What Romance Guru Nicholas Sparks Can Learn from Adam Sandler

The Best of Me-James Marsden-Michelle Monaghan
The Best of Me-James Marsden-Michelle Monaghan

James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan in ‘The Best of Me’

It’s been a long, fruitful romance, but has the decade-long love affair between moviegoers and Nicholas Sparks finally worn off? This past weekend, the latest Sparks-adapted weepie, The Best of Me, opened to a sorrowful $10 million. That’s a significant drop from his previous two rom-drams, Safe Haven (2013) and The Lucky One (2012), both of which scored $20 million-debut weekends, and well below his biggest hit, Dear John, which launched to a whopping $30 million in 2010.

Related: Film Review: ‘The Best of Me’

Certainly, there are other factors that may have contributed to the movie’s weak showing, ranging from the marketability of the two leads, James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan (likable though they may be, Marsden and Monaghan are out of Sparks’s typical age bracket, which favors young lovers like Ryan Gosling and Amanda Seyfried), to the release date, which trades Sparks’ typical spring berth for the more somber autumn season. And it’s not as though the author’s books are in immediate danger of being remaindered by Hollywood: two recent bestsellers, The Longest Ride and The Choice are already in production. Nevertheless, those movies will now be watched much more closely to determine whether The Best of Me is just a bump in the road, or the harbinger of a more lasting break-up.

The Best of Me-Director Michael Hoffman-Screenwriter Nicholas Sparks
The Best of Me-Director Michael Hoffman-Screenwriter Nicholas Sparks

'Best of Me' director Michael Hoffman (left) with Sparks at the Oct. 9 screening of the movie in Nashville,Tenn

Sparks is 2014’s latest jilted superstar, following the public rejections of once red-hot favorites like Adam Sandler and Men, Women & Children director Jason Reitman. Sandler, of course, watched as his third team-up with Drew Barrymore, Blended, crashed and burned during its May release. Meanwhile, the Oscar-nominated Reitman began the year with audiences mostly ignoring his earnest stab at melodrama, Labor Day, and is ending it with his even more earnest follow-up, Men, Women & Children, barely being seen at all. (As Box Office Mojo noted, Birdman made more money on four screens this weekend than Men earned on over 600.)

Related: ‘Men, Women & Children’: What the Critics Are Saying

Although their prospects may appear bleak, there is a road back into audiences’ hearts, and it’s one that Sandler himself is traversing now. Earlier this month, news broke that the Happy Madison star had struck a deal with Netflix to produce (and star in)four movies exclusively for the streaming service. Initially, it may have sounded like a demotion akin to going direct-to-video back in the Blockbuster days. But if you look at the way Netflix has upended the status quo of the TV industry, with shows like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black attracting more acclaim and attention than almost anything on terrestrial or cable television, the opportunity exists to spark a similar revolution in the film world, and Sandler could help lead the charge. While the actor has always enjoyed substantial creative control in the studio realm, he has occasionally felt the sting of the instant “Pass/Fail” scale that follows a movie’s opening weekend. (It’s not necessarily an accident, for example, that he rushed out Grown-Ups 2 a year after That’s My Boy flopped.)

Blended-Drew Barrymore-Adam Sandler
Blended-Drew Barrymore-Adam Sandler

'Blended,' the third movie to star Drew Barrymore and Sandler, earned a disappointing $46 million in the U.S.

This Netflix deal, though, essentially sets him up as his own studio, with a guaranteed audience in place for at least his next four movies, and no immediate pressure about box-office performance. And, just as in the classic Hollywood studio system, he can continue to maintain and manage the stable of talent he’s built over the years, keeping longtime friends like Dennis Dugan, Nick Swardson and David Spade (who just nabbed his own streaming deal, signing with Crackle to make Joe Dirt 2) on the payroll and working in front of or behind the camera. Behind that goofy onscreen persona, Sandler has always been a savvy businessman, and Netflix awards him even more control over the business of Adam Sandler, Inc.  

Related: Why I Fell in Love With Adam Sandler — And Why We Had to Break Up

Sparks is another brand name that would carry a lot of weight in the Netflix marketplace or an up-and-comer like Amazon. (Safe Haven is the only Sparks title currently streamable via Netflix, but almost all are available for rent or purchase on Amazon Instant.) Beyond coming equipped with several books that haven’t been made into movies yet, the author can also develop original material across multiple platforms, as he did with the 2010 Miley Cyrus romance The Last Song, which he turned into a book after writing the screenplay. (Bonus points for Amazon—they could bundle the movie and the book together as a combo package.) In interviews, Sparks has spoken openly about making movies geared towards “everyday people” as opposed to critics and tastemakers, and streaming allows him to reach that audience with the mere click of a button, rather than hoping they ignore the withering reviews and venture out to the local multiplex.

Men Women and Children-Travis Tope
Men Women and Children-Travis Tope

Travis Tope in Jason Reitman’s lastest film, ‘Men, Women & Children’ 

Since he lacks a specific go-to genre like Sandler or Sparks, Reitman might not be an obvious filmmaker to align himself with Netflix. But even after the one-two punch of Labor Day and Men, Women & Children, the Up in the Air director still carries the kind of pedigree that could elevate the profile of a streaming service looking to solidify itself in the feature-film realm. Part of the problem with his most recent movies is that he’s arguably been chasing the wrong audience, seeking the approval of Juno’s parents rather than Juno herself. Looking back on his 2007 breakthrough, Juno is like a proto-Tumblr, vibrating with youthful creativity and snark. (That’s also why Men, Women & Children feels so strange; it’s like Reitman is lecturing the kids he used to hang out with.) The fact that digital streaming is becoming the dominant way for younger audiences to consume media puts Reitman in a position to reconnect with that side of himself, well away from the awards-season klieg lights that have made his small films look too big and his big films look too small. His fascination with darker, difficult characters, like Charlize Theron’s alcoholic author in Young Adult or Aaron Eckhart’s cheerfully duplicitous lobbyist in Thank You For Smoking, would also be welcomed and even encouraged in the streaming universe, where Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood is a legitimate pop-culture icon. Sure, Reitman has the rolodex to continue working in the theatrical realm. But a Netflix alliance seems more in line with the filmmaker he is, rather than the filmmaker he feels compelled by expectations to try and be.

So don’t be so quick to declare Sparks, Sandler or Reitman over despite what the box office numbers say. If they embrace the opportunities afforded by today’s ever-shifting media landscape, they may just be getting started.

Photo credits: Getty Images, Associated Press