Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 783 Film critics and audience evaluations are just reversed

In February, "Spirit" finally opened in more than 930 movie theaters across the United States.

Twentieth Century Fox adjusted its marketing strategy due to the ultra-low ratings given by magazine film critics across the country.

They didn't have a formal premiere, and they didn't have the lead and director, who had just returned from Portugal, do TV interviews to promote the film, or give newspaper or magazine interviews.

Quietly, the movie was released quietly in the off-season in the second week of February.

"The few months after the New Year is the off-season for the film industry. However, this week in February, because of President's Day, can be regarded as a small peak season in the off-season."

It was Michelle Cannold, Ronald's vice president of distribution at Daydream.

He came to Los Angeles this time to ask Ronald to report on the progress of the distribution of "Dirty Dancing", and he happened to accompany his boss to a movie theater to see the movie that is currently being released.

"Every February, the birthday of General George Washington is held, and in many states it is a public holiday, which is combined with the weekend.

Such a three-day big weekend is very conducive to the fermentation of the box office and the spread of word of mouth, so many movies are selected to be released at this time. "

After half a year of hard work, Michelle Cannold has already begun to distribute movies in theaters, and has mastered many key points of work.He also figured out the best schedules every year.

The two sat on the restaurant floor of the department store, watching the ticket sales at the movie theater box office.

"Among the old movies that are still in theaters, 'Field Platoon' is the only one. They used the old trick used by United Artists Pictures in the past. They are released in the last two weeks of each year, and they are released on a small scale in dozens of theaters first. scale, and obtained the qualifications for the Oscars of the year.

When it comes to the Christmas and New Year's schedule, the scale of screenings in several major cities will be slightly expanded, but the overall control will be around [-] theaters.

Because every December is the fierce stage of the Oscar nomination competition, so film critics from all walks of life spare no effort to write about the popular award-winning films released at this time.

This "Platoon" has received very good reviews, and many critics praised it as the best response to the Vietnam War since "The Deer Hunter" and "Apocalypse Now". "

Ronald listened to the other party's report and nodded in agreement.He is actually familiar with this method.

Controlling the scale of the release in the early stage can not only attract the curiosity of the audience when it is well received.Because you can't buy tickets, it attracts more popularity and word of mouth.

At the same time, the average box office of a single hall has also been pulled to a very high position.In turn, it further stimulated word-of-mouth and grabbed tickets with more viewers.

"After the new year last month, the number of films began to expand, from one hundred to more than 200. The Oscars will be nominated soon. Depending on the situation, 'Field Platoon' will be nominated for several important awards. When the time comes, they will expand. Screening scale."

"There will probably be seven or eight nominations including major awards such as best film, best director, best screenplay, and Woody Allen's 'Sister Hannah', and the British film 'A Room with a View', all It’s the favorite to win this year.”

Ronald told Michel about what he had learned.This year's Oscars, the nominees for major awards, are probably the most lucrative of these three films.

Each film is expected to get seven or eight nominations.

From then on, it is Ronald's friend Cameron's Alien sequel. Against the backdrop of a lot of special effects, makeup and other small awards, his heroine Sigourney Weaver is expected to win a Best Actress nomination.

Ronald's commercial film "Top Gun" was even worse. It wasn't even nominated for special effects and make-up, only editing, original music, sound effects and other small awards.

Of course, the worst is Tom Cruise.Although he tried his best to find famous directors to cooperate with, the two films "Top Gun" and "The Color of Money" in [-] were not nominated for acting awards.

Paul Newman, who also starred in "The Color of Money", is very hopeful that he will be nominated for best actor again with "The Color of Money".

Michelle Cannold continued to report, "This 'Field Platoon' is very strong. More than 200 theaters were screened, and they got a weekend box office of over 300 million. Last week it was expanded to 600 theaters, and the weekend box office It has exceeded 800 million."

"For such a niche film, it is indeed better to use this method of word-of-mouth fermentation, but to succeed, the condition is that the film itself must be good enough."

Ronald knew that it was not ten years ago, and the theme of the Vietnam War had actually become a theme that did not have a mass market.If normal publicity is used, it may be difficult to find those missing middle-aged viewers.

On the contrary, it slowly increased the scale of the show, allowing word of mouth to circulate among those audiences who were interested in watching the theme of the Vietnam War.As long as people who have watched the movie tell more than one friend to watch it, the box office growth of the movie will be very scary.

Director and screenwriter Oliver Stone, while filming, also asked Ronald about the performances of Charlie Sheen and his brother Emilio.Ronald remembers that it was a small production with a production cost of less than 600 million. Now the film has just been released for the eighth week, and it is shown in less than [-] cinemas.

As a result, relying purely on word of mouth and the recommendations of film critics, it has won a box office of 800 million.Looking at the trend of this movie, it will make a lot of money when it is released.

Except for this popular movie with very good reviews from critics and audiences.

This weekend, there are two more movies coming out in this small peak season.

"Stallone is still very appealing, and Cannon is 'Leap to the Peak', which found about 1750 theaters in the first weekend.

