Loading summary
Transcript175 lines
- [00:00]
A
Foreign. This episode of Stylish is brought to you by Koala. Their biggest sale of the year is on now with up to 30% off everything. Hello. Happy Friday. This is Stylish, the corner of Stylish where we talk business, marketing careers, really anything we feel like. And I'm very excited for today because it's actually Naima and my first time as a duo on a Friday. Yay.
- [00:34]
B
Hi, Matt.
- [00:35]
A
Nice to have you. Nice to be here together.
- [00:37]
B
I'm so excited.
- [00:38]
A
We're talking about a real passion point of yours which I feel like you threw in our slack chat and we're like, immediately, if not sooner, we must cover this. And I'm really excited for this because I feel like I learned so much covering this.
- [00:49]
B
I feel like we need to add now movies, spoiler alert to that like list of many items now.
- [00:54]
A
Yeah, yeah. Cleaning.
- [00:56]
B
Yeah.
- [00:56]
A
Psychics as of Wednesday. I mean the list is ever evolving off campus. Yeah. At this point we're a fan account.
- [01:03]
B
Yeah. But we're going to start with your word of the week.
- [01:06]
A
It is my word of the week. I'm feeling a bit spoiled because I got a double header word of the week, which is very kind of my co host to give me. But my word of the week is actually, well, it's a thing we always break the rules. Was a great business of fashion article that I read that covered the Euromonitor June 2026 reporting of the top 10 beauty brands globally. And I was fascinated by this because Mac is still number one. Which I feel like whether you're a beauty gal or you're not, you're kind of like you might have one Mac lip liner lying around in the bottom.
- [01:36]
B
Genuinely shocked me.
- [01:37]
A
Yeah. Like it doesn't shock me because I've worked in beauty, but I can see how it would shock the average person. Why do you feel like it shocked you?
- [01:43]
B
Maybe because I'm on social media so much that it's not like one of the brands when I think of beauty. Yeah, I see front and center on my feed.
- [01:54]
A
Do you feel like it's because you're saying like the rares and the roads and the fancies of the world. Yeah. I think it is easy to forget these heritage brands have such like mainstay and the breadth of market that they have in the number of markets they're in as well. Like just their sheer volume of markets and distributor points they're available in. So the reason I wanted to bring up this article though was that YSL Beauty has kind of climbed these ranks over the last few years. And. And YSL Beauty is kind of my kryptonite. And there's a woman who's the general manager for them called Juliet Ferret. And I'm fascinated by her because I think she's done an incredible job of this brand of. They're a luxury brand. Like, they're tied to a fashion house. Saint Laurent being a very synonymous luxury fashion house. But they're doing like a really good job at playing into Gen Z and feeling accessible culturally, which their price point is. I would not say an accessible price point, but they've just signed Charli XCX as one of their U.S. makeup ambassadors. And I think they've got her at a really interesting time as she's going into rock music. And she had this great quote where she said YSL Beauty has always moved with the pulse of its time. And I just thought that was like the perfect way to summarize it. And the reason I loved this article was because they were saying YSL, like, is the brand to beat in that top 10 because they're just kind of climbing, climbing, climbing. And. And I'm watching them very closely now
- [03:14]
B
that you've said it. I. I don't know if I've like, intentionally seen it, but they have really been turning up in places like music festivals. Like, I've seen a lot of activations at music festivals specifically. I think in. In Australia, they were at Laneway Fest, like they had a full activation. The other thing that they do actually quite well is like an ambassador program. So I think they engage a lot of micro influences even in Australia. And like, the whole premise is that you get a bunch of product once a month and you can make what you like with it. There's no like, deliverables, but what they're getting is continuous amounts of content from their target audience, which is Gen Z. Yeah.
- [03:55]
A
And credit to them. Their products are great. Do you know what I mean? Like, the products back it up. And I do think their ability to localize in each market is what is seeing them drive that. Because so many global brands will have a set and forget strategy for everyone must do the same thing in the same way. I like that YSL is kind of localizing a little bit. You know, they're having a bit more fun.
- [04:14]
B
I agree with the product thing. The mascara so good, lengthens so much, which I wear glasses, so I really need lengthening because it's like behind a shield. And number two, it doesn't clump.
- [04:26]
A
It doesn't clump. Also, I always Say I have a daytime mascara and a nighttime mascara. So I use Tower 28 during the day because it's like a little bit more light and less, like, dramatic. But I want someone to think I've got lashes on in the eve. And I think YSL can do that with a couple of coats. But true, it never clumps.
- [04:42]
B
I love that we should all have a daytime and a night mascara.
