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
creative
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
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
‘Eagle Eye’ Flies in Mobile Marketing
Paramount Pictures/DreamWorks breaks new ground with an elaborate, interactive cell phone campaign for mystery thriller “Eagle Eye,” a PG 13-rated movie. This is an early use of smart cell phones as a multi-media platform, coming months after Apple introduced its revolutionary iPhone. The Paramount/DreamWorks campaign “aims to build additional buzz about, and boost overall … [Read more...] about ‘Eagle Eye’ Flies in Mobile Marketing
Confessions of a Trailer Wizard
Benedict Coulter, who is head of creative marketing agency Trailer Park, booms film marketing messages in crafting movie trailers. While being obvious on some elements, Coulter will simultaneously present some mysteries to entice audiences with some not-fully-explained wrinkles. Trailer Park is largest of Hollywood’s 30 ad agency boutiques making two-minute previews … [Read more...] about Confessions of a Trailer Wizard
‘Dark Knight’ Baffles Film Ratings
Warner Bros. latest Batman adaptation, “The Dark Knight,” is a genre bender that baffles audience classification, and may impact film ratings going forward. Further, its comic-book-to-silver-screen arc makes it ideal for a new print graphic novel to promote the film and special clips screening in Imax theaters. But its console video game adaption was abandoned and won’t be … [Read more...] about ‘Dark Knight’ Baffles Film Ratings
Mystery Billboards Tout ‘Dark Knight’
Warner Bros. Pictures mounts a teaser campaign for the next Batman film “The Dark Knight” that is built around a secondary character but does not mention the “The Dark Knight” itself. The creative is mysterious and one of many online-centric initiatives. Early in the “Dark Knight” marketing campaign, an official website for the film redirected viewers to … [Read more...] about Mystery Billboards Tout ‘Dark Knight’
Hollywood Stumbles in Foreign Affairs
As legendary Hollywood mogul Samuel Goldwyn once said, “If you want to send a message, call Western Union.” These days, a slew of pricey movies set against the backdrop of the Middle East/Afghanistan cauldron and that project distaste for the U.S. are falling flat at the box office. More such films are in the pipeline, and so worried film distributors are crafting marketing … [Read more...] about Hollywood Stumbles in Foreign Affairs