Fox Launches Second Demographically-targeted Specialty Division with FoxFaith

News Corp.'s Fox Filmed Entertainment today announced plans to target the Christian audience with the formal launch of the FoxFaith Home Enertainment Division.

FoxFaith will acquire up to twelve films a year, with a minimum of six theatrical releases a year under partnerships with AMC Theatres and Carmike Cinemas. The label will target evangelical Christians, a group whose beliefs have traditionally been at odds with secular Hollywood fare (including some of the racier content seen on Fox's broadcast network). The label has also partnered with the Dove Foundation, a non-profit that offers seals of approval to qualifying films free of offensive content.

Productions will be based on bestselling Christian fiction and will have production budgets under $5 million. Recent updates indicate they will be acquisitions, and not studio productions Additionally, the films will receive marketing support nearly equal to the production budgets, a significant figure for marketing low-budget films. This will complement Fox’s already hefty grassroots database of 90,000 congregations and 14 million evangelical households.

As we reported here over a year ago, FoxFaith has been making major inroads into the Christian marketplace in the DVD arena. Since the launch of the FoxFaith initiative last June, Fox has shipped over 30 million faith-based DVDs. As the DVD distributor for ‘Passion of the Christ,’ fox has sold an impressive 15 million units and established a considerable competitive advantage in marketing to the Christian community.

Another interesting element to this announcement: As opposed to the rest of Hollywood’s alignment of their theatrical and home video divisions along genre lines (Foreign, American Independent, Horror, etc.), Fox is throwing that paradigm out the window by aligning them along demographic lines, first with Fox Atomic, and now FoxFaith. It’s doesn't seem like much of a stretch to imagine a FoxAsian or FoxWomen specialty unit. After all, this model has been put to the test via specialty cable networks for several decades, but the web has given the model even more promise. With the lower cost of marketing to a known cohort, the centralization of these communities in online social networks, and the ease of building up reusable grassroots databases over time, Fox may have discovered a winning formula for combating the fracturing of the mass audience. The Weinsteins Company has placed a bet on this model as well with Our Stories Films, a specialty studio catering to the African-American audience.

AOL RED Announces Exclusive "Direct-to-download" Horror Film Release

Today AOL announced that they will release the horror film 'Incubus' as a "direct-to-download" exclusive on AOL RED, a teen-centric entertainment site.

Starring Tara Reid, the feature-length film follows a group of six teens attempting to escape from a government paranormal research lab. AOL plans to sell downloads for 7.99 or five day rentals for $3.49. Purchasers can begin watching the stream as it downloads. The film will be available for download beginning on October 31st, and AOL will have a 30 day exclusive window before the DVD hits stores. AOL plans to promote the release with a user-generated content contest where fans can submit homemade horror shorts. No specifics on prizing was mentioned.

At first glance, this looks like a creative way to build buzz for both AOL RED (who heard of it before today, anyway?) and the DVD's release. However, given the fact that the target audience spends more time online than watching television, this little promotion may have stumbled on a new window. If they're successful, that is…

Movie Ads in the Wild: New York City Edition

In running a website about marketing, sometimes we forget that the online space is not the center of the marketing universe. After all, the online marketing budget for most films amounts to only 10-15% of the total marketing spend. Now granted, that number is rising every day, and you do get more bang for your online marketing buck, but other forms of advertising -- namely print, television and outdoor -- are still the single biggest percentage of the movie marketing spend.

In recognition of that fact, Movie Marketing Update is starting a new feature called "Movie Ads in the Wild." Several times a month we're going to show you what marketers are doing on the street, in theater lobbies, on billboards, and in the local newspapers. This week's installment comes to you from New York City -- more specifically, Park Avenue between 17th and 23rd streets in Midtown, with a little dash of Queens to boot.

Starting out Broadway at 19th street, we pass a wall of "coming soon" posters outside of a six-plex. 'Casino Royale' seems to catch the eye the most out of the four we see here.

Walking cross-town to Park avenue, we found a poster for 'The Guardian' hanging above a parking garage entrance.  Not the greatest of placements -- you have to be looking up to notice it.  It's also a shame that nearly a third of the poster is wasted with an illegible credit block (but we get it, its in the contract...)

Still crossing over to Park, we noticed some great 2x2 wild postings at a construction site promoting 'American Hardcore'.  Music releases and events are heavily promoted this way in New York, which makes this particular technique a good fit for this film. Its hard to see in this picture, but there is a mention of the "Vans Warped Tour," one of the film's promotional partners.

Just a few feet away from the 'American Hardcore' posting, we see an old Jet Li ad from a few weeks ago peeling away. Sometimes the layers of old postings get so thick that they simply shear off of the plywood under the weight of glue and paper, and other environmental conditions like rain, wind, graffiti artists, and drunken fratboys can wreak havoc on your ads.  In prime areas, your adverts will need to be re-posted weekly, otherwise they simply get posted over by competitors.

Turning on to Park Avenue, we see a phone booth (which are less common than you think) with an ad for 'The Grudge 2.'  Note how much better the ad works without a massive credit block?

Looking up Park avenue, we see the massive, 60 foot noggins of DiCaprio, Damon and Nicholson in the distance.

Here's a closer shot of the massive 'The Departed' ad at the corner of 23rd Street and Park avenue. You can barely see the workers affixing the ad from a gondola hanging just below DiCaprio's head.  I didn't get a close enough look to see if they were painting or postering, but its a massive undertaking in any case.  You can see the last vestiges of blue in the lower left from the 'Lady in the Water' ad that was there during the Summer. If my memory serves me well, this ad changes four to six times a year -- anyone have an idea how much this particular space goes for? If you do, or just want to guess, drop a note in the comments.

On my way into the Subway I found yet another ad for 'The Departed.' .   Nicholson looks like he aged in reverse by twenty years.  And don't get me started on the quarter of the ad wasted on the credit block...

Okay -- here we are in Long Island City, a 10 minute subway ride away from Midtown.  Upon exiting the station, I found this jumbo-sized wild posting for 'Gridiron Gang.'  This 4x6 foot poster is right on the corner of a very busy intersection with heavy car traffic.  Unfortunately, whoever designed the poster made the release date illegible from any more than a few feet away.  Note that the poster to the left is already partially covered with a competing music poster after a week.

Just a little bit down the street we've got a big 6x6 wild posting for 'A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.' This is a smart location right next to a bus stop, but the poster needs some help -- the key art is too small and the talent's names should have been arranged better. The actual neighborhood may be a bad placement, however, because the local demographic isn't likely to be interested in seeing this, in my opinion.

And here's where my journey ends -- at the Sunnyside Cinemas, a neighborhood first-run theater.  This 'Babel' poster is displayed under the Theater's marquee next to the box office window.  I would be surprised if this particular film actually plays at this theater, since they mostly run genre and family fare.  Note the ridiculously low ticket prices for New York City, by the way (and that's probably the last remaining matinee pricing in New York as well.)

CARU Asks Disney to Stop Advertising 'Pirates of the Caribbean' to Kids

According to Broadcasting & Cable Magazine, the Children's Advertising Review Unit of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has asked Disney to stop marketing the PG-13 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' to children on Nickelodeon.

A self-regulating arm of the ad industry, CARU made a formal complaint about ads that ran in tandem with the film's theatrical release in June, three months after they had aired. Disney responded by saying they had no plans on rerunning the ads, and stated that they had relied on Nickelodeon's clearance department to ensure proper ad placement.

CARU frowns on advertising PG-13 films to children under 12 because the MPAA rating indicates the presence of content that "may be unsuitable." However, as the B&C notes, 'Pirates of the Caribbean' toys, games, food and a whole bevy of other licensed products are heavily marketed to children despite the film's rating.

It will be interesting to see how close and timely CARU's scrutiny will be when Disney launches the third installment of the franchise next year, and what changes Disney will make regarding ad buys on younger-skewing channels. As reported for Q3 2006, the Disney Consumer Products division’s income rose 70% over the previous year to $105 million, much of which was due to sales of Pirates-themed merchandise.

New Movie Marketing Collateral - Monday 9/18

In an effort to keep you abreast of the latest trailers, clips, posters, ads, websites and more, we're kicking-off a daily round-up of new movie marketing collateral releases. To get your collateral mentioned send an email to news@indiescene.net.

New Movie Trailers and Preview Clips:

'For Your Consideration' - Three new preview clips at Risky Biz Blog

'The Invisible' - New Trailer posted to MySpace

'Saw III' - Updated trailer at Yahoo! Movies

'Flyboys' - Exclusive Character clips at Coming Soon

New Movie Banner Ads:

'Casino Royale' -- New Flash leaderboard ad on Adverlicio.us

'Fearless' -- New Flash leaderboard ad on Adverlicio.us

Other Collateral and Ads of Note:

Heavy 'Jesus Camp' PPC ad placement on liberal blogs, to include Google video ads. Here's an example of a text ad (scroll to the end of the article.) Looks like they also did a banner buy on the same site.

Big Blogads buy for 'The Ground Truth' across liberal blogs -- see an example at Dailykos. Also note the 'Jesus Camp' ad.

