Has the Maturing of Generation-X prompted the rise of 'New Dude Cinema'?
In his latest column on Black Table, Tim Grierson has coined a new phrase to describe the emerging crop of frat-buddy comedies of the past year - "New Dude Cinema": The New Dude company of actors, dubbed the "frat pack," includes Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Ben Stiller, and the stars of Wedding Crashers. Unlike the dude comedies of a generation ago, these new films' heroes aren't fighting the system -- they're fighting maturity. You see this phenomenon everywhere. Whether it's Esquire or Adult Swim or Xbox, the modern man is battling to stay in a perpetual adolescence where you never have to grow up, but you get to have tons of cool gadgets and expensive material possessions anyway. Remember how you always told yourself that those fraternity blockheads would be in big trouble once they entered the real world? Well, guess what happened? There's a whole industry devoted to them now.
So what's fueling this emerging trend? Perhaps it's the salt-n-peppering of the Gen Xers, as reported last month in the Dallas Morning News: As they embark upon middle age, the oldest Xers are coming into their own for the first time, generational experts say. They're getting married, starting families and embracing traditional values that set them apart from the "Me Generation' of baby boomers.
"At 40, you are beginning to see a blossoming of a generation,' says Ann Fishman, president of Generational-Targeted Marketing Corp. in New Orleans. "Many of them are just beginning to find their place.'
There are roughly 50 million Xers in the United States all born between 1965 and 1976. So has Hollywood stumbled onto a goldmine of an audience -- one that seeks to perpetuate their carefree youth through the antics of their on-screen peers? Looks like a sizable market with a tremendous amount of spending power. [Via Black Table - Believe the Hype]
Vets Upset over 'Wedding Crashers' Purple Heart Promo
According to Adrants, a tongue-in-cheek viral game for 'The Wedding Crashers' urging the use of the Purple Heart medal to score chicks has angered Veterans' groups:
Part of the promotional website for the Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn movie Wedding Crashers and a scene within the movie makes reference to the Purple Heart, a military medal of honor. The movie, which, remember, is a movie and not real life, pokes fun at the medal by claiming it gets a guy attention if he wears one with the line, "Carrying a Purple Heart in your jacket guarantees you attention, admiration and plenty of free booze."
Update: The Washington Post is now reporting that New Line has pulled the offending section off of the film's web site. Apparently, the notion of impostors using fake medals to score favors is a sore point in D.C. right now:
Wearing, manufacturing, buying, selling or trading a Medal of Honor is a crime. [Congressman] Salazar's Stolen Valor Act, introduced Friday, would expand the law to include more medals and would allow prosecution of anyone who falsely claims to have earned a military medal or a Purple Heart.
His office drew attention to the Web site. On Monday, he claimed victory.
"If any movie-goers take the advice of the 'Wedding Crashers' and try to use fake Purple Hearts to get girls, they may wind up picking up an FBI agent instead."
Kinda harsh. New Line did the right thing by pulling the section though. Given the lack of vets working in private industry these days, its not hard to see how something like this could slip by without a proper vetting. Adrants does make a point that in a time of war, sensitivities are indeed higher, and an extra level of scrutiny needs to be applied to all things military-related.
[Via Adrants]
Fox to Bow DVD premiere of 'Family Guy' Movie with Massive Marketing Push
According to Video Business, Fox announced this week that they will launch a DVD premiere for their 'Family Guy' franchise titled 'Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story!' on September 27th, and will back it with a massive marketing campaign:
In addition to synergy cross-promotions across most Fox broadcast and media outlets and licensing units, the studio's multi-million dollar marketing campaign on the title will include national print and television advertising and a major grassroots college campaign targeting co-eds at bars, clubs, fraternity parties and via special screening events.
If you're wondering why Fox is pushing the title so aggressively, it because the 'Family Guy' franchise has been enormously lucrative -- Having sold-through over 1.35 million units, the franchise is second only 'The Chapelle Show' in units sold, but because of the set's higher SRP is more profitable.
If anyone knows who Fox's college marketing partner will be, please send us an email.
[Via Video Business Online]
Universal Bows 'Meet the Fockers' DVD With New Broadband Ad Format
According to Digital Bulletin, Universal is supporting the U.K. launch of the 'Meet the Fockers' DVD with a new broadband ad format:
It is a new format that capitalises on broadband connection by delivering full-screen, high-quality video streaming, run from any fixed-position ad.
Film distributor Universal is using the format to stream the television ad through the Lycos homepage and within an ad placement on the FHM homepage. It could also be used to stream movie trailers or other content.
Overlays will also stream the TV spot on sites including The Sun Online, Virgin.net and NTL World.
As broadband penetration continues to gain a greater foothold both here and abroad, video ads will become the norm rather than the exception on high-profile releases. However, I think that these ads will also be an important tool for smaller films where audiences would be much less likely to be exposed to a trailer.
20th Century Fox Jumps on the UMD Bandwagon
Per Retail Merchandiser, 20th Century Fox has announced a slate of five UMD titles to bow this Summer:
Targeting the platform's core demo of men ages 18-34, the first five titles to be released by the studio include 'I, Robot,' 'Napoleon Dynamite,' 'Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,' 'Super Troopers,' and 'Predator.' The initial wave of titles will hit retail shelves in July, with a catalog of releases immediately scheduled for subsequent waves.
No prebook, street date, or SRP were announced, but they will more than likely be in-line with other studio's offerings. This Announcement comes on the heels of Universal's announcement yesterday. How long before we see the independents join the game? That's dependent on how rich the licensing scheme with Sony is -- right now, it might not pay to release titles that won't move 50-75K units. However, I think that an independent could really clean up by releasing martial arts and extreme sports content (skateboarding, snowboarding, motorcycle racing).