Reviews from film critics were also good.I've heard that Roger Ebert gave a recommended review on the TV show, although his mate Gene Sisko disagreed. "

"So many families?" Ronald was a little surprised, "It seems that Minahan doesn't want me to win."

Compared with the number of theaters that the other party exceeded expectations, 900th Century Fox is more satisfactory, and arranged more than [-] theaters for "Spirited".

"Although there will be no high-spirited movie reviews, but the theme song MV broadcast from MTV, 'Nothing Can Stop Us Now' is very popular. This movie is mainly aimed at teenage audiences. I think the box office in the first weekend , will not necessarily lose to Leaping Peak."

Michelle Cannold looked at Ronald's face and said his own judgment.

"In this case, the box office of a single hall that is full of air is twice as high as that of Flying Over the Peak, so is it possible to overtake it?" Ronald didn't want to listen to flattery, and wanted to know what Michelle Cannold said about the distribution work. How is the judgment.

"I personally think there is hope. Anything can happen at the movie box office. Of course, to make a reliable judgment, you still have to look at the professional audience scores of Cinema Score."

Ronald nodded, this is the judgment method of a professional release manager.It seems that Michelle has learned a lot in the past six months.

"Look..." Michelle Cannold pointed at the audience who came to buy tickets in front of the box office, and pulled Ronald's arm.

"It seems that it is really possible to win the bet?"

Ronald watched it carefully for a while, and those who came to buy the tickets were all on a special trip to watch this movie, and MTV's promotional power is not small.

Those who watched Stallone's "Leap to the Peak" were more attracted by his posters, and many people saw the content of the arm-wrestling competition described in the introduction, and temporarily switched to buying tickets with a high-spirited look.

The number of people queuing on both sides is almost two to one.If this ratio can represent the preferences of the national audience, Ronald may not lose to Minahan.

"Okay, your judgment seems to be very accurate. I'm very satisfied, let's go to the office to chat later." Ronald was very satisfied with the manager who was in charge of the videotape distribution business.Cannold has a good learning ability, pays attention to details and the scene, and has a good business instinct.

"The release of Dirty Dancing went relatively smoothly, especially some states in the south, which were beyond our expectations and were very interested in the clips we showed them. Their enthusiasm for ordering was higher than that of some communities on the east and west coasts .”

Michelle Cannold arrived at Ronald's office and began to report on the release.

"Very good, how many theaters do you think can be opened?"

"At least with the general scale of small and medium-sized productions, 800-900 movie theaters will be opened, and the signing will be completed within the next month. It is not a big problem."

"Very good, I asked Eddie to work with you to allocate the budget and make marketing materials, including the production of posters and stand boards.

In addition, Roger Ebert, in fact, can ask him to make accommodations.I asked Eddie to prepare a budget, and we also learned how to let the critics, 'really' understand the depth of our film. "

"Hahaha, cheers." Michelle Cannold held the champagne that Ronald gave him, and he fully understood the correct meaning of "depth" and "true".

"It seems that the Chicago Film Critics Association will have good resorts and conference hotels this year."

"Not only in Chicago, I also invested a sum of money in New York and Los Angeles, especially New York, where the headquarters of the American national media is located. If there are some good reviews, it will be effective."

Michelle Cannold agrees very much that a relatively big problem in small and medium-sized film productions is that it is difficult to find cheap channels to advertise to target audiences.

"Dirty Dancing" is a story and dance in the 60s and [-]s, with more serious adult content.After their research, the effect of advertising on MTV may not be as good as the most suitable plot for teenagers.

Being able to learn the strategy of "Field Platoon" and let the word-of-mouth of film critics and early audiences bring some popularity to the movie is a marketing strategy they place high hopes on.

"What about the Cannes premiere?" Michelle Cannold asked about Ronald's arrangement again.

"It depends on whether your judgment is accurate. If it is as you expected, and it beats the peak of the theater at the box office, then I can get a free Cannes premiere." qualifications."

Ronald told Cannold about his post-Golden Globe bet with Minahan Golan.

"Then I wish your new film a success at the box office."

"I wish our new film more success." Ronald clinked glasses with him, and the two drank it down.

"Also, I have a suggestion..." Cannold put down his glass, and while Ronald was in a good mood, he said a suggestion he had been thinking about for a long time.

"The time Dirty Dancing is going to be released happens to be in the second half of the summer vacation. Many theaters didn't have a good film succession during that time. They were worried about the few blockbusters that were originally prepared for the summer vacation. The latest 007 Dawn Killer, Jaws' latest fourth installment - Revenge, and the two special effects blockbusters shot by the cannon, 'Superman in Space', and 'Superman IV', lack stamina, so are very welcome to our Dirty Dancing.

I think there is still room in their schedule. If we can add a movie distribution business, we can share the marketing and distribution expenses. "

"Why, they didn't think highly of the two Cannon movies?"

"That's not true. The box office of Superman III has made theaters less confident in the Superman series. They are still waiting for the finished film of Cannonball to come out. Roger Moore, who was originally very popular as James Bond, is no longer 007 was filmed.