Sony Pictures Signs Promotional Deal with Heineken for 'Casino Royale'

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures Entertainment has signed a six-figure promotional partnership with The Netherlands-based Heineken Brewing Company to showcase the company's product in the upcoming James Bond action thriller 'Casino Royale.'

Promotional activities will include heavy product placement in the film, to include scenes with new James Bond actor Daniel Craig drinking the beer. While the on-screen placements seem to counter the "shaken not stirred" vodka martini image usually seen in Bond flicks, it may work well with the new tougher, "man's-man" approach the producers are taking with the Bond character. Plans are also in the works for a special tie-in commercial starring Bond girl Eva Green, which will be directed by Oscar-winner Stephen Gaghan ('Syriana,' 'Traffic'), who will have access to the actual production sets for the ad.

No word yet as to how this new beer-swilling, Bond will sit with fans, but the initial backlash to Craig's casting seems to be cooling. On the promotional side, the number of official partners has been cut back significantly from 2002's 'Die Another Day,' which was criticized for going over the top with irrevelant tie-ins. Smirnoff will remain the offical vodka for this installment, will produce a custom commercial, hold an on-pack promotion tied in with the film's release.

The James Bond franchise has grossed nearly $1.3 Billon dollars domestically since the release of 'Dr. No' in 1963, according to Box Office Mojo. 'Casino Royale' hits theaters November 17th.

MySpace and Fox Partner to Launch the 'Black Carpet Screening Series'

This morning, MySpace and Twentieth Century Fox announced the launch of the Black Carpet Screening Series, which will enable MySpace registered users a chance to see early previews of films before they hit theaters. The move is the biggest studio social networking promotion to date, and also marks MySpace’s first foray into a worldwide exclusive event.

The first advance screening will kickoff on September 20th, which will showcase 'Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,' a full two weeks ahead of the film’s November 3rd premiere. Members in Canada, Germany, the U.K., Ireland and 20 U.S. cities will have a chance to attend local screening events. Users will have to add the Black Carpet profile to their friends list, as well as the film they are interested in seeing, and they will then receive bulletins with details on cities and showtimes.

This looks like an exceptionally smart move by Fox to harness the viral effect of social networks. In effect, it is a brilliant marriage of the proven word of mouth Generating capability of advance screenings to MySpace’s 40 million member social network, and this move will enable the positive word of mouth to spread faster than face-to-face contact. It will be interesting to see which films they choose beyond ‘Borat;’ After all, we have seen how much of a double-edged sword instant word-of-mouth can be.

Nonetheless, this move furthers the synergy between MySpace and News Corp., and looks like a broadening of the studio’s recent efforts to court the youth market with the launch of their Fox Atomic label. It will be interesting to see if further synergies between MySpace and Fox Atomic develop, and also how the other studios will react.

Warner Bows 'The Lake House' Simultaneously on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray

Today Warner Home Video announced that they will be releasing 'The Lake House' simultaneously on standard DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray formats.

With a September 26th street date, Warner will be the first studio to release titles in all formats. They will also be releasing the film as a combo disc, with a high definition DVD on one side and SD DVD on the other side, priced at $39.99. The Blu-ray version will be available for $34.99 SRP. And a standard DVD will cost $28.98. The bonus materials will be available on all versions, though Warner did not disclose if they would be in high definition on the HD DVD and Blue-ray versions.

'The Lake House' is a time-travel romance starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, and is a remake of a recent Korean film. Warner may be banking on the geek appeal of the film’s plot and Keanu Reeve’s Matrix pedigree to appeal to the early adopters who are currently the biggest segment of the high definition player owners.

In theatrical release this past summer, 'The Lake House' took in $52.3 million domestically and $49 million overseas, coming in at #38 for 2006.

RKO and AMC Theaters Partner for New Film Series

According to Variety, AMC Theaters and RKO Distribution have announced plans for a recurring film series next year.

Called the “RKO Distribution Film Series,” the six film slate will run for 12 weeks in 16 markets starting next February. Each film will play run exclusively at AMC theaters for a minimum of two weeks. If the films take off, they could be held over or expanded according to the agreement. If the series is successful, a second slate of six films will bow in August.

The deal falls under the recently launched AMC SELECT program, which is designed showcase specialty and independent films at 72 AMC theatres in 39 markets across the country. AMC has dedicated at least one screen at each participating theatre to indie programming. Recent titles that have run under the AMC SELECT moniker include ‘An Inconvenient Truth,’ ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ and ‘A Prairie Home Companion.’

Thinkfilm and Clickstar Test Release Windows with ’10 Items or Less’

Clickstar will make Morgan Freeman’s latest drama '10 Items or Less' available on the web just two weeks after its release in theaters, according to a recent Los Angeles Times article.

The company also announced that the film will be available for purchase and rental on DVD in tandem with Thinkfilm’s theatrical release. ClickStar, Freeman’s joint venture with Intel, will handle web distribution. Thinkfilm announced theatrical distribution rights earlier this week at the Toronto Film Festival.

Directed by Brad Silberling, the film follows a washed up former A-lister (Freeman) who, while prepping for a role in a low-budget movie, strikes up a friendship with a fiery-tongued checkout clerk (Paz Vega) at a local market. According to the Los Angeles Times, Clickstar produced the film for under ten million dollars and shot it guerrilla-style in under three weeks with handheld HD cameras.

Thinkfilm has yet to announce the theatrical premiere date.

Guba Movie Download Pricing Experiment Boosts Sales 1000%

Guba, the online video sharing site, today announced that their month long price reduction experiment yielded a 1000% increase in sales and a doubling of their site traffic.

For the last 30 days, Guba has offered new release movies priced at $9.99, catalog titles at $4.99 and TV episodes for 49 cents, though the offerings cannot be burned to a DVD. These prices are at a substantial discount to the current pricing structure at Amazon's Unbox service ($14.99 and up for new releases, $9.99 and up for catalog titles) and the forthcoming Apple download store, which is likely to bow new release movie downloads at around $15 dollars.

Guba currently has deals with Sony Pictures and Warner Brothers, offering 500 and 200 titles from each library, respectively. In all likelihood, Guba is serving as a low-risk pricing test bed due to its lower profile and smaller user base, which is probably enough to keep Wal-Mart from getting nervous. As of late, the mega-retailer has been annoyed at the prospect of downloads being priced below their DVD wholesale pricing of $17 for new releases, and has used their muscle to influence online pricing moves.

So what is the optimal download price for a burnable, DRM-managed feature-length movie? Take the poll below to give us your opinion.

Universal promos 'The Black Dahlia' with Fake Newsreel on YouTube

Yesterday evening, Universal launched a newsreel-styled promo video on YouTube for their upcoming release ‘The Back Dahlia’', reports Adrants.

In addition to using recreated footage and archival crime scene clips, the four minute piece also utilizes vintage clips of other early twentieth century crimes to help set the tone. Exopolis, a creative shop specializing in design and development for broadcast, print and interactive, produced the promo.



This video furthers the vintage aesthetic of the film’s marketing campaign. Earlier this week, a special promotion with the Los Angles Times featured a special wraparound which included vintage clips. The Black Dahlia is an adaptation of James Ellroy's 1940s-set novel about two Los Angeles detectives heading the hunt for the killer of newbie actress Elizabeth Short. Directed by Brian De Palma and starring Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson and Hillary Swank, the films hits theaters on Spetember 15th.

New Line Teams with PixelPlay for 'Fried Worms' DishGAMES Promotion

PixelPlay and New Line Cinema have partnered to offer a 'How to Eat Fried Worms' game on PixelPlay's DishGAMES service, available via the DISH Network, according to a joint press release.

Gamers will have the chance to win 10 different prizes, and the top three scorers will win a "Worms Prize Package" featuring a Samsung portable DVD player, 10 movie tickets from Fandango, a New Line DVD Pack, a ‘Fried Worms’ movie poster and a 17 piece stainless steel cookware set, ostensibly to cook up homemade worm delicacies. The game went live on the service last Friday in tandem with the film’s theatrical release.

The game is available free to all DISH Network subscribers, which currently number over 12.4 million throughout the U.S. The promotion will be available on the service for the remainder of the summer.

New CBS Series 'Smith' Finds Ad Partner with Warner's 'The Departed'

According to Zap2it, CBS has partnered with Warner Brothers for the premiere of the new crime drama ‘Smith.’ The pilot will be solely sponsored by the upcoming Scorsese film The Departed, with “limited commercial interruptions.”

The Warner Brothers sponsorship of the ‘Smith’ pilot takes care of a tricky scheduling dilemma faced by CBS. With the premiere running over an hour before commercial breaks, CBS would have had to trim down the episode, limit commercials, or run an extended premiere.

'The Departed,' a hard-boiled crime drama in the vein of Scorsese’s past work, is a natural fit for 'Smith.' The series also stars Ray Liotta, who had his big breakout role in the Scorsese classic Mafia hit 'Goodfellas.'

‘The Departed’ features an ensemble cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and Martin Sheen, among others, and will premiere in theaters on October 6th.

Sony to Bow 'Spider-Man 3' IMAX Release Day and Date with Theatrical Run

Sony and IMAX announced today that ‘Spider-Man 3’ will be simultaneously be released at both conventional and IMAX theaters when the film debuts next year on May 4th, 2007.

