Vintage movie posters are a big business and there are pockets of fraud for posters and lobby cards. A Georgia man who was an active collector and seller was convicted in federal court to 6 ½ years in prison for manufacturing replicas of posters from famous old movies and selling them as original. The convicted man Kerry Haggard “worked his scam by paying a New York City … [Read more...] about Conviction for Fake Vintage Movie Posters
‘Lorax’ Backlash
There’s a bit of a backlash brewing over the mountain of tie-in promotions for “Dr. Suess’ The Lorax,” which is the PG-rated family animated film from Universal Pictures set to premiere Friday. “I personally think that Sr. Seuss would only be disappointed that ‘The Lorax’ has only 70 product tie-ins,” said a deadpan Stephen Colbert on a Comedy Central skit. Colbert continued … [Read more...] about ‘Lorax’ Backlash
Unofficially Yours: Oscar Night Hanger-ons
It seems every Oscar season, corporate America entities without any formal association try to wiggle their way into Hollywood’s greatest night. Here are some outfits that jumped on the Academy Awards bandwagon without official status: *UK gambling site Sky Bet is laying odds and taking bets for all the Oscars categories. It’s got 10-to-1 odds for "The Descendants" to win … [Read more...] about Unofficially Yours: Oscar Night Hanger-ons
Wells Fargo Embraces Film Promos
Wells Fargo is mounting a flurry of film sponsorships as the nation’s fourth largest bank associates itself with Hollywood on several promotional fronts. Wells Fargo took the title of “official financial institution sponsor” for 20th Century Fox release of “Red Tails” in a deal sparked by two of its bankers who served as combat fighter pilots in the celebrated WWII air unit … [Read more...] about Wells Fargo Embraces Film Promos
Fat-cats Gorge on Sundance Glitz
The Sundance Film Festival loves to dish out an ecological “green” sensibility and project a we’re-with-the-people face. So it’s a bit of a paradox that outfits catering to the “one percenters”—portrayed as filthy exploiters indie films that are Sundance staples—enthusiastically latch on to the film event. They are in evidence as both official sponsors and indirectly as … [Read more...] about Fat-cats Gorge on Sundance Glitz
‘The Grey’ Trailer Quotes Tweeters
Variety spotted what might be a first in movie marketing: a trailer presenting on-screen text slides of comments from Twitter about Open Road Film’s thriller trailer “The Grey.” The comments are from film critics and bloggers who saw the film in a private industry screening. Marketing materials usually excerpt from published comments of professional movie critics. “The … [Read more...] about ‘The Grey’ Trailer Quotes Tweeters
Sony Marshals Siblings for ‘MiB3’
Sony Pictures pushes for maximum synergy within the $88 billion-revenue conglomerate for “Men in Black 3,” which will hit theaters May 25, 2012. In a press release, Sony Pictures says that consumer-facing businesses of the company that will promote sci-fi comedy “MIB3” include: * TV channels reaching 577m TV households worldwide (the U.S. alone has just 115m TV … [Read more...] about Sony Marshals Siblings for ‘MiB3’
‘Mission Impossible’ Links to Hockey
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” has a major tie-in promotion with professional hockey via a sweepstakes offering a prize as a trip to a big National Hockey League game in Philadelphia. Paramount Pictures will release what is the fourth movie in the “Mission: Impossible” series Dec. 21 and the PG-13 rated actioner stars Tom Cruise. Says an NHL press release: “The … [Read more...] about ‘Mission Impossible’ Links to Hockey
Some ‘Twilight’ Moviegoers Suffer Convulsions
News reports indicate a some incidents occurred where moviegoers go into convulsions during a scene replete with flashing visuals in “Twilight: Breaking Dawn--Part One.” These apparently spontaneous attacks of jitters call to mind publicity stunts for pure horror films in the 1950s that promised over-the-top frights. This week’s episodes with the “Twilight” audience, which … [Read more...] about Some ‘Twilight’ Moviegoers Suffer Convulsions
‘Hunger Games’ Ramps Up Early
Lionsgate is making ABC Television’s “Good Morning America” the platform for the debut of a teaser trailer for its sci-fi action adventure “The Hunger Games,” which is scheduled to hit theaters March 23, 2012. “GMA” is an unusual choice because typically trailers premiere on websites related to movies, social websites, events such as the sci-fi enthusiast Comic-Con … [Read more...] about ‘Hunger Games’ Ramps Up Early