With the flow of mainstream Hollywood films interrupted by now-settled labor strikes and the pandemic, expect occasional unusual successes to surprise in domestic theatrical boxoffice. In an unusual occurrence, the Japanese animation import “The Boy and the Heron” was the No. 1 grossing movie at cinemas in the U.S./Canada for the Dec. 8-10 weekend with $13 million. This … [Read more...] about Turmoil Opens Cinema to Gatecrashers
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Bad Fan Buzz Jolts Hollywood
Movie fans are fanning the flames of controversy across cyberspace! Actor Ryan Reynolds begged hackers not to publicize purloined images from his “Deadpool 3,” then proceeded to undercut them. Fanboys pounced on an allegedly poor audience response in confidential test screenings for the latest “Aquaman.” And for months, even more fanboys dissed the new Walt Disney Studios … [Read more...] about Bad Fan Buzz Jolts Hollywood
Hollywood’s Go-to Video Blogger at TikTok
TikTok video blogger Reece Feldman, whose handle is @guywithamoviecamera, is the go-to influencer for films marketed to the youth demographic via social media. In just three years after leaving college, Feldman has created a cottage industry of his journalism-style v-logger posts and commentaries on movies and TV programs. The 25-year-old marketing promotional wiz is on paid … [Read more...] about Hollywood’s Go-to Video Blogger at TikTok
Websites, Fest Outreach Best Low-Cost Marketing
The best use of a shoestring $20,000 marketing campaign for a documentary is a website to promote creative elements and serve as a permanent beacon, says documentary maven Chris Albert. Followed by film festival outreach in order to target opinion leaders, “I’d spend about $1,500 on a very rudimentary website where the film could live so when I meet people I can send them on … [Read more...] about Websites, Fest Outreach Best Low-Cost Marketing
Marvel Film Universe Gets Too Inbred
Once considered a strength, the Marvel Cinematic Universe that interconnects movies and comic books has become a drag. New theatrical film “The Marvels” generated a disappointing $47 million over the Nov. 10-12 premiere weekend, the lowest of any big-budget movie in the modern era of adapting Marvel comic books to cinema screens. And stumbles have become a trend in which three … [Read more...] about Marvel Film Universe Gets Too Inbred
‘Priscilla’ Spawns Elvis-era Cosmetics
A $49 woman’s makeup kit from the movie “Priscilla” allows fans to wear their own “winged eye” look made famous by the wife of Elvis Presley. This film-licensed cosmetics merchandise is making a publicity splash. The publicity is the viral type as fans go online with tutorials and commentaries about the Priscilla x Half Magic cosmetic product and the source movie. There are … [Read more...] about ‘Priscilla’ Spawns Elvis-era Cosmetics
‘Freddy’s’ Boxoffice Pops Despite Peacock Streams
Horror film “Five Nights at Freddy’s” achieved amazing premiere boxoffice despite its simultaneous run on the Peacock video streaming service. Just a $20 million movie production, “Freddy’’s” posted a humongous $80 million domestically (U.S. and Canada) for Universal Pictures for the Oct. 27-29 weekend while streaming concurrently on Peacock. Both Universal and Peacock are … [Read more...] about ‘Freddy’s’ Boxoffice Pops Despite Peacock Streams
Striking Actors Angle for Publicity
Hollywood’s actors strike prohibits overt publicity to support movies and TV shows, which hurts boxoffice and TV program launches that would otherwise get a lift from plugs by star talent. The New York Post detects that A-listers, hamstrung by union no-work mandates, are now angling to indirectly “stay in the public eye — and in the minds of Emmy and Oscar voters — through … [Read more...] about Striking Actors Angle for Publicity
Swift, Beyoncé Bounced From Oscars
The upcoming Taylor Swift and Beyoncé concert theatrical films shape up as cinema blockbusters, but neither is expected to be eligible for Oscar consideration under current Academy Awards rules, according to a Variety story. The problem is these are self-made films crossing a line into self-promotion, and not from independent documentarians. Both concert films fall into the … [Read more...] about Swift, Beyoncé Bounced From Oscars
Coronavirus: We’ve Seen This Movie Before
The torrent of predictions of the quick demise of movie cinema strikes me as tunnel-vision bordering on dishonesty -- and provably by simply looking at past history and ingrained human behavior patterns. Hey, if movie theaters are dead, then so are legitimate theater (Broadway), music concerts, theme parks, cruise ships and audience attendance at sports events. But the … [Read more...] about Coronavirus: We’ve Seen This Movie Before