Matt's Blog

If you’re not familiar, Veronica Mars was a television series that started out back in 2004.  The show was headlined by Kristen Bell and ran for 3 years with a total of 64 episodes.

Given that it screened on a relatively small network (UPN), it was never going to be a ratings bonanza.  It pulled in roughly 2.5 million viewers in each of its 3 seasons.  To put that into perspective, a show like American Idol had roughly 10 times as many viewers during the same period.

Anyway, the plug was pulled in 2007 and that was that.  Fans could always watch repeats in syndication or buy the DVDs for their own collection.

Last week, Veronica Mars made a sudden reappearance on Kickstarter – a website that allows people to pitch ideas and try to attract funding from the general public.  There are obvious pros & cons but it’s a funding medium that’s growing in popularity.

Rob Thomas, the creator of the Veronica Mars, posted a request on Kickstarter for donations towards a movie version of the show.  He knew there was still a loyal fan base and he thought that if 80,000 people could donate $25 each, that’d give them $2 million to get it off the ground.  Permission would still be required from Warner Bros. (since they own the rights) but that kind of money could be very persuasive.

A few perks have also been offered through Kickstarter depending on the size of the donation.  If you donate $25, you’ll get a Veronica Mars t-shirt.  If you donate $50, you’ll get a copy of the DVD.  But wait, there’s more…

If you donate $500, Kirsten Bell will record an outgoing voicemail message for you.  If you donate $1,000, you get tickets to the premiere and after party in Los Angeles.  If you donate $2,500, you can be an extra in one of the scenes.  If you donate $6,500, you get to name a character in the movie.  The top shelf donation was $10,000 and that gets you a speaking role in the movie!

It’s already become one of the most successful Kickstarters of all time.  As of this afternoon, over 55,000 people have donated a combined total of $3.6 million – almost double the target.  It’s open for another 4 weeks and so there’s potential for a lot more money too.

It now seems assured that the film will be shot later this year and released in 2014.  All the funds have gone into an account created by Warner Bros. which can be used on the film.

This begs the inevitable question – is this the future of cinema?  Are we now living in a world where the public has the power to decide what films end up on the big screen?  Someone said it best on Twitter – I’d rather pay $40 to see a movie I want to see rather than $15 to see a movie I don’t want to see.

The studios must be loving the idea.  For starters, it reduces their capital outlay.  They’ve already got $3.6 million sitting in the bank earning interest (well perhaps not given current interest rates in United States).  Secondly, they get to keep any profit.  If Veronica Mars pulls in $100m in box-office revenue and DVD sales, that’ll all be going back to Warner Bros.

How many more Kickstarters will we see in the near future?  Will this be a quick fad that will die away once a big movie goes pear-shaped (i.e. never gets off the ground and people lose their cash)?  Or will the public embrace the concept and be prepared to donate $25 to help ensure another TV show turned movie gets off the ground?  I don’t have the answers but I’ll be watching this space.