FLOP CULTURE

In 2011, Martin Scorsese made a children’s film. But could his emotional cinephile fable overcome the challenges of Miss Piggy and shooting in 3D?

Why it was a good idea (on paper)

Scorsese wanted to reconnect with his formative childlike innocence for his first kids’ movie. The combined appeal of a master making 3D magic, a script by Oscarnominated John Logan (The Aviator) and an innovative source book (by Brian Selznick), had us clocking on fast to watch the result.

What went wrong?

In a year of franchise heavyweights – Twilight, Harry Potter, Transformers, Pirates – an orphan named Hugo (say, who?) was always going to struggle. Even so, the costs of shooting in 3D set a higher box-office bar for Hugo to leap than anticipated. As GK Films producer Graham King said, “No one really realised how complicated doing a 3D film was going to be.” Or expensive, given the budget hikes. Weak marketing also muffled Hugo’s hopes. The first trailer lacked a strong hook, beyond Sacha Baron Cohen scaring kids, and a lack of marquee names upfront also proved damaging. While The Muppets – released concurrently in the US – promised songs and nostalgia, Hugo’s poster promised adventure and a kid hanging from a clock. What was this, a pint-sized Back To The Future? Either way, when word-of-mouth said Hugo was not an adventure but a wistful valentine to early cinema, Kermit won the opening weekend.

Redeeming feature

Between Scorsese’s lush direction, Asa Butterfield’s winning turn, Howard Shore’s Francophile score, the immersive tug of 3D and more, Hugo is a winner. Marty’s movie love illuminates every second.

What happened next?

GK Films lost an estimated $80m on Hugo, splintering Scorsese’s relationship with King and stalling (temporarily) the director’s proposed Silence. Though Scorsese later banked healthy returns for The Wolf Of Wall Street, neither Hugo or Silence helped his subsequent struggles with studio projects. Still, 11 Oscar noms and five wins reiterated Hugo’s quality.

Should it be remade?

No need: Hugo is a treasure among flops. And that’s no wind-up.