The Cats movie marketing is now calling out its negative reviews, suggesting critics who panned the film are on the wrong side of the equation. Based on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical of the same name, which was divisive in its own right and based on a poetry collection by T.S. Eliot, Cats has been confounding audiences and analysts ever since the first trailer dropped in July. The reception for the film hasn’t really improved since it arrived in multiplexes on December 20. In fact, Cats has been considered a box office bomb. Cats debuted at #4 on the domestic charts, bringing in just $6.5 million. The adaptation has fared worse internationally, grossing just over $4 million to date. For a movie expected to bring in at least $15 million and which cost $100 million to make, without taking marketing and distribution costs into account, the lack of interest has to be a disappointment.
Some critics have said that they were prepared to root for Cats, at least in the sense that they hoped Tom Hopper’s musical would be bizarrely entertaining. Many reviewers ultimately didn’t find that quality reflected on the big screen. Instead, negative Cats movie reviews have referred to it as a “half-digested hairball” and compared it to The Human Centipede. Critics took issue with the visual aspects of the film most of all, but the script was also dinged for lacking much plot. It is worth noting that though this openly dismissive view is plentiful, it is not universal. Screen Rant’s Cats movie review found elements worthy of praise. Other notable critics also had a good time, fully embracing the absurd aspects of the adaptation and noting the source material was similarly alienating to large swaths of theatergoers.
In its marketing, however, Cats is zeroing in on the negativity. As shared by Michael Cook, a new quick spot for the film aims to divide the world into two categories: Those who love Cats, and those who don’t. It’s a bit of a wordplay that leans into the fact that everyone loves the furry little felines that have taken over the Internet. Check out the spot for yourself below.
It’s a funny, somewhat indirect way of addressing the movie’s dismal performance. It’s hardly the first film to try and spin a less than stellar reception. But the approach is usually to take a quote from a bad or mixed review, out of context, and then make it sound glowing. Joker did this recently, earning headlines in the process. It’s another method altogether to advertise an overwhelmingly unfavorable response to a big blockbuster. Ultimately, however, it may be too late for playful marketing techniques to matter.
James Corden, one of several big names to star in Cats, did a radio interview for BBC following the film’s release. When asked if he’d seen the adaptation, Corden replied that he hadn’t. He added that he heard it was terrible. It is possible that ticket buyers will continue to have the same reaction, continuing to stay away from Cats on the basis of adverse buzz alone.
Source: Michael Cook