- [04:46]
A
Talk about being indulgent. Yeah. Okay, enough about indulging our favorite mascaras and beauty brands. Naima, this is your passion point. Take the floor. We're talking blockbusters in the box office.
- [04:56]
B
Yeah. I am so excited to talk about this today. I'm going to be honest. I've been like, sneakily pitching this to Lucy at head of podcasts for a little while now, being like, oh, have you seen this on your feed? Oh, have you seen this on your feed? So when the opportunity came up to be on a Friday episode, I was like, yes, this is my chance.
- [05:15]
A
My time is now. Also handy. Being deskside next to each other, you're like, subliminal message, subliminal message, subliminal message.
- [05:22]
B
It's like unfair advantage.
- [05:23]
A
But hey, take it.
- [05:24]
B
What can you do? So I want to bring to the table something that's been, I think, dominating. Not only like my personal conversations at the moment, like in the group chat, I'm finding ourselves talking about it a lot more. It's also really dominating, like the work lunchtime chat. Like, a lot of the time people are talking about what movies they watched last night. People often come in in the morning and it's like, what did you do last night? It'll be about a movie and then it'll Spark, like a 20 minute conversation. Not great for productivity, but still good. And also my feed, I am getting a lot of conversation about movies in general. I would say probably the last six months to a year. It's just like really coming top of my feed all the time. I'm getting served a lot of this content. Have you noticed this too?
- [06:10]
A
I've totally noticed. And we even saw that with Barbie and Oppenheimer earlier last year. Barbie Heimer or whatever it was called. That kind of like kicked off where I started to be like, oh, wait, a movie. So back.
- [06:22]
B
Yeah.
- [06:23]
A
And going to the cinema, not just a movie. So I think when you say movie, you instantly think it could be on Netflix, it could be Amazon Prime. I mean, when someone tells me they watch something, usually my first instinct is to say, what platform is it on? Not what cinema did you get to is it at Hoyt's or Village?
- [06:38]
B
I think that is the kind of difference that I've been noticing. So obviously I think the rhetoric has been ever since COVID Sorry, trigger word. But yeah, the C word, Covid. There was, you know, we actually couldn't go to the movies. But not only that, there was that trickling effect of, you know, productions being down. I think we just saw like a less amount of movies coming into the movies. And obviously because movies take several years to make often I think there's been like a lay on effect for a long time. But what I saw, I saw two things on my feed recently that's kind of made me rethink this and kind of made me think about that people are going to the movies more. So one, I saw a post from Variety saying that the Australian box office has scored its highest results for May in its entire history, which is so crazy to me.
- [07:26]
A
So crazy. Especially when we're referencing the blockbuster films that I referenced at the start. How this particular month when Toy Story hasn't even dropped yet, we're not talking these ones that like big family and troves of people are going out to see it. It really surprised me. I was really shocked by this.
- [07:43]
B
Well, the two movies that I think may be possibly also driving this, these are two horror films that have been all over my feet. I will caveat this by saying that I'm big scaredy cat and I am afraid of horror films. But it has fully infiltrated my feed backrooms and obsession, both from YouTubers, which is so interesting to me. One of them is 20 years old, have been all over my feed, their marketing campaigns, the number of people that are going and they've actually pulled number one and two at the box office in America, which is just insane. And not only that, there's been so many films that have like kind of captured the zeitgeist recently. You know, Devoir's Prada too, you go have talked a little bit about on the Wednesday episodes. We've had the drama, we've had Wuthering Heights, we've had Sinners, the substance. And obviously the new Toy Story 5, which Mads, you saw earlier this week.
- [08:35]
A
I did. I took my niece and nephew. Look, I won't spoil it, but it's just, it's magic. It's amazing.
- [08:40]
B
I wouldn't be surprised if that's also going to be all over our feeds and that conversation's going to dominate the next few weeks of the cycle.
- [08:47]
A
I think Taylor Swift might have helped out a Little bit there too.
- [08:50]
B
Just that, you know, small indie artist. I think all of these things all together has got us thinking, Mads, why are we all going back to the movies all of a sudden?
- [08:58]
A
We're going to decode all of it. And why we think movies are so back. But that will be right after a word from today's sponsor. They say the sofa is the most important piece of furniture you'll buy. And I couldn't agree more like a great accessory, it ties the whole look together. I've been browsing new sofas on koala.com because their biggest sale of the year is happening right now with up to 30% off everything. One of my favorite things about Koala's sofas is that the covers are completely removable and washable. So you can keep them looking fresh or switch up your style whenever you feel like it. I'm obsessed with the midnight mocha cover right now. It has this gorgeous chocolate suede look. But I can already see myself swapping to Forest dawn when spring and summer roll around. If you're in the market for new living or bedroom furniture, shop up to 30% off koala for a limited time. A huge thank you to Koala for making this episode of Stylish possible. So, Naima, you mentioned Backrooms and Obsession, two of these films that by your own admission, you're a scaredy cat. And I don'. Say that from an ivory tower. I too am just so allergic to scary films. But we've found that they're on our feeds.
