How the SAG-AFTRA strikes are affecting Hollywood box office grosses

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The Hollywood strikes have been ongoing for quite a while now, with SAG-AFTRA marking 38 days and the WGA hitting a whopping 111 days of protest. During this time, the actors and writers haven't been stepping into the limelight to promote their projects that have hit the screens. It's all part of their strategy to fight for their demands, but what the studios are just realizing is that this absence of talent-led promotion is packing quite a punch, perhaps even more than anticipated.

Insiders who spilled the beans to The Hollywood Reporter shed light on a significant impact: recently released films are noticeably feeling the pinch of this lack of star-powered promotion. This vacuum in public engagement is predicted to potentially slash box office earnings by 15%. An apt example is the late July premiere of Paramount's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The cast boasts big names like Ayo Edebiri, Seth Rogen, and Jackie Chan, alongside the four promising young leads: Micah Abbey, Nicolas Cantu, Shamon Brown Jr., and Brady Noon. However, thanks to the ongoing strikes, only director Jeff Rowe could grace the premiere event. One insider mused about the scenario that could have been, envisioning the star-studded group photo on the vibrant red carpet.

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The real crux of the matter is that the stars' absence from the promotional spotlight is potentially costing Mutant Mayhem a significant chunk of money- $7 to $10 million in potential domestic box office earnings. While social media presence and advertisements do play their part in getting a movie noticed, it's the actual star with their unique fan base that holds the real sway. A marketing insider from an undisclosed studio aptly summed up the consequences of stars being absent from the publicity scene "Not having stars to do publicity for your movies is a huge detriment to the overall campaign," says the exec. "You lose the cultural impact of having talent talk about the film. Some movies wouldn't have worked anyway, but they had more of a shot."

For the unversed, SAG-AFTRA, a labor union representing approximately 160,000 professionals in the entertainment industry, including actors, recording artists, and media personnel, has announced a strike. This decision follows unsuccessful negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents major film studios such as Paramount, Sony, Netflix, Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros.