Netflix promises a new premiere movie each week, which could disrupt the traditional “let’s all go out to a movie tonight” habit. The video streaming service marshals billions of dollars in marketing and content spending for that original-movies ambition, though there are some chinks in Netflix’s armor. Netflix just reported very good calendar 2020 earnings with 203.7 … [Read more...] about Netflix Originals Challenge Cinema Habit
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Indie ‘True’ Shines Amid Pandemic
An independent film, “True to the Game 2,” made an impact in national box office laid low by Corona-19 pandemic. Over the Nov 6-8 boxoffice weekend, the urban action film took in $290,000 from 247 locations with a per screen average of $1,174—a good showing in the virus social-distancing era. That per-screen average appears to rank #2 nationally among all films in … [Read more...] about Indie ‘True’ Shines Amid Pandemic
Some Movie Trailers Skip Digital
Sidestepping the saturated digital landscape, movie marketers are screening some trailers only in-theaters. For example, Warner Bros. Pictures is making a 40-second teaser for "Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn" is seen only as attached to the studio's horror yarn "It: Chapter Two." Writes Richard Newby in the Hollywood Reporter: "Warner Bros. took a similar route with the … [Read more...] about Some Movie Trailers Skip Digital
Theater Giant AMC Mounts Indie Effort
Indie films aimed at audiences with sophisticated tastes get a hand from the second largest U.S. theater circuit with AMC Artisan Films. Movie theater chain AMC Entertainment promises to “program specialized movies consistently in select locations throughout the United States, providing what the company terms ‘consistent and convenient showtimes’ for the works,” writes … [Read more...] about Theater Giant AMC Mounts Indie Effort
Global P&A Often Surpasses Production Cost
Deadline.com's annual analysis of single-picture profit/loss indicates marketing costs continue climb and often surpass the production expense of major-studio films. The reality of surging marketing costs runs counter to some (ill-conceived) predictions that social media and other online media would replace costly TV advertising (ill-conceived because wide-reach TV is need to … [Read more...] about Global P&A Often Surpasses Production Cost
Netflix, Major Studios on Spending Binge for Awards
Trade newspaper Variety reports that Hollywood spending on awards marketing is escalating as dot.coms such as Netflix flash their huge cash-wads in the movie business. On top of that, the major studios have some legitimate Oscar contenders for Best Picture, unlike in past years, so they too are reaching into their deep pockets (usually it's cash-strapped indie film companies … [Read more...] about Netflix, Major Studios on Spending Binge for Awards
Ad Spend, Audience Test Central in Beatty Film Spat
Warren Beatty's passion project "Rules Don't Apply" became a financial flop in 2016 at the box office, but still-boiling lawsuits from investors reveals behind-the-scenes disputes over marketing. Creative talent, financiers and studio executives battled over interpreting audience reactions in prerelease test screenings, selection of its holiday release date, creative … [Read more...] about Ad Spend, Audience Test Central in Beatty Film Spat
Warners Repositions ‘Meg’ as Horror Comedy
After finding early audience-tracking research weak for its shark thriller "The Meg," Warner Bros. Pictures punched up the comedy messaging, especially in digital media, over the final weeks before premiere. The 11th hour repositioning boosted "The Meg's" three-day opening to $45.4 million, from an originally projected $20 million opening, per a Deadline.com article by … [Read more...] about Warners Repositions ‘Meg’ as Horror Comedy
Magazine Charts Arc of Awards Marketing
"New Yorker" magazine published an in-depth story on the movie academy with its uneven response to charges of Oscars slighting people of color and also putting awards marketing under a microscope. The article is a long (but interesting) read with context and history. The article about the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) reveals these tidbits on Oscar … [Read more...] about Magazine Charts Arc of Awards Marketing
Warner Corals its TV Shows for ‘Batman Lego’ Flick
Hollywood's biggest movie studio, Warner Bros. marshaled various non-theatrical assets to support theatrical premiere of “The Lego Batman Movie,” flexing corporate synergy with media siblings. “The toy brick DC superhero got a shout-out during hit series ‘The Big Bang Theory’ with a special ‘Lego Batman’ opening, and two ‘Big Bang/LEGO Batman’ promo … [Read more...] about Warner Corals its TV Shows for ‘Batman Lego’ Flick