- [10:05]
B
Yeah.
- [10:05]
A
Not even as the target audience being that we're scaredy cats and scary movies aren't our thing. And as you mentioned, YouTube backgrounds. But Backroom was directed by YouTuber Kane Parsons. It's become the highest grossing ever a 24 film of all time. It's sitting at 212 million USD globally right now. And I had to contextualize this because I was like a 24. I think it's really easy to kind of separate who produces a film versus what the film actually is. They've done Marty Supreme, They've done the drama. Yeah, like we are talking some massive cultural big name films. I was really surprised by this because this wasn't kind of to the breadth or scale in my mind I was imagining it would have been to hit those kind of numbers. It's really interesting because Kane actually created the original YouTube series that the film is based on. So there was kind of this pre existing law and community. There were 3 million people following the YouTube series which maybe indicated that the appetite was well and truly there. Had 340 million views.
- [11:09]
B
Yeah. Crazy.
- [11:10]
A
Safe to say those 3 million followers were actively engaged.
- [11:13]
B
And he made that when he was 16. What were you doing in 16?
- [11:17]
A
I. I think I was in debate club. I was. I was pinning something on a blazer and heading to debate club. Like I'll let you what kind of 16 year old I was based on that. But it's really tapped into this like creepy Internet law which previously to date, I would say neither of us have been across.
- [11:34]
B
Yeah.
- [11:34]
A
But by kind of tapping into that, it's kind of created this unique marketing campaign in and of itself. And then fellow horror film Obsession has kind of been enjoying the same dizzying hides. Naima, you were telling me like a crazy start that exists about what its production budget was versus what it delivered.
- [11:54]
B
Yeah. So similar to backrooms, also produced by a YouTube creator. And it had a budget of $750,000, which like obviously is a lot of money, but in movieland, that's nothing. And it made 234 million USD worldwide, which is 330 times the like production budget, which is obviously an executive stream, an executive's dream.
- [12:19]
A
Because as you said, 750. Not in movie world. 750 average person, 750,000. We're talking not dollars. But you were giving me like this great example of the Devil Wears Prada. What they delivered, didn't they deliver three times their budget?
- [12:33]
B
I think it's like good to give context of like obviously these are like big numbers that we're talking about. But it's like what's another movie that was kind of out at the same time that's been in the zeitgeist? So Dev West, Prada had a production budget of 100 million alongside an $80 million marketing spend and made 676 million at the BO. So that's three times the amount. So compare that to like, I know that obviously Obsession made less, but it just made such a incredible return on investment for the production company.
- [13:05]
A
Yeah. And I mean, it's kind of like a business. Right. It's not just about what your sales are or what the dollars at the box office is for the executive teams. It's how much profit are we delivering and how much times our budget. Look, Obsessions, marketing campaign kind of needed to be seen to be believed. And if you haven't checked it out, I'd urge you to go and have a look. If you are in brand or marketing or you're just, you know, interested in this space as we Are now. But they had these kind of giant billboards.
- [13:31]
B
Yeah.
- [13:31]
A
And it's funny, I started getting served these, and I kind of thought it was like one of those, like, TikTok miniseries. I don't know if you've had those.
- [13:37]
B
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [13:38]
A
I think we've all been held.
- [13:39]
B
So I watch movies.
- [13:40]
A
We've kind of been held there at some point, but they bought these out of home sites, which are essentially billboards, digital billboards. And each day they kind of transformed from really simple, like, hey, how's your day been? To why won't you text me back? And as the title might suggest of this film, the whole context is it's someone who does become deeply obsessed with someone they're dating. And I thought that was genius because it reflected so much of what happens at least once, hopefully at most once in most people's lives, which is in that dating phase, when someone might just be a little bit too keen and you're like. But then, like, it goes beyond that point of, like. It's giving me the itch. Like, okay, we've got a problem.
- [14:22]
B
I think in the movie, it's like this thing where she's like, a man has essentially cast a spell on her that he makes her obsessed with him. And it's that, like, it's what you wish for, but is this really what you wish for? They complement it with these, like, flyers. You know, the ones where you can rip off the bottom.
- [14:39]
A
Like, when someone loses their doll.
