Safe Bets

By Joe Brown (contact)

Friday, May 9, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Chris Morris

The third in this summer’s cluster of Las Vegas-based movies opens today. “What Happens in Vegas” stars Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, and like its immediate predecessors “21” and “Deal,” it’s a stinker, at least aesthetically.

(Warning to locals: The scenes set in Las Vegas take up about 10 minutes of the 99-minute running time.) But “What Happens” will still probably make bank at the box office, even though it’s up against the summer’s de facto blockbuster, “Speed Racer,” which opened late Thursday night.

Here’s a five-card draw — the deal on making movies in and about Las Vegas.

1. “Honeymoon in Vegas” (1992)

Filmmakers love making movies here. Las Vegas is usually ranked among the top 10 U.S. cities for independent filmmakers, according to MovieMaker Magazine’s annual evaluation, reaching a high of No. 6 in 2004 (we’re on the honorable mention list for 2007). According to Sarah Bontrager, spokeswoman for the Nevada Film Office, which oversees more than 600 projects a year, including feature films, TV series and reality shows, this ranking factors in feedback from filmmakers, resources available to productions, expense of permitting, accommodations, weather, depth of crew and skilled staff available in the community, and film commission strength and support. “It’s easy to film here,” Bontrager says. “And where other cities and states might have more red tape and hoops to jump through, we don’t. Our permits for filming are mostly free, and they’re very easy to obtain. It’s also very affordable.” More than 22 features were filmed in the Vegas vicinity in 2007, including “Knocked Up,” “Iron Man,” “The Return,” “The Forbidden,” “Pyramid Highway” and “Player 5150.” Disney’s “Race to Witch Mountain,” starring The Rock, is scheduled to begin filming near Vegas this summer, with a projected summer 2009 release date.

2. “What Happens in Vegas”

Aside from being a filmmaker-friendly location, Vegas is instantaneously recognizable to audiences worldwide — and it’s an endless fountain of stories. “Vegas can either be a main character in a movie or it can simply be a backdrop,” says box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media by Numbers. “Either way, it provides a nice framework to hang a movie on. Bottom line, it’s very cinematic, and it offers a lot of potential in terms of storytelling. Simply because it’s a 24-hour-a-day city, action can take place any time of the day or night. There’s this idea of luck or skill involved, romance, sex and violence; every sort of human emotion can be played out within that Vegas framework.”

3. “Vegas Vacation” (1997)

So is a Vegas-based movie an automatic winner with a young moviegoing demographic hungry for a vicarious Vegas fix? “They’re not always a sure bet,” Dergarabedian says. “ ‘21’ did better than many people expected. That’s probably because it brought in a younger crowd with a young cast and a PG-13 rating, and it looked very glamorous and fun and sexy.

‘What Happens in Vegas’ is going to try and capitalize on that audience. ‘Vegas’ is in the title — that will be enough of a draw. And Vegas is now a younger-skewing hot spot, and younger people go to the movies more often.”

Despite lukewarm reviews, “21” scored big, raking in $23.7 million and a No. 1 box office spot — it’s still playing in first-run cinemas. (“Deal,” starring Burt Reynolds, went belly-up last weekend, taking in only $31,000 over three days, and it’s already vanished from theaters.) “21” is more than just a movie — it’s also a veritable commercial for Las Vegas, produced in partnership with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in synergy with the city’s new “Your Vegas Is Showing” branding campaign, and it got a nationwide promotional boost from the city via TV, print and online ads.

4. “Lucky You” (2007)

The top 10 Vegas-related movies (by domestic box office, with release date): “Ocean’s 11” ($187 million, 2001); “Rain Man” ($173 million, 1988); “Ocean’s Thirteen” ($117 million, 2007); “Indecent Proposal” ($107 million, 1993); “21” ($79 million, March, 2008); “Bugsy” ($49 million, 1991); “Diamonds Are Forever” ($44 million, 1971); “Casino” ($43 million, 1995); “Vegas Vacation” ($36 million, 1997); “Honeymoon in Vegas” ($36 million, 1992).

5. “Leaving Las Vegas” (1995)

Whether they ever actually see the movies or not, many Las Vegas residents feel the effects when a film is made here. Production levels have been pretty consistent since the ’90s, says the Nevada Film Office’s Bontrager, adding that the state took in more than $103 million in production-related revenue in 2007. The film office tries to ensure that local crew members and talent get a good share of the available jobs. And Nevada is determined to get back in the top tier of that film-friendly ranking. “I believe the decline in ranking can only be attributed to our lack of incentives,” Bontrager says. “We are one of the few states that does not offer tax rebates to productions. Some of our neighboring states have the most competitive rebate programs in the world. This makes it difficult for Nevada, since many states in this region have similar landscapes and location looks. But, we have the Strip and our own myriad of fantastic settings. Combine those with our film-friendly nature and hospitality and it’s easy to see why we still stand out as a film destination.”