BOWA, Case Study #1

Consider, as an archetypal example of “The best of what’s around” (BOWA), the film: The Hangover.  Whatever we can say about this film, few would argue that it is one of the Best films of all time.  It is entertaining–funny–that’s about it.  It may surprise you, then, to learn that “The Hangover” is the 3^rd-Highest Grossing R-rated film of all time.  Yes, you read that correctly: of all time.   At the time of its release, The Hangover was simply the best of what was around.  Compare the other films in theaters that week: Land of the Lost, My Life in Ruins, and Away We Go.  Land of the Lost was one of the most heavily marketed films of recent years, following the template used by Shrek 2, and others, beginning even with an ad run during the February Super Bowl.  Land of the Lost was released a week early to avoid competition with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  Yet Land of the Lost was a flop.