Movies - TV
Why Splice Bombed At The Box Office, And What We Can Learn From It
By SANDY SCHAEFER
"Splice" was picked up by "The Matrix" producer Joel Silver and Warner Bros. at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010 with high hopes of it being the next “Paranormal Activity.” However, in spite of its positive reviews and heavy marketing push, "Splice" failed to make much of an impression on the moviegoing masses.
Two main things that doomed "Splice" were the high expectations and the fact that Vincenzo Natali's tale of parentage and playing God is far too twisted and grisly to appeal to mainstream tastes. As Natali explained, the film's ominous, open-ended final scene was meant to encourage people to think deeper about the themes at the heart of "Splice."
The final nail in the coffin was Warner Bros.'s decision to release "Splice" in the midst of the 2010 summer movie season. Had the studio positioned the film as counter-programming to the other wide releases in theaters at the time, it might have been better able to build word of mouth and thrive in a limited rollout.