They Prefer a Show That’s Free, Easy

Howard Stern, the self-proclaimed king of all media, and “The X-Files,” television’s media-christened sovereign of paranoia, have something in common.

Both have discovered faster than you can say “multiplex” just how hard it can be trying to convince people to pay for what they’re accustomed to getting for free.

Despite considerable hype, “The X-Files” movie and Stern’s feature debut “Private Parts,” based on the radio personality’s best-selling book, followed similar patterns: Both films opened well but quickly fell off, resulting in a solid box-office tally but not the blockbuster status that many envisioned.

“Private Parts” topped all movies with $14.6 million its first weekend of release in March 1997 before rapidly petering out. The movie actually finished behind the Tim Allen comedy “Jungle 2 Jungle” on its second day, ultimately amassing a moderate $41 million in domestic box office.

“The X-Files” crowd also came out in droves for the movie’s June 19 opening, but box office dropped sharply the next day and admissions plummeted more than 50% in the second and third weeks. Still, the opening powered the film to more than $30 million in ticket sales its first weekend, and the forecast now is for a U.S. tally between $80 million and $90 million.

Expectations were doubtless heightened by pre-release hoopla based on the built-in, insanely loyal following each franchise possesses. Stern boasts (literally, in his case) more than 17 million listeners for his morning radio show, while “The X-Files” usually attracts in excess of 20 million people for each original episode on Fox.

Yet based on the Motion Picture Assn. of America’s 1997 estimate of $4.60 per average ticket (including discounted matinee and children’s rates), only about 6 million people attended “The X-Files” in its first weekend, compared to 8.8 million who watched that week’s repeat episode on Fox.

Had either “Private Parts” or “The X-Files” been able to woo their constituencies to the theater en masse, grosses exceeding $100 million seemed virtually assured--especially given the expectation that some die-hard fans would see the films multiple times. Stern, a master of self-promotion, frequently predicted his movie would total twice that much.

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The fact that only a portion of Stern and “X-Files” loyalists lined up underscores a significant difference between broadcasting and films.

To attend a movie requires taking action. An adult in Southern California has to dress, possibly find a baby-sitter, leave the house and plunk down $16 for a couple of tickets--plus the cost of parking, popcorn and drinks.

Consuming a TV or radio broadcast, by contrast, is for the most part passive. To hear Stern, one need only be within earshot of a radio. X-Philes (the name adopted by the show’s most ardent followers) have but to locate a TV set, and as any experienced couch potato knows, snacks and clothing are optional.

While many “X-Files” fans loved the movie, one spoke for a certain contingent by griping in an Internet chat room about the indignity of paying for the privilege, calling the feature “nothing but a two-hour TV movie you have to pay for.”

The irony is that the patronage of fans was almost taken for granted, with substantial emphasis placed on convincing people who weren’t regular listeners or viewers that they wouldn’t feel left out. Producers of “The X-Files” insisted the uninitiated didn’t need the equivalent of Cliffs Notes to follow the labyrinthine plot, just as efforts were made to soften Stern’s “shock jock” image.

“They tried to be all things to all people,” said one TV executive regarding “The X-Files” movie--a strategy that a Fox source attributed to the influence of film executives who didn’t trust the TV audience alone to support the movie.

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While it’s understandable studios would want to expand the potential audience pool, converting the TV audience into filmgoers might have been enough. An often overlooked truth, in fact, is that few movies each year are seen in their entire theatrical run by an audience equal to the 30 million people who watch “ER” or “Seinfeld” in a given week.

Even popular movies can reach a wider audience on television, as demonstrated by NBC’s uncut presentation of “Schindler’s List” in February 1997. The broadcast drew more than 33 million people, easily surpassing the 25 million who saw the Oscar-winning film in theaters.

There’s also no assurance that success in one medium will cross over to the other. Tepid results for movies featuring the “Friends” cast, “ER’s” George Clooney, “NYPD Blue” alumnus David Caruso and “The X-Files’ ” David Duchovny (in the little-seen “Playing God”) suggest that audiences have to be given a good reason to go see their favorite TV star at the movies.

Conversely, there’s little evidence that feature-film notoriety brings people to television shows, based on the dubious track record for film stars recruited to headline TV series, with Tom Selleck, Molly Ringwald and Damon Wayans among the recent casualties.

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Even with all the publicity surrounding “The X-Files” movie, there’s no indication thus far that the film has spurred much new interest in the TV show; in fact, Fox’s reruns have experienced a 26% ratings decline this summer. (A mitigating factor could be that “X-Files” reruns aired solely on Fox a year ago but are now seen almost nightly on its sister cable network, FX.)

Although there’s no reason to believe the movie has turned off fans, in any artistic endeavor there exists some risk of alienating the core audience when seeking to widen a franchise’s appeal. Shortly before “Private Parts” was released, one Stern admirer told The Times, “I’ve stopped listening to his [radio] show for the last two weeks. It’s been nothing but a four-hour commercial for his movie.”

Stern defended his relentless drumbeating for the film at the time by saying, “It’s such a big event in my life, how can I not talk about it? In a few weeks I’ll probably go back to normal, but right now I’m going to bask in the glory.”

Whatever the status of Stern’s glory days as a movie star, “the king of all media” will soon expand his domain by challenging “Saturday Night Live” with a new late-night TV show--another medium that requires only the push of a button to take in his act.

In the meantime, fans of Howard Stern and “The X-Files” can readily enjoy them free where they seem to like them best: in the relative serenity of their cars and homes.