Advertising Campaigns

[BristerM]

I was thinking recently how, based on historical figures, a studio doesn't have to advertise the @#%$ out of a movie to make lots of money with it. Here, take a look at this:

SCREAM 2 - This movie opened with about $33M in December of 1997 in 3200 theaters. Yet it had been advertised very little - a trailer here, a trailer there, and almost no promotional material was offered for this movie. But for this movie, just getting the word out that it was coming out soon was enough to get people to line up in droves for it. Makes you think.

BATTLEFIELD EARTH - I think everyone on the face of the earth knew this movie was coming out. From March 2000 to June 2000, I think there was a trailer for Battlefield Earth in every single @#%$ movie theater, a commercial on every television network, and ads like crazy in the New York Times. Many analysts said this would be the biggest movie of the year...yet it made only $23M total. Oversaturation before release? Had audiences seen so much of this movie before it came out that they were sick of it? Or was it just that it sucked? Hmmm...

UNBREAKABLE - I'm doing this one on the hunch that it's going to open really big. Unbreakable was not advertised much at all - I saw one trailer for it about a month before its release, and there was an article about it in this week's Newsweek. Not very much. Like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, this movie has set up a website that tries to convince you that "unbreakability" - basically invincibility - is a real phenomenon. I think this is a clever tactic and should pay off. Look for a $50M five day opening.

[ReaperFett]

Scream 2 had one big advert- Scream :)

Way of the gun had little advirtising too, and that appears to have done quite well for itself

[Bromine]

I agree about Scream 2: A sequel automatically has advertising in the form of the original movie, so it doesn't really count.

Very true about Battlefield Earth; guess it just goes to show that viewers can't be totally brainwashed by advertising.

I've seen a lot of ads for Unbreakable. Not pop cans and pogs, mind you, just a lot of television commercials.

[DvdJervs]

I hardly saw any advertising whatsoever for Battleground: Earth - then again by the time it opened down under it had already gain fame as one of the biggest flops of the year so maybe they didn't bother.

And I agree with Bromine and Reaper about Scream 2 - it's a sequel and the first one was very popular.

Speaking of advertising campaigns, what about a certain movie last year that was titled The Phantom Menace or something. It had advertising from Pepsi cans, Lego, posters, ads, 60 Minutes specials etc etc etc. :)

[Darth Hez]

I don't think TPM really counts. That was going to be a hit no matter what. George Lucas could have gone on worldwide TV and said "This movie sucks. I mean, I've seen some sucky movies in my time, but this one sucks big time. It has to be the suckiest movie I've ever seen, never mind made."

And people would STILL have went to see it. It was Star Wars, and automatic hit, just like Matrix 2 when that shows up. :)

[Bromine]

TPM could have been shown only on a windowshade in some guy's third-floor apartment in New Jersy and it STILL would have grossed over $400 million.:)

[DvdJervs]

I know TPM didn't really need any advertising, but I was trying to demonstrate that Brister's above suggestion that a movie that is advertised to death doesn't necessarily do well isn't really concrete.

Godzilla was advertised to death and despite major declines after the first weekend it did rack up a decent amount (it did didn't it?).

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think it made around 120 but I am not certain of that. I agree too I think it matters more how good the movie is rather than how much it is advertised look at the Grinch it was advertized immensily and it made 55 million in its first weekend.

[BristerM]

Yeah but the Grinch wasn't that good...

[Jedi Master Carr]

What do you mean the Grinch was not that good? First the movie is making a lot of money, second everybody I talked to loved it and also the exit polls I think gave it a B+. i know some critics didn't like it but I remember a lot of critics who did not like TPM too so their opinions I think matter little. I think the Grinch will go on to become the #1 movie of the year making somehwhere around 250 and any film that does that you can't really say wasn't any good.

[ReaperFett]

First the movie is making a lot of money

That means jack. Many of my favourite films didn't make a profit, while me least made HUGE amounts(Titanic, Matrix, Batman & Robin)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well whether we like it or not that is how movies are judged know by how much money they make besides that wasn't my only point most people that saw the film loved it so to me that matters the most if most of the general public loved it than it must be considered a good movie. That is a true of both Matrix and Titanic most people loved them as well while it is not true of Batman and Robin which did not make a lot of money only 103 million domestically if I am correct which is not very good considering how much it cost to make it and also almost nobody like the movie which tells me it wasn't any good. Sure, I have to go see the Grinch myself to be prove my theory, but from what I have read about it I think I probably would enjoy it.

[BristerM]

Sorry dude...people's opinions differ. I happened to not like it that much -- it wasn't funny at all. Wait, correction: it wasn't Jim Carrey funny.

See, THE GRINCH is rated PG, which is comic suicide for Jim Carrey. LIAR LIAR was rated PG and turned out to be one of Jim Carrey's funniest movies, I don't know how. But THE GRINCH, instead of relying on obscene gestures and potty language, works with clever G-rated puns that are supposed to be funny. But they're not. I laughed once maybe during the whole movie.

The plot of THE GRINCH was quite good though. It was a nice, heartwarming modern update of the classic.

I'd seriously suggest that you go see THE GRINCH before you pass a judgement on it, please.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I said I will probably have to go see it to make a final judgment but I think I would like it I have talked to a few people and from what I have heard it sounds funny to me, realize everybody has a different sense of a humor. I know of people that hated both Something about Mary and Meet the Parents and both of those films are two of my favorite comedies. I know people's opinions different but obviously most of the general public liked especially after it looks like it will dominate again this weekend at the box office, that is why I think it is probably a good movie because or why would people keep seeing it if it was bad. I know it is also a kids film which really helps but a lot of adults seem to like it as well.

[BristerM]

Well this is old news but it looks as if the Grinch is going to win this weekend with around $70M in five days; that's a simply phenomenal hold. Based on its first two weekends of business I'd say that the Grinch could easily top $250M, maybe even $300M depending on its legs. Add that to the grosses of Unbreakable and soon-to-be-released movies like Cast Away, this holiday season is really going to sizzle.