[Via Retail Merchandiser]
'Uncle Nino': The Little Indie Movie that Could
In case you've missed the slowly-building buzz, here's a short-but-sweet article from the Sun-Sentinel about 'Uncle Nino'. The simple, family-oriented indie film about family ran for over 55 weeks in a Grand Rapids, Michigan theater, grossing over $165,000. Here's a bit from the article:
"People show up every day for Uncle Nino," says Ron Van Timmeren, executive vice president of marketing and film for Celebration! Cinema. The regional, family-owned movie chain has 10 locations, including a multiplex in northeastern Grand Rapids where the film opened on Dec. 5, 2003 and played through last December.
The film stars Joe Mantegna and Anne Archer as parents who are disconnected from their two children and from each other. All that begins to change when the family receives a visit from an eccentric, long-lost relative from Italy, Uncle Nino, played by veteran character actor Pierrino Mascarino.
According to the article, one of the actors has spent tons of face time in Grand Rapids, and has even been named an "honorary Grand Rapidian" by the mayor.
With buzz building behind the backstory, Newmarket, sensing another 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' has dove in to roll out the title nationally.
So what lessons can a move marketer glean from this if planning their own limited release?
1) Your playdate locations should have some relevance. 'Uncle Nino' was filmed in Grand Rapids. Another example is 'Assisted Living', which is screening heavily in Kentucky where it was shot.
2) Furthering number one, screen in communities whose demographics fit your subject matter. Based on the article, Grand Rapids was a good fit for this picture due to the conservative christian base. A good, free resource you can use is fedstats.gov.
3) Make appearances. The actor that played Uncle Nino his in the audience and surprised theatre-goers. As the director, you should figure out a way to make it to every city in your "barn-storming" tour. Sandy Dubowski, the director of doc 'Trembling Before G-D', practically lived on the road to support his film, but he nurtured it to nearly a million in grosses. Whether you do Q&As or throw parties, so something that people will generate buzz and bring more people back.
4) Do your legwork. Sending out clumps of postcards to regional organizations won't work. If you're marketing to the typical indie audience, contact a local indie record shop or popular nightclub - they will usually have a handle on a good promo point person. You have to run your campaign like a tour.
Does anyone else have any suggestions?
From one-theater start, gentle indie film rides rising buzz across nation: South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Racy 'Harold and Kumar' DVD Poster Stirs Free Speech Debate
 According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, racy posters advertising the 'Harold and Kumar go to White Castle' DVD have riled up some of the faculty and student body at Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville.
The poster, which advertises DVDs of the movie "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle," depicts the torso of a woman, whose face isn't shown, with a DVD - one for the regular version of the movie and one for the unrated version - covering each naked breast. The poster reads, "Either way, you score."
The poster was placed in campus common areas by 360 Youth, a New York-based ad company catering to the college market. Several other unnamed universities have already pulled the ads, but SIU Edwardsville has not made a final determination yet. The ads have spurred a free speech debate on the campus, and the school's paper has rallied behind the ads. However, the school has said they will pull the ads if a majority of the students and faculty call for it.
Whatever the final outcome may be, one thing is certain: the ads, though tacky, have definitely been effective. While suggestive, the ads are not really any worse than a swimsuit issue, and they definitely capture the attention of their target market. In fact, compared to the relatively tame, off-target key art for the theatrical release, the DVD ads have been well thought out. This is just one more example of studios rethinking the DVD campaign on its own terms, especially when the theatrical campaign underperformed.
Racy ads stir free speech debate at SIUE
Napoleon Dynamite's Marketing? Sweet!
I have yet to see Napoleon Dynamite, but I am impressed with the creativity of the guys and gals at Fox Searchlight's marketing department. If you've been Reading the Movie Marketing Blog this year, you've seen lots of innovations in the marketplace. Well, Fox has followed some of their own best practices and added a few new and interesting marketing tactics to boot:
1. New scenes -- with this Friday's expansion, Fox has added a 5 minute epilogue to entice fans to come back for a second showing. Straight out of the DVD playbook, this technique worked well for Fox with last year’s '28 Days Later'. The difference? The scenes were shot just 4 weeks ago...
2. Fan Club Competition -- Fox has heavily promoted the "Napoleon Dynamite Fan Club," and now has 20,000 people competing in a contest to select the club's president. The competition winner gets a free screening and other perks, and helps the movie by virally spreading the word among the target demographic.
3. Napoleon Dynamite Mixers -- Special pre-film events held in "tastemaker" cities to turn out the fan club base.
4. Audience Participation Script -- Ever heard of the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'?
5. Iron-On transfers -- Over 40 different designs that can be printed out and made into t-shirts. Branding, anyone? And no cost to the marketer?
All of this effort would be moot if the film was a dog, but the reviews have been pretty good. I did read somewhere (don't remember where) that the film is "like watching a Wes Anderson cover band" or something to that effect, but In my opinion, Fox Searchlight has done an incredible job of making the film into a unique viewer experience.
Related Links:
Official Site
Fan Club
Rotten Tomatoes Review Page
Lost in Translation & LOTR the big Winner
Lost in translation looks to gain the biggest awards boost, winning nearly all of the Golden Globes it was nominated for. Conversely, Cold Mountain looks like the biggest loser, winning only one of it's eight noms. It could have really used the boost at the box office.
And of course, LOTR: ROTK did some damage as well, raking in four Globes. If the Oscars pile up as well, we could easily see over one billion in worldwide box office.
But how much effect do Golden Globe wins have on Box Office? I can nary recall a time where they swayed me one way or the other. I think their influence to be more indirect -- swaying Oscar voters, with the Oscars being the true box office movers. The Globes are gaining in popularity and influence though, if you consider their soaring ratings.
The 2004 Golden Globe Winners
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