{"id":936,"date":"2012-07-29T22:14:22","date_gmt":"2012-07-30T04:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sebersole.wordpress.com\/?p=936"},"modified":"2012-07-29T22:14:22","modified_gmt":"2012-07-30T04:14:22","slug":"dark-knight-falls-short","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebersolemedia.com\/blog\/dark-knight-falls-short\/","title":{"rendered":"Dark Knight Falls Short"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The latest in the Dark Knight<\/em> series is struggling to bounce back from the tragic shooting in Aurora that appears to be having a greater impact on attendance than initially projected. It may appear callous to be talking about box office receipts and financial success when so many lives were lost and others were changed forever. But that is the nature of the business of big media. The studio, Warner Brothers, took steps to try to appear sensitive to the tragic shooting. They delayed reports of box office receipts that first weekend and cancelled premiere events in Paris, Mexico City and Tokyo. According to the WSJ<\/em>, a spokesperson for the studio said, \u201cWe just felt it would be disrespectful and not the right thing to do to go forward.\u201d Warner Bros also pulled trailers for Gangster Squad<\/em> from theaters because of a scene that includes shooting up a movie theater. Meanwhile, security has been beefed-up and theater chains are implementing new rules about patrons showing up in outfits and masks.<\/p>\n

Christian Bales’ surprise visit to patients in Aurora hospitals was certainly well-received by both the patients and the media. The visit may have been inspired by a Facebook viral campaign calling for the star to make a visit to the victims. And while I sincerely hope that the visit was made for all the right reasons, we’re sure to hear criticism from skeptics and cynics who question motives whenever fame and fortune is at stake.<\/p>\n

Public Relations experts have been weighting in on the difficult position facing Warner Bros. Some had advised that all screenings of Dark Knight Rises be pulled for a short time. Others have argued for business as usual. According to a report by Fox News, Daniel Keeney, President of DPK Public Relations and PR crisis expert, believes that the best response is to acknowledge and move forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere realistically is no way in the foreseeable future to extricate the Batman brand from this horrific tragedy,” he said. “So instead of hoping to get beyond this, the studio needs to accept that this event is a part of this movie from this point forward. A simple way to acknowledge this and recognize as well as honor the victims is to add a slide to the beginning of the movie along with a moment of silence prior to the start of the film.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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According to a report<\/a> filed by LA radio station WKZO,<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ronn Torossian, chief executive of New York-based 5W Public Relations, agreed that the public “has a very short-term memory” of news events and said the Aurora shooting would not leave a long-term impact on film promotion. “Reality shows have had tragic suicides and other incidents, yet reality shows continue,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Of course it is entirely possible that Word-Of-Mouth and film critic reviews are responsible for the lackluster performance. But it is also possible that potential movie-goers are not in the mood for a film that will remind them of senseless killing by a deranged “Joker” from Aurora.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The latest in the Dark Knight series is struggling to bounce back from the tragic shooting in Aurora that appears to be having a greater impact on attendance than initially projected. It may appear callous to be talking about box office receipts and financial success when so many lives were lost and others were changed … <\/p>\n

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