Why teens are obsessed with the so-so YA drama ‘After’
The teens have chosen.
The 21st annual Teen Choice Awards were held last week, and in the past the ceremony honoring the favorite things of 13- to 18-year-olds has been mocked — or dismissed — by the culturati. Alongside normal accolades, it has categories like “Best Ship,” and they’re not talking about the Carnival Splendor.
But these days, when it comes to teens, attention must be paid. The top end of the age group is on track to become the largest generation of consumers by 2020. And younger teens are surely not far behind. Entertainment is more and more being geared toward the Teen Choice.
Look at their 2019 picks. Choice Action Movie? “Avengers: Endgame,” the highest-grossing movie of all time. Choice Comedy Movie? “Crazy Rich Asians,” the most successful rom-com in years. Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie Actor? Will Smith, about as appealing an actor to multiple generations as you’ll find. So far, so good.
But then came the winner that’s boggled my mind all week — Best Drama Movie: “After.”
What? The little-known title beat out several relative sensations: Netflix’s “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Hate U Give” and “Five Feet Apart.” All of those had either bigger box office, more press or better reviews than “After,” which made just $12 million in the US and scored a measly 18 percent on RottenTomatoes. Virtually no major critic reviewed it.
Adding to the craziness, the stars of “After,” Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Josephine Langford, also won best actor and best actress. Who?!
I ran out onto the street and asked several people what the year is and if Donald Trump is president. “2019” and “yes,” they said. Still confused, I then found the actors’ Instagram accounts. Aha! Fiennes-Tiffin, 21, the nephew of Joseph and Ralph Fiennes and boasting few screen credits, has 2.9 million followers. And 21-year-old Langford, the sister of Katherine Langford (“13 Reasons Why”), has 1.6 million. Their promising skills need work, but their huge followings already get work. Fiennes-Tiffin is just 100K followers away from toppling last year’s Oscar winner Rami Malek, and best actress victor Olivia Colman doesn’t even use social media.
Wait and see: Social media fan bases are not only the future of fame — we know that already — they’re the future of moviemaking, too.
“Are moviegoers or TV watchers laying down bucks or tuning in to see their favorite social media stars onscreen? I haven’t seen it proven to monetize itself — yet,” casting director Susan Shopmaker told Backstage. “Movie stars are still the draw.”
Shopmaker said that in March. But “After,” a so-so, steamy college romance drama, could mark a major shift. First, they chose material with a proven track record with young people. Millions of teens devoured Anna Todd’s book that the film is based on, which hilariously began as Harry Styles fan-fiction. Then, when it was released in April, the movie made $65 million worldwide on a $14 million budget. Not a windfall, but a nice buck for a very easy movie to make with no giant star salaries. Leonardo DiCaprio, by comparison, was reportedly paid $15 million to appear in “Once Upon A Time In … Hollywood.”
Speaking of Leo, audiences just don’t care about major screen stars the way they used to, unless they’re appearing in a Disney or Marvel film. The Hollywood Reporter even explored the phenomenon in a story called “How Leonardo DiCaprio became Hollywood’s Last Movie Star.” A more budget-conscious model could be exploiting the fanbases of self-made, online talent instead of pricey, unreliable names.
Will the move to more social media mavens onscreen happen Insta-taneously or in a Snap? No, but prepare to say “WTF is this?” a lot more at the movies.