According to IMAX co-chairman Richard Gelfond, the film will be available on at least 100 screens, a significant increase from the 63 screens that ‘Spider-Man 2’ debuted on during its IMAX run. This is the third IMAX release announced by Sony Pictures, with the third being the animated film ‘Open Season,’ which will bow in IMAX on September 29th this year.

In addition to adding valuable screens and significant revenue to a film’s launch, IMAX launches have also become an excellent marketing tool for the studios due to high-level of word-of-mouth that the format generates. For example, the IMAX release of ‘The Polar Express’ was widely credited with reviving the non-IMAX version’s fortunes in late 2004, which boosted theatrical revenues above $100 million and helped the title to become a smash hit on DVD.

Last year, the latest installment of the ‘Harry Potter’ series earned over $16 million in its IMAX run, and ‘Batman Begins’ grossed $15.9 million, according to the-numbers.com.

New Line Decides Against Critics' Screenings for 'Snakes on a Plane'

According to Variety, New Line has decided to forgo any pre-release screenings of their upcoming horror film 'Snakes on A Plane.'

In a move calculated to reduce the chances of any poor critical reviews or buzz-killing word of mouth, the earliest the public and critics alike will be able to see the film is Thursday night on August 17th. No press screenings or sneaks will be available.

Holding back press screenings for genre and action fare has become a common practice lately, mostly because the films' core audience is typically made up of genre fans who don’t read newspaper reviews. However, for the rest of the public, a lack of early reviews is starting to be interpreted as "this film sucks." New Line is spinning this move as “a chance for fans to see the film first.” However, if you look at past films that have withheld press screenings, it doesn’t bode well for the quality of 'Snakes.'

Recent films that have withheld press screenings include: 'Aeon Flux,' 'Cursed,' 'Phat Girlz,' 'Scary Movie 4,' 'See no Evil', 'The Benchwarmers,' 'The Fog,' 'The Hills Have Eyes,' 'Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion,' 'Ultraviolet,' 'Underworld: Evolution', and 'When a Stranger Calls.'

If we've missed any, please add them in the comments.

Lionsgate Announces Nationwide Public Word of Mouth Screening Event for 'The Descent'

Lionsgate has teamed up with in-theater ad & promo outfit National CineMedia and Horror rag Fangoria Magazine to launch a one-night-only advance screening event for the upcoming horror thriller 'The Descent.' The special screening will take place next week on July 26th at 8:00 p.m. - nine days ahead of the film's August 4th wide release. The event will be held at 47 participating Regal, United Artists, Edwards, and Cinemark around the country in key markets including New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Miami and Atlanta, among others (a full list of markets is available here). A regular admission charge will be in effect, and tickets can be purchased either online or at the box office the day of the screening.

The producers of the film have created exclusive behind-the-scenes content created especially for the event, and Fangoria has created a microsite to promote the screenings as well. Lionsgate has also linked to the advance ticket sales site from the film’s homepage.

Based on the numerous positive early reviews from fan boy and genre sites such as AICN, Joblo.com and bloodydisgusting.com, the potential for good word of mouth arising from this effort are high, especially since the structure of the event is designed to cater to the "mavens" of the horror genre – Fangoria readers eager to see both the previously-unseen U.S. cut as well as the exclusive extras. Collateral for the film has also been exceptional, with one of the most compelling one-sheets, trailer and web sites of 2006.

This isn't National CineMedia's first foray into movie marketing promotions – Last year, they conducted advance screenings to promote MGM’s 'North Country', as well as a one day re-release of New Line's 'The Wedding Crashers' earlier this year in support of the DVD release. Both screenings also had "special features," including a live satellite Q&A for 'North Country' and exclusive "uncorked" extras for 'Wedding Crashers.'

Paramount Vantage and the Sierra Club Promo 'An Inconvenient Truth' with Robo-calls

According to Variety, last week Paramount Vantage and The Sierra Club teamed up to promote the release of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ with “robo-calls” – the same sort of prerecorded telephone calls that are usually used to promote political candidates.

On July 7th, approximately 300,000 of the automated calls were placed in New York and four other key markets. The call was a 38 second message from Al gore urging the listener to get out and see his film about global warming, which began like this:

"Hi, I'm Al Gore. The fight against global warming is not about right vs. left, it's about right vs. wrong. That's why the Sierra Club and I are asking you to see my film, 'An Inconvenient Truth,' this weekend.”

According to the article, this is the first time this technique has been used to promote a film, and at least one studio executive believes that this is just the tip of the iceberg. The real question is if people will consider this sort of "push" advertising as an intrusion or not. If done well and correctly targeted, it may work for certain genres of films -- political documentaries and comedies come to mind. And If this technique could be paired with Moviefone-like ticketing capabilities, the ROI tracking capabilities would be a huge boon to movie marketers.

‘An Inconvenient Truth’ has grossed $15.6 million since its release in late May.

Warner Independent Releases First 24 Minutes of 'A Scanner Darkly' on IGN

Warner Independent Pictures has made the first 24 minutes of 'A Scanner Darkly' available as an online exclusive at IGN FilmForce. You can watch the extended preview, - nearly the first quarter of the film - at this link.

While the studios have been releasing clips under ten minutes on a fairly regular basis, this is without a doubt the longest preview released by a studio or specialty division to date. This shrewd marketing move is undoubtedly meant to drum up interest preceding the film's expansion onto 190 screens this weekend, up from 17 during the opening weekend. In its first weekend of limited release, 'A Scanner Darkly' earned over $392K, averaging just over $23K per screen.

De Beers to counter `The Blood Diamond`

The De Beers Group, the Johannesburg-based diamond mining and trading company, has announced plans to spend $15 million dollars to counter any potential bad press from the release of 'The Blood Diamond,' the Mining Journal reports.

Slated for a January 2007 release, the Warner Brothers film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a man involved in a diamond smuggling ring. According to reports, the film depicts the exploitation of diamond miners in Sierra Leone and the plot implies that "conflict diamonds," or diamonds used to fund the ongoing civil wars in Africa, are still prevalent. This contradicts the stance in the Diamond Industry that the problem has been eliminated. However, with the promotion of the film beginning during the holiday season, the $15 million will go towards an education campaign touting "conflict free diamonds" in TV, print and online channels in an attempt to counter a public backlash.

[link]

Echo Bridge Launches R-Rated Viral Game for 'Beer League'

Indie distributor Echo Bridge Entertainment recently launched an "adults-only" pinball game to promote their upcoming theatrical release of their comedy 'Beer League', according to Adotas.com.

Created by Soap Agency, an Australia-based interactive firm, the game features graphics and content matching the movie's racy themes. The film, with a production budget of $2.8 million according to IMDB Pro, stars Artie Lange (The Howard Stern Show, Mad TV) as an unemployed slacker who inspires his softball teammates to improve so they can remain in the local league. In the tradition of "New Dude Cinema," the film is liberally laced with gross-out humor and sexual innuendo, and Soap's effort matches the tone by peppering the game with "unsafe for work" action to boost its viral appeal.

'Beer League' is slated for a limited release on September 15, 2006.

Try the 'Beer League' Viral Pinball Game here (not safe for work)

[link]

Twentieth Century Fox Pushes U.K. 'Garfield' Release with User Generated Content

According to Digital Bulletin, Twentieth Century Fox is launching a viral site that will use user-generated content to promote the U.K. release of 'Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties.'

Located at worldwidewhiskers.com, the site enables users to create a special "cat profile," which allows the user to pick attributes like color, food favorites, and pastimes. Users can then scour the globe to find other "cat buddies" that share similar interests.

The site, which is available in nine languages, was designed by Substance, a U.K. based interactive agency. 'Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties' is slated to open in the U.K. on August 18th. The film has grossed $11.05 million since its U.S. release on June 16th.

Technorati tags:movie marketing, Garfield, viral marketing


Via Digital Bulletin

Paramount Partners with Technorati in Blog Marketing Initiative

According to Clickz, Technorati, the blog search engine, is scheduled to announce a multi-year movie marketing agreement with Paramount Pictures today. The article states that Technorati will aggregate relevant blog posts about Paramount films for use on the films' websites, and will provide ads and custom content as well. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The first film to get the Technorati treatment will be "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's new film about global warming:

Posts will appear today on the film's promotional site, Climatecrisis.net, which was created by Paramount. Aggregated information will discuss the film as well as the general topic of global warming. Paramount editors can highlight interesting or controversial posts on their own site. The site also features RSS feeds on global warming-related topics from major news sources.

The aggregated content will not contain full text posts, according to David Sifry, Technorati founder and CEO. "It's to drive people back to the blog. [Bloggers will] feel empowered. It's kind of like 21st century letters to the editor. It's setting the agenda. And for the studio, it's showing the power of the people formerly known as your audience. Rather than ask people to blog on their site, which has proven somewhat difficult for many film companies, they're collecting it."

From a movie marketing standpoint, Gore's film is the perfect choice due to the sheer size the democratic and activist blogger pools. However, it may be more difficult to promote films that have a less easily segmented audience, so it will be interesting to see which films they decide to promote on the site in the future.

