Hollywood Has A Problem With Making Films On The Beatles That Still Don’t Seem To Understand

With 4 Beatles movies set to be made, we have to wonder if it’s too much

Highlights

Director Sam Mendes is taking on the challenge of creating 4 separate interconnected Beatles films, a bold move sure to stir up buzz.
While Mendes’ past success is impressive, modern audiences are more selective, raising concerns about the films finding their desired success.
The studio plan of releasing all 4 films in the same year comes with risks, as it’s questionable whether audiences would be willing to invest in each Beatle’s story.

Biopics are more prevalent than ever in Hollywood, and these movies have a way of netting critical acclaim, as well as solid box office returns. When done well, they can take the world by storm, but they can also cause some problems. Nevertheless, studios are willing to roll the dice on them, with the hope that money and Oscars are within reach.

The Beatles are the biggest and greatest musical act of all time, and word has spread that the Fab Four are getting their own films. In fact, 4 movies are being made, one for each of them, in what is sure to be a much-discussed strategy by the studio.

Let’s take a look at the announcement, and why this could be a disaster for the studio.

Four Beatles Movies Are Going To Be Made In The Coming Years, But Audiences Are More Selective About Spending Money At The Box Office

All you need is love, and 4 separate Beatles films.

According to multiple sources, it has been announced that director, Sam Mendes, will be the man behind 4 separate Beatles films in the coming years.

“Director Sam Mendes plans to make four separate movies, one from each Beatles member’s point of view. They will intersect to “tell the astonishing story of the greatest band in history,” leading up to their 1970 breakup, according to a press release. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the families of the late John Lennon and George Harrison have granted full life story and music rights for,” Variety reports.

That’s right, the Fab Four are getting their own interconnected movies. It’s a bold decision by the studio, and perhaps this would work much, much better as a miniseries. That said, The Beatles continue to print money, so maybe it’s time to strike while that iron is still burning hot.

“I’m honored to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies,” Mendes said.

For the unfamiliar, Sam Mendes is as good as it gets in the directing department. The man is responsible for movies like American Beauty, Road to Perdition, 1917, and multiple James Bond films, including Skyfall and Spectre.

Now, is this too much for the average moviegoer? Studios are willing to roll the dice from time to time, and biopics have proven lucrative. Bohemian Rhapsody, for instance, was a monumental success, that even landed Rami Malek an Oscar for his turn as Freddie Mercury in the film. However, with audiences being more selective than ever, even with major franchises, it’s hard to imagine that all four of these pictures will find the success that the studio wants.

Fandom only goes so far, and while many love the band, how many people are willing to shell out their hard-earned pay for a Ringo Starr movie?

The studio, however, is keen on using what they’ve referred to as “innovative and groundbreaking.” They plan on releasing all 4 films in the same year.

Again, a miniseries might have been the way to go here.

Interestingly, the band already has a history on the big screen, so it’s worth tracking how those films fared.

The Beatles Made Multiple Films During Their Prime, But Even Then, They Weren’t A Guaranteed Hit

The band’s first movie, A Hard Day’s Night, was a critical and commercial success upon release in 1964. In fact, the film is still highly-regarded by many, and it’s one that many movie fans seek out.

Help! was not nearly as loved, but the film was still a success in its own right. It is legitimately over-the-top hilarious at points, and it did a lot in the way of pioneering music videos, which would take a few decades to really seep into the mainstream.

Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine weren’t quite on the same level as their predecessors, with the former being a critical disaster. The band was pivoting in an entirely different direction, and these films were a testament to that. They’re bizarre, but most Beatles fans have at least checked them out.

Let it Be was the band’s final film, and it was a documentation of things falling apart for the once mighty group. Things were bad when the film was assembled, and the band wasn’t interested in it seeing the light of day.

So, there is a history of success with Beatles films, but even at their peak, things were checkered. It’s a hard sell for modern audiences.

The Fab Four’s 4 films are going to be an interesting thing to watch from an industry perspective. If the release is as groundbreaking as the studio is hinting, then we could see The Beatles reshape the film world, much like they did with the music world.