IF I RAN A STUDIO

The Ted Hope Challenge

Inspired by

Ted Hope

’s challenge to write our own version, here’s what I’d do.

First, context. I’m a film geek from the 80s, who loved it all but also was kind of a snob at times (I’ve since reformed and embraced some of the schlockier movies I avoided as a teen who subscribed to American Cinematographer).

I went to NYU Film School in the early 90s, was involved in the NY film community for a minute, then went and got a Master’s in English Lit at Northwestern (just for fun? still trying to make sense of it!). I’ve been in the marketing wing of entertainment since about 2010 at marketing agencies and in-house at big streamers.

So I know a lot about the ins and outs of studio marketing, success and failure.

Here’s my 5 things:

1. Back to Basics: Studios are simultaneously chasing trends and trying to recapture former glory. But trends die before you can catch them in a bottle, and former glory can’t be recaptured. What are the basics? Focus on concept, story, characters, emotion and setting. Stop trying to rebuild old hits, instead move forward with fresh new ideas - and no I’m not against franchises, but it has to be done with some clarity of purpose. Movies used to help create culture, not chase it. The biggest IP of today was a risky shot-in-the-dark 40 years ago. Take some risks, hire strong filmmakers who want to collaborate (not just order takers or auteurs), develop the next generation of filmmakers without forcing them into superhero slots, and make things that are fun and original, not just retreads and reboots. And they don’t have to be mega-supersized to be worth making. Which brings me to…

2. More Movies / Smaller Budgets: Last weekend, I had a boys night with my son. We had free time, wanted to go see a movie in theater, and I already am an AMC A-List member. We ended up staying home, ordering in, and watching Tales of the Empire on D+. Why? There was NOTHING for us in the theater. The only options were one big family movie (sorry, just not the right fit for us that night), or a bunch of niche political documentaries and art house films we’d never heard of. And if I haven’t heard of a film, you’ve got a marketing or audience problem. When I was my son’s age (15), you could throw a dart at the movie listings and probably end up seeing something fun and entertaining. The studios aren’t releasing enough movies to fill theaters, and the reason is budgets. When you only make movies for $250m a pop, you can only do that a couple times a year. When you make them for $50m each, you get a lot more bites at the apple, and you’re risking a lot less on each release. Fill the theaters with options and we’ll fill the seats.

3. Better / Smarter Marketing: This is kinda my specialty, and what I see lately is a lot of fear-based marketing. In very few cases is anyone taking a risk on marketing any movie lately. Influencers and social media standards are not doing the trick. We need to get back to movie marketing that’s in-world and out of left field, surprising audiences and getting them talking again. That means reducing the “impression overload” of basic assets and increasing spending on innovative thinking and storytelling within the marketing. That, and can we please start cutting teasers that tease, and trailers that don’t give everything away, and also… maybe shoot some original content while we’re at it. Cmon let’s do this!

4. Cut the Prices / Increase the Window: I’m cheating with 2-for-1 but this is all about theaters. And we all know this. A night at the movies is an investment these days. I’d work with exhibitors and theaters to cut the prices back to size. I recently did this calculation: A movie ticket in 1939 (the year of Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind) was $0.23. Adjusted for inflation, that’s just over $5 in 2025 money. The average ticket price is actually $10 in the US, but I haven’t paid that little in years - I’m used to spending $20+ per person per movie. It’s nuts. Nobody can afford that regularly when you add in snacks, drinks, parking, and maybe a babysitter. So let’s try this: $10 for nights and weekends, $15 for premium formats, and $5 for matinees / students / seniors. Then we increase the time films are in theater. Give a big tentpole 6-8 weeks to simmer, and really focus on word-of-mouth / slow-burn plans for mid-range films. And let’s see what happens!

5. Love the Movies We Make: I find that all too often, studio execs are at best apathetic about the movies they release. At BEST. A lot of times, they’re outright hostile towards them. Why is this happening? First off, see item 1 above. There’s not enough to believe in when it comes to the big films studios are releasing. There’s a lack of excitement for them because they’re not worth getting excited about. And when a studio releases something interesting, unique or innovative, the attitude is, “oh we love this but it’s not gonna make any money” or “it’s a loss leader to work with (filmmaker redacted) for Oscar season.” So first, we have to make movies that are worth loving. I’d be working on that day one. But also, I would clear the executive suite of people who didn’t really love movies. If you’re going to work in my studio and make the films I greenlight, you need to love film, live film, eat breathe and sleep film. No snark, no sarcasm, no eye-rolling. This isn’t about perks and premieres, as fun as those are. I want execs and filmmakers who know at least as much about film as I do, and I’ve always been the biggest film geek anywhere I work. There’s plenty of other industries if you don’t care about movies!

Alright, that’s my list… now back to the grind.