Mainstream entertainment films lifted box office 15.4% year-to-date, but prestige films in the Oscar race are having a lousy year. The fabled “Oscar bounce” at the box office has eluded this year’s Academy Award contenders, notes the “Los Angeles Times.” “The whispers you hear everywhere around town are asking the same hushed question: What happened to the fabled Oscar … [Read more...] about No ‘Oscar Bounce’ For Nominees
Film Commercials Wow Viewers, Not Critics
Movie commercials were among the most viewed online after the Super Bowl, according to a researcher. With 10 films ads in Sunday’s pro football championship game, commercials for “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen”, “Angels and Demons” and “G.I. Joe” were most popular among all categories, according to a viral video tracking report issued today by BayTSP. See press release … [Read more...] about Film Commercials Wow Viewers, Not Critics
Hollywood Shuffle: Misleading Ads
The one-sheet movie posters certainly seem promising. There’s the close-up, tender embrace of Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio that calls to mind their "Titanic" pairing. Separately, Clint Eastwood strikes a steely “Dirty Harry”-esqe pose grimacing with a hard-ass facial expression. Trouble is…the advertising doesn’t truly represent the films involved. Winslet and … [Read more...] about Hollywood Shuffle: Misleading Ads
Ranking Films Irks Critics, Liked by Audiences
Film critics assigning scaled ratings to films--anything from a number on a scale to thumbs up/down—usually would prefer not. But the public demands a simple evaluation metric available at a glance. Those evaluation rankings have evolved into various scales or “star” systems; that’s stars as in one star bad and five stars tops. “Critics tend to loathe the system and … [Read more...] about Ranking Films Irks Critics, Liked by Audiences
Comedy Nips Crude Dialog for PG Rating
Filmmakers will cut movies to achieved desired audience classification and upcoming release “New in Town” acknowledges snipping some foul language to receive a PG (parental guidance) rating. So the romantic comedy escapes the more restrictive PG-13. “Marketing to Moviegoers” notes that historically parties involved are loath to admit to making edits to appease the ratings … [Read more...] about Comedy Nips Crude Dialog for PG Rating
Top Indie ‘Fireproof’ Warms Christian Demo
Uplifting martial relationship drama “Fireproof” beat long odds to be last year’s top grossing indie film with $33 million in domestic box office via Samuel Goldwyn Distribution. Marketing targeted the Christian audience that is sometimes called the faith demographic. At its widest distribution, "Fireproof" played at 905 theaters, according to Boxofficemojo.com, which … [Read more...] about Top Indie ‘Fireproof’ Warms Christian Demo
Film Marketer Dials Up Bombast
Lionsgate’s chief theatrical film marketer Tim Palen gets a flattering profile in “New Yorker,” which pegs his style as hard charging. Palen blasts publicity at every opportunity and spares the subtleties. That's in contrast to most other film marketers who choreograph cinema campaigns into segmented waves that grow increasingly larger. “Many Hollywood marketers … [Read more...] about Film Marketer Dials Up Bombast
Oscar Films Roll Out Gradually
Oscar contenders are being screened all over Hollywood for industry insiders who are award voters, but have barely cracked the heartland of America, according to a “New York Times” article. That’s because distribution strategies call for slow roll-outs to theaters in increments. Notes the article by Michael Cieply, “‘Frost/Nixon,’ described far and wide as a favorite in the … [Read more...] about Oscar Films Roll Out Gradually
Financiers Drive MGM Marketing Spend?
Did MGM goose up “Valkyrie” marketing spend to trigger third-party monetization? Corporate decisions about how much marketing spending a movie gets often hinge on hidden considerations, which a New York Post article says is the case with “Valkyrie–the Tom Cruise-fronted thriller set in the Nazi high command. In a story headlined “MGM goes for broke on ad campaign for … [Read more...] about Financiers Drive MGM Marketing Spend?
‘Delgo’ Flop Highlights Risks For Outsiders
A tech-industry tycoon thought that he saw a void in the children’s animation movie business and stepped up with his own $40 million production of animated fantasy “Delgo.” This sounds like the start of a fairy tale story, but this one has an unhappy ending. “Delgo”--which was reportedly supported by a $20 million theatrical marketing campaign--is one of the all-time bombs … [Read more...] about ‘Delgo’ Flop Highlights Risks For Outsiders