Why Do Some 'Bad Movies' Achieve High Box Office? Which Is More Important for Film Success: Marketing or Word-of-Mouth?

Communication StudiesFilm MarketingWord-of-Mouth EffectBox Office AnalysisFilm EvaluationCultural Phenomenon
Created At: 8/6/2025Updated At: 8/18/2025
Answer (1)

Hey, this question really hits the nail on the head. This phenomenon is incredibly common around us. I've thought about it and will try to break it down in plain language.

Why Do Some "Bad Movies" Have Such High Box Office Earnings?

It's actually not complicated. It's like a lavishly decorated restaurant with terrible food that can still attract a wave of customers to "try it out" in its opening days through flashy marketing. Movies work the same way.

A "bad movie" achieving high box office numbers usually relies on a few key "strategies":

  1. Massive Pre-Release Marketing Blitz (The Hype Machine)

    • Saturation Advertising: For a month or two before release, do you feel like you see its ads everywhere? Bus stops, subways, elevators, mobile app splash screens... This "brainwashing" level of promotion ensures that even if you're not interested, you know "Oh, there's this movie coming out."
    • Hooked by the Trailer: The trailer is the essence of "luring" you into the cinema. It splices together the most exciting, funniest, most spectacular moments of the entire film, set to stirring music, creating the illusion of "Wow, this movie looks amazing!" Whether the overall plot is a mess, you only find out after watching.
    • Manufactured Buzz: Before release, celebrity gossip, behind-the-scenes snippets, CP (couple) promotion, challenges... various social media trends take turns dominating feeds. This isn't just promotion; it creates social pressure – "Everyone's talking about it, I'll be out of touch if I don't see it."

  2. Star Power & IP's "Fan Effect" (The Built-in Audience)

    • Traffic Stars (Popular Celebrities): This is the most direct box office guarantee. A star with a massive fanbase means fans will unconditionally support their idol by "locking in screenings," "buying out theaters," or "watching multiple times." To them, the movie's quality is secondary; contributing to their idol's box office is paramount. This guarantees a solid initial audience base.
    • Big IP Boost: If the movie is adapted from a wildly popular novel, anime, or game, or is a sequel in a successful franchise, it inherently carries a huge built-in audience of "original work fans" or "franchise fans." Regardless of the movie's actual quality, these fans will buy tickets out of nostalgia or curiosity to see how their beloved story was adapted.

  3. Strategic Release Timing (The Right Place, The Right Time)

    • Imagine holidays like Chinese New Year or National Day. People have ample free time, and going to the movies becomes a "must-have" entertainment option. Releasing a family-friendly comedy or a big-budget visual spectacle during this time, even with mediocre reviews, means it will attract large audiences simply because "there's nothing else" or "it's just for fun." This is the so-called "holiday release bonus."

  4. Meeting Specific Needs (Scratching an Itch)

    • Sometimes, audiences don't go to the cinema seeking art. A couple might just want a mindless rom-com to enhance their date night; an overworked office worker might crave a "shoot-em-up" popcorn flick to decompress. While these "bad movies" might lack artistic merit, they precisely fulfill the specific emotional needs of certain groups at specific times.

In summary: The high box office of "bad movies" primarily capitalizes on information asymmetry and fan devotion. Through powerful marketing, they rapidly "harvest" the first wave of audiences before they realize the truth (before negative word-of-mouth spreads). By the time everyone complains about being "ripped off" after watching, the movie may have already recouped its costs or even made a hefty profit.

Marketing vs. Word-of-Mouth: Which is More Important?

I don't think we can simply say one is more important than the other. They play different roles at different stages of a movie's lifecycle.

Think of a movie's box office journey like a rocket launch:

  • Marketing is the "Booster Rocket": Its job is to provide the massive initial thrust to get the rocket (the movie) off the ground. Without strong marketing, even the best rocket might fail to ignite or crash immediately. It determines the movie's box office floor and opening weekend performance. A movie with zero promotion, even a masterpiece, might go completely unnoticed.
  • Word-of-Mouth is the "Second and Third Stage Engines": Once the booster fuel is spent (after opening weekend), how high and how far the movie flies depends entirely on word-of-mouth. Positive word-of-mouth creates "organic buzz" (audiences spontaneously recommending it), spreading from person to person, allowing the movie to continuously attract new viewers and achieve long-term box office legs. Bad word-of-mouth causes the movie to rapidly lose momentum, with box office plummeting in the second week, leading to a quick disappearance from theaters. It determines the movie's box office ceiling and ultimate achievement.

We typically see four combinations:

  1. Strong Marketing + Good Word-of-Mouth = Blockbuster (e.g., Dying to Survive (Wo Bu Shi Yao Shen), The Wandering Earth)
    • Explosive start, sustained momentum, achieves both high box office and critical acclaim, becoming a phenomenon.
  2. Strong Marketing + Bad Word-of-Mouth = One-Hit Wonder (Many high-grossing "bad movies" discussed above)
    • Huge opening weekend, but box office crashes in the second week due to terrible reviews. Makes quick money but is quickly forgotten or even ridiculed.
  3. Weak Marketing + Good Word-of-Mouth = Sleeper Hit (e.g., many low-budget surprise successes)
    • Starts quietly with low screen share. But strong recommendations from viewers on social media and platforms like Douban build buzz. Screenings and box office climb against the odds, achieving results far beyond expectations.
  4. Weak Marketing + Bad Word-of-Mouth = Box Office Flop
    • Arrives silently, departs silently. No one watches, no one cares. This is the fate of the majority of movies.

So the conclusion is:

  • In the short term (especially opening weekend), marketing is more crucial; it determines the movie's survival.
  • In the long term (after the first week), word-of-mouth is more important; it determines the movie's ultimate success.

A "bad movie" aiming for quick profits can rely solely on marketing. But for a film that truly aspires to be a classic and be remembered by audiences, both marketing and word-of-mouth are indispensable. Marketing gets the audience through the door; word-of-mouth makes them genuinely want to tell the next person: "Hey, go see this movie, it's really good!"

Created At: 08-08 21:22:04Updated At: 08-10 01:59:31