Software Predicts Movie Success

scheming daemons writes "TechNewsWorld has an article about software that predicts whether a movie will be successful or not by factoring in its rating by censors (e.g. G, PG, R), strength of the cast, genre, competition from other films at the time of release, special effects, whether it is a sequel, and the number of theaters in which it will show."

Comments

Hollywood has used this formula for years:

[grub]

Score = (numCarChases + numExplosions + numTits) / (budget/1000000)

The code

[Anonymous Coward]

int main() {
    if ( this_is_mainstream() ) {
        if ( good )
            return 1; /* error */
        else
            printf("50 Million USD");
    } else
        printf("Sued out of existence before it's released");

    return 0;
}

Infallible?

[rvandervort]

rating by censors (e.g. G, PG, R), strength of the cast, genre, competition from other films at the time of release, special effects, whether it is a sequel, and the number of theaters in which it will show.


Hmmm...I wonder what it had to say about Waterworld...

Dead Poets Society

[russellh]

Suddenly I'm thinking of the measure of the greatness of poetry scene from Dead Poets Society. Right on. Yeah, I know, it's not about greatness, it's about box office success. I bet they left Gigli out of their tests.

Obligatory Futurama

[Dachannien]

Network President: Greetings, gentlemen. You already know my execubots: Executive Alpha, programmed to like things it has seen before.
Executive Alpha: Hey hey hey.
Network President: Executive Beta, programmed to roll dice to determine the fall schedule.
Executive Beta: (rolls dice) More reality shows!
Network President: And Executive Gamma, programmed to underestimate Middle America.
Executive Gamma: It's funny, but is it going to get them off their tractors?

So the solution to Hollywood's problem...

[Anonymous Coward]

...with formulaic movies is more formulas?

Awesome-O

[millennial]

This is unbelievable! Awesome-o has thought up 1193 different film ideas. 906 of which star Adam Sandler!

Noticeably absent...

[killmenow]

...factoring in its rating by censors (e.g. G, PG, R), strength of the cast, genre, competition from other films at the time of release, special effects, whether it is a sequel, and the number of theaters in which it will show."

Of cours PLOT is noticeably absent.

Re:What about the most important part?

[miskatonic alumnus]

Of course, most pr0n films don't have a good script. In fact, a good script would probably get in the way.

Dupe.

[crhylove]

It's called the Awesome-O 4000:

Um, Ok, how bout this, Adam Sandler, is like in love with some girl, but then it turns out, that the girl is actually a golden retriever, or something.

Re:garbage in, garbage out

[GigsVT]

dump fois gras, Chateau Latour, beluga caviar and a savoy truffle into a blender

This is just like sesame street. Which one of these doesn't belong? :)

(Hint, Savoy Truffle isn't a fungus).