The Cabin in the Woods is a "cult-builder" - The Cabin in the Woods

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July 13 2010

(SPOILER) The Cabin in the Woods is a "cult-builder". Chud's Devin Faraci recalls his visit to the movie's post-production office and says "everything I saw that day was kind of great and pointed to a movie that could exceed its low budget boundaries". And like the rest of us, he wonders if the movie will ever see the light of day. Spoilers for the movie's premise and the very cool t-shirt.

Simon | The Cabin in the Woods | 18:33 CET | 28 comments total | tags: the cabin in the woods

I wants me one of those shirts.

gossi | July 13, 18:50 CET

I wants me some of that movie!

BlueSkies | July 13, 19:06 CET

That shirt is made of win.

UnpluggedCrazy | July 13, 19:14 CET

I don't understand the T-shirt. =/

Waterkeeper511 | July 13, 19:36 CET

Is that Josh Lyman on that shirt? :)

The Do That Girl | July 13, 19:46 CET

I want the Tshirt AND the movie! xP

Nicole | July 13, 19:54 CET

I want the movie NOW! And I also don't quite understand the shirt. Is the figure on the right supposed to look like Joss?

KaileeA42 | July 13, 19:59 CET

I assume that's Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford on the shirt.

redders | July 13, 20:08 CET

Oh, this just makes me *cry*. Goddamnit.

I want this movie to come out. And I want this tee shirt post haste, I do, I do.

Seriousfully - they could have sold them at ComicCon and made some bucks, which couldn't hurt, and made some buzz happen, which couldn't hurt even more, but as Devin suggests, this is not that better world. : <

I'm sure the rights to that art are all complicated and hurty - but maybe whoever does own it could get it made/sold on one of those tee-shirt sites? *forlorn hope*

'Cause goddamnit. This movie wants to be seen. This sucks raucously & vociferously out loud.

ETF: stuff

[ edited by QuoterGal on 2010-07-13 23:56 ]

QuoterGal | July 13, 23:46 CET

I keep wanting to draw a mustache on the right side of the t-shirt.

The One True b!X | July 14, 01:06 CET

Each day Cabin in the Woods sits on a shelf somewhere, collecting dust, I die a little on the inside.

Just think, if CitW came out in February, we'd all be enjoying a panel at Comic-Con with Joss, going to a special screening with out shirts on, and maybe even getting teased that there's another in the works.

This really sucks.

korkster | July 14, 01:17 CET

That does not sound encouraging. Not even certain if the 3D conversion was completed?
I'm sure it would be cheaper to promote and just release the 2D version. But apparently the studio no longer has the price of popcorn and a coke.
Bummed, Joss and Drew deserve better. And we deserve a movie .... and definitely t-shirts.

Shey | July 14, 08:31 CET

That T shirt looks like "Whedon and George".

ZodKneelsFirst | July 14, 08:35 CET

I dunno korkster, I could do without the shirtless screening, myself. :p

sumogrip | July 14, 12:06 CET

... I'll just say that everything I saw that day was kind of great and pointed to a movie that could exceed its low budget boundaries.

Hmm, wasn't Cabin reputed to have a budget of about $30 million ? Cos that's not really that low budget full stop and it's certainly not that low budget for a horror movie (in fact one of my early worries was about the size of the budget re: profitability). Or did that figure turn out to be total flannel ?

And yep, the film must be seen. New law.

Saje | July 14, 14:04 CET

30 million? That's like 3 times the size of most BIG budget horrors! Well maybe it's so epic that 30 million seems like a drop in the pond for all that they achieved with it, right? RIGHT?!?!?

BlueSkies | July 14, 14:19 CET

Hmm, wasn't Cabin reputed to have a budget of about $30 million ?

Yes but this is the Internet so it's convenient to ignore facts.

