel wont be a good idea.’ which portrays if it is decided that a sequel will be made the film wont be as lucky this time. People also though that the film was one of the best action films they have seen all year, which shows the critics opinions obviously didn’t effect the viewers.