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All Hail the Niche Event Film

A subgenre of demographically specific movies, as exemplified by current hits featuring Beyoncé and Godzilla, used to be gravy for the theatrical business. Now it’s a necessity.

Beyoncé in Tamara Ralph for the opening of night two of the Renaissance Tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Sept. 2, 2023.
Beyoncé in Tamara Ralph for the opening of night two of the Renaissance Tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Sept. 2, 2023. Photo: Julian Dakdouk
Scott Mendelson
December 4, 2023

Silent Night, which marks John Woo’s first American film since Paycheck in 2003, opened to just $3 million domestically this weekend via Lionsgate. That’s not a shock—Joel Kinnaman isn’t exactly a butts-in-seats draw, and Woo was barely known to general audiences back in the days of Face/Off and Broken Arrow. But while Hollywood mostly took the post-Thanksgiving weekend off, as it does most years, Beyoncé and Godzilla stepped in to save the box office. The result, with a famously slow weekend getting a shot in the arm, presages how theaters can help salvage their business as traditional movies falter.