Movies: Multi-threaded Inspiration

I saw Blind Side last night. Since I had not heard much hype about this movie, I was a bit surprised that the first showing we attempted was sold out and the theatre was packed for the next showing. After seeing the movie, I get it.

Based on the true story of a wealthy family rescuing a talented football player (Michael Oher, now a promising rookie on the Baltimore Ravens) from the Memphis ghetto, this was certainly a “feel-good” movie, but it seemed more than just that to me.

The underdog has universal appeal in our culture, but this movie was also a reminder that being there for our next generation makes all the difference. The “feel-good” message revolves around the wealthy family taking Michael under their wing, but they never would have found him without the initial efforts of a friend’s father from the same rough side of town (“Big Tony”) who talked the private school where he was discovered into accepting Michael for his potential. These two sets of actions changed to world in a huge way for the people directly involved, and they improved the world in at least a noticeable way for the rest of us.

This got me to thinking about the movie industry as a business. How we watch and hear about movies has evolved, but the basic value proposition of movies is still the same: Provide viewers compelling value, and they will pay for that value. Sure, piracy has probably become much worse in recent years, but great movies continue to bring in huge revenue, and the movie business continues to post record results.

And that’s the real take-away for me: Provide high value, and customers will continue to pay.