- [14:40]
B
Yeah, yeah, exactly that. And it had a number on it. And then you had to text the number. And it started out pretty, like, fun. It was like, hey, how are you? Haven't caught up in so long. And it just apparently gets more and more deranged of, like, it'll be. And it's not just like, one text message. You get like, 8 to 10, which is, like, exactly how the movie goes, where it just, like, builds and builds and builds, which is such a cool way, I think, to market something that
- [15:07]
A
doesn't have a big budget 1000%. And also to insert yourself in a story you don't yet know about, because the main character's name was Nikki. And so this contact card appeared as Nikki. You were getting texts, you were getting voice notes, like, the whole kit and caboodle. And I think it adds an element that's unexpected. And, you know, the reality is Devil wears Prada couldn't do that because it would be texting too many people be too much. You know, having. I mean, it would be kind of iconic to get A text from Miranda Priestly. You know, there's always the devil wears Pride of three, but I did love that, you know, it kind of trapped the audience in this one sided conversation of like, oh, I wonder what this film's about or what is this that I've like, you know, randomly text.
- [15:48]
B
If that's not going to get me to a movie, I don't know what it is. Like I am like, oh my God. Like I need to know who this Nikki person is.
- [15:55]
A
Yeah, who the hell is Nikki? Yeah. Okay, so we've spoken about obsession. Tell me a little bit about Backroom and why you loved this campaign and felt like it helped build them to that crazy number in A24's dizzying heights.
- [16:08]
B
Yeah, I think a lot of it just comes from that law of it all, which basically I think we spoke a little bit about it at the start, but it's a. It actually started on 4chan, which a platform I don't personally use, but someone had asked, you know, for pictures of creepy looking spaces or spaces that make you feel a bit uneasy. And there was one space that was shared where it kind of went viral on the channel and it was called this like backrooms idea. And from that the creator, who, like I said Kane was 16 at the time, created this YouTube series. The first one I think had like 80 million views and then the overall series had like 330 million views. So it already had a built in audience. Yeah, so this movie, before it even, you know, got marketed, got somewhere. It had a built in audience. Not just the people who watched his YouTube series. It's people who understand that online viral trend of these spaces. So I think what you're seeing here is that online people or people who are like creating content for young people already are going to be the people who break through. Yeah, because he understands how to create content for young people or for like online first people, like social first people. I also think YouTube is one of those platforms where it's like gives you constant feedback. It's like, I don't know, a marketing team. You've obviously worked in marketing for a long time. Market research costs how much, like you
- [17:41]
A
just, you would start at $60,000 to do like a significant piece. I shouldn't even say significant. Yeah, largely insignificant to be honest, but yeah, to get like 30, 40 participants in a room and do two or three of those is like 40 to $60,000.
- [17:55]
B
Yeah, well, he has access to this like millions of people giving him pretty constant feedback around this content that he's building yeah, not only that, it's like, I would say YouTube probably has like the best analytics of all the social channels. Sorry, TikTok and Instagram. It gives you pretty consistent feedback of what time people stopped, what parts they paused at. It let you AB test. So he was able to finesse as he went. So I think by the time it was ready to be launched, it was in a really good place. It had a primed audience, it was ready to go.
- [18:28]
A
So winning product aside, he also had the audience. And what I loved, kind of as a contrast to the two of these, is one was almost like you were included by being part of that exclusive group that had already watched. And then if you look at Obsession, it was almost like you were invited in to discover. Whereas this other one was like, no, no, we're a bit. If you know, you know, like.
- [18:45]
B
Yeah.
- [18:46]
A
The mystique and allure of it was that if you didn't understand it, you wanted to be invited in. The other was the door was wide open. It was like, come in and we'll text you. Like, we will go as far as to send you 24 texts.
- [18:56]
B
Yeah, I will be in your home. But it's like me looking into it, I was like, there was so many steps for me to figure out what the law was like. It was not like an easy thing to figure out. But it's like people are going on this journey, which I find super interesting too.
- [19:10]
A
Yeah. And they did some in real life pop ups. You were mentioning the doorways.
- [19:14]
B
Yes. So part of that law essentially is that once they figured out that it was just like a. Not a spooky place, it was just an abandoned furniture store in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. And what they started doing is putting up blue taped doorways in different places in the same city. So they like really lent into the bit. Like they went back to where the law actually originated. People started taking photos of it and these fake doorways really connected back to the movies and it started circulating online being like, what are these doors?
