Open Wide: How Hollywood Box Office Became a National Obsession

by Dade Hayes, Jonathan Bing

A journey inside the cutthroat competition surrounding big-budget film looks at the summer's biggest blockbuster weekend to reveal how movies have become the products of instantaneous mass consumption and to explore the multi-million-dollar battle over box-office revenue. Original. 25,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Film

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Dade Hayes is the business editor at Deadline. Along with two previous books about entertainment, he has written for the New York Times, Variety, and the podcast Business Wars. He lives in Larchmont, New York.

Reviews

[Elizabeth Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for more of a cultural perspective, but once I abandoned that expectation, I enjoyed this. The author profiles the production and release of three films that opened the on the same day - "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," "Legally Blonde 2," and "Sinbad" - paying special attention to the way in which the movies were conceived to sell and then eventually sold to audiences. It's very "inside" Hollywood, but if those things interest you (and they do interest me), there's absorbing content here.

[Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The type of book I consume ravenously: inside baseball look at the business of movie making. The hook is a scrutinization of a seemingly random opening weekend: July 4, 2003 (the book was published in 2004), and the fates of three movies that opened that weekend: Terminator 3, Legally Blonde 2, and Sinbad. We get a deep dive into the marketing machines behind each of these productions, and its a fascinating trip down memory lane to read 17 years later given how seismic the industry has changed, even before the pandemic.
The book is stuffed with sections on the larger scope about the history of movie theaters and exhibition, and some of this admittedly feels like filler to make it book length. I found the narratives of the 3 movies quite compelling, the larger history I found myself speeding through to get back to the main attraction.
I did watch Legally Blonde 2 ahead of reading, which you don't need to do but has some insight. I may still watch Sinbad for the lolz. What's amazing is that I do remember summer 2003 quite well especially from a movie perspective. It undoubtedly contributed to my interest in the book and its oddly specific subject.

[Zachary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a pretty interesting look behind the scenes of a particular weekend (that of July 4, 2003) and the major studio films that were being released then, giving readers an inside look into the marketing and promotions logic that make a blockbuster film happen. The stories that this book tells, the moments it gives you access to, are fairly interesting. That being said, there isn't a whole lot to sink your teeth into in the book beyond the fairly straightforward narrative. There's some analysis, to be certain, but not as much as you might expect or want out of something like this, and so it ends up feeling like a bit of a letdown by the end. Part of this is the journalistic roots and integrity of the book, which I suppose it can't entirely be faulted for, but I was still hoping for a bit more.

[SheMac · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 really and I'll explain why in one moment. The book is generally well-written in an engaging manner. If you're interested in how big-budget movies are developed and marketed, you'll be intrigued. Now here's why I deducted a half-star: it's really dated as many books that are dug out of the unorganized piles of a used bookstore are. The three films profiled all premiered in 2003. You remember 2003, right? Cutting edge technology was Internet sites dedicated to discussion and criticism of the latest films. Print journalism was still a thing. And Harvey Weinstein and Mel Gibson still belonged to polite society.

[David Weigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breezy, revealing study of the studio system at a lush moment - the early 2000s. YouTube was years away, the DVD business was $12 billion and growing, and the question gripping our authors was what would win the box office and the cultural moment: "Terminator 3" or "Legally Blonde 2?" The focus on such forgettable films really enlivens this story; any swill could become a hit!

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across this book on BookMooch after doing a search of the word "obsession." I'd already read books that summer about people obsessed with orchids and maps and racing sailboats around the world. I thought I should try to find more obsessions to read about. I found this one.

This book is an extensive history of not only the Hollywood movie industry, but also of movie theaters. If you've ever wondered how "opening weekend" became such a big deal in the United States, the answer is explained here. If you've ever wondered why movie houses morphed from opulent, single screen theaters to the multiplexes of the early 21st century, that answer is here too.

This book follows three movies specifically--Terminator 3, Legally Blonde 2, and Sinbad--but it is about the movie industry in general as well.

I wouldn't call myself a movie buff, but if I did, I'd enjoy reading about the behind-the-scenes workings of the movie industry. This book is a must-read for movie buffs.

Some parts of the story are slow, and I felt like I was plodding through. I certainly did not tear through this one. In fact, sometimes I felt as if I were going to fall asleep before I could ever finish reading this book.

I also had trouble keeping track of all the movie industry names dropped here. Producers, directors, stars, writers, CEOs--so many names. I was typically confused about who was whom and for what company each individual worked.

Fortunately, this book did not feel like a magazine article padded to book length. (I find too often that a certain kind of nonfiction book marketed to a general audience relies on repetition and unnecessary details to get itself out of the magazine and onto bookstore shelves.) Every detail in Open Wide seemed pertinent to explaining the topic.

The book offers extensive endnotes, as well as an index.

The book is missing a The Day of the Locust reference. I kept waiting for such a reference to pop up, but nothing. Maybe U.S. culture is too far removed from The Day of the Locust for such a reference to be pertinent to this book.

Overall, I'm glad I read this book, although I wouldn't call it a blockbuster.

[Larry Hostetler · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who can't get enough of the film industry, this book might rate higher.

I have interest but am not a student of film, so it was less valuable to me. It is a combination of several books, one on the history of film and blockbusters (there is a lot of historical information interwoven throughout the book that added to its interest for me), one on the business of selling movies (not just making, but marketing and the global income derived from distribution), and one on what began as the focus of the book, three movies due out on July 4 weekend in 2003: Sinbad, Legally Blonde 2, and Terminator 3.

The book covers the three movies from early on in their development beyond opening weekend into the various ways the studios and producers continue to make money off the movies, and the impact on their fortunes.

While I found it interesting enough to keep reading it, by the end of the book I was overwhelmed by the fatuous and ephemeral nature of the business, and found myself reading just to get to the end. While the "race" to opening weekend created some needed ,the authors' pontification at the end would have better served as something other than a denouement.

I was informed by the book but not engaged,interested but not captivated. You need to judge for yourself whether this book is for you.

[Ryan Rinchiuso · Rating 5 out of 5]

The synopsis for this book does not do it any justice. This is one of the most interesting books about the movie industry I have ever read, and I have read a lot. By tracking the movies opening up on the 4th of July Weekend, the book is able to really dig into what all went into promoting the film, the good and the bad. I read this in a day and I never do that, no matter how much I love book.

[Kerry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh. I could take or leave this one. I didn’t learn too too much but there are a few interesting marketing/pr campaigns discussed in the book.

[Jeff · Rating 1 out of 5]

Surprisingly boring recap of the 2003 summer movie season with insider stuff about the box office wheelings and dealings. I got nothing new out of this.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mostly boring. No good Hollywood gossip either.