The Movie "love Jones" And Black Love Films

[FemmeFatale]

So a friend and I were discussing the movie Love Jones and how it's such a classic love story that truly depicts how dating and relationships can be..we also discussed how refreshing Nina's character was, a black woman who didn't fall into the typical stereotypes (loud, over sexualized, attitudes,etc) that are depicted in many black films today. What in the world happened??

 

[MissMasala5]

The wrong films getting the green light due to forces we have discussed ad nauseum on this board.

 

[CrissieD]

Tyler Perry happened


Sent from my PC36100

 

[naturalmanenyc]

Love Jones is one of my favorite movies. DH bought it for me on DVD back when we were dating (I had it on VHS).

What happened? I wonder this too. Like, how did Kreayshawn get a record deal?

 

[snillohsss]

I don't know...but I miss that era.

 

[JayAnn0513]

What happened? That's easy...

Love Jones
Theatrical Performance
Total US Gross $12,554,569



Diary of a Mad Black Woman
Theatrical Performance
Total US Gross $50,406,346
International Gross $19,104
Worldwide Gross $50,425,450



Madea's Family Reunion
Theatrical Performance
Total US Gross $63,257,940
International Gross $50,939
Worldwide Gross $63,308,879

Jumping the Broom
Theatrical Performance
Total US Gross $37,295,394
International Gross $280,574
Worldwide Gross $37,575,968

 

[weaveadiva]

What happened? I wonder this too. Like, how did Kreayshawn get a record deal?

how did kreashawn get in this?

 

[Theo]

how did kreashawn get in this?

These are the great questions of the LHCF....

Why aren't black women getting married?

What constitutes a "rich" salary?

How do you snag an UE man?

How did Kreayshawn get a record deal?

 

[FemmeFatale]

Tyler Perry happened


Sent from my PC36100

I LOL at this.

 

[*SkolarStar*]

These are the great questions of the LHCF....

Why aren't black women getting married?

What constitutes a "rich" salary?

How do you snag an UE man?

How did Kreayshawn get a record deal?

My favorite movie is Brown Sugar because it's about love and hip-hop but not vh1's love and hip-hop (that's just garbage). Overall I like real romantic black films. The mess that is being put out for this generation is horrible.

 

[Southernbella.]

I really liked Jumping the Broom.

Anyway, I agree about Love Jones. I think the 90s were a golden age for black movies, tv, and music. I guess like any other freat era, the time passed and now we're stuck waiting for the next one.

 

[EbonyEyes]

What happened? That's easy...

Love Jones
Theatrical Performance
Total US Gross $12,554,569



Diary of a Mad Black Woman
Theatrical Performance
Total US Gross $50,406,346
International Gross $19,104
Worldwide Gross $50,425,450



Madea's Family Reunion
Theatrical Performance
Total US Gross $63,257,940
International Gross $50,939
Worldwide Gross $63,308,879

Jumping the Broom
Theatrical Performance
Total US Gross $37,295,394
International Gross $280,574
Worldwide Gross $37,575,968

Well!

Off topic - Did you notice the huge disparity between the US Gross Receipts and the International Gross Receipts? Hardly anybody watches these types films outside of the U.S.

Compare this to "Titanic", "Harry Potter", and "Interview with the Vampire".

And we can't say that films with a black main characters don't make money outside the U.S. Maybe it's the well-known black actors (Your Martin Lawrences and your Will Smiths) that are bringing in the audience internationally? Or was it better marketing?

"Bad Boys" with Martin Lawrence and Will Smith
Domestic: $65,807,024
Foreign: $75,600,000
Worldwide: $141,407,024

"Ray" with Jamie Foxx
Domestic: $75,331,600
Foreign: $49,399,934
Worldwide: $124,731,534

"Boomerang" with Eddie Murphy, Halle Berry, and Robin Givens
Domestic: $70,052,444
Foreign: $61,000,000
Worldwide: $131,052,444

"Big Momma's House" with Martin Lawrence and Nia Long
Domestic: $117,559,438
Foreign: $56,400,000
Worldwide: $173,959,438
(I had no idea this film did as well as it did)

 

[EbonyEyes]

I really liked Jumping the Broom.

Anyway, I agree about Love Jones. I think the 90s were a golden age for black movies, tv, and music. I guess like any other freat era, the time passed and now we're stuck waiting for the next one.

I think you're right. My parents were watching "Living Single" the other day and I asked them, "Do you remember that there was actually a time when we had successful black TV shows that stayed on the air for years?"

 

[My Friend]

It's not Tylers fault Its what people want It shows in ten total gross of each film.

 

[barbiesocialite]

when it comes to movies like this I usually see most people as naturally being biased. As far as movies and music goes, it goes without saying that many people are nostalgic with unwavering affinity for the entertainment of their youth (more specifically, highschool and college years). When in actuality, sometimes (more often than not IMO) a lot of those old movies people reminisce so fondly over werent really these iconic love stories, storylines were just as cliched & stereotypical of the times as modern movies and/or simply weren't really as good as they thought they were originally.

Personally, I have a thing for movies of the late nineties, but mostly early 2000's as being my fave era for black movies... The Best Man, Love & Basketball, The Wood, Deliver Us From Eva and Two Can Play That Game will probably be at the top of my fave list for the rest of my life....

 

[ellebelle88]

It's not Tylers fault Its what people want It shows in ten total gross of each film.

Correction -- It's what these big media companies THINK we want because we support Tyler Perry to death. They all think we want to see buffoons act like coons on TV and laugh at caricatures of ourselves. No, we want romantic movies which show us in real, loving relationships. I wish people would let Tyler Perry die. I am so sick of him. Even Spike Lee delivered conscious, thought-provoking movies. If another movie came out like Love Jones, I guaranteed it would do just as well at the box office.

I would love to go back to those days when movies were soulful and we saw Black couples in relationships and the movie wasn't trying to get a laugh out of us. i.e. Jumping The Broom, Why Did I Get Married, etc. etc.

 

[Dellas]

It's not Tylers fault Its what people want It shows in ten total gross of each film.

I think people want profit.
For profit to happen it must have mass appeal.
To have mass appeal you have to sell to white.
Whites don't want to see a black love story, so it has to have a white main character (black side kick, black adviser, black guy teach you to dance, black guy in a dress, .....we have not went to black faced yet....stereotypes that does not appear to be stereotype that make people laugh ....they don't know why they are laughing....

Something that blacks will laugh at themselves....black laugh at the low class/poverty class, the overweight, ....

Whites laugh because other blacks are laughing and because they may feel it is true.

I am sad that it is doing well overseas.

 

[koko22]

Let us not forget the Love Jones Soundtrack was also off the hook.

 

[londontresses]

Let us not forget the Love Jones Soundtrack was also off the hook.

I was having this conversation the other day! What happened to movie soundtracks? Do they even still do them?