It’s pretty obvious that high concept films dominate cinema. These are the movies with easy to follow plots, clear genres, and big movie stars. They might not take risks or challenge the viewer, but they entertain, attract a broad audience, and make a high profit.
In this article, we’ll analyze these movies by looking at the various different elements found in a high concept film and how they have impacted cinema.
What Are High Concept Films?
High concept films are also known as blockbuster movies. These films have simple plots and set out to reach as wide an audience as possible. Critics also define these films as having ‘what if’ narratives. For example, Jurassic Park (1993) asks, ‘What if we could clone dinosaurs?’
In contrast, low concept films focus more on character development and social issues. The term high concept applies to investors and studios during the pitching stage. It’s more likely that a studio will invest in a high concept film because of its marketability.
High Concept Elements
High concept is a term used to sell a film and find funding. In general, members of the public are more likely to refer to these films as blockbusters. You can also find these films in various styles, but there are a few common elements you can expect to find within them.
Wide Audience
The biggest element of these films is that they aim to reach as many people as possible. As such, these films tend to go for a lower movie rating to target families. Other ways to attract an audience include hiring movie stars and creating attractive visuals.
Genre Films
Another factor is that high concept films are likely to fit neatly into a genre. A well defined genre and aesthetics is another way of attracting a wide audience. Examples of strong genres are action, fantasy, thriller, comedy, romance, and horror.
Profitable
High concept films also need to make a profit as they tend to fall into the high-end budget category. These films rely on pre-sold properties such as movie stars, cross-promotion, and merchandise. In other words, they are safe profitable films for studio investment.
The marketing of a high concept film is called the ‘the look, the hook and the book’. The look is the visual nature of the film and how that attracts an audience. The hook is also known as the story the film is trying to sell. The book refers to all merchandise the T-shirts, lunch boxes, toys, and book deals that all bring in extra profit.
High Concept Film Examples
So, high concept is a film marketing term for a film that has the potential to reach a large audience and make a substantial profit. These films only took off after the end of New Hollywood, with the goal of competing against the rise of TV viewership. Let’s look at some examples of high concept films and what makes them so popular.
Jaws (1975)
Stephen Spielberg directed the world’s first blockbuster movie. The story follows a policeman who hunts down a great white shark that has been attacking people. Its simple storyline, massive marketing campaign, and merchandise make it a high concept film.
Jaws had a budget of $9 million and made $7 million on its opening weekend. It’s still one of the highest grossing films at the box office. After its success, studios began greenlighting high concept films between the 1970s and 2000s, known as the blockbuster era.
Star Wars (1977)
Inspired by the success of Jaws, George Lucas directed his science fiction high concept movie. The story follows Luke Skywalker, who sets out to save a princess from an evil empire. Star Wars set box office records and had a cinema run that lasted more than a year.
It also profited from merchandise sales and has since seen eleven sequels. Both Jaws and Star Wars set the expectations for the summer blockbuster. Now, studios aim to release a high concept film in their annual advertising strategy around July 4 every year.
Liar Liar (1997)
High concept films don’t have to have grand set design and special effects. Liar Liar is a comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac. It follows a lawyer whose son wishes for him to not lie for a day. It’s plot fits into the ‘what if’ narrative ‘what if a lawyer couldn’t lie?’
The film is a star vehicle for actor Jim Carrey and had box office success. It was the second highest grossing film for Universal Studios, only coming second to Jurassic Park.
Snakes on a Plane (2006)
Lastly, Snakes on a Plane says its entire premise within the title. This action comedy, directed by David R. Ellis, gained popularity online before its release through memes, fan fiction, and mock movie trailers. The title alone convinced Samual L. Jackson to star in the movie.
Despite having a strong internet buzz, the film failed to perform well at the box office. The New York Times reported that ‘after all the hype online, Snakes on a Plane is a letdown at the box office’. Even so, it later made a profit from DVD and streaming sales.
High Concept Impact
Studios create high concept films because of their marketability. However, even if you make a high concept film there are no guarantees of success. For example, John Carter (2012) a science fiction summer blockbuster that became one of the biggest flops of all time.
In addition, low concept films can make surprisingly high profits due to their relatively low budgets. For example, Manchester by the Sea (2016), an independent film about grief and depression, grossed $79 million worldwide against a budget of $9 million.
So, there is no magic formula for success, but high concept films with movie stars are more likely to attract an audience.
Final Thoughts
In short, high concept films make studios a lot of money. Studios release summer blockbusters every year with the goal of attracting a large audience with visual effects and movie stars. However, it’s still possible for a studio movie to fail to make a profit.
It’s likely studios will continue to make high concept films, although audience trends can change and leave room for independent films to outperform blockbusters. We hope this guide has helped you understand the popularity of the high end studio movies.
