Why ‘Snowden’ Is Being Sold as a Thriller, Not an ‘Issue Movie’
”It’s about this guy who did this extraordinary thing that changed his life and the world. It sounds like a fictional story,“ Open Road marketing chief Jonathan Helfgot tells TheWrap
The official blurb for Open Road Films’ “Snowden,” which hits theaters Friday, says the title character is considered a “hero by some, and a traitor by others.” But there are probably a lot more Americans who don’t know enough about the guy or what he did to have an opinion. And they, not Snowden fans or haters, are the real key to the film’s success.
Director Oliver Stone leaves little mystery as to his sympathies, portraying Edward Snowden broadly as a hero, an opinion shared by millions who feel the former National Security Agency contractor’s leaked information cast much needed sunlight on the surveillance state. But Jonathan Helfgot, Open Road’s director of marketing, told TheWrap that the average moviegoer the studio is targeting probably isn’t as plugged in.
“Most people do not know who he is,” he told TheWrap. “If they recognize the name, they have a vague understanding. A lot of people think he has something to do with Wikileaks. Actual awareness is very low kind of across the board, maybe outside the world of media and politics.”
But because the film stood on its own as a quality thriller independent of the protagonist’s name recognition — or lack thereof — the studio became more attracted to the project, Helfgot said.
“When we first saw the movie, it was so not a dramatization of the documentary,” he said, referring to Laura Poitras’ 2014 Snowden doc “Citizenfour.” “I think it’s really a thriller first and foremost with two big movie stars, Joe (Gordon-Levitt) and Shailene (Woodley), who have incredible fanbases. It’s about this guy — pretty much a regular guy — who did this extraordinary thing that changed his life and the world. It sounds like a fictional story.”
And that’s how Open Road plans on marketing the film to people who are more interested in being entertained for a couple hours at the movies than debating the nuances of government surveillance policy, Helfgot said.
“The strategy is to sell it as a thriller to mainstream audiences,” he said. “So-called ‘issue movies’ aren’t a recipe for box office success.”
“Citizenfour,” which covered Snowden’s initial meetings and disclosures to journalists, snagged an Oscar for best documentary but made just $3 million worldwide, which shows both the power and limits of Snowden’s core fanbase, as devoted as it is. “Snowden” needs to appeal to people who know nothing about the NSA to make the numbers work on its estimated $50 million budget.
“I don’t know if [that core fanbase] could fill a theater,” Helfgot said.
A quality thriller certainly has that power, though. Universal’s “Jason Bourne” is closing in on $400 million globally, and “Snowden” has star quality in its cast, with Gordon-Levitt, Woodley, Zachary Quinto, Melissa Leo, Scott Eastwood and Timothy Olyphant, and a director in Stone with a deep catalogue of compelling cinema.
And while Helfgot acknowledges the movie might play better in certain areas where Snowden has been a topic of heightened interest, he’s wary of suggesting that it’s the nation’s so-called “flyover” areas that haven’t heard of him. The film is going wide for a reason.
“It’s less about big city versus middle of the country and more psychographic,” he said. “There are many people in New York who have no idea who he is who want to see a cool movie, just as there are people in small towns engaged in vigorous debates over the NSA.”
Stone has a clear pro-Snowden agenda in the film, which could theoretically turn off moviegoers who view the former NSA employee as a traitor, or at least someone less than noble. However, Helfgot said those concerns are more “inside baseball,” and the average moviegoer doesn’t really put too much stock in Stone’s views, given his extensive catalog of critically acclaimed and commercially successful films like “Platoon” and “Wall Street.”
“Most people don’t think of him as a controversial lightning rod, they think of him as someone who has directed all these great movies,” Helfgot said.
And while Snowden may be an A-lister in the media and political worlds, those spheres are far removed from the mainstream audience that can make or break a wide release. The fate of Snowden the man could be up to the president of the United States, but the fate of “Snowden” the film rests on people who just want to be entertained.