- [19:49]
A
Yeah. And I think ultimately this is the cheapest and most valuable marketing tool. And it's so precious because it's so hard to create, but it is groundswell, talkability, virality. Yeah, that like, yes, investment goes into an out of home billboard or creating the bot that can ultimately send the text messages from Nikki. But these things are minor costs in relation to massive big film budgets that are like the Devil Wears Prada or Barbie.
- [20:19]
B
And the virality is existing on the channels that these, like, the audiences exist on. People are Taking the photo. And like, I don't know how many people live in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, but it's like, so you're not going to get massive out of home eyes. But it's the people who are like bringing it onto the Internet. That's where you get your most amount of value there. I actually think one of the biggest marketing wins that he had from the start. Actually before any of this came to be, I read this article on park, basically that a director and a production company asked one of their production assistants to trawl through YouTube and TikTok to find creators who were making amazing videos. So it's like from the start they've had this objective of like, we want to target these younger audiences and they've gone to the platforms that they are.
- [21:06]
A
Yeah. Gone straight to the source. But also, isn't it so ironic that to get people to go offline by going to the cinema, they're diving into people that are online chronically.
- [21:17]
B
Yeah. And like, imagine being that 27 year old right now being like, yeah, I found him. Yeah, I did that.
- [21:24]
A
That was me. So like when we talk about marketing for films, obviously we've gone into these two, which are similar genres, both in horror, you know, anticipation, all of those sorts of scary. Scared. Yeah. It's giving like just can't watch. Just couldn't. If I, you know what, I will
- [21:41]
B
promise that I will go see one of the two.
- [21:43]
A
I actually saw a creator. I can't remember if it was on her Instagram or TikTok. Georgia Hayes, who went with like a little fluffy bunny and basically just hid under like, I think she had a hoodie or a blanket or something that she just was like going through obsession, being like, I will not be watching this.
- [21:57]
B
Maybe we should go and just live tweet.
- [22:00]
A
Very scared. It would be like a sensory experience, like what I can hear and that would be it because I would not be. Would not be watching.
- [22:08]
B
Yeah.
- [22:08]
A
Okay. So we've spoken about these two very clear genres, both in the scary space.
- [22:12]
B
Yeah.
- [22:12]
A
But we've also had these mega blockbuster backed budget films like the Devil Wears Prada, Wuthering heights, Toy Story 5, which is out literally this week.
- [22:23]
B
Yeah.
- [22:24]
A
What tools do you think these larger production budget films are using that are making them so effective on the stage at the moment?
- [22:31]
B
Well, I think they're leaning into, I mean, it's my least liked word, but virality and shareability. Right. It's like actually making moments outside of the film. So I don't know. A trailer is Just not enough anymore. Like, you can't just make a trailer.
- [22:50]
A
No.
- [22:50]
B
Like, and put it up at the. You know, I think a lot of previously, from my experience, a lot of the movies that I wanted to go see was the trailer that you saw before you saw another movie.
- [23:01]
A
Right.
- [23:03]
B
And with, like, dwindling movie numbers, you're not seeing them. You're not, like, you don't have this captured audience that are seeing these things weekly. It's like, you almost have to now catch them in real life or, like, on their phones. So it's like, these moments that are really shareable and might create these, like, conversations online. One of the ones that I personally loved was, like, the whole rollout of Marty Supreme Chef's Kiss. Yeah.
- [23:29]
A
No notes.
- [23:30]
B
I mean, it wasn't just, like, method dressing. It was method personality.
- [23:34]
A
Oh, it was personality. Yeah, it was. Look, I should caveat by saying it was Chef's Kiss until he shot on the ballet and the opera. Arguably oldest, most established.
- [23:43]
B
Yes.
- [23:44]
A
Like, creative art forms. And I was like, up. And that's probably what lost you the Oscar. But, like, the merch roll out. And the celebrities in the Marty supreme jackets. Like, he must have, like, as a collective, a 24. And Timothee Chalamet must have called every celebrity in their, like, notes app.
- [24:02]
B
Well, it's like merch, and it's, like, getting it on, like, Susan Boyle. Perfect. It's like going for the underdogs as well. There was, like, kind of, like, a story behind all of it. And even that, like, unhinged video that he made where he was the one pitching the marketing strategy on a zoom call that is cheap to make outside of, obviously, Timothee Chalamet's time. Yeah.
- [24:24]
A
You're hoping you're baking that into his feet.
- [24:26]
B
That one I loved because it was, like, creating these, like, hyper moments outside of the movie. You were, like, excited before you even got in. I don't know. Like, I watched the movie, didn't like it, but I was like, on the
- [24:38]
A
panel, you're like, I'm wearing orange.
