Friday Box Office Results: 'Troy' takes top slot, 'Van Helsing' gets Staked
If the per-screen average holds for 'Troy,' the film should rake in nearly $20 million for Friday -- definitely on par for $60 million plus for this weekend. Note the sharp decline (66%) for 'Van Helsing.' No amount of damage control could turn the tide on the bad word of mouth. 'Super Size Me' seems to be under-performing a bit too...
|
Rk |
Title |
Fri (05/14) |
Reporting |
Avg Gross |
%Chg LW |
|
1 |
TROY |
$13,845,424 |
2323 |
$ 5,960 |
|
|
2 |
VAN HELSING |
$ 5,393,045 |
2372 |
$ 2,274 |
-66 |
|
3 |
MEAN GIRLS |
$ 2,733,538 |
2106 |
$ 1,298 |
-33 |
|
4 |
BREAKIN' ALL THE RULES |
$ 1,626,923 |
1113 |
$ 1,462 |
|
|
5 |
MAN ON FIRE |
$ 1,249,199 |
1959 |
$ 638 |
-37 |
|
6 |
13 GOING ON 30 |
$ 1,112,284 |
1884 |
$ 590 |
-20 |
|
7 |
NEW YORK MINUTE |
$ 895,835 |
2110 |
$ 425 |
-48 |
|
8 |
LAWS OF ATTRACTION |
$ 539,053 |
1513 |
$ 356 |
-36 |
|
9 |
KILL BILL VOL. 2 |
$ 417,931 |
973 |
$ 430 |
-34 |
|
10 |
GODSEND |
$ 296,599 |
1031 |
$ 288 |
-44 |
|
11 |
ENVY |
$ 294,508 |
1096 |
$ 269 |
-41 |
|
12 |
SUPER SIZE ME |
$ 172,125 |
84 |
$ 2,049 |
-17 |
Chalk this one up as a victory for adult-driven films.
Will This Summer's "Tent Pole" Releases Attract Adult Moviegoers?
Having personally broken free from the 18-24 demographic some years ago, I was happy to read in yesterday's LA Times that Hollywood is focusing on making and marketing films geared towards adults. But will it work?
I admit -- this year I'm eager to see what's coming down the pike, although I have a sinking suspicion that it's more about erstwhile memories of past summers and the chilly blast of 100,000 btus. But will adults outside the "film freak set" actually get around to catching more than one or two summer films? According to a recent MPAA survey, Hollywood might just be on to something:
According to the Motion Picture Assn. of America, the number of moviegoers ages 50 to 59 rose 20% between July 2002 and last July, making them the fastest-growing segment in the market. Even among "frequent moviegoers," who head for theaters at least once a month, the over-40s are nearly one-third of the pie (compared with 42% for the 12-to-24 bracket.)
Today's opening of the R-rated 'Troy' will be the first test. I'm feeling good with an estimate in the $63-$65 million range. Check out the Weekend Warrior's predictions if you get a chance -- he's the "Jimmy the Greek" of box office prophecies in my opinion.
I'll have some early numbers for you here on both Saturday and Sunday morning.
Yahoo! News - Hollywood Rediscovers Grown-Ups
Is the "R-Card" Icing on the Cake for Movie Marketers?
Once the kiss of death for box office success, the MPAA "R" rating is no longer a liability (unless you're Disney, of course.) Recent releases such as 'Matrix: Reloaded' and 'Passion of the Christ' show that there's big money to be made with mature-themed films.
However, with the lines of demarcation between "adult" and "youth" films becoming more clearly defined, theatrical film marketers face the same challenge that the TV business deals with -- the loss of the broad-based audience.
One emerging solution might be the "R-card" -- a parental approval system that enables older teens to see R-rated films. A relatively new phenomenon, the R-card was first introduced by the GKC theater chain in the Midwest over the past several months. Basically, a parent signs a waiver that enables their child to receive a photo ID that allows access to R-rated films without accompaniment.