Another interesting angle is that this partnership may spur individual bloggers to write posts about a given film for a chance at getting traffic from the film's official website, something we haven't seen before. We're also assuming that the aggregation will have to be hand-culled, since an automated system could lead to spam, or worse, a situation where a Fox or Sony related-post could appear on the Paramount site.

[link]

Technorati Tags: Movie Marketing, Paramount, Al Gore

New Video Launches Viral Game to Promote 'Monty Python' DVD Releases

DVD Distributor New Video launched a viral game called the "Silly Walks Generator" to promote their recent DVD release of "Monty Python's Personal Best" for A&E Home Video. The releases are six new DVDs featuring the best bits from all six Pythons plus new content. The game, which has a pretty slick interface, lets you pick a famous Python character and animate them into a "Silly Walk." Our favorite is the knight with the dead chicken, of course.

The viral component comes in when a walk is sent to a friend. I played around with it for a while, and I have to say, it's pretty cool. It took me a second to figure out that the space bar moved the character around, but I tried the animated tutorial, which explained all of the controls. The game comes from a company called Transmote, which, according to their profile, has developed some pretty sophisticated Flash Games for the cable networks (most recently Court TV).

This is the first viral game we've seen dedicated to a DVD release (please correct us if we're wrong) -- what's interesting is that they drive purchases to ten different retail partners - perhaps that's a way of generating "good mojo" with their distribution channels.

Technorati Tags: Viral Marketing, DVD, Monty Python, Flash Games, Movie Marketing

Comcast, IFC Announce Simultaneous Theatrical and Video On Demand Releases

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

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

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

Angry Bond Fans to Boycott 'Casino Royale'

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.

Marketing Toned Down for Controversial 'Karla' Movie

'Karla', the controversial film about the infamous Canadian killers Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo, is finally coming to Canadian screens on January 20th. However, according to the Ottawa Sun News, Montreal-based Christal Films will adjust the marketing, promotion and playdates due to the sensitive nature of the film's subject matter.

According to the article, the film will be advertised on television, but will not be trailered in theaters. Plans for a premiere have also been scrapped. Additionally, the film will not be shown in St. Catherines, Ontario, where the murders actually took place.

The film has been the subject of scrutiny since its announcement:

The movie has been the subject of intense debate. It was pulled from the Montreal World Film Festival last year after sponsors, including Air Canada, complained. Passions were rekindled when Homolka was released from her Montreal-area prison last July and became the subject of a media frenzy. And Premier Dalton McGuinty urged Ontarians to boycott it.

There's no word yet if a U.S. distribution deal is in place.

Previously: 'Karla' Biopic Stirs Controversy in Canada

Official Movie Website: Karla

High Movie Marketing Costs a Factor in Lions Gate 2Q Loss

Lions Gate's $14.1 million loss for the Second Quarter of 2005 is mostly attributed to a $26 million dollar loss from marketing the late summer releases 'Lord of War' and 'The Devil's Rejects,' Reuters reports.

According to company statements, Lions Gate spent a combined $35 million to market both titles, but neither of them generated the theatrical revenues to make up for the spend. However, the studio is still confident that they can make up the deficit on the home video front. That is, of course, if they can keep the additional marketing spend required for the home video release under check.

In analyzing the marketing-to-production spend for these movies, you can see why the industry is freaking out about rising marketing costs. The combined production budgets for both of these films was approximately $49 million dollars (roughly $42 million for 'Lord of War' and $7 million for 'The Devil's Rejects' according to IMDBpro.com). That would put the marketing costs at around 71% of the production budget -- an alarming figure at any rate.

Consider for a moment what Dawn Taubin was quoted as saying when interviewed for in article about the recent Warner Bros. layoffs:

"Marketing costs are just skyrocketing, and if we don't address this we are going to put ourselves out of business"

That 71% percent the Lions Gate spent looks even worse when you compare it to marketing spend figures touted in that same New York Times article:

Consider this: the average cost to market a film domestically in 2004 was $34 million, roughly half the $64 million average price tag to make one, according to the Motion Picture Association of America. Blockbusters cost even more to market: as much as $60 million.

Given Lions Gate's strategy of marketing lower budget pictures as if they were bigger releases, they could potentially get themselves into a whole heap-o-trouble with even a minor slump...

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]

A Look at the Marketing Behind 'Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price'

The LA Times' Calendar section had an interesting feature on documentarian Robert Greenwald, the filmmaker behind last year's smash indie DVD releases Outfoxed and Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War. So how did Greenwald find an audience for his docs? According to Ralph Tribbey of the DVD Release Report, DVDs have created a market where niche films, especially those covering hot-button topics, can readily find an audience:

"DVDs are where the money is," he said. "If just 3% or 4% of 75 million DVD households are into a social message, selling a couple of hundred thousand units isn't unreasonable. It's always hard for independent filmmakers. But home video, the Internet and [news-hungry] 24/7 cable news channels help.

Another point to take away from the article is just how early you can begin marketing issue-based, participatory films:

The Web, Greenwald found, is a powerful tool for fundraising and information gathering. So far, he's raised $750,000 -- of which $50,000 came from donors. (Anyone giving $30 or more gets a free DVD.) The director also used the Internet to sign up 600 field producers, novices as well as professionals, and elicit footage, photos and tips about Wal-Mart. The title of the movie was the winner of an online popularity contest.

"This is my universal studio," said the 61-year-old filmmaker, pointing to a computer in his Culver City office... "Through our website we've reached hundreds of thousands of people without a multimillion-dollar marketing push."

The combination of issue-fueled publicity and savvy online marketing is the one-two punch in overcoming a lack a traditional advertising-based release push. Fostering a passionate community is also important -- One look at the film's website illustrates just how integral this notion has become in all stages of an indie film's production, distribution and marketing:

1. The main feature on the homepage is a call to action to get involved in the filmmaking process:
2. Individuals have the opportunity to post opinions, stories and photos relating to their personal experiences with Wal-Mart.
3. The site offers a timely blog with an RSS feed.
4. They provide numerous opportunities to join in and participate with partnering activist groups.
5. They have a funny, participatory sub-site featuring the film's mascot, the "Evil Smiley." Incidentally, co-opting and modifying this universally recognized image has provided this film with arguably one of the best logos since Ghostbusters.

Based on an early look at blog trend tracking sites like Blogpulse, Icerocket and Technorati, the chatter in the blogosphere is just starting to pick up. But once the amplifying effect of thousands of linking blogs takes hold, expect this film to generate massive grassroots level buzz as the November 13th release date approaches.

[Via calendarlive.com]

Killer Biopic Stirs Controversy in Canada

According to the Montreal Gazette, 'Karla', a film about notorious Canadian killers Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo was pulled from the screening schedule of the Montreal Film Festival due to a political and sponsor backlash:

In recent months, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty had been urging people not to go see the movie, which documents the story of Canada's most notorious couple and the brutal killings of schoolgirls Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy.

McGuinty congratulated the Montreal film festival organizers Thursday for cancelling the screening, which had been scheduled for later this month.

"These crimes were searing events in the life of this province," McGuinty said. "I have not understood how people would want to profit from that."

Sellers said he knew Air Canada, a sponsor of the Montreal festival, did not want its logo to be posted during the screening of Karla, and he believes the airline was among those sponsors pressuring the festival to drop the movie.

So has all of the negative publicity hurt the producer's chances for finding an audience? According to Quantum Entertainment producer Michael Sellers, Apparently not:

Sellers also said all the publicity generated by politicians like McGuinty speaking against the movie, and the cancellation by the Montreal festival, have actually helped his cause.

"I've had two other film festivals and two or three other distributors call already this morning, so the news value of this and the controversy may in the end be positive," he said.

Will politicians ever learn? If you don't want people to go see a movie, leave it alone. Instead, there are now over 300 articles on Google News, providing hundreds of free column inches -- the dream of every indie movie marketer. Right now, it looks like the producers are working the "freedom of artistic expression" and "no one's dragging you to see this" PR angles, which are straight out of the ol' Miramax playbook. Changing the films name from the generic "Deadly" to "Karla" was a pretty brash move, however, and looks like a blatant move to capitalize on the publicity surrounding Karla Homolka's recent release from prison. We don't care about all that though -- we're still shell-shocked from reading that the flick stars Laura Prepon from "The 70's Show" -- count us in!

[Via the Montreal Gazette]

['Karla' Official Site]

Sony Releases Extended 'Stealth' Preview for TiVo Users

According to Jaffe Juice, Joseph Jaffe recently discovered the first four minutes of 'Stealth' waiting for him in his "My TiVo" showcase:

My TiVo showcase offered me the opportunity to watch the first 4 minutes of the just released action movie, Stealth. Obviously the idea here is to show a bit of skin to the audience (and what better way than an action-packed opening sequence...remember Saving Private Ryan?) and have them salivating at the mouth wanting more....

Some of the comments following the entry note that if these recommended clips were tied in to the shows they actually watch, this might be a highly useful (and valuable) promotional tool for Movie Marketers (though we doubt anything short of cash incentives could have got audiences in to see this turkey). We hope, for Jaffe's sake, that 'Stealth' isn't a reflection of his TiVo habits!

