Warren Beatty's passion project "Rules Don't Apply" became a financial flop in 2016 at the box office, but still-boiling lawsuits from investors reveals behind-the-scenes disputes over marketing. Creative talent, financiers and studio executives battled over interpreting audience reactions in prerelease test screenings, selection of its holiday release date, creative … [Read more...] about Ad Spend, Audience Test Central in Beatty Film Spat
Crackdown on Fest Reviews Amid Digital Leakage
Leakage from digital media is shutting down the long-standing practice of allowing critics to post reviews on films in festivals long before the same films go into general release. Back in the day, those reviews were published in trade publications seen only by in-the-business professionals. Now, trade-press reviews online get picked up by others and so Italy's venerable … [Read more...] about Crackdown on Fest Reviews Amid Digital Leakage
Warners Repositions ‘Meg’ as Horror Comedy
After finding early audience-tracking research weak for its shark thriller "The Meg," Warner Bros. Pictures punched up the comedy messaging, especially in digital media, over the final weeks before premiere. The 11th hour repositioning boosted "The Meg's" three-day opening to $45.4 million, from an originally projected $20 million opening, per a Deadline.com article by … [Read more...] about Warners Repositions ‘Meg’ as Horror Comedy
Analyst Blames ‘Poor Marketing’ in ‘Star Wars’ Stumble
A Wall Street stock analyst says "Solo: A Star Wars Story" stumbled at the box office because Walt Disney Studios didn't present a credible replacement to the Hans Solo character, immortalized by Harrison Ford in the early "Star War" movies. This most interesting film critic of "Solo" is Doug Creutz, who is a veteran media analyst at investment house Cowen & Co., and … [Read more...] about Analyst Blames ‘Poor Marketing’ in ‘Star Wars’ Stumble
MoviePass Risks Becoming MoviePast
Flat-monthly-fee cinema ticket subscription service MoviePass is at a crossroads. Shares of its parent (NasdaqCM: ticker symbol HMNY) peaked at $32.90 a share back in October when MoviePass cut its monthly fee, which swelled its subscribers that now number about 2.7 million. But as losses mounted, share price collapsed to a penny-stock level under 60 cents today, amid … [Read more...] about MoviePass Risks Becoming MoviePast
‘Deadpool 2’ Humor Shines in 7-Eleven promo
20th Century Fox's "Deadpool 2" mounts a fun, bouncy tie-in promotion with the 7-Eleven convenience stores -- which number 9,700 in the United States and Canada. I saw a humorous in-cinema advertisement where the "Deadpool" character interacts with 7-Eleven cashiers in a mischievous, droll manner. The store chain wants customers to use their 7-Eleven rewards apps (if not … [Read more...] about ‘Deadpool 2’ Humor Shines in 7-Eleven promo
‘Deadpool 2’ Gets Good Buzz From Screenings
It's rare for Hollywood studios to reveal anything about test screenings but a Hollywood Reporter story provides upbeat information about "Deadpool 2," the 20th Century Fox comic-book caper set for May 18 premiere. The story suggests its information is unauthorized but it's all good news. So perhaps Fox assisted to try to create a good buzz from reactions from "Deadpool 2ís" … [Read more...] about ‘Deadpool 2’ Gets Good Buzz From Screenings
Facebook Conversations Get Fandango Movie Plugs
You knew this was going to happen eventually. Facebook is using artificial intelligence to identify conversations about current movies to drop in paid commercial messaging for Fandango, the movie ticketing service. The messaging will include local playdates and pricing inserted in Facebook Messenger. "It ís totally convenient! Or completely creepy," muses an article in … [Read more...] about Facebook Conversations Get Fandango Movie Plugs
Disney Researches Biometric Audience Reactions
Walt Disney Co. is analyzing facial reactions from movie-house audiences to divine consumer response and assemble data quickly so it is actionable, according to an article in Fast Company. Movie-audience testing goes back a century, of course, where consumers tell researchers their feelings. More recently, testing rack physical reactions like smiles, frowns and eyes opening … [Read more...] about Disney Researches Biometric Audience Reactions
Netflix Pushes Into Film Unconcerned About Cinemas
Netflix is unconcerned with maintaining a theatrical window for its in-house-produced movies, presenting a contrast to Amazon that supports theatricals for its films. "Most major theater chains refuse to show the releases because Netflix posts them online right away, without giving exhibition an exclusive window," writes journalist David Lieberman on Hollywood news website … [Read more...] about Netflix Pushes Into Film Unconcerned About Cinemas