by Jackie Lapin
There’s a new movement taking root in Hollywood, and most movie producers don’t even know it exists. For decades boomers have been ignored by the film industry, but now that they represent the largest demographic in the country, their time has finally come.
“It’s hard to believe that 45% of the population would be ignored at the box office,” says James Twyman, president of The Senior Cinema Circle, the only organization completely dedicated to producing inspiring films for Baby Boomers, and leading an effort to revolutionize the film industry to provide more boomer friendly fare. “Today most films are made for people under 25, with the focus on comic book characters and super heroes. No one seems interested in story-driven films with protagonists over the age of sixty. The reason is simple – the executives who are making decisions don’t believe boomers go to the movies in numbers big enough to consider.”
Even if it was once true, the numbers are shifting faster than anyone expected. Last year, 7.9 million adults age 50+ saw a film at least once a month, up significantly from 6.2 million the previous year. Baby Boomers also are more accustomed to going to the theater to see movies, as opposed to the younger generation that often considers the cinema as an alternative to Internet streaming and mobile devices.
“Boomers were raised with classic films and actors like Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn,” notes Twyman. “They’re not as easily fooled by the latest Hollywood trends. They also would rather see a movie in a theater. The problem isn’t that boomers aren’t interested in seeing films. It’s just that there aren’t enough movies they relate to anymore.”
A movie producer himself, Twyman realized the extent of the issue when he was speaking to a distribution consultant about his newest movie Redwood Highway, due out on National Grandparents’ Day, Sept 8. The film was produced specifically for the boomer audience, but the consultant tried to talk him out of the idea, saying that no company would distribute the film since seniors could not be counted on to attend. It was a discussion Twyman said he would never forget.
“He actually came right out and said it. I couldn’t believe my ears,” says Twyman. “He did everything he could to convince me to go in a different direction because the boomer audience was unreliable. That was when I realized that the issue needed by be addressed once and for all.”
A few months later, he organized a movement called “A Million Senior Voices,“ a petition and survey that will be presented to nearly every movie producer and studio in Hollywood. It represents only the tip of the iceberg, he said, but it might be enough to convince producers to take another look at the Baby Boomer generation.
“When we reach one million names we’ll use the information to show producers how committed seniors are to seeing films they can relate to,” Twyman continued. “Instead of seeing one or two movies come out every year with a strong boomer lead, there should be fifteen or twenty. Most executives in Hollywood are accountants and lawyers, not serious film students. They’re driven by the bottom line, and that’s why we need to show concrete evidence that making boomer films is economically smart.”
Twyman is also determined to show that senior-oriented films can also be multi-generational. Consider the 1985 classic Cocoon, which was embraced by people of every age group.
“People loved Cocoon because it was a great movie,” he says, “even though it was about seniors from a retirement home who meet a group of aliens. It’s the magic that draws people in, not the special effects. The senior audience has the possibility of leading Hollywood back to the glory days of film when a great story was the anchor, not car chases. There’s nothing wrong with car chases and special effects, but when they’re used as substitutes for plot and story, we lose touch with why we go to movies in the first place.”
Twyman believes that the results of the survey and petition, which can be accessed at www.seniorcinema.com, are guaranteed. He believes that he will reach the goal, and that Hollywood will be forced to pay attention.
“I feel so committed to this,” he said. “I’m a bit younger than most people in this generation, but when I turned 50 last year I received an AARP card in the mail. It surprised me, but it also made me feel as if I was part of something bigger. If we can achieve one million names on the petition, we’ll prove that people like the consultant I spoke to are wrong. The senior audience is vibrant and committed to great films. We just need to give them great films to go see.”