[Via Jaffe Juice]

Scarlett Johansson Digitally Enhanced for 'The Island' Ads

On a lighter Friday note, Scarlett Johansson was recently shocked to discover her digitally-enhanced cleavage on a billboard promoting 'The Island' in Los Angeles:

The Lost in Translation actress slammed on the brakes when confronted with a giant advert of herself in Hollywood, according to the Daily Record. And the 20-year-old hinted that the picture of her chest had been digitally altered to promote new movie, The Island.

he said: "I was driving through Los Angeles and I look up and see the biggest photo of me I have ever seen in my life on a massive ad space.

"I screamed and slammed on the brakes. I couldn't believe it.

"It's very strange to see my cleavage the size of a brontosaurus. My breasts were huge.

How many instances of this do we need before it officially becomes a movie marketing trend? After all, we do have the "Disney digitally reduced Lindsay Lohan's breasts" meme as well. One more instance, maybe?



[Via Ananova]

Fox makes a Major Marketing Push for the Christian Audience

According to a recent article on The Deadbolt, 20th Century Fox has pursued a number of initiatives to solidify it's position in the christian marketplace:

According to Director of Marketing Jeff Yordy, Fox wants to expand its dominance of the DVD market by becoming the number one provider of filmed entertainment content that "blends entertainment with positive messages." To this end, they're joining forces with Word Distribution, a Warner/Curb company who "creates, markets, and distributes recorded, print and video products for Christian entertainment and edification," to get their family friendly products into as many stores as possible.

Here's a partial list of some of Fox's major movie marketing initiatives to date on this front:

1. They had a heavy presence at this year's Christian Bookseller's Association conference, promoting the "family-friendly" film Midnight Clear.


2. They've launched a website targeting the Christian market: Foxfaith.com


3. They've relaunched the 'Strawberry Shortcake' line of DVDs to be Christian themed, and have packaged their DVDs with a Bible study packet in some retail outlets.


4. The studio has committed to develop 13 "values-driven" movies, and are developing relationships with born-again actors to star in them.

Given the runaway success of 'Passion of the Christ' last year, these moves seem inevitable. But was that film's performance an anomaly? Mike Dunn, Fox's President of Home Entertainment, seems to think differently:

According to Dunn the "faith based consumer is underserved" and represents a significant part of the 26.6 billion dollar DVD industry. If the opening of Joel Osteen's 16,000 capacity mega-church in Houston is any indication, the faith based market is also expanding exponentially.

While Fox now has an early lead among the big five, the others will undoubtedly be entering the fray soon enough.

[Via The Deadbolt]

McDonald's and DreamWorks Animation enter Marketing Pact

According to an announcement today, McDonald's is teaming up with DreamWorks Animation to promote upcoming films starting in 2007:

DreamWorks Animation SKG and McDonald's Corporation today announced a two-year worldwide marketing and promotional relationship. The first film associated with the tie-in will be Shrek 3, slated for release in 2007, and will include such signature promotions as McDonald's Happy Meals�.

The partnership, which gives McDonald's worldwide promotional rights to new DreamWorks animated properties, was announced today by Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation Chief Executive Officer, and Mike Roberts, McDonald's President and Chief Operating Officer.

The agreement comes as McDonald's exclusive, ten-year deal comes to an end. On the other hand, the DreamWorks deal is non-exclusive, and the short duration gives both companies the opportunity to assess the success or failure of the partnership fairly quickly.

Given the uncertainty of the new release business for the foreseeable future, this is a smart marketing move for both parties. While Disney and McDonald's had some wild successes (in particular, with the Pixar releases) the ten-year exclusive deal is a relic of a slower, more stable period in the theatrical business.



[Via Yahoo! Finance]

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]

Did Excessive Product Placement Help Sink 'The Island'?

Jeff Greefield makes an interesting point over at Product Placement News today: As product placement becomes more ubiquitous, film critics are much more likely to seize on films that take it too far -- especially when they don't like a film anyways. They list many examples of this point in action -- here's an especially vicious attack:

Chris Hewitt at the Pioneer Press: Bay also goes along with perhaps the crassest product placement in movie history � a perfume commercial so blatant that it pulls you out of the movie � and follows that up with a love scene that makes no sense and a character reversal so unmotivated that it may make you want to pull yourself out of the movie.

That's just a sample -- visit Rotten Tomatoes and read a few of the reviews -- you'll see just how often the critics bash the product placement in the film.

Other recent films that have gorged on product placements recently include the Herbie flick and even Bad News Bears -- I would have expected an even greater backlash against these films given their positioning as family fare.

[Via Product Placement News]

Sony Pictures teams up with Maven Networks to promote 'Stealth' via Broadband

According to a joint press release issued today, Sony Pictures is teaming up with Maven Networks, a company that specializes in broadband content, to provide high quality streaming elements to promote the upcoming release of 'Stealth':

Sony Pictures Digital's video content will include a series of trailers, games, and exclusive behind-the-scenes video content directly to consumers who opt-in at the film's Web site. With Maven's technology, Sony can reach consumers directly online and build a powerful, ongoing, and measurable relationship with movie fans.

Entertainment companies are now able to offer full-screen, highest-quality video content to promote their films. With more than 58% of U.S. online households(1) now accessing the Internet via broadband connections, former barriers to receiving high-quality, full-screen videos -- such as download time and illegal sharing -- now can be surmounted technologically. Movie studios are among the first to embrace broadband video to showcase their products.

With all the debate surrounding the box office performance this year, there's little doubt in everyone's mind that actual attendance numbers are down. Because of the myriad of home entertainment choices and rising ticket prices, consumers are more apt to explore movie websites in order to choose what films to see -- providing the highest quality of marketing materials is part of this equation.


[Via Marketwire]

AMC Offers Money-back guarantee on 'Cinderella Man' Ticket Purchase

According to Reuters, AMC, the #2 movie chain in America, is offering a money-back guarantee for those who purchase tickets to see 'Cinderella Man':

Advertisements offering on-the-spot refunds to AMC patrons unhappy with the film began running on June 24 in newspapers and on the exhibitor's Web site (www.amctheaters.com), AMC spokeswoman Pam Blase said on Tuesday.
The ads, welcomed by the film's distributor, Universal Pictures, say in part: "AMC believes Cinderella Man is one of the finest motion pictures of the year!"
Blase said AMC provides occasional rebates to dissatisfied moviegoers on a case-by-case basis. But the "Cinderella Man" offer marks the exhibitor's first money-back guarantee since "Mystic Pizza," Julia Robert's breakout 1988 film.

The move comes amidst the widespread belief that releasing 'Cinderella Man' as a counter-programming measure was a failed move, and there has been speculation the Universal may try a limited re-release in the fall. This guarantee is an interesting effort to drum up business, particularly because the demographic most receptive to these types of offers is also the same one most likely to be interested in seeing this film. And much like rebates, the redemption levels are, barring aberrations, usually pretty low. AMC isn't releasing any numbers, and so far has just said that the refunds requested have been "minuscule."


[Via Reuters]

Warner Brothers promotes 'Batman Begins' with Yahoo Takeover Ads

Warner Brothers has purchased massive takeover ads on the Yahoo homepage, which includes heavy flash animated bats and sound effects. If anyone else spots a major 'Batman Begins' online ad buy, post where you saw it as a comment.


[Thanks to Adrants]

'Revenge of the Sith' Drives Jump in Online Ticket Sales

According to a comScore Media Metrix press release, the release of 'Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith' was a huge boon for websites selling movie tickets:

Star Wars fanatics turned to the Web in droves to secure quickly selling tickets. Nearly all of the top ticket merchants saw increases compared to last May. Category leader Moviefone, which was partnered with StarWars.com, drew 15.3 million visitors, an increase of 29 percent compared to a year ago. With 12.5 million visitors, Yahoo! Movies jumped 26 percent compared to last year, while Fandango.com and MovieTickets.com were up 65 and 75 percent, respectively.

With more pressure on movie marketers to measure ROI, expect to see a greater emphasis on measurable actions like online ticket sales. We also wouldn't be surprised if a "premium seating" or "assigned seating" trend emerges to further drive pre-sales.


[Via Yahoo! Business]

Poll: Audiences Prefer Watching Movies at Home

According to an AP-AOL Poll, 73 percent of adults said that they prefer watching movies at home on DVD and VOD over going to the theater. One portion of the poll doesn't bode well for this summer's theatrical prospects:

Just 22 percent said they would rather see films in a theater, according to the poll conducted by Ipsos for The Associated Press and AOL News. One-fourth said they had not been to a movie theater in the past year.

However, rather than take the same "sky is falling" approach to this year's lackluster box office as we've seen in other media outlets, the AP explores the notion that perhaps the poor attendence so far this year is merely product-driven:

"I think this slump is product-driven," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations. "That to me is a much less chilling problem than some sort of cultural shift in people's moviegoing habits. A cultural shift takes longer than 16 weekends of down box office."

Box office revenues have been down every weekend since late February. "Batman Begins," which opened Wednesday, could snap the streak this weekend. But if business is off again, Hollywood would match a 1985 downturn of 17 weekends, the longest recorded slump since analysts began keeping detailed box-office figures.

The 1985 slide came with similar dire predictions that movies on videocassette would devastate the theater business, Dergarabedian said. Box-office grosses were stagnant into the late 1980s, then rebounded strongly.

