Can Pre-Release Information Predict Movie Cult Status
Started out as a classification problem, but want to treat it as a Linear Regression problem.
- Step 1: Create a "Cult Index" that's calculated from post-release information,
++ Movie's Cult score is rewarded for high lifetime gross revenue, and penalized for high opening weekend and for high number of theaters released in. (still figuring out an ideal index).
++ To-do! Remove outliers
++ To-do! Adjust lifetime revenue for inflation!! (haven't done this yet)
++ To-do! Id more cult movies! Online lists are very subjective and insufficient.
A Note on the Subjective Nature of Cult Status
As you may guess, there is a lot of debate around what passes for a cult movie. Per the literature, there are two broad categories that these can be split in:
Inclusive definitions allow for major studio productions, especially box office bombs, while exclusive definitions focus more on obscure, transgressive films shunned by the mainstream. The difficulty in defining the term and subjectivity of what qualifies as a cult film mirrorclassificatory disputes about art.