Major studios are tight-lipped about their marketing, but leaks from the hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment corporate computers provide some insights. For the Tom Hanks drama “Captain Philips,” a PowerPoint slide from Sony Pictures tells staff to stress action to male audiences, emphasize emotional depth to females and steer away from American nationalistic themes, says an … [Read more...] about Sony Hack Reveals Confidential Marketing
creative
Dissecting ‘Birdman’ Publicity Campaign
Fox Searchlight pushed a particularly ambitious and early starting publicity campaign for ”Birdman” knowing the cast of the off-beat drama would not be available later. Cast members would be tied down filming other movies. Michael Keaton stars as a washed-up former movie super-hero trying to revive his career with a stage play. The $18 million film, which is getting good … [Read more...] about Dissecting ‘Birdman’ Publicity Campaign
Penalties Tag ‘Olympus Fallen’ Ads
The Federal Communications Commission proposed $2 million in penalty fines connected with TV commercials for the movie “Olympus Has Fallen” because of use of the distinctive emergency alert system audio tones. FilmDistrict released the R-rated thriller a year ago and the $70 million production grossed $99 million domestically. Says an Adweek story by Katy Bachman: “Blatantly … [Read more...] about Penalties Tag ‘Olympus Fallen’ Ads
‘Noah’ Endures Extensive Research Screenings
Paramount Pictures “made and (audience) tested as many as half-a-dozen of its own” edited versions of the Biblical drama “Noah,” starring Russell Crowe, according to a lengthy article in the Hollywood Reporter. The retelling of the Noah’s Ark story of global flooding, which was produced for $125 million with New Regency Productions, is scheduled to premiere March … [Read more...] about ‘Noah’ Endures Extensive Research Screenings
Horror-film Hits Enchant H’wood
Horror films, which are always part of Hollywood’s ecosystem, are suddenly very hot. The $5 million production of “Insidious: Chapter 2” rolled up about $41 million in domestic box office on its opening weekend of Sept 13-15 for distributor FilmDistrict. “The success of the genre has upended a release calendar that once relegated horror movies to the winter months and … [Read more...] about Horror-film Hits Enchant H’wood
Film School Dreams Versus Job-Market Realities
I’ve always been amused—and somewhat dismayed—that film schools are so production- and history-centric in their curricula. Web pages and brochures use photos of earnest young people peering through camera lenses—often presenting lads who are reminiscent of young Spielbergs! It strikes me as more dream than reality, because production jobs that are pictured are scarce. And … [Read more...] about Film School Dreams Versus Job-Market Realities
Docu Celebrates Film Poster Guru
Movie poster creator Drew Struzan, who is famous for iconic materials ranging from “Back to the Future” to “Star Wars,” gets the star treatment in a new documentary. “Drew: The Man Behind the Poster” is receiving a limited theatrical release this summer via distributor Kino Lorber. The PG-rated movie runs 94 minutes. “While this overly group-huggy docu’s theatrical life … [Read more...] about Docu Celebrates Film Poster Guru
Critic: Political Correctness Topples Movies
While Hollywood frets that an unprecedented number of big budget films have flopped this year, an opinion article in the New York Post by Kyle Smith purports to answer why: two of the big disappointments so far injected Hollywood’s “political correctness.” The big-budget flops are Walt Disney Studios’ “The Lone Ranger” ($250 million production cost) and Sony Pictures’ “White … [Read more...] about Critic: Political Correctness Topples Movies
Panic Attack for ‘Pacific Rim’ Softness
Audience tracking surveys suggest big-budget sci-fi film “Pacific Rim” will be a box office disappointment, so distributor Warner Bros. and producing partner Legendary Pictures scramble in marketing triage. “Pacific Rim” will premiere July 12. Warner and Legendary collaborated on Superman reboot “Man of Steel,” which is a box office hit with $271 million in domestic (US … [Read more...] about Panic Attack for ‘Pacific Rim’ Softness
Brad Pitt’s ‘War Z’ Undergoes Reshoots
Hollywood has a pretty good track record of avoiding box office catastrophes with big-budget movies—meaning production budgets of $120 mil. or more--and Paramount is determined that its “World War Z” doesn’t get added to that short list. A "Hollywood Reporter" article recounts how Paramount Pictures engaged in a late revamp of its Brad Pitt apocalyptic yarn “World War Z” … [Read more...] about Brad Pitt’s ‘War Z’ Undergoes Reshoots