Have you ever sat and watched a movie and wondered, “This scene would be so much better with a Beatles song?” If you have, you’re not alone, as many Beatles fans and general music fans have seemingly always wondered why the band’s tracks are featured in so few movies.
Compared to Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan, The Beatles’ filmography is arguably non-existence. Matter of fact, there are really only a few notable blockbuster hits not about The Beatles that feature their songs. Some of those movies are The Social Network, Love Actually, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and A Bronx Tale. So, why is it that one of the greatest bands of all time is not featured in some of the greatest movies of all time? Well, it’s certainly not an artistic choice, for the most part, that is.
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The Beatles Are Too Expensive
Like most things of this nature, cash always seemingly gets in the way of fulfilling a creative dream. Before we get into why licensing a Beatles song is so expensive, it’s beneficial to know how much it costs it typically costs to license music for movies. According to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, most movies are generally licensed for around $15,0000 to $60,000. However, that figure changes depending on a plethora of factors including the general popularity and longevity of the song.
This brings us to The Beatles, the band with arguably the greatest legacy and as a result, an incredibly healthy and vigorous longevity. Given their consistent popularity, if a film or television show wants to license their music they are going to have to pay a minimum of six figures. For example, the show Mad Men paid $250,000 to include “Tomorrow Never Knows” in one of their episodes, per Indie Wire. Keep in mind the song is only three minutes long, and they didn’t even use the whole track.
Now, you’re probably thinking about the 2019 film “Yesterday” starring Himesh Patel. Even though that movie’s premise revolved around The Beatles, they still had to pay a pretty penny. According to Billboard, Danny Boyle and his team spent $10 million to secure the rights to The Beatles’ music. The entire budget for that film was $26 million.
Long story short, The Beatles are good, and good talent doesn’t come cheap. So, in short, they are just too popular for the silver screen.
Photo of George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr, circa 1965 by Getty Images
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