In the 1950s, some analysts foresaw the demise of movie theaters as people stayed home to watch television. While business plummeted from 4 billion or more admissions a year in Hollywood's glory days, movies remained a prime entertainment choice.

One interesting thing from the poll they mentioned was that DVD users, downloaders and gamers are more frequent moviegoers than the rest of the population. This young, male and tech-savvy audience is the veritable sweet spot of movie marketing, and coming up with initiatives that feed this symbiosis will become even more important than it already is now.

[AP Wire via Kansas.com]

NY Post Distributes Free 'Batman Begins' Comic Book

Fast Company alerted us to another Batman Begins promo and giveaway -- basically, the New York Post is giving away free copies of a special 'Batman' comic book with each newspaper. As Warner Bros. parent company Time Warner owns D.C. Comics, this isn't surprising. Fast Company notes that there's a saturation level of outdoor advertising on the streets of Gotham, and we're battening down the hatches for the maelstrom of 'Batman Begins' TV ads this week.

Seems that the MSM has pegged Batman as the last hope for a decent theatrical take at the box office this season. If the early reviews are any indication, that won't be a problem.

[Via Fast Company Now]

Product Placement Firm Auctions Movie Placement Spot on eBay

Film Rotation points out that product placement company Movie Placement is auctioning off a product spot in a $30 million Liam Neeson movie. The starting bid is $24,999. Here's some of their eBay ad:

MoviePlacement.com was recently contacted by the producers of a upcoming Liam Neeson movie. Set to have a $30 Million USD+ budget. I will be in L.A. next week to discuss closing product placement deals for this film. If you have a product, service, or logo, we can get you in this film. Set to start filming in September 2005.

Note: No tobacco products will be accepted. Your product or service must have been available in the 1980's to qualify.

Okay -- I was scared that it was for the Abe Lincoln movie for a second...


[Thanks to Chris at Adjab]

UK Cinema Chains to Promote New Releases via Wireless

According to Media Week, UK Cinema chains UCI and Odeon will being giving away a "digital entertainment pack" with every movie ticket sold. The pack will give consumers access to movie content via WAP:

Duncan Cheadle, sales director of Urban Mobile, said: �We're beta testing a new service where customers will be sent a message containing a video preview of a new film, from which they can visit the WAP site.

�Demand for mobile entertainment is set to explode over the next two years and UCI and Odeon recognised that here is a great opportunity to market to customers, with information they want in a format they want it.�

With the next generation of video-enabled phones on the way, users will soon be craving content - we should be getting a blizzard of announcements like these over the next 18 months. The implications for movie marketers is clear -- video previews and trailers will be a popular entertainment choice for mobile video consumers.

[Via Media Week]

Breaking News: Warner Brothers Preempts Chinese DVD Pirates

According to the Los Angeles Times, Warner Brothers released 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' on DVD in China the same day it appeared in North American theaters:

...several industry executives said they believed it was the first time a major U.S. studio had taken a movie scheduled for a wide-scale theatrical run and released it simultaneously on DVD in another country.
"It's a necessary move," said movie industry analyst Tom Adams of Adams Media Research. "It's obviously not as good as having control of the Chinese market, but it's about the next best thing that you can do."

The move comes during a recent debate over DVD release windows here in the United States. Another recent experiment in the Chinese market, which is widely known as a bootleggers paradise, included Sony's svelte 45-day release window for 'Kung Fu Hustle', which resulted in an impressive 2 million copies sold.


[Via the Los Angeles Times]

Disney to Bow Massive Roadblock for the 'Chronicles of Narnia' Trailer

According to a Disney press release, the company is buying a massive "roadblock" on broadcast, cable, online and other media to launch the 'Chronicles of Narnia' trailer. Touted as the "largest audience ever for a theatrical trailer debut," the ads will reach an estimated 200 million+ viewers in 32 countries, 13 languages, across five continents and spanning over 12 time zones.

Here's more from the release:

The worldwide "roadblock" will be anchored by the U.S. broadcast debut of the "Chronicles of Narnia" trailer on Saturday, May 7th during ABC's network premiere of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (available in over 106 million households) along with online visitors to America Online Web sites (including AOL Welcome Screen, AIM, Moviefone, etc.), and Verizon Wireless V CAST customers. The trailer will also air simultaneously on Disney Channel, and on four channels across the Starz Entertainment Group network. Verizon Wireless customers will also be able to access the trailer through the company's V CAST wireless multimedia service.

Within a 48-hour period surrounding this domestic launch, the international "roadblock" (dubbed in over 11 languages) will similarly introduce the trailer around the world, with simulcasts on popular programs in such countries as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Korea, and Latin America. In addition to the broadcast launches, each territory will partner with print and online outlets to maximize exposure.

More to come...

[Via Yahoo! News]

'The Interpreter' Draws Older Female Audiences to the Box Office

According to the USA Today, the Nicole Kidman thriller 'The Interpreter' drew a significant amount of its audience base from older viewers. Based on internal research by Universal, approx. 60% of the audience was 35 and older, and 58% was female. So what's the story behind $22 million take this weekend?

"We didn't bother marketing the film on MTV," says Nikki Rocco, Universal's distribution chief. "We knew that adults were going to be drawn to this more than the kids."

The industry's summer of explosions and special effects unofficially begins next weekend, with XXX: State of the Union and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Rocco says that, after months of romantic comedies and horror movies, audiences were ready for espionage.

"It was time for a serious movie," she says.

Combine the hunger for adult pics with a talented, A-list cast, and you've got the recipe for a spring success. Universal seemed to be focused more on getting Kidman in the press and advertising in appropriate, targeted places like women's mags and outdoor advertising.


[Via USA Today]

Warner Bros. to promo 'Batman Begins' during 'Smallville' Finale

According to Brand Republic, Warner Brothers will promote the upcoming release of 'Batman Begins' during the season finale of the hit series Smallville.

The finale, which will air on May 18th, will be showing an exclusive clip at some point during the show:

The eight minutes of footage will air within the 90-minute season finale of 'Smallville'. The two [Batman and Superman] have always been linked in comic book fiction and bringing the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight together is designed to further explore the relationship on the screen of two most popular superheroes in the history of American pop culture.

We've seen the broadcast of exclusive clips become an integral part of the movie marketing process over the past year, but none have been so topically on the mark as this one.

Batman begins is due out in theaters on June 17th.


[Via Brand Republic]

Today's Must Read: The Business of Movie Trailers

Here's a must read article from the Los Angeles Times on the business (and politics) of getting movie trailers in front of theater-goers. It gives a good summary of how the system works. Here's the meat of the matter:

Movie marketers will tell you that the only place where their ads are guaranteed to reach proven moviegoers is not on television or in newspapers, but inside a darkened theater � preferably one where the weekend's hottest movie is reaching the most pairs of eyes. Woe to the trailer that runs first, when many people are buying their popcorn and Milk Duds. The coveted spot is right before the feature, when the theater is full.

One thing the article fails to mention, however, is the immense importance that online trailers have gained in the past two years. Getting exclusive movie trailers and clips on AOL and Yahoo has become an important part of movie marketing, especially since those places gain greater influence in consumer's buying decisions. After all, how many businesses ply their consumers with competing ads right at the point of purchase?

Movies: Trailers: How a small time slot adds up to big industry headache

'Fantastic Four' Shifts from July 4th Release Date

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the 20th Century Fox marketing team is dismantling their 4th of July release campaign for 'Fantastic Four':

The studio said Monday it would now open the movie Friday, July 8, a week later than scheduled, ending a looming face-off with director Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds," starring Tom Cruise, which is set to open Wednesday, June 29.


"We are not running from 'War of the Worlds,"' Fox president of distribution Bruce Snyder said. "This (new) date just works better for us."

Fox had been touting the film's release date on collateral and trailers as recently as mid January, and had announced the 4th of July date last fall. However, with 'War of the Worlds' fighting for the same demographic, Fox has opted out of the head-on battle and will instead vie for the box office crown against the Will Ferrell vehicle 'Bewitched'.

The Studio's New Release Super Bowl Ads

In case you missed them this past Sunday, here are links to all of the Studio's New Release Super Bowl ads that aired. Thanks to Movie City News for providing the links!

Batman Begins
War of the Worlds
Be Cool
Constantine
Sahara
The Pacifier
The Longest Yard
Hitch
Robots
xXx: State of the Union

Aside from the rolling eyes and snickers whenever I bring up 'The Pacifier', and the generally positive comments regarding 'Batman', I haven't heard that much buzz surrounding these ads. Any comments, movie marketers?

Report: Internet Drives Interest in Summer Blockbusters

Very interesting press release from Claria, an online behavioral marketing company (You might know them from their "Gator" ewallet product). The company analyzed their 43 millon-strong user base to see what impact online marketing had on three big-budget summer releases...

Here's the meat of the release:

More Moviegoers Skip Theater Lines with Online Ticket Purchases

-- Of the respondents who go to the movies, 24% said that they have
bought movie tickets online.
-- Of the respondents who bought movie tickets online, 71% made a
purchase 1-3 times in the past 6 months.
-- Fandango was the most popular site for movie tickets with 44%
of people saying they have used it to purchase tickets.
Movietickets.com and Moviefone.com followed with 36% and 21%,
respectively.

