Michael Bay: Sony ‘Had No Faith’ In ‘Bad Boys,’ Claimed ‘Two Black Actors Don’t Sell Overseas’

[voltronblack]

This was always a great video.

I will say slowly but surely we're getting past the rule of three. There are shows now that have multiple black actors/actresses that are just seen as shows not "black shows"

Streaming has had to drag a lot of the old thinking into the future. Content is king and what people like to watch is whatever takes their fancy.

That's opened the door to black led shows and films to walk right through. Things can always be better, especially in certain genres but in my lifetime I've never seen this breadth of easily accessible content.

I don't know about that you go on reddit and else where about shows like the foundation , wheel of time, halo etc. there were and is a lot of around about and out right comments and threads complaining about there are too many black people on these shows a lot of them were saying a lot of things Dwayne McDuffie say whites plus white adjacent people of color would say .if there are more than three black people. But your right in saying about Content is king these types are just going have to learn to get use seeing more than three people black people in the shows they watch on these streaming content providers

 

[null]

wasn't this in the sony email leaks?

Sony's Hacked Emails Highlight Hollywood's Problems With Diversity

My5

 

[Legal]

Breh Teyler Perry does not distribute films. Think of his studio as a stage the productions are filmed on but another company has to distribute the material get it out to theaters, stores, streaming services ect. They wont let the black man have his own distribution they forcing Tyler Perry to have to go through Lions Gate to distribute all his films, plays, and movies. Distribution is where the real power and money is brehs. Cacs force us to distribute through them cuz without that they are cut out.

This man knows.

Distribution is the true gatekeeper. Regardless of who you are, and how the film is financed, distribution is the final hurdle. Without a solid distributor, your shyt is going straight to streaming, or seeing a "select cities" release, at best.

Low key, that's what a lot of these film festivals like Sundance, TIFF, Tribeca, Cannes, etc. are for, hopefully finding distributors to sell to for films without a home.

Where the fukked up racism comes in is seeing ROI on the purchase. If a distributor handles a film, they want reassurance that after marketing and whatnot, and until recently there was the prevailing theory that black led films don't sell. Never mind that most of the fault in that end really came down the choice movies distributed and supported, but that's a whole other conversation.

 

[Big Boss]

This man knows.

Distribution is the true gatekeeper. Regardless of who you are, and how the film is financed, distribution is the final hurdle. Without a solid distributor, your shyt is going straight to streaming, or seeing a "select cities" release, at best.

Low key, that's what a lot of these film festivals like Sundance, TIFF, Tribeca, Cannes, etc. are for, hopefully finding distributors to sell to for films without a home.

Where the fukked up racism comes in is seeing ROI on the purchase. If a distributor handles a film, they want reassurance that after marketing and whatnot, and until recently there was the prevailing theory that black led films don't sell. Never mind that most of the fault in that end really came down the choice movies distributed and supported, but that's a whole other conversation.

thats why Tyler Perry last couple of movies been on Netflix

 

[R.E.N. Spells Ren]

That “Blacks can’t sell overseas” is just old racist CaCs projecting and deflecting. That’s their racial biases making them think that. If they even think that; some just use it as an excuse to further their CaCery.

Black art has been well received overseas for decades proven through and through.

 

[Optimus Prime]

this came up in the Sony Email hack a few years ago when there were emails saying Denzel couldn't sell overseas because he was Black

 

[Legal]

thats why Tyler Perry last couple of movies been on Netflix

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but that's a little yes and no.

On one hand, it seems like whatever his situation was with Lionsgate was is done, and he at least had a handshake deal with Netflix. I think that might be a result of whatever his deal is with ViacomCBS, though. I think he put out movie that hit theaters not too long ago that was distributed by them, and appears to at least have a handshake type deal for movies to be distributed by Netflix. So, it sounds like anything theatrical has to go through them. And Netflix STAYS throwing money at people to churn out more content, so for the time being, it probably works out better for him financially to keep serving up Netflix fare instead of releasing them theatrically to top out at $50-75 million grosses for the most part. Especially now that grosses are down for those mid to lower tier movies.

But in fairness, Tyler Perry movies fall into the example of what I was talking about with thenissue not being black movies as a whole, but the type of black movies distributors pick up. Leaving the quality of the movies out, you really can't argue that his movies have an almost hyper specific audience that they're targeting. For the longest, most black movies that got anything approaching wide release were essentially clones of each other, since for a lot.of executives, their only reference point for black cinema success was the Blaxploitation era, when a lot of the movies, while good, had a LOT of overlap.

For international markets, you have to consider that not EVERY movie released here gets considered in all markets. And if you're presented with your fifth hood coming of age movie with black leads, even if you do decide to distribute it overseas, the audience just isn't as excited for it. That's part of why Bad Boys was such a hit internationally. The concept of a buddy cop action movie with black leads was so different than what was available at the time that it almost seems obvious that it would succeed. I mean, shyt the elevator pitch would be "It's a black movie about cops working narcotics, but this time the black guys ARE the cops."

 

[xXOGLEGENDXx]

Bullshiit
If it really was a "fear" that it WON'T succeed overseas, then logically they would overcompensate to make sure it does. That kind of behavior is a fear that it WILL succeed overseas and the studio didn't want black men at the face of it.


The studio originally wanted Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey for the roles

Then Michael Bay wanted Eddie and Wesley Snipes. But ended up going with Will & Martin.

 

[Big Boss]

...

 

[Jblaze204]

i always felt like it's cacs in suits making that claim and not ppl in china and other countries not wanting to see black actors

 

[ORDER_66]

i always felt like it's cacs in suits making that claim and not ppl in china and other countries not wanting to see black actors

It's BOTH

 

[Absolut da poet ®]

more reasons why sony film sucks balls and falls into good movies

fukk Sony

 

[get these nets]

When he says that his film was the first one to sell well overseas, he's forgetting this one

Black lead, no white co-lead or co billing, domestic hit and international hit.

 

[I Really Mean It]

i hope i look this young at 63.

 

[loyola llothta]

i always felt like it's cacs in suits making that claim and not ppl in china and other countries not wanting to see black actors