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
independents
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
‘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
Majors Exit Indie-Film Distribution
Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures are closing or retrenching four of their indie-style specialty distribution arms, after the majors rushed into low-budget, high-brow films in the 1990s. At that time, the majors emulated Walt Disney’s indie-diversification after acquiring Miramax Film. In recent actions, Paramount Vantage is being downsized. Across town, Warner … [Read more...] about Majors Exit Indie-Film Distribution