Online Advertising Increases Movie Buzz

-- 43% of survey respondents had seen a Spiderman 2 ad online,
followed by Harry Potter at 41% and Shrek 2 at 27%.

Film-Related Sites Also Find Success Online

-- Yahoo! Movies was the most popular general movie site among users for
information relating the three summer blockbuster movies. The Shrek 2
Yahoo! movie site captured 30% of total traffic to the top
general movie sites related to the three movie sequels, followed by the

Yahoo! Harry Potter movie site with 29% and finally the
Spiderman 2 Yahoo! movie site capturing 12% of total traffic.
-- 39% of total traffic to the three official movie sites came on
Fridays and Saturdays.
-- Survey respondents cited "watching trailers" as the most popular reason

for visiting official movie sites with 66% of respondents going
online to see the trailer for Harry Potter, 53% for Shrek 2, and
48% for Spiderman 2.

Movie Enthusiasts Are Likely to Purchase Video/DVD

-- Harry Potter movie enthusiasts are most likely to purchase the movie
when it comes out with 48% of respondents saying they will
definitely or probably buy the DVD or video. This number is followed by

41% who cited that they will definitely or probably purchase
Spiderman 2 when it's released and 39% for Shrek 2.
-- Of those who had seen the first or earlier releases of these summer
blockbuster sequels, more than half purchased the movies when they were

released on video or DVD:

* 58% of the respondents who saw Shrek 1 in the theater also
bought it.
* 63% of those who saw one or more earlier Harry Potter
movies, also bought one or more Harry Potter films.
* 56% of those who saw Spiderman 1 in the theater also bought
it.

Other Results Indicate:

-- 39% of total survey respondents go to the movies once or more
every 3-4 weeks.
-- Most respondents plan on seeing the movies within 1-3 weeks of the
movie's release:

* Shrek 2 -- 88% will go within the first three weeks of the
movie's release.
* Spiderman 2 -- 74% will go within the first week and 92%
will go within the first three weeks.
* Harry Potter -- 60% will go within the first few days, 91%
within the first three weeks.

Ron Burgundy -- Your New Buddy on Friendster?

According to Clickz, Friendster's new business model includes the introduction of fake profiles, which companies can use to promote their products and services. Dreamworks is the first movie marketer to jump into the fray, with profiles of the 'Anchorman' characters already up, and Sony has another eight slated to be added in tandem with the release of 'Black Book'.

It seems a bit gimmicky to me, but hey -- this is the barn-storming, take-no-prisoners world of movie marketing, right? Some analysts think it's a pretty weak marketing effort:

"This is the kind of thing that gets media attention the first couple of times it happens," said Nate Elliott, associate analyst at Jupiter Research. "[Friendster] still needs to fundamentally figure out what its business is."

Analysts question whether the profiles will really boost the movie's profile. "[DreamWorks] needs people to be saying they saw [the movie] and that it was funny. The Friendster angle here is more marketing than credibility," said Dave Balter, founder and president of word-of-mouth marketing and research firm BzzAgent.

Too bad they hadn't thought of this tactic to promote 'Passion of the Christ' or 'Monster'. That would've been fun.

Friendster Profiles Turned Into Film Promotions

Friendster

Warner Bros. and Denny's Serve Up a 'Cinderella Story' Promo

Warner Bros. definitely knows their target audience, because their promo tie-in menu with Denny's is about as appealing to me as 'ear wax candy.' Here's a little sampling of their special offerings:

• Cinderella Slam -- features two pancakes with cherry topping, whipped cream and pink sugar sprinkles


• Charming Cheeseburger -- a three-ounce hamburger topped with lettuce,
  tomato and a slice of Cheddar cheese, served with French fries and pink ranch dipping sauce
• Chicken Strips -- three chicken strips, French fries and pink ranch dipping sauce.


• Each entree includes a cherry-flavored Pretty Pink Sprite.

Mmm -- pink ranch dipping sauce. Maybe they should have made it a three-way deal with "perfectly-pink" Pepto Bismol. Anyways, Looks like they're going to promote it with a sizable ad buy and plenty of POP materials. Should be successful if the film's demo is truly tweens and not teens...

Multimedia News Release - Denny's Takes Supporting Role in 'A Cinderella Story'

GOP-Friendly PR Firm Behind Efforts at 'Fahrenheit 911' Boycott

The marketing buzz surrounding 'Fahrenheit 911' is already blazing hot, and recent revelations of Republican shenanigans stand to take it up a few degrees. A boycott website called "Stop Michael Moore," ostensibly ran by a citizen's group called "Move America Forward," is in actuality controlled by the GOP-friendly PR firm Russo Marsh & Rogers. Atrios, a political blog, pointed out this fact after they looked up the registrant of the domain name, which turned out to be RM&R. The firm was the publicity arm of the successful effort to recall California Governor Gray Davis last year, and they work almost exclusively with the Republican party.

The boycott website lists contact information for the theaters that currently have the film booked. Here's an excerpt for you:

This movie is nothing more than a political campaign advertisement against the war on terrorism, our troops and President Bush. So why on earth are ANY movie theaters showing this film? "Fahrenheit 9/11" should be shown as a recruiting video for Al-Qaeda, not in our movie theaters. Please join us in telling the movie theater companies below your opinion as it relates to their attempt to profit from the showing of "Fahrenheit 9/11."

This last line was somewhat cryptic, especially considering it's placement right above the theater contact information:

We would like to thank those individuals at Lions Gate Entertainment and IFC Films who support our efforts.

Did somebody at Lion's Gate or IFC drop the exhibitor list in Russo Marsh & Rogers' Laps?

It's a brave new film marketing world, and if you rock the boat, political parties and corporations will fire back with millions of dollars in ad spending to discredit your work and film. but how will these anti-Moore efforts pan out? Their tactics will only build awareness for the film, which will in turn increase demand for tickets. In fact, IFC/Lion's Gate had to set up an online group ticket sales site early in order to meet the intense demand. Exhibitors are seeing dollar signs, and nothing short of death threats and mob violence will get them to change their booking now.

Related Link:
Daily Kos || Political Analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation.

Indie Film 'September Tapes' upstages Recent Hollywood Efforts at Viral Marketing

Hollywood's efforts to recreate the viral marketing success of "The Blair Witch Project" have been lackluster at best. So it doesn't surprise me that an indie film company may have beat them to the punch. First Look Media, the company behind "The Prophecy" and "Waking Ned Devine," may have a word-of-mouth and internet-driven hit with their upcoming film "September Tapes."

The film, apparently a blend of fact and fiction, chronicles the efforts and subsequent capture of a documentary director in Afghanistan. Fake or not, their recent viral email campaign released a clip that looks more real than network news footage. Think "Blair Witch meets Saving Private Ryan."

First Look has combined this footage with a cryptic, shadowy website (obviously done for peanuts) that really lends to the intrigue. It seems like a viral email regarding the site and a "leaked" film clip is spreading like wildfire, too. Even with a bit of research, I still can't figure out what's real, what's fake and if the director was ever actually kidnapped while filming in Afghanistan. First Look ain't making it any easier, either. According to this article, First Look's keeping mum about the whole campaign. Here's their "official line" regarding the film:

"September Tapes" provides a rare and controversial look behind the scenes of war-torn Afghanistan, where documentary filmmaker Don Larson traveled to the troubled country six months after 9/11 and followed a bounty hunter on the trail of Osama bin Laden. Much of the film�s footage was held by the U.S. Department of Defense after Larson went missing in Afghanistan. It is the first non-Afghani film shot in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban, and it is also the first feature shot in an active war zone."

If the rest of the film looks as good as the trailer, we might have a sleeper hit on our hands in August.

nbc13.com - Entertainment - Mysterious War Footage May Be Part Of Movie Campaign

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.

'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

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

Lions Gate Uses Fake Website to Promote 'Godsend'

Lions Gate Films has created a fake website to promote their upcoming Robert Deniro vehicle "Godsend." While not the first this year to do it ('Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' had their Lacunainc.com site) this new approach is decidedly more deceptive.

With a professionally polished look, bogus testimonials, an 800 number, and absolutely no references to the film, the "Godsend Institute" poses as a medical facility that can clone lost loved ones. To an unsuspecting visitor, the site looks tantalizingly real.

Wired quoted some of the false testimonials and commented on them:

The site features testimonials from satisfied customers. For example: "Our son's name was Michael, and when he died he was 5 years old. I was heartbroken, of course, but my wife was absolutely devastated. She had been told that she was unable to have children, and when Michael was born, she had taken it as a sign from God. When he died, my wife's faith died with him. Then we heard about Dr. Wells and Godsend. It's been three years since he gave Michael back to us, and all I can say is that if there is a God, his name is Dr. Richard Wells. -- Joe R."

The site also exclaims: "Death doesn't have to be an ending. At the Godsend Institute, we have the ability to make it a fresh start -- A New Beginning!"

"That part of it is kind of eerie for anyone who has gone through the loss of a loved one, particularly a child," said George Belch, chairman of the department of marketing at San Diego State University. "But we see so many bizarre things on the Internet."

