January 2006 | Main | March 2006

Comcast, IFC Announce Simultaneous Theatrical and Video On Demand Releases

Posted on Tuesday February 28, 2006
Filed under Independent, New Releases, Partnerships, Theatrical, Video on Demand

Comcast and the Independent Film Channel have announced a tandem release strategy, according to the AP:

Comcast said indie films from "IFC in Theaters" will be shown through its "On Demand" service, which stores movies, TV shows and other video for subscribers with digital set-top boxes to watch at any time.The offerings, priced at $5.99 each, will be launched nationwide on Mar. 22.

IFC, a cable channel and independent film studio owned by Cablevision Systems Corp. in New York, will offer about two dozen new films every year to Comcast with simultaneous release in theaters.

According to the article, IFC is also in talks with other cable companies, though the "IFC in Theaters" On Demand service is only available on Comcast right now. This offering comes on the heels of recent experiments with release windows, the most prominent of which has been Magnolia's 'Bubble'. The studios have been less eager to experiment, but it's probably the smaller releases that will benefit from this strategy anyway.

Via AP Wire

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Fox Searchlight Sends Severed Ears to Promote 'The Hills Have Eyes'

Posted on Friday February 24, 2006
Filed under Film Publicity, Fox Searchlight, Horror, Lionsgate Films, Movie Marketing, New Releases

Marketing horror films has always required a mix of creativity, brashness, and the occasional gross-out. Fox Searchlight followed the latter to a tee this week when they sent out fake severed ears in a clever styrofoam clam-shell to promote the upcoming release of 'The Hills Have Eyes'.. You can check it out here, if you dare.

Before you congratulate the marketing team at Fox Searchlight for their originality, however, you should know that the guys at Lionsgate sent severed hands out to journalists when they promoted 'Saw' a year and a half ago.

Three times a marketing trend makes, and we're waiting to see what the Weinsteins do with the next Dimension release...

Found via the incomparable Adrants

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Angry Bond Fans to Boycott 'Casino Royale'

Posted on Wednesday February 22, 2006
Filed under Action & Adventure, Film Publicity, Movie Marketing, New Releases, Sony Pictures, Theatrical

According to the website craignotbond.com, an international group of James Bond fans is organizing a boycott of the next James Bond film, Casino Royale, due to the casting choice of Daniel Craig as James Bond. In a release posted on their website, the group gives a straightforward explanation for the boycott:

Even in the movie business, the old saying that 'the customer is always right' holds true. Since EON and Sony Pictures have chosen to ignore their most loyal customers, we have no choice but to boycott the 21st James Bond film, Casino Royale.

We call upon Bond fans around the world to join us in this boycott. If we all stand together, and stay home when this ill-conceived movie is released, it will send a message to EON [the production company] once and for all, that the sacred trust of Ian Fleming's iconic hero James Bond belongs not to them, but to all of the James Bond fans across the globe!

There has not been a response from Eon or Sony regarding the boycott yet. These days, casting choices are an important part of the marketing game, and its hard to see how the choice of Daniel Craig, a rough-edged character actor, helps the Bond franchise. Will hard-core Bond fans really stay away, or are these empty threats? Our hunch is that EON will stay with Craig and milk the "controversy" for all its worth.

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Wellspring Theatrical Distribution Division to Cease Operations

Posted on Wednesday February 22, 2006
Filed under Foreign, Industry News, Partnerships, The Weinstein Company, Theatrical

Genius Products is shutting down the theatrical distribution arm at Wellspring, the indie DVD label the company acquired last year. According to Variety, the decision to shutter the label was largely affected by a theatrical distribution partnership announced with the Weinstein Company late last year, a move which effectively eliminated the need for a costly theatrical distribution arm:

A Genius spokesman said that Wellspring will remain a label under the Genius banner but would not elaborate on how many employees the label would have.

Genius said that the move to fold Wellspring's efforts into its other divisions would save about $1 million in annual overhead expenses.

This move exemplifies just how hard of a climate it is to market foreign films theatrically right now. The studios' specialty divisions have been churning out sophisticated, independent fare and English language docs over the last several years, and the net effect has been an erosion of foreign film market share. Genius Products will benefit down the line though, because the 700+ Foreign titles from the Wellspring library will surely rebound in value when consumer tastes realign with foreign fare.

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Movie Marketing Newsflash for February 21st, 2006

Posted on Tuesday February 21, 2006
Filed under DVD Marketing, Industry News, Movie Marketing, Television Marketing

Is ‘Serenity’ Out of the Red Yet?

‘Eight Below’ Beats ‘Date Movie’ to Take the Weekend Box Office Crown

Fox to release signed and Numbered ‘Planet of the Apes’ DVD Collections

Warner Independent Pictures Premieres ‘A Scanner Darkly’ Trailer on Mobile Phones

Shameless Marketing Ploy: Jennifer Anniston Goes Nude in Throwaway Rom-Com

The Hi-def DVD Standard War Confuses Customers

Starbucks Moves Their Content Office to Hollywood

NBC pilot “Conviction” Appears on iTunes Two Weeks Early

Dallas Morning News to Distribute iMedia’s Movie Preview DVD Magazine

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January 2006 | Main | March 2006

Comcast, IFC Announce Simultaneous Theatrical and Video On Demand Releases

Fox Searchlight Sends Severed Ears to Promote 'The Hills Have Eyes'

Angry Bond Fans to Boycott 'Casino Royale'

Wellspring Theatrical Distribution Division to Cease Operations

Movie Marketing Newsflash for February 21st, 2006

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