- [24:40]
B
Yeah. I was like, I love this. I love the, like, movement behind it. And even with the Devil Wears Prada. Did you see the red handbag?
- [24:48]
A
I did. My niece actually has my red handbag. She's two, so she doesn't know quite how lucky she is because it's sold out.
- [24:55]
B
Yeah. So for context, it was a popcorn bucket shaped as a red handbag, and it was $55.
- [25:01]
A
I just want to. I want to put a big asterisk that I Did not personally pay $55. I picked it up in the cinema I was in good, but it was
- [25:09]
B
$55 and it was sold out. Like, you know, in a space where we're saying that it's like a cost of living crisis, people are like locking into these cultural moments.
- [25:17]
A
One that I really loved was Wuthering Heights. And look, you could argue that by having the two biggest names in celebrity and culture right now being Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie, that their trailer alone probably would have had eyes on it. But then when you add in music, which is obviously always has been and I hope always will be such a big part of culture, but bringing in Charli Xex genius was just genius. And having a play on a song that she had already launched, but remixing that in like it was just. When you think about that, I can almost like fall. Fall in love. Like you can play that whole trailer
- [25:53]
B
in your mind and perfect for Tick Tock. I'm using that sound.
- [25:58]
A
You're using that sound. And I think sound is a really interesting piece too because it isn't just the film anymore. It's the content engine and the production rollout. Because it starts with the trailer. It's then the press tour. It's the are they, aren't they? It's the shipping, the two characters, it's the slow mos of them. You know, whether it's in the rain or the male lead actors grabbing the female lead actors waist a little too. You know, there's fixing the dress.
- [26:26]
B
Yeah. You know, it's like I saw play I saw online it was called couple baiting.
- [26:31]
A
Couple baiting. I love that. It's kind of like rage baiting but where we just want to. Yeah, look, shout out to Zendaya and Margot Robbie too and their stylists Law Roach and Andrew Kamal who deserve the credit. But Zendaya and Margot Robbie who do such a good job rolling it out.
- [26:46]
B
Yeah.
- [26:46]
A
Is the method dressing of the red carpet and the fact that we're just like hit after hit and we're sharing it and then we share the audios of them from press interviews or red carpet. Like it is. What sound bites can we make trending? What songs can we have included? There's such a world that is made outside of just the end product of the film.
- [27:05]
B
Well, the outfitting is like so good because it's like when you get that attention, it's like you're sharing the press photo. So it's like got the stuff on the back. Like you are like what is this Movie.
- [27:15]
A
Yeah. And there was a great article that the Guardian published that was saying, you know, what really sells a film? You know, they were saying it isn't just the traditional movie campaign anymore. And they gave an example of Sydney Sweeney, who I think, safe to say, love her or loathe her. She has been in and around the headlines for everywhere quite a sustained period now, both online and offline, in print and digital. But you know that she had this biopic, Christie, this boxing biopic that completely flopped in the box office.
- [27:44]
B
Yeah.
- [27:45]
A
And then you compare that to, what did you call it? Couple baiting.
- [27:48]
B
Yeah, couple baiting.
- [27:48]
A
You compare it to the couple baiting that was going on with Glen Powell and the film Anyone but you. And that was a roaring success by all accounts.
- [27:56]
B
But I think back to the two horror films we started with. It's about knowing your audience. It's like the biopic is about this, like, women's coming up story. And it's just probably something that didn't resonate with the media that she was getting or the audience that was loving her. Whereas the two films we said at the start it was like they really knew who their audience was.
- [28:18]
A
Yeah, completely. Or who they wanted it to be.
- [28:21]
B
Yeah.
- [28:21]
A
And very much tapped into that cultural zeitgeist and their world.
- [28:25]
B
I will say as well. It's like we are saying a lot. You know, these moments are creating for people to, you know, want to watch the movie. But I also want to point out that I think a lot of these movies that we're talking about have been released in the cinema and have had a delayed streaming time as well. So that I think also kind of plays into it a little that you
- [28:46]
A
can't just watch it at home 1000%. I want to get into why the movie editing community has become so big on TikTok and why we think ultimately everyone, particularly Gen Z, is flocking to cinema. But that will be right after a word from our sponsor. So many of us are loyal to a certain Self Tan. You might even have one you've been using for years. But when we fall in love with a beauty product, it's our duty to share it with you. Today's find is the Clarins Self Tan lotion from Maya, which has this incredible milky texture that hydrates and softens the skin while giving the perfect golden glow. Basically an essential for the depths of winter. And if your lips are suffering in this weather, you have to check out the Natio Afterglow glossy lip oils from Maya too. With six shades available, they're like a lip treatment and gloss in one shop. Beauty in store and online now. And a huge thank you to Miya for making this episode episode as stylish possible. So, Naima, why do we think we're suddenly back at the cinema and not on our couch watching Netflix? Or can two things be true?
