TV’s premiere advertising event, the Super Bowl received just four-and-a-half theatrical motion picture commercials -- at the low end of the 4-8 spots range by historical standards. In last year's telecast of pro football's championship game, movie studios bought eight commercials for films. However, this year Hollywood was also conspicuous with acting and music celebrities … [Read more...] about Movie Ads Down In Super Bowl, But TV Streamers Rise
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Netflix, Other Streamers Walk Tightrope on Theatrical Runs
The great unresolved issue of this era of cinema is how video streamers like Netflix will alter theatrical release. The answer unfolds slowly with Netflix, which is the streamer least committed to theatrical -- inching back to cinema. Streamers originating and acquiring theatrical films for their online services pursue different strategies for the cinema window. Amazon … [Read more...] about Netflix, Other Streamers Walk Tightrope on Theatrical Runs
Crackdown on Fest Reviews Amid Digital Leakage
Leakage from digital media is shutting down the long-standing practice of allowing critics to post reviews on films in festivals long before the same films go into general release. Back in the day, those reviews were published in trade publications seen only by in-the-business professionals. Now, trade-press reviews online get picked up by others and so Italy's venerable … [Read more...] about Crackdown on Fest Reviews Amid Digital Leakage
‘Deadpool 2’ Gets Good Buzz From Screenings
It's rare for Hollywood studios to reveal anything about test screenings but a Hollywood Reporter story provides upbeat information about "Deadpool 2," the 20th Century Fox comic-book caper set for May 18 premiere. The story suggests its information is unauthorized but it's all good news. So perhaps Fox assisted to try to create a good buzz from reactions from "Deadpool 2ís" … [Read more...] about ‘Deadpool 2’ Gets Good Buzz From Screenings
Late-stage ‘Kong’ Surge Salvages BO Premiere
"Kong: Skull Island” opened to a so-so $61 million in domestic box office for its premiere three-day weekend, which trade publication Deadline says is a triumph. The $185 million-budget yarn was trending as a flop just a few weeks earlier. The Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures film was headed a mid-40s million dollars opening when it first landed in pre-release … [Read more...] about Late-stage ‘Kong’ Surge Salvages BO Premiere
Four Studios Sue Broker Over Film Premiere Tix
Demand for tickets to movie premieres spawns black market sales, and four film distributors are cracking down. A New York Post newspaper article says that Disney, NBC/Universal, Sony and Warner Bros. filed a lawsuit against a broker that sells to the general public what are labeled as premiere and Hollywood awards show tickets in VIP packages. The lawsuit by the major … [Read more...] about Four Studios Sue Broker Over Film Premiere Tix
Filmmaker Controversy Sinks ‘Birth’
Fox Searchlight period slave drama “The Birth of a Nation” premiered to weak box office this weekend amid acclaim, high hopes and scandal. The drama, acquired for a sizeable $17.5 million at the Sundance Film Festival, generated just $7 million in domestic box office its premiere weekend Oct 7-9 with a lackluster $2,105 per screen average. “Birth of a Nation” -- about a … [Read more...] about Filmmaker Controversy Sinks ‘Birth’
‘Blart 2’ Ties Segway Record to Premiere
Sony Pictures orchestrated a publicity stunt at the premiere for “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” by drumming up two Guinness World Records firsts connected to the Segway personal transport vehicles seen in the movie. The publicity stunt was incorporated in the red-carpet premiere for the PG-rated youth comedy movie, which hits theaters next Friday. record, which yields some breadth … [Read more...] about ‘Blart 2’ Ties Segway Record to Premiere
‘Furious 7’ Flogs Social Media
The car-crazed movie “Furious 7” is riding high in social media, including the clout of its stars, for what is projected as a huge opening. Trade news website Deadline.com says that “film’s social-media outreach has been through the roof. RelishMix cites the “Fast & Furious” brand as the most social in terms of reach and engagement combined. ‘Furious … [Read more...] about ‘Furious 7’ Flogs Social Media
Tracking Data Crisis Intensifies
Audience tracking surveys are increasingly failing to predict box office, notes Deadline.com’s Anita Busch, who catalogs a succession of recent wrong calls. For example, tracking surveys predicted roughly $20 million in domestic box office for the three-day premiere weekend for The Weinstein Co.’s young-adult “The Giver,” which ended up with just $12.3 million. That’s a … [Read more...] about Tracking Data Crisis Intensifies