Hollywood is being swept by a fascination with toys as source material for movies, as movies based on toys soar at the box office and star vehicles hit a rough patch in 2009. A “Wall Street Journal” article is a delicious combination of funny and serious about this film development and movie marketing trend. “Toys now are receiving the same A-list treatment that any … [Read more...] about Movies Based on Toys Multiply
Disney’s Pricey Wedding Merchandise
Walt Disney rolls out some of the most expensive movie-licensed merchandise anywhere—diamond rings and wedding dresses for women who want a real-life princess experience. Diamond rings – named for animated movie characters Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella, Jasmine, Ariel, and Belle – run $4,210 to $6,780 each. Wedding dresses go up to $4,000 and are created by … [Read more...] about Disney’s Pricey Wedding Merchandise
Disaster Epic Mounts ‘Roadblock’ TV Buy
Sony Pictures is making an expensive and early push for its Nov. 13 release of global disaster epic “2012.” If you are watching advertising-supported TV Thursday Oct. 1, you can’t miss the “2012” commercials. Sony/Columbia is mounting a “roadblock” campaign placing ads simultaneously on all TV media, in what will reach an estimated at 110-140 million people (the US … [Read more...] about Disaster Epic Mounts ‘Roadblock’ TV Buy
Stealth Change In Trailer Ratings?
The eagle-eyed “Movie Mom” spotted a subtle posted policy change in movie industry placement of trailers in relation to youth audiences. Movie Mom Nell Minow notes that promotional trailers now say they are approved for “appropriate audiences” whereas before the phrase was “all audiences”. Clearly, the new language gives theaters (and websites streaming trailers) more … [Read more...] about Stealth Change In Trailer Ratings?
Uni Backpedals From Video Games
The major studios have increasingly opted to create video games tied to their movies via in-house divisions in recent years. A “Los Angeles Times” article says Universal Pictures is backpedaling, after some poor results. “Based on the 2008 movie of the same name starring Angelina Jolie, the video game [‘Wanted: Weapons of Fate’] sold only 100,000 units in the U.S. in its … [Read more...] about Uni Backpedals From Video Games
Imax Screens 16-Minute ‘Avatar’ Clip
In its extensive discussion of trailers, “Marketing to Moviegoers: Second Edition” calls them essentially “free samples” of movies. Now, 20th Century Fox is taking the trailer concept to an extreme level with “Avatar,” which is the Jim Cameron (“Titanic”) sci-fi epic set for Dec. 18 theatrical release. A “Los Angeles Times” article says big-screen Imax theaters will present … [Read more...] about Imax Screens 16-Minute ‘Avatar’ Clip
Females Dig Scary Movies?
Hollywood has learned that women are a bigger audience for some horror films than men, which is impacting selection of projects and marketing, according to an “Entertainment Weekly” story. “Name any recent horror hit and odds are that female moviegoers bought more tickets than men,” says the “EW” article written by Christine Spines. “And we’re not just talking about … [Read more...] about Females Dig Scary Movies?
Advocate Rips Kid Ads for PG-13
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood launched a letter writing campaign to pressure major studio film distributors from marketing PG-13 rated films to children audiences. The issue is not clear-cut because a PG-13 rating usually flags some content as potentially unsuitable, such as language or violence, but parents may decide such movies are okay for their kids … [Read more...] about Advocate Rips Kid Ads for PG-13
‘Avatar’ Toys Tout Augmented Reality
Mattel is trying to put some special sauce on its toy line licensed from upcoming theatrical “Avatar” by touting there’s online content unique to each toy. A press release from the toy company calls the special content “augmented reality technology.” Says a Mattel press release: “Each action figure, vehicle and creature in the product line will come with a 3-D web tag, … [Read more...] about ‘Avatar’ Toys Tout Augmented Reality
High Concept ‘Bruno’ Proves Fragile
The second weekend of “Bruno” plunged an astronomical 73% at the boxoffice, indicating the R-rated black comedy will fade fast after a decent opening and underscoring that “high concept” films are fragile. Universal Pictures’ Bruno grossed $8.3 million for the July 17-19 weekend on 2,759 screens in the U.S. and Canada. It took in $30.6 million on three less screens its … [Read more...] about High Concept ‘Bruno’ Proves Fragile