- [29:51]
B
I think I'm doing a bit of both, to be perfectly honest. Color B Cole I am spending a lot on streaming services, so I need to make use of both things. We've got data from a US based survey Fandango, that Gen Z are actually the most frequented cinema goers with 80% saying that they've seen at least one film in cinema in the last 12 months. And we're actually not far behind as millennials, where 82% and Gen X is 70%. I think what we're seeing a lot is this like, craving of the third space. Something that's not in your house. You know, you're not on your couch watching Netflix, you're not in bed watching Netflix. Something that feels, even if you're going by yourself or you know, having a conversation with people afterwards, something that feels like community based.
- [30:41]
A
Yeah. And the irony is you are sitting there. Yeah. In silence. Like, it's a funny juxtaposition.
- [30:46]
B
So funny.
- [30:47]
A
But I agree with you. I think there's two parts, particularly for Gen Z. I don't know that they really remember a time where they went to a cinema as a child, whereas as a millennial, I very much remember going to the cinema and doing so until I was about.
- [30:59]
B
Yeah.
- [30:59]
A
Probably 16, 17. And then it was like, then I had a DVD and then it was like, you know, Foxtel, if you were lucky enough. My parents hadn't let me have that for about three months and then that was absolutely off the table because I became obsessed. Side note, but I think, you know, it was DVDs or it was then streaming platforms as they slowly became introduced. Whereas this generation has kind of grown up.
- [31:22]
B
Yeah.
- [31:22]
A
In this world. So this cinema is like probably a very welcome digital detox.
- [31:27]
B
Yeah.
- [31:28]
A
And a moment to actually be still and present.
- [31:30]
B
Yeah. Also, you know, we've had all these studies where like Gen Z are going out less, they're drinking less. So it's like this is where they can go.
- [31:41]
A
Totally. And our senior podcast producer, Kate made such a great point when we were first chatting about this story that, you know, even if they aren't drinking, say going out for dinner or if they are drinking, going to a club or a bar, even though the movies, I mean, I Still gawk at the prices. Yeah, I remember, like, Tight Ass Tuesday being like an $8 movie ticket.
- [31:58]
B
Yeah.
- [31:58]
A
Last time I went to the movies, I literally choked on how much my ticket Coke Zero on popcorn was. I was like, whoa, that's like three Cosmos.
- [32:06]
B
Yeah.
- [32:06]
A
But it is this kind of like, it is cheaper than going for dinner or going out for a night out. And you get this great sense of community. You've got something to connect and talk about afterwards. And then, as we've seen through all of these films, a world that you can exist in after which is, you know, creators talking about it, your friends talking about it, fan edits, you name it.
- [32:29]
B
Well, it's like I remember with the drama, for example, everyone in the office kind of like, came in and, like, someone would be like, I watched it. And everyone would be like, do not tell me. So it's like, then I think even more people wanted to. And then they made little groups where they would talk about it. And some people weren't allowed to talk about it. And it's this, like, building of the world. I then saw, you know, on TikTok, I was watching TikToks of people being like, why, this character is the worst character ever. This is the person they put as a villain, but this is who is the worst. And then from another end, it's like, we've got Letterbox where people can go in and put in their reviews. So it's like you've got this community ready for you that you can engage with. And for like a generation and like, even myself, it's like, where you're finding it harder and harder to communicate with people. It's finding. Finding people of interest and putting them together.
- [33:23]
A
Okay. And Naima, despite the fact we're both the same age and in the same generation, you probably do feel a little more Gen Z than me. Because when you were like, letterboxd, I was like, do I, like, have mail? Like, did you send me something? You were like, no, no, no. So for those who may be falling more in my camp, what is letterboxd?
- [33:41]
B
So letterboxd is a platform, an app that you download on your phone where you can review movies. It's so MySpace Top Friends. But you can put your top four movies at the top. So, like, of your profile, you see your profile and it's got your top four movies, which they have done an incredible job of making inter social. So they have a series where they ask actors on red carpets, what's your letterboxd top four? And it's just, since Then I think they started maybe two years ago and like that series and it's just blown up. Even their users. I think in 2020 they had 1.8 million. They've got over 26 million people now.
- [34:23]
A
That's insane.
- [34:24]
B
And I genuinely think so. When you go into the app, there's like trending this week. So movies people are watching.
- [34:30]
A
I love that.
- [34:31]
B
I think that's where you want your movie to be.