That's like 3 times the size of most BIG budget horrors

Depends - the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street was $35 million, the Friday the 13th remake was $19 million and Drag Me To Hell was $30 million. On the other hand, Shaun of the Dead was only £4 million to make.

Simon | July 14, 14:48 CET

SotD shot in the UK though, and didn't have any names (other than Pegg and Wright, who I'm guessing took a percentage rather than an outright fee). $30m nowadays for a wide release movie is about typical.

(And it wasn't converted to 3D). The reality is MGM had to get a $40m credit from the people they owe money to, to release Hot Tub Time Machine. I strongly suspect the reason it got knocked back a year was because MGM knew they wouldn't be able to get the financing to release both Hot Tub and Cabin. Hot Tub under performed, the rest is history.

[ edited by gossi on 2010-07-14 15:19 ]

gossi | July 14, 15:17 CET

It varies a fair bit though it seems remakes/continuations of well known franchises tend towards the top end (as you'd expect). There's 'Saw' at $1.2 million, 'Hostel' at $4.8 million, '28 Days Later' at $8 million, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (remake) $9.6 million etc. (excluding flukes like Blair Witch or 'Paranormal Activity' - both made for tuppence ha'penny and a bag of chips and then going on to make insane amounts of cash. Kind of surprised that MGM didn't try to throw about 10 or 15 low budget horrors out there to see if they could fluke a mega sleeper though obviously it's very hit or miss).

However you slice it though, $30 million is a very decent budget for a horror movie, definitely near the top end of the range.

Saje | July 14, 15:27 CET

I dunno korkster, I could do without the shirtless screening, myself. :p

Thanks for bringing the smiles, Jobo. :)

$30 million isn't chump change for sure. Does anyone know how much Cloverfield was?

korkster | July 14, 16:37 CET

I've heard $20 million pretty consistently.

Shapenew | July 14, 17:14 CET

'Cloverfield' was apparently $25 million from articles at the time (and from boxofficemojo.com).

Saje | July 14, 18:58 CET

Oh Simon, why remind me of those blasphemies! But yeah I was thinking of the one's that Saje mentioned, I mean I remember being at a seminar with Denis Bartok and he was saying at that time(2007 I believe) that to get a budget over 10 million for a horror film you either needed to be in a franchise or hiring SMG! (The Grudge was done for 10 mil and the sequel for like 20 or so, first one made like 190 mil or something internationally! and the second only like half that!) So yeah 30 is a big frickin' number to leave lying around on the shelf, so maybe they can use some viral marketing, isn't that cheaper than billboards and tv ads and stuff? Maybe it can still be released? Maybe I'm being ridiculous...MGM don't have enough money for free marketing!!

BlueSkies | July 14, 19:13 CET

MGM don't have the staff to co-ordinate a release like that, or money to print the reels to go out to cinemas (surprisingly expensive - think millions).

Cabin's budget towards the higher end of the scale for a horror movie, for sure - but it's a horror movie at the higher end of scale on every sense (i.e. Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard, the pure scale of the movie and the effects required). This is a big movie.

gossi | July 14, 19:25 CET

Cabin wouldn't get the exposure it needs without a very healthy marketing spend. I estimate they would need at least $10M for domestic marketing and prints alone. Otherwise, you get Serenity which was a few fans making a lot of noise on the internet and a movie that was NOT successful at the box office and therefore not considered a success. Doesn't matter what it did on DVD or internationally. It was a failure at the US box office because Uni thought viral marketing was the way to go. They were wrong and they failed. It isn't viral if the disease is contained within the existing fanbase.

IrrationaliTV | July 14, 19:30 CET

It would cost them almost nothing to release it via DVD to my laptop during Comic-Con.

The One True b!X | July 14, 19:49 CET

At least 6 figures for the mastering, b!x. :)

IrrationaliTV | July 14, 19:53 CET

I didn't say they had to *finish* the entire process. Just point a camera at the screen and record what they have. I'll deal.

The One True b!X | July 14, 20:01 CET

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