The trick with this method would be to make getting one of the cards "cool." If awareness can be built up, most teens would jump at the chance at a new status symbol. Maybe the MPAA should partner with Tremor and Regal in developing some kind of program.
Theater offering 'R' film option
Metallica Doc 'Some Kind of Monster' to air Weekly "Webisodes"
Metallica has come a long way with their tireless self-promotion over the years. Long before their "concert film," I remember sitting behind a guy in high school who wore the same Master of Puppets t-shirt for a whole semester.
If you're looking for that kind of relentless exposure, you might want to check out the upcoming weekly webisodes from their documentary 'Some Kind of Monster.'
As previously reported, the much-anticipated (ed. note -- Is this true? I missed it at Sundance. Heard it was a real-life 'Spinal Tap' for the cynical set...) $4-million documentary will initially expected to be released in small theaters in such cities as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, with plans to show the movie in other U.S. markets by the fall. No word as to how long the webisodes are, but based on the article on blabbermouth.net, it looks like very little was left on the cutting room floor -- it's all going to end up in a megadeath-sized boxed set.
If we're looking at one minute long snippets, then we're talking a 15 minute teaser spread out over two months -- another variation on the big-budget, studio-sponsored teasers popping up on the networks. From my angle, it looks like a smart way to quickly build traffic for the website.
By the way, if anyone knows the general terms/percentages regarding the IFC service deal, let me know...
By the way -- if anyone on their press team happens to read this -- offer multiple formats for your press kit -- not just PDFs!
METALLICA: 'Monster' Weekly Webisodes To Launch This Week - May 11, 2004
Movies.com Launches the First Annual Movie Site Awards
Movies.com recently announced their First Annual Movie Site Awards. Submissions are being accepted through June 25th. Here are the qualifications according to their site:
In order to qualify for award nomination, the candidate site must involve a movie, actor, actress, director, or screenwriter associated with a theatrical release in the last six months of 2003 or any time in 2004. Sites are considered "Official sites" if they are directly operated by a movie studio, distribution company, actor, actress, director, or writer, or their authorized and designated agency.
Nominees will be selected by Movies.com from all candidacy announcements received by Movies.com no later than 7/7/04 via the defined submission process. Candidates with demonstrated early grass-roots support on the Movie Site Awards message board will be more likely to be considered as final nominees.
Looks like Movies.com is trying to build some traction at their message boards. At any rate, it's free and linking from your pre-existing site can't hurt -- especially for indies. Surprising though -- no separate indie category....
Movies.com: First Annual Movie Site Awards
'Van Helsing' Overcomes Poor Reviews With Tightly Coordinated Marketing Effort
Here's a good article that illustrates how Universal overcame ho-hum reviews and grabbed the critical first week box office crown. 'Van Helsing' managed to pull in nearly $52 million, and while they have a long way to go to make back their production and marketing costs, they're right in line with expectations.
Despite the mega-budget marketing effort, there's a lot to learn for indie marketers from this case study. Summing up the meat of the article, the Universal marketing team:
1. Cut a great trailer.
2. Aggressively pursued their core demographic.
3. Conducted effective internet marketing.
4. Used the film's "geek appeal" to the fullest extent.
Notice the bold on number three -- I truly believe that this is the cheapest, most effective way to reach an audience, especially with niche films. Keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks -- I'm writing a 10-part series on effective internet marketing for Indie filmmakers...
USATODAY.com - Marketing goes to heroic measures
Is the 'Fahrenheit 911' Ban a Marketing Stunt?
The Independent UK is reporting that the recent controversy surrounding Michael Moore's new film was a publicity stunt:
Less than 24 hours after accusing the Walt Disney Company of pulling the plug on his latest documentary in a blatant attempt at political censorship, the rabble-rousing film-maker Michael Moore has admitted he knew a year ago that Disney had no intention of distributing it.
