Join Empire | Log In Follow us on Twitter  |  Follow us on Facebook  |  RSS  |  Empire iPad Edition
Empire Magazine
Search   
Empire Magazine
Join Empire
Get our free weekly newsletter

 
Subscribe For Only £25
Get 12 issues of Empire for just £25!
The Darkness II
Win the ultimate gaming kit

MORE EMPIRE FEATURES ›
How To Make A Billion Dollars At The Box Office
Your guide to making one of the biggest movies of all time

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Back
Page 2 of 10
Next
How To Make A Billion Dollars At The Box Office | 2.	Hire A Strong-Minded Director How To Make A Billion Dollars At The Box Office
2. Hire A Strong-Minded Director

You'd have to search far and wide to find a film director who's a shrinking violet, but James Cameron, Christopher Nolan and Peter Jackson, in particular among these filmmakers, are strong-minded men with definite ideas on the films they want to make. Happily, they're also extremely talented filmmakers with a knack for storytelling and a great sense of pace. More than that, they're unafraid to hire extremely talented people to surround them: great editors, cinematographers and effects guys are a must. Just ask any member of, say, the Harry Potter team about production designer Stuart Craig's contribution, and prepare yourself for several minutes of superlatives.

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Back
Page 2 of 10
Next

Advertisement

Have Your Say
Agree with our tips? What other essential ingredients do you think are required to make a $1 billion movie? Register or login now to have your say.

Your Comments
1 The 3 T's: Titanic, TDK and TS:3 only deserve to be in the $1 bn.club!
Posted on Thursday August 4, 2011, 01:45 by batbhai
POTC-4 + LOTR-3? The biggest joke. Over-rated and doesn't live to it's hype. Others just make it because of the 3D effect! Read More

2
Posted on Wednesday August 3, 2011, 18:19 by jimbosolo
Transformers Dark of the Moon Recently reached the 1Billion Dollar Mark:) Read More

3 nice!
Posted on Monday January 11, 2010, 11:24 by sieraaj.ahmed
fun read; thanks empire! :) re avatar: love it! have seen it twice in 3d, and my boyfriend and i are planning to see it at least once in 2d and then maybe again in 3d ;) Read More

4 I hate trailers...
Posted on Friday January 8, 2010, 00:23 by zccab35
...most of the time. They include a line of dialogue a character says in the film, which is annoying, Once you see the trailer the 2nd time, for me that line becomes hated. Example: Avatar trailers. They showed 2 trailers, and both had the line "Its great!". Now I hate that line. Same goes for distinctive laughs and other things etc. Lucky I did not see The Dark Knight trailer properly, else I might have hated my beloved Joker lines and laughs! Read More

5 RE:
Posted on Thursday January 7, 2010, 16:04 by Chrisseh
L: lona_no_friends So basically make a film that doesn't aspire to tell a decent story or conform to any of those rules for actually making a heartfelt film and go for something that idiots will love. Good o sh!t sherlock. This isn't a how to make a fantastic film article, its a how to make a crap load of money article. Not everyone in the world is a keen eye movie critic. Read More

6
Posted on Thursday January 7, 2010, 03:40 by lona_no_friends
So basically make a film that doesn't aspire to tell a decent story or conform to any of those rules for actually making a heartfelt film and go for something that idiots will love. Good Read More

7 Avatar
Posted on Wednesday January 6, 2010, 21:17 by jcallan
Just lol, Empire, just lol. Read More

8 Broad brush strokes and twisted like spaghetti
Posted on Wednesday January 6, 2010, 17:15 by SpiderBat
ie, dumb enough for the dumb masses to consume en masse. Nicely disguised commentary, Empire. Each of these "billion" movies is the cinematic equivalent of flushing yourself down the toilet, while grinning and sucking on an anaesthetic. Read More

9 Avatar is a see again and again movie!
Posted on Wednesday January 6, 2010, 11:45 by Sendemast
I find myself willing to watch Avatar over and over again. The world is just so fascinating. While for The Dark Knight, it only goes like three to four times a year (if you watch it too much, the middle part just gets boring). Avatar benefits basicly from the same phenomenon as the original Star Wars. I mean, let's face it, Episode IV is quite poor in pace, acting, storytelling and to be honest the whole directing was bad. Yet the movie is so good because the world is so incredibly fascinating. Same goes for Avatar (only that it's not bad in pace, acting, and directing). Read More

10 Avatar
Posted on Wednesday January 6, 2010, 10:51 by Pixaroholic
Avatar is an amazing EXPERIENCE! Whether or not it's a great movie can, of course, be discussed. But I would love to see it again in theatres! Read More

11 Good shout
Posted on Wednesday January 6, 2010, 10:22 by Grizzlers
Nice call boredbluekoala Read More

12 still can't believe Avatar sucess
Posted on Wednesday January 6, 2010, 10:13 by tysmuse
Avatar is such a one-time see movie. It'll be about 3/4 years until I decide to sit through it again. The Dark Knight, however, is a film I could happily re-watch once a week. Read More

13
Posted on Wednesday January 6, 2010, 09:43 by Timon
"A great sense of pace" I know a good film can never be too long, but I think many would disagree and say all the Billion Club could do with some trimming - namely Dead Man's Chest. Read More

14
Posted on Wednesday January 6, 2010, 08:27 by crazymoviesdude
They weren't all screened in 3D, you guys take every opportunity to rip down Avatar don't ya? Read More

15 Add 50% to the ticket price for the "3D Experience"
Posted on Wednesday January 6, 2010, 00:18 by boredbluekoala
OH, They DID do that. Read More


Back | Print This Page | Email This Page | Back To Top

EMPIRE OFFERS
Steven Spielberg iPad App
Hollywood's most beloved director in this unique iPad special. Download now
Subscribe For Only £25
A year's worth of Empire for only 12 issues for just £25! Subscribe now
Empire iPad Edition
The world's biggest movie magazine available on iPad Full details
 
Movie News  |  Empire Blog  |  Movie Reviews  |  Future Films  |  Features  |  Video Interviews  |  Image Gallery  |  Competitions  |  Forum  |  Magazine  |  Resources
 
Mojo4music  |  Q4Music  |  Kerrang!  |  Aloud.com  |  Kiss  |  Magazine Subscriptions  |  Movie Magazine Subscriptions  |  Empire Magazine Subscription
 
© Bauer Consumer Media | Terms And Conditions | Our Data Promise To You | Contact Us | Empire FAQ
Bauer Consumer Media. Company number 1176085 (England). Registered Office: 21 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2DY