Update, Jan. 19: “The Green Hornet” was top film for the four-day holiday weekend with $40 million, which was at the low end of the forecasted opening cited in the story below. Overall, box office for the period was down, so the Hornet opening overcame the downward trend. /update “The Green Hornet,” which is a $130 million superhero yarn that opens tomorrow, did not have a … [Read more...] about Sony Sweats ‘Hornet’ Positioning
research
‘Narnia’ Revamps Marketing Focus
The third “Narnia” fantasy film, which 20th Century Fox is scheduled to open Friday, aims to get the mystical family franchise back to profitability, after the second installment under-performed. The “Narnia” series, which its producers hope will keep going like the seven title “Harry Potter” film franchise at Warner Bros., is an example of how marketing considerations shape … [Read more...] about ‘Narnia’ Revamps Marketing Focus
‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Trailer Dilemma
The trailer for “Cowboys & Aliens” presents a genre-bending film that I found riveting but a New York Times article today examines the marketing challenge to position the film correctly. The movie is a serious and edgy sci-fi yarn about hostile aliens invading the old west of the 1800s, That pushes the normally antagonist earthly cowboys and Indians to unite, and comedy … [Read more...] about ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Trailer Dilemma
Reiner Film Fades After Short Test Run
It’s industry practice that films faring poorly in closed test screenings -- so called test previews -- are not given regular theatrical release on the belief that multimillion-dollar spending on prints-and-advertising expense would be wasted. Coming of age teen drama “Flipped” is a rare film given guarded tryout with narrow release to theaters, presumably because its … [Read more...] about Reiner Film Fades After Short Test Run
Dark ‘Bones’ Turns to Females
Audience research produced an unexpected finding for “The Lovely Bones,” the PG-13 rated supernatural thriller from Paramount Pictures. Teenage girls and young women liked the film, despite its plot that revolves around a murdered girl who resurrects in the hereafter, says a “Los Angeles Times” article. A by-invitation test screening in Kansas City during November … [Read more...] about Dark ‘Bones’ Turns to Females
Faith Audience Propels ‘Blind Side’
Family-audience “The Blind Side” achieved a rare feat of ranking #1 at the box office in its third week of release, helped by a massive specialty marketing campaign targeting the faith audience. Warner Bros. Pictures hired marketing agency Grace Hill Media to promote the film to consumers that actively pursue religious worship and an "Advertising Age" article by Andrew Hampp … [Read more...] about Faith Audience Propels ‘Blind Side’
Females Dig Scary Movies?
Hollywood has learned that women are a bigger audience for some horror films than men, which is impacting selection of projects and marketing, according to an “Entertainment Weekly” story. “Name any recent horror hit and odds are that female moviegoers bought more tickets than men,” says the “EW” article written by Christine Spines. “And we’re not just talking about … [Read more...] about Females Dig Scary Movies?
Tracking Research Becomes More Unpredictable
Pre-release audience tracking surveys, which over decades honed into a precise science, are proving less reliable, which is causing considerable consternation for Hollywood film marketers. Movie distributors use tracking surveys to decide how to best allocate the $3.5 billion annually spent on paid media to advertise films in the U.S. market, and also publicity and … [Read more...] about Tracking Research Becomes More Unpredictable