Magic Bullet Model: The Film industry!

The film industry was once ruled by the “Magic Bullet Model” as there were no modern means of entertainment at the beginning of the era. All the movies that were released got public attention and attendance.

When time goes by slowly audience became choosy. Still today Magic Bullet Model is relevant for big films. They get easy attention due to periodical promotions. Well-made movies with new star casts or low-budget movies need the “Two Step Model” to reach the audience. They need influencers, reviewers, and celebrity’s support to get the public attention. Word of mouth is also a peer opinion on us and comes under the Two-Step model.

Audiences who like the Art House, Slow burning movies become “Spiral of Silence” based on the reception of the film. If these movies gain momentum they will be on the top of the spiral. Else, they speak low with the commercial audience. Uses and Gratification are exactly opposite to the Magic Bullet model. In the last 10 years, the film industry suffered because of pirated videos and sites. But now, it is facing stiff competition from the OTT Channels. So, the audience nowadays has a lot of choices to watch the medium to watch the movies. Even movies with big stars and huge commercial value fail at the box office. The audience shifts their focus from one model to the other based on the situation and quality of the movie.

This image shows that the audience swiftly jumps between each zone. They don’t care about spending time and money on their favorite stars/filmmakers. When it comes to fun watches, they only make sure that the day was spent well. They don’t care about the takeaways of the film.

Article by

Sai Vijendhiran

VisCom Professor