Back in the 1980s when I was a cub reporter on the marketing beat, I had a memorable encounter with film marketing expert Marvin Antonowsky over his handling of Oscar nominated movie “Gandhi.” Antonowsky died earlier this week. I knew I wouldn’t be able to reach him on the day Oscar nominations were announced, so I made a deal to interview him in advance on how Oscars … [Read more...] about Recalling ‘Gandhi’s’ Famous Oscar Run
‘Blart 2’ Ties Segway Record to Premiere
Sony Pictures orchestrated a publicity stunt at the premiere for “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” by drumming up two Guinness World Records firsts connected to the Segway personal transport vehicles seen in the movie. The publicity stunt was incorporated in the red-carpet premiere for the PG-rated youth comedy movie, which hits theaters next Friday. record, which yields some breadth … [Read more...] about ‘Blart 2’ Ties Segway Record to Premiere
‘Furious 7’ Flogs Social Media
The car-crazed movie “Furious 7” is riding high in social media, including the clout of its stars, for what is projected as a huge opening. Trade news website Deadline.com says that “film’s social-media outreach has been through the roof. RelishMix cites the “Fast & Furious” brand as the most social in terms of reach and engagement combined. ‘Furious … [Read more...] about ‘Furious 7’ Flogs Social Media
‘Pixels’ Pulls 34.3m Vid Views in 24 Hours
Sony Pictures says the trailer for its animated “Pixels” movie generated 34.3 million online streams in its first 24 hours, which is best ever for the studio. The prior best was 22 million streams for “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.” “The studio leveraged official channels as well as social pages for Sony, Sony Pictures, Sony Pictures international markets, Sony Electronics, … [Read more...] about ‘Pixels’ Pulls 34.3m Vid Views in 24 Hours
Why ‘American Sniper’ Hits Marketing Bullseye
Feb 15 late addition: “NY Post” article link and quote citing success of films and TV programs that show a "frank admiration for the sacrifice, bravery and personal nobility of the men doing the fighting." Feb. 14, 2015- A big part of audience marketing is selecting the right tone, as evidenced by Warner Bros. surprise blockbuster “American Sniper,” which avoided being … [Read more...] about Why ‘American Sniper’ Hits Marketing Bullseye
Uni Pix Helps Sibling With Bowl Buy Binge
Eight pricey movie commercials were telecast in NBC Television’s Super Bowl with NBC’s corporate sibling Universal Pictures behind six of the films. The rate-card for in-game commercials is $4.5 million. Movies are typically a big category taking 4-10 of the 60+ Super Bowl slots. It looks like NBC Universal—which is owned by diversified cable TV conglomerate Comcast—piled in … [Read more...] about Uni Pix Helps Sibling With Bowl Buy Binge
Official Champagne for Oscars Changes Again
The Academy Awards again changed champagne sponsorship as Piper-Heidsieck takes the designation for three years of Oscars, after the bubbly brand held it in 1991-92 and 1999. The French company is known for its brut champagnes. “After a few years with Moët & Chandon, in 2013 and 2014, Champagne Thiénot ushered ‘Argo’ and ‘12 Years a Slave’ into the American canon,” says … [Read more...] about Official Champagne for Oscars Changes Again
‘Star Wars’ Hardware Shines In Disney Profile
A cover story in business magazine Fortune says Walt Disney Co. is becoming a hybrid entertainment/tech company and splashes images from the next “Star Wars” around corporate chairman Bob Iger. A Variety” story says the photos in the Fortune profile provide the best shots yet for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which is inked for a Dec.18 premiere distributed by Walt Disney … [Read more...] about ‘Star Wars’ Hardware Shines In Disney Profile
Academics Try to Dissect Film Critic Biases
Two college doctoral candidates in France attempt to quantify biases of U.S. film critics in their college thesis paper, which left “New York Post” newspaper critic Kyle Smith amused. Toulouse School of Economics Ph.D. candidates Fanny Camara and Nicolas Dupuis dissect tendencies of movie critics in their paper “Structural Estimation of Expert Strategic Bias: The Case of … [Read more...] about Academics Try to Dissect Film Critic Biases
AMC Tests Monthly Movie Pass
Major-theater chain AMC Theatres is offering a monthly pass in two cities, seeing if the all-you-can-eat subscription model that made Netflix a success will work in cinema. with film distributors; it’s not clear what box office money should be attributed to what movie, as with a regular ticket purchase. AMC did not respond to a request for more information. The … [Read more...] about AMC Tests Monthly Movie Pass