I'm not sure how this will shake out -- Moore has a pretty avid fan base, but this may further damage his already shaky credibility among many.
Publicity stunts usually have a negligible effect on box office -- for example, Godsend's fake website seems to have been little help in that regard.
Related Link
News
With the Finale of 'Friends,' Movie Marketers Lose a Marketing Sweet Spot
Posted on Thursday May 6, 2004
Filed under
Here's a revealing article that sheds some light on the world of prime-time movie ad buys. Over the last several years, NBC's "Friends" has been an important ingredient in the studios' marketing efforts. "Friends" had excellent broad-based demographics, and the Thursday time slot gave the studios a last chance to reach consumers before a Friday release. The ads didn't come cheap though, with a 90 seconds going for a cool $1.5 million.
Even more interesting is what the article reveals about the marketing culture in Hollywood. For example:
Buying time on the show had long been viewed by some in Hollywood as a status symbol. When studios unveiled their advertising plans, the first question a film producer often asked was, "How many buys are you making in 'Friends?' ". Failing to include "Friends" in marketing plans could ruffle many important feathers by signaling that the studio was dissing a film.
This bit troubled me as well:
Movie studio marketers have long been divided about whether a commercial on "Friends" was worth the cost. After all, buying 90 seconds of time on "Friends" could blow a $1.5-million hole in their ad budgets. Still, executives clung to the Thursday night ad buys for fear of being second-guessed if a movie didn't have a spectacular opening weekend.
No wonder marketing costs have soared to nearly 50% of production budgets for big films. In the swaggering, braggadocio-laced environment of Hollywood, oneupsmanship and fear have corrupted the decision making process.
Marketing decisions should be based on R.O.I. At this level of game, scattershot marketing is a foolhardy proposition.
I agree with the article's assessment that reaching broad-based audiences has become increasingly difficult. Perhaps the trend toward more controlled media ad buys and a new-found interest in creative (and cheap) marketing alternatives will help abate the "marketing bloat" somewhat.
Related Links
baltimoresun.com - 'Friends' was a friend to movie marketers
Spider Man teams up with Major League Baseball
Novelty promotions are continuing unabated. It looks like Columbia Pictures will conduct heavy branding and event marketing in major league ballparks to promote the June 30th release of 'Spiderman II.' While there's a long history of sponsorship between the business world and sports, this is the most extensive cross-marketing campaign undertaken by MLB in a while, and the first in promoting a film. According to ESPN:
As part of a marketing alliance between Major League Baseball Properties, Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, webbed logos of the upcoming film "Spider-Man 2" will appear on bases and on-deck circles in 15 stadiums of teams playing host to inter-league games June 11-13.
With MLB struggling to gain younger fans, the move isn't surprising. However, with baseball fans, the notion of the "sanctity of tradition" could provoke a backlash (It surprised me that the "Passion of the Christ" NASCAR sponsorship blew over). Many fans might be thinking along these lines:
Some will say this reinforces the convergence of sports and entertainment, while others will suggest the only thing converging is bad taste," said David Carter, principal of The Sports Business Group, a sports marketing firm.
ESPN has polled baseball fans about their opinion, and the results don't look good from a marketing standpoint.
At any rate, it's a tossup if the reported $3.6 million dollars that Sony's shelling out will pay off.
Related Link
ESPN.com - SPORTSBUSINESS - MLB in tangled web of on-field advertising
MMB Publishing Schedule
Posted on Tuesday May 4, 2004
Filed under
Due to a work backlog, I haven't been able to do much commentary over the last week or so. However, I will resume regular daily updates starting tomorrow.
Thanks to all of you who sent email inquiries!
On another note, some readers have emailed me saying I should cover more of the indie film marketing scene. I'm thinking of doing a "best practices" analysis of an independent movie each week.
I'm also preparing to do a weekly "best and worst practices" in online film marketing, as well as a box office performance to marketing expenditures analysis.
Let me know what you would like to see!
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