With such a sensitive topic as cloning, it's easy to see the thinking behind this marketing approach -- It wouldn't surprise me one bit if this erupts into a controversy overflowing with press coverage. But if Lions Gate is subscribing to the "all press is good press" mantra that Hollywood has made famous, it might just backfire. Just one deceived parent who lost a child and falsely got their hopes up could cause some serious outrage. Movie marketing, as fast and loose as its been in the past, is not above ethical marketing standards. But in an environment where the ethics sections in marketing texts are an afterthought, marketers will continue to skirt the limits of acceptability.

Related Links:
Wired News: Attack of the Movie Clones
Former FTC Commissioner's remarks on enforcing truth in Advertising

'Prisoner of Azkaban' Extended Preview to Air on ABC

The "extended preview" bandwagon continues to fill up. ABC will air a ten minute sneak preview of 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,' the latest installment in the series.

The extended clip will follow the broadcast debut of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' scheduled to air on ABC May 9th.

The segment will be a prelude to an HBO "behind the scenes" special to air in late May. The film is scheduled for release on June 4th.

Related Link:
Sci Fi Wire -- Harry Potter Sneak Preview

Festivals Entering the Distribution Realm

Slamdance announced their entry into the distribution game earlier today. According to their release:

Leveraging the brand-name recognition accrued by ten-year-old Slamdance Film Festival, Slamdance President and co-founder Peter Baxter has joined forces with veteran film and television producer and talent-manager Robert Schwartz, and Cleveland-based businessman George Ketvertis to launch the Slamdance Media Group. The company, which will comprise distribution and talent-management units, has pacted a home-entertainment output deal with Ventura Entertainment, a division of independent giant Ventura Distribution, to sell product under a new, branded Slamdance label. The theatrical distribution unit, to be known as Slamdance On the Road, has inked with ArcLight Cinemas for exclusive exhibition of the new company's titles in the Los Angeles market.

With brand recognition running high among top U.S. festivals such as Sundance, South by Southwest and the Tribeca Film Festival, it's really no surprise to see them morphing into specialty distributors. After all, Sundance has had a successful home video venture and premium cable channel for years.

Large, successful festivals bring important ingredients to the mix that give them a leg up in the distribution game:

1. They have established relationships with corporate sponsors to use as a springboard for promotional partners in new ventures.

2. They have a direct channel to secure a "first look" at new product.

3. They have large, highly targeted member/attendee bases ripe for ancillary product marketing.

4. They get loads of free press.

The festival business has grown from a cottage industry into a big business, with major studios often cherry-picking festival talent for studio exec positions. Festivals have also become an important part of studio release strategy in terms of marketing (getting advance word out about upcoming releases) and market research (using festival audiences to determine needed tweaks before a national release.)

Slamdance was one of the original Sundance piggy-backers, and have grown into a powerful force on the circuit in ther own right.

Expect more of the big boys to follow down this path in the near-term.

Related Link:
MCN Press Release: Slamdance Announces New Ventures

Sony to air Extended 'SpiderMan 2' Trailer during 'The Apprentice'

The extended preview trend continues. Following the recent 'Dawn of the Dead' and 'Taking Lives' previews, Sony will air a 2 1/2 minute version of the 'Spider Man 2' trailer approximately 40 minutes into this week's installment of 'The Apprentice.'

Sony's VP of Marketing commented by saying:

"We've got to look at unconventional ways to get our message across," says head of marketing for Sony. "Running your trailer in a theater is a great place because you've got a captivated, movie-going audience. But if you want to reach a broader, more general audience, you need to go beyond the theater."

So how is this a bigger audience than the typical movie trailer?

TV certainly has a wider draw than a theatrical trailer. Last week's episode of The Apprentice drew 22.8 million viewers. By comparison, a movie trailer attached to this week's No. 1 movie had an audience of about 4 million.

In a media environment where getting a message to the consumer is becoming increasing competitive, we've seen several major approaches:

1. Saturation marketing of DVDs featuring extended clips and behind the scenes footage. ('Hellboy').

2. Online releases of extended clips. ('Taking Lives').

3. Long-length ad buys featuring an extended preview ('Dawn of the Dead,' and now 'Spider Man 2').

On top of that, several other new approaches have been:

1. Studio-sponsored Production and fan blogs

2. Pay Per Click keyword buys (Adwords and Overture).

It will be interested to see which actions have the greatest ROI in terms of box office performance and ancillary sales.

Related Links:

'SpiderMan 2' Trailer To Feature In 'The Apprentice'

Sony and Best Buy to Offer free 'Hellboy' promo DVD

Another day, another new twist on new release marketing. While free promo DVDs are nothing new, in the past they usually just contained the film's trailer and looked like cheap throw-away promos. Sony has upped the ante, including materials like behind the scenes footage and other features normally reserved for the DVD release. Sony also threw in other trailers (including Spiderman II) and packaged it in an Amaray-style DVD case, making a promotional item attractive enough for DVD hoarders to display with the rest of their collection.

With a run of 500,000 discs, Sony probably spent .68 - .75 cents per disc, making this quite an effective promotion when compared to expensive prime-time advertising.

Releated Link:

Hollywoodreporter.com

Universal and Warner Brothers hope to whet appetites with extended previews

Following Fox Searchlight's success with their extended preview for 28 Days Later last year, both Universal and Warner Brothers will be premiering lengthy previews of their own next week.

Universal will screen an uncut 10 minutes from the upcoming Dawn of the Dead as a special event on the USA Network (which is a division of Vivendi-Universal, mind you), which will air "sometime between 10 and 10:30 pm" on March 15th.

In me-too fashion, Warner Brothers will release the first 9 minutes of Taking Lives, although it will only be available online. The preview will premiere on the Taking Lives website on March 19th.

If these test cases work out well, we'll probably see additional budgeting for the creation of "prefaces" to films to be used as "special events," much like we see additional funds budgeted for DVD extras. So far, it looks like this marketing effort works best with horror and thriller titles, which by nature have provocative, spine-tingling sequences perfect for a few minutes of attention-getting advertising. Plus, horror titles are more resistant to bad reviews.

Related Link:

WB to Preview First 9 Minutes of Taking Lives Online

The Salacious Tastes at Newmarket

It seems that Newmarket has usurped Lion's Gate as the standard-bearer for controversial works. Beginning with Monster and continuing with The Passion and their recent Sundance pick-up The Woodsman, Newmarket has shown a penchant for acquiring films that both provoke visceral emotions and stoke media buzz. A case in point: how many filmmakers out there would kill to have this guy helping you get press attention?

As we all know too well, the controversy angle isn't anything new. Lion's Gate has always had a special place in their heart (and release schedule) for films like Irreversible and Dogma, and up to the mid-nineties, Miramax couldn't resist films like Kids.

So what's different about Newmarket? They identify elements that, when combined with the controversy, provide a one-two press punch that drives public curiosity, builds buzz and eventually gets butts in the seats.

With films like Monster or Woodsman, it's really an updated version of the ol' Oscar bait strategy � a sympathetic, mentally impaired character played by a comely Hollywood type. In this case, substitute a sociopath for the mentally impaired, and it's Rain Man Redux.

More compelling is Newmarket's competence with affinity marketing, and in particular, their penchant for identifying films with crossover appeal. Bob Berney, head honcho of Newmarket, masterfully used this technique at IFC Films with My Big Fat Greek Wedding and to a lesser extent with last summer's Whale Rider. Now it looks like Passion could far exceed his previous efforts. According to the Los Angeles Times:

In Plano, Texas, two members of a Baptist mega-church bought out a 20-screen multiplex so 6,000 people could watch the premiere of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" next month. In Costa Mesa, a nondenominational church is canceling services on opening weekend and has rented 10 movie theaters. In Dallas, a NASCAR sponsor plans to redesign its race car's exterior to promote the film. In Riverside, another Baptist church, energized by the film's coming, designed an ad ("You've got questions. We've got the answer.") to be shown on all 18 screens of a multiplex for three months.

Just what kind of box office "The Passion" will do when it opens Feb. 25 is impossible to predict. But it is clear that Gibson has tapped into a network of Christian church-based marketing that has been maturing for decades and that has been waiting, with almost biblical patience, for a high-profile, celebrity-backed religious picture to capture the nation's attention.

Related Links:
A Tie-In Made in Heaven (subscription required)
Newmarket Films
Lion's Gate Films

Pushing Releases -- The Fox Searchlight Blog

It's no secret that Fox Searchlight out-marketed all of the other Indie shingles last year (with Newmarket being the only real point of contention). From Bend it Like Beckham to 28 Days Later, they've proven that they can "open a picture and give it legs."

My intuition tells me that they have a highly methodical structure to keeping and maintaining press buzz, and my recent discovery of their Corporate Blog adds some credence to that.

Think about it -- how many times have you gone to a studio, film or other film site looking for press releases, only to find out that the last update was months ago? If you're media, are you really going to make an effort to make frequent visits?

With their blog, Fox Searchlight has turned the drudgery of mining for releases into a press-friendly pastime. And they update it SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK.

I have one small recommendation though -- they should really add an RSS feed so journalists can easily configure their feed readers.

[The Fox Searchlight Blog]