This Dead by Daylight is the latest Bond Timothy Dalton's first movie. Many theater buyers and theater managers who have watched the finished film say that they don't like the new version of Bond very much.He is not omnipotent like the previous two, but very inferior.

Ronald nodded.Said that he knew Cannold's plan.

Publishing business is inherently very expensive.Only a large company can maintain a distribution team all year round, and maintain the expensive expenses of distribution offices in various places.

Roger Corman once said to himself that in order to maintain the distribution business without losing money, he was too busy to produce and direct films by himself, which was the main reason why he sold New World.

So Ronald also set up a temporary distribution team at the beginning. The first distribution business was mainly to train the team.

However, Michel Cannold's level is unexpectedly good, and the distribution work is done very well.In this way, if a movie can also hitch a ride and be released at this time, it can greatly share the distribution cost of "Dirty Dancing".

Of course, the premise is that the movie is also a hit, at least not to lose money.

"I will pay attention to finding a suitable movie." Ronald said that he took Cannold's suggestion and would use his contacts to see if there was a suitable one.

"Ronald, very good, Cinema Score gave it a B+ evaluation, which is very good for a romantic comedy."

On Saturday morning, Ronald received a happy call from Joseph Farrow, the vice president of [-]th Century Fox.

"Really? The score is very good." Ronald was very happy when he received the call. "I thought the score would be bad. Why did the film critics dislike this movie so much? Can get a C"

"Some movies just don't please them. Romantic comedies, in particular, often rely on the chemistry between the hero and heroine. And this movie, in many places, is completely opposite to the evaluation routines that film critics like.

In fact, the director doesn't have any deep meaning, he just likes to shoot a funny, interesting, fairy-tale love story. "

"Tsk," Ronald felt that this evaluation was very accurate.

Film critics always want to read more deep meanings from movies, and sometimes, what the audience needs is just a good-looking story.Even if there is no deep meaning, it does not prevent them from loving to watch.

After all, it is very rare for a movie like "Platoon" to be well received and well-received, and to receive high marks from both critics and audiences.

"Will our weekend box office be among the top three?" Ronald recalled the bet with Minahan.

"Very close, very close. About Friday, we and Stallone's leap to the top, only about [-] or so apart.

Perhaps, by the end of the Grand Dominion Day weekend, you can stand up to 600 million. "

"Is there any hope of surpassing Leaping Peak?" Ronald didn't expect that he could really beat Leaping Peak, which had double the number of theaters, at the box office.

"Well, our single-house box office stood at 6400 US dollars, and the flying peak was about 3000 US dollars. So...it is possible."

"Great." Ronald laughed, and couldn't wait to see the expression on Minahan's face.

This guy, when he must bet, he wanted to use the number of theaters that exceeded the norm to suppress himself, but he didn't expect that it was not as good as the movie he produced.

"I'm quite satisfied. Although the field platoon is really powerful, the box office of a single hall has exceeded 1000 US dollars. It is expected to earn [-] and [-] million US dollars on the big weekend."

"That's really powerful." Ronald thought to himself, Oliver Stone, now he has become a successful director at the box office and is about to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Director.Film critics and box office take both ends, this is really over the top.

……

"Minahan, I'm here to collect the bet."

Sure enough, the Grand Commander's Day has passed.Smug earned 600 million at the box office, while Minahan's Leap to the Peak, despite having twice as many theaters, only made 510 million at the box office.

Moreover, the Cinema Score score of Flying Over the Peak is only a poor C+, and the single-house box office has dropped further, only in the early 2900s.The poor box office results have caused some New York film critics who Minahan failed to manage to also give film reviews that are not recommended.Others scolded Stallone for simply repeating Rocky poorly.It made Ronald who read the newspaper happy for a while.

"I'd like to bet, you're still very good, and the film producer is so good." Minahan didn't deny anything.

"However, you will also go to the premiere in Cannes, will you also attend the premiere of my movie Superman IV?"

"Uh... okay..." Ronald didn't expect that Minahan was waiting for him here.

"This year's Oscars, we, Cannon, won the nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. It's 'The Assault', which we jointly filmed in the Netherlands. Can I count on your vote?"

Minahan would not be at a disadvantage, and then asked Ronald to vote for his film on the best foreign language film.

"No problem at all."

Ronald has no idea about this kind of small award, so just vote for him.In addition to the best actress, vote for friend Cameron's Alien Part [-], the best actor will give Scorsese's money, and the best director will be given to Woody Allen, who is kind to him. ticket.For the other awards, I let the agent Nisita go and see if anyone is willing to exchange them.

"Quack quack, we are best friends." Minahan was very happy with Ronald being so forthright.

"Do you have any nominations for the Oscars? I can let the contracted actors and directors of Cannon, who are eligible to vote, vote for you."

"Hey……"

Top Gun, as expected by CAA, did not receive any nominations for any awards.

"It's the best original song from a movie, please help."

Among the four nominations for Best Editing, Best Soundtrack, Best Original Film Song, and Best Sound Design, there is only Best Original Song, because I shot the MV for "Take My Breath Away", which has something to do with it.

Ronald gave the favor to the Berlin band.

"In a word, we'll see you at the Oscars then."

(End of this chapter)