- [34:34]
A
Yeah. I would suspect that that is on the vision board or strategy of every single production house right now.
- [34:41]
B
Because when I think of what movie I watch, I go on little box.
- [34:43]
A
Interesting. I'm usually looking at the rotten tomato percentage when I'm googling the film, but I'm going to start doing this.
- [34:49]
B
Well, it's also quite a social platform because everyone, I think everyone's aim is to write a funny review because you can like people's reviews. So it becomes like this funny thing where after you watch a movie, you can come out of the cinema and then read all the funny reviews about it.
- [35:03]
A
Yeah. And also it's a bit of social currency, I imagine, if you're getting like, oh my God, Pat on the back from Strangers on the Internet.
- [35:09]
B
It's my dream to have a viral letterbox.
- [35:11]
A
Have you had one yet?
- [35:12]
B
I'm too scared. I'm too scared. Left a review. No, because I don't. I think I'm not ready yet.
- [35:18]
A
Okay. Maybe a few practice runs. Maybe your end. I keep saying that the financial year is an opportunity to have a New Year's resolution reset or like, goals. Maybe yours is to leave a little box to review.
- [35:28]
B
Singular letterbox.
- [35:29]
A
Just one.
- [35:29]
B
It'll be on backrooms or Obsession.
- [35:32]
A
Fantastic. Of which you will be watching under the covers because you are petrified like me. Okay, Naima, before we wrap up, what do you think's next for the world of film?
- [35:43]
B
I've got two things, I think. One, I'd love YouTubers to start making more comedies or rom coms so me and you can go see movies as well. I'd love a bit of that. I think I actually saw a TikTok about this from Cinema Joe and it's like really sparked my imagination on this. You know, we're missing out on the movie editing community. They are really doing the hard yards. They are getting the footage. They're putting them in these nice little edits. They're 100% better than the actual trailers.
- [36:11]
A
The cap cut kids know what's up.
- [36:12]
B
Well, they don't have to have usage for the music. Yeah. So they can use whatever they want. I actually think that people should be hiring them. I actually, we saw this happen with. I don't know if you saw this, but a creator. Oh, Bucky, who was creating these heated rivalry edits and they were going viral and like pushing a lot of people to go watch this show. And she worked in finance and she actually got hired like cold called hired by HBO as an associate producer.
- [36:38]
A
Unbelievable.
- [36:39]
B
Yeah.
- [36:40]
A
That is why shame is the price you pay for success.
- [36:44]
B
Yeah, literally. And it's actually like such an easy way to do it because it's like you don't have to put your face to it.
- [36:48]
A
Yeah. The best kind of social like interaction. And Naima, while I love this chat, that is all we have time for this week's Friday episode of Stylish. We will be back with you next Wednesday. If you have any recommendations or anything you would like like us to talk about. We love hearing from you. Please feel free to email us at style-ishameless media.com or you can slide into our social teams dms over at Stylish to keep chatting there. We love hearing from you, as I said. Also, if you like interacting with all things Stylish, you should definitely sign up to our weekly newsletter. We drop it every Wednesday alongside our Wednesday episode of the pod. It's a big day for Stylish Wednesday. We share our best fashion, beauty and lifestyle recs and tips over there, as well as interviews with lots of amazing people that we admire and interact with on our feeds.
- [37:40]
B
Highly recommend even. I've obviously got an investment in this,
- [37:43]
A
but it's so good you can sign up. The link is in our show notes if you need it. Big thank you to our show's production team, head of podcast Lucy Hun, and our senior podcast producer, Kate Emma Burke. Naima, thanks for joining me today.
- [37:56]
B
Thanks for having me. And thanks for letting me yap on about a passion of mine.
- [38:00]
A
Oh, I love that you got your passion point. Now I can't wait to know what the next subliminal messaging Lucy's gonna get it.
- [38:05]
B
Yeah.
- [38:05]
A
We'll be right back next Wednesday. Bye.
- [38:10]
B
This podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri land. Always was, always will be aboriginal land.
- [38:16]
A
If you're anything like me, beauty shopping can quickly become a rabbit hole. That's why we love heading to Maya for all our beauty essentials. They have so many of my favorite brands all in one place. Whether we're topping up everyday staples, trying a new fragrance, or treating ourselves to a makeup refresh from cult favorites like Fenty Beauty and Estee Lauder to iconic fragrances from YSL and Giorgio Armani. Maya makes it easy to discover products you'll actually use and love. You can shop online or in store, and if you're a Maya1 member, you'll unlock even more benefits along the way. Visit Maya online or in store to explore the range.