The Evolution of Joseph Gordon-Levitt: From Child Actor to 'Snowden' Star (Photos)
1991: Joseph Gordon-Levitt booked a number of roles as a child actor, including guest spots on "Family Ties" and "Murder She Wrote," but his first starring role was on ABC's revival of '60s gothic soap opera, "Dark Shadows." The show, on which JGL played David Collins, only lasted one season.
1994: In "Angels in the Outfield," JGL played an adorable foster child who prayed to God that the California Angels win the pennant so he can have a family again. God answered by sending a pack of angels, led by Christopher Lloyd, to help out the struggling ball club.
1996: JGL began an unforgettable turn as the oldest of four alien visitors scouting out planet Earth disguised as humans (although oldest, JGL's character was disguised as a teenager) in the hit NBC sitcom, "3rd Rock From the Sun." The show lasted six seasons, and ended its run in 2001.
1999: JGL starred opposite Heath Ledger in the Shakespeare-inspired teen comedy "10 Things I Hate About You."
2001: JGL began shedding his squeaky clean sitcom star image by playing a violent and emotionally unstable juvenile delinquent in "Manic," an independent drama co-starring Don Cheadle and his future onscreen love interest, Zooey Deschanel.
2004: JGL continued to receive indie acclaim by playing a reckless male prostitute who was molested by his Little League baseball coach in "Mysterious Skin."
2005: JGL left a lasting impression on viewers as a young, hard-boiled detective in writer-director Rian Johnson's high school noir "Brick."
2007: JGL continued maturing in front of our eyes in another modern noir, "The Lookout," in which he played a forgetful bank janitor with a brain injury who gets lured into aiding and abetting a group of bank robbers.
2008: JGL brought emotional intensity to Kimberly Peirce's "Stop-Loss" as a suicidal Iraq war veteran dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.
2009: JGL starred in yet another indie, which allowed the rising actor to demonstrate his romantic lead chops. In director Marc Webb's breakout comedy "(500) Days of Summer," JGL played a Los Angeles 20-something who fell in love with a woman (Zooey Deschanel) who doesn't believe in love. He earned a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical.
2009: JGL went mainstream by playing Cobra Commander opposite Channing Tatum as Duke in Paramount's "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra." The $175 million action movie made enough money to warrant a sequel, but JGL did not return to reprise the role.
2010: JGL went punk rock for the indie drama "Hesher," which co-star Natalie Portman helped produce.
2010: JGL officially became a movie star after taking on the dapper role of Leonardo DiCaprio's best-dressed partner in Christopher Nolan's sci-fi action blockbuster "Inception."
2011: JGL stepped back into comedy by playing a cancer patient alongside Seth Rogen in the dramedy "50/50." The performance earned the actor his second Golden Globe nomination and cemented his ability to play a broad range of roles.
2012: JGL took his career to the next level by helping Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne take on Bane in "Dark Knight Rises," director Christopher Nolan's conclusion to his blockbuster Batman trilogy.
2012: JGL reunited with "Brick" director Rian Johnson to play a younger version of Bruce Willis in the time-travel action thriller "Looper."
2013: JGL added writer and director to his résumé with the release of "Don Jon," a drama about a Jersey boy who must choose between his love of pornography and the love of his life (Scarlett Johansson). The rom-com premiered to rave reviews at the Sundance.
2014: In "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For," JGL played a cocky young gambler who runs afoul of a powerful senator (Powers Booth) who turns out to be his dad.
2014: JGL won an Emmy for "HitRECord on TV," a Pivot anthology series adapted from his online venture for short vilms and video projects.
2015: In Robert Zemeckis' "The Walk," JGL played real-life daredevil Philippe Petit, who crossed between the Twin Towers of NYC's World Trade Center n 1974 on a tightrope.
2016: JGL took on another fact-based role in Oliver Stone's "Snowden," about the notorious whistleblower who leaked classified National Security Agency documents and then fled the U.S.
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JGL has had a spectacular rise to the top of his craft, and doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon