Taking a look at the Digital Marketing space Films have to operate in
Keep Up-To-Date with movie news through my 5 top tips for doing just that:
With Avengers: Endgame still only on the cusp of its third theatrical week and already overtaking every film on its way to become the second highest earning film of all time. It managed to unseat Titanic and knock it down from the position it held for ten years. The director, James Cameron (who also hold the number one spot with Avatar) took to social media to congratulate the Avengers: Endgame directing duet, Joe and Anthony Russo. This congratulations came in postcard-esque format and hearkens back to ye old days of George Lucas’ and Steven Spielberg’s back and forth at the box office.
The endearing tradition began in 1977 when, what was know just as Star Wars back then (now known as Star Wars: A New Hope) took over from the massively popular sea monster thriller, Jaws. The letter is a personal congratulations from Steven Spielberg to George Lucas for overtaking his film as the number one highest earning film at the box office. Its been know that Spielberg and Lucas have a close and friendly companionship, often known to advise each other on their next blockbusting venture and even working together to produce the Indian Jones franchise.
In 1982, Steven Spielberg took back the title with his family sci-fi film, E.T. Following from his congratulations to Lucas, the sentiment was mirrored with this heart-felt image of the characters of Star Wars holding up E.T in celebration.
Then in 1983, George Lucas released what was thought to be the last Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi. Although this film did not take the record from Spielberg’s E.T, congratulations was still awarded, and I think its clear to see which of the Star Wars characters is Spielberg’s favourite.
In 1998, a new player entered the game. James Cameron’s hit drama based on true events, Titanic, took to the waves and overturned all previous records. At the time Jurassic Park was at the top of all films, but it was Lucas that offered the congratulations with this comical image of the Star Wars characters on the Titanic.
Jumping into the 21st century, The Avengers, in 2012, took the record for biggest opening weekend away from Star Wars and at the same time re-invigorated the tradition of passing congratulations. Although this time the director didn’t take ad space in a newspaper, but instead spread the image across social media, for a global audience to see.
Then 2015 was a big, big year for film box office. Firstly, with Jurassic world taking the biggest opening weekend from The Avenger. To later the same year Star Wars: The Force Awakens taking it from Jurassic World. You can see how the format has changed, with the size of the image being more suitable for social media now, rather than taking a single page in a newspaper.
And finally, we arrive here in 2019. Where Avengers: Endgame not only take biggest opening weekend of all time, along with more records, but it places second in the biggest all-time films list and looks like it could take the top stop too.
This is the second week Avengers: Endgame sits as king of the box office. It still out beats all the competition even though three new films came out this weekend and they’re not small films either. The three new films are genuine summer blockbusters with the most successful of them being, The Long Shot, Seth Rogan’s new comedy venture. Not only does Avengers: Endgame still stand victorious in the UK, it is not the second highest grossing film of all time, sinking the Titanic to third and coming up close behind Avatar. Because of Disney’s acquisition of Fox, it means that all the proceeds form Tolkien now go to Disney and they technically have four films in the top ten UK box office.
Eighth Grade, an American indie film by the talented comedian Bo Burnham, has finally had its UK release and you can see why it was put off for about a year after its US release, because it barley holds on at the bottom of the top ten. Although the film has had very high critical appraise and would probably do very well when it hits the streaming circuit, if it has the proper promotion that is.
Film is but a medium for storytelling and storytelling is a universal language that spans generations and cultures. From classics that are loved by all to new films that spawn avid followings there is always going to be something for everyone.
With massive franchises such as Star Wars that reach across generational boundaries, there is no shortage of a targetable market for studios when it comes to blockbusters such as these. In the case of Star Wars, its first instalment was released in 1977 and its most recent release being last year (2018). That’s 42 years, 11 theatrically released films, cartoon and animated series’, toys, collectables, comic books, novels and conventions all inspired from one film. And all of these things rang from collectables, costing thousands of pounds, targeted towards the working professional and blind bag toys marketed towards children. Its rare to see one brand become so diverse but Star Wars isn’t the only one to do it. Recently Marvel superheroes have been dominating the box office since 2008 and with the backing of Disney and there seemingly endless mounds of cash, Marvel have made a whopping 22 films in the last 11 years. The advantage to these franchises is how they are accessible to any and all generations. With Star Wars being influenced by a long history of science fiction and Marvel having the backdrop of 80 years of comics and character development to draw from. These story help to bridge differences between the generations by creating a common interest, but they also stand as a time capsule for the year they were made in. 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope was ground breaking in its use of practical and visual and even launched the effects studio Industrial Light and Magic, which now produced some of the special effects for Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame. The advancement of technology has allowed for even more crazy things to come to life such as a massive alien army fighting an army of Asgardians, Mages and Wakandan Warriors.
The social media buzz around the Detective Pikachu film has gone on a long journey. It began with intrigue as to why the first Pokémon live action film had a detective noire slant. Then people became sceptical, because films based on video games tend to not do so well. Once people saw or rather heard Ryan Reynolds in the role of Detective Pikachu, they started to get on board. Pokémon is so close to the hearts of many people and bring a very strong feeling of nostalgia to those who grew up with the 90’s phenomenon. Therefore, it can be difficult to market it and please all the fans. One way they seem to be side stepping this issue is to create funny viral videos that don’t spoil the film but still manages to portray the character.
The most recent video was released just before the premiere of the film. The joke twitter account called Inspector Pikachu was made to look like a new account, with no profile picture. The tweet was then re-tweeted by Ryan Reynolds and thus, see by the masses. As of writing this the tweet has 55,896 likes and 24,566 retweets.
The video its self is meant to look like a leaked, prated version of the whole film. And it does look like an authentic copy. The length of the video matches the run time of the film and it begins with the opening title credits for the studios who produced the film. It then begins to play the first 30 seconds of the film before quickly cutting to what the video actually consists of. The rest of the video is one and a half hour of Pikachu dancing to 90’s style music. It has over 14 million views and 44 thousand likes.
I created this blog post to align with the recommendations set by @OurDerby. You can find their blog which provides insight into the city of Derby here: https://ourderby.wordpress.com/
Let’s explore what Derby has to offer in the realm of film and entertainment. The rise and subsequent fall of the British high street has had an interesting effect on the cinema landscape. Derby city centre has seen 20 different cinemas over the years, with the first being established on Curzon Street in 1904 and conducting regular screenings on Saturdays. Cinema technology has come a long way since then and Derby has some prime examples we can explore.
Location: Intu Derby, Level 3 West Mall Intu, Derby DE1 2PQ
Website: https://www.showcasecinemas.co.uk/showtimes/showcase-cinema-de-lux-derby
If you are looking for things to do in Derby city centre, its so easy to access the showcase. Being located in the shopping centre it has everything you need, parking facilities, a food court just down stairs and of cause all the latest blockbusters to enjoy.
The Showcase has the largest screen available in Derby combined with complete surround sound, the XLR viewing experience is not one to miss especially when it comes to the biggest films of the year, such as the recent Avengers: Endgame. There is also the option to splash out an take a trip to the Directors’ Lounge, a smaller screening venue with large seating and a bar right outside, not to mention complimentary popcorn and a drink.
Location: Meteor Centre, Mansfield Rd, Derby DE21 4SY
Website: https://www.odeon.co.uk/cinemas/derby/32/
The Odeon cinema in Derby can be found just outside the city centre, thus it is centred around a calmer atmosphere. It is therefore perfect for more intimate occasions particularly because all the seating in every screen are recliners, so you will have plenty of leg room. Even the entrance conveys a message of luxury, with their blue and chrome house style, the foyer greets you with a large selection of drinks and nibbles to choose from. As well as casual viewings the Odeon offers a monthly membership that will allow you to view as many films as your heart desires.
Location: Cathedral Quarter, Market Place, Derby DE1 3AS
Website: https://www.derbyquad.co.uk/whats-on/cinema
The Quad cinema is the most unique cinema to Derby. It is run on the principals of participating in art and therefore aims to educate through creative activities including films and exhibitions. It’s a strong supporter of the indie scene and often presents films you won’t see in the other cinemas. You will be able to find films from all corners of the earth and even home-grown projects. They offer events such as Q&As with directors, links with film festivals and re-releases of classics. This cinema is a home for true film fans.
The history of this cinema works as a perfect Segway to the next section. With some of the original projection equipment from the Metro cinema, a historic independent cinema that sadly closed in 2008.
Cinemas have a history of being some of the most architecturally interesting buildings that lit up the high street. Sadly, those days are gone, as are most of the buildings in Derby.
The Hippodrome is one of the remaining buildings from cinema days gone by. It was opened in the 1930’s, located on green street in the heart of Derby city. It was both a theatre and a cinema.
The building itself has had a storied past. Its hosted guests such as Morecombe and Wise, it was turned into a bingo hall and almost destroyed to build a car park. Now it sits idly by waiting for the next investor to decide its fate.
Unless the Derby Hippodrome Restoration Trust has anything to say about it. Even though the building is infected with rust and decay, they still hold a consistent effort to save this time capsule of a building.
You can find their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/DerbyHippoRT/
Disney’s recent acquisition of Fox studios and all its intellectual property has often raised the question as to what the future of both studios looks like. Now Disney have provided us all with an answer. They have released an official film slate for what they have planned for the next eight years.
2019 has been a very big year for Disney, with Avengers: Endgame coming out in this year and as of writing this post it does not hold the largest worldwide box office record, but its looking like it will get there. The acquisition of Fox was also finalised this year and Disney have their Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge in the summer.
Going forward Disney still have 15 films to be released globally this year:
With 19 more films set to come out in 2020, many of the upcoming Fox Marvel films have been removed. The only one still set to be released is The New Mutants, whether it will be a theatrical release is another question. It seems that Disney are very adamant to keep as much control over their Marvel franchise as possible, with six untitled Marvel releases to come leading up to 2027.
Along with the acquisition of Fox, Disney clamed ownership of Avatar, the only film that grossed higher than Avengers: Endgame so far. And with their slightly disponing performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story, both in the box office and fan reception, they have stated they will discontinue the Star Wars Story line and instead focus on a new trilogy. So, starting in 2021 with the release of Avatar 2, each year will see an adulterant release of Star Wars and Avatar.
In a post Avengers: Endgame world, social media can be a minefield for spoilers. However, as the saying goes; the show must go on and it does. Marketing for the new Spider-Man film, the next instalment to the Marvel franchise, is well underway so the question is how can you market a film that contains spoilers for the last film, or is it even an issue and people should just know this already? The interesting thing about this case is how Disney don’t have complete control over the Spider-Man character rights, those belong to the production company Sony. This is the reason a first trailer was released after Avengers: Infinity War when Spider-Man was among the casualties of the snap. So, if it were up to Disney we would not have seen any footage up until now. Being that this second trailer was released so close after Avengers: Endgame the marketing team at Sony made sure to put a spoiler warning at the beginning.
The interesting thing here is how pop culture influences an organisations marketing, because spoilers and fandoms have become an element of consumer behaviour organisations need to be able to navigate through them not as a corporation but almost like individuals. For instance, the spoiler warning before the new Spider-Man trailer was delivered by the star of the film, it just adds a personal touch that fans can appreciate.
There is always a divide between TV and film, in this case the social media campaign to #dontspoiltheendgame was launched and endorsed by influencers and the common people alike. However, when it comes to the equally popular Game of Thrones GIF’s from the episodes climax were immediately spread across the social waves. When it comes to TV, there is a community aspect that can be uniquely enjoyed in that everyone, even across time zones, is watching the same thing as you at the exact same time, so how much of the responsibility to avoid spoilers fall to those that didn’t watch live or is there a solution the marketing team can create to provide one online location for all those watching the show live?
Avengers: Endgame opened this weekend. This film is defiantly going to be the biggest of the year and possibly of all time. In its first week it reached over £14 million, which is quite unprecedented in the UK. Globally it has already broken 21 records, taking titles from the likes of Star Wars, pervious Avengers films and Jurassic World. A lot of the records are along the lines of most earned on a Thursday etc. some of the big ones are:
This means that Disney have three films in the top ten UK box office, all of which have been at the number one spot at one time or another. And Captain Marvel has been in the top ten since I started keeping track of it, this suggests that Avengers: Endgame will also have a very long run in the cinema and therefore I have come to the conclusion that it will eventually take the number one highest grossing film of all-time record.
A new Sonic the Hedgehog movie trailer was released and instantly caused a stir on social media, not much of it was good either. The film is Jeff Fowler’s first directorial theatrical release. The trailer also inspired Google to create a 6-bit animated GIF of Sonic, when people search for him, the little animation was also interactive and if the users clicked on him enough times, it would give him a power up. The trailer gave a large glimpse into the first live-action installation in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, it introduced audiences with much loved characters and left them questioning, do we really need a live action Sonic the Hedgehog and why does it look like this? So, lets explore the ups and downs of the trailer.
That’s right comedy legend, Jim Carrey is going to be playing the largest antagonist from Sonic the Hedgehog. The odd ball actor has been known for having some of the funniest films in his filmography as well as some mediocre movies and his career has seen a purposeful slowdown, and this seems an odd choice. Although he is a strong influencer to be connect to this title and seemed to enjoy playing the role form what we saw.
The largest gripe with the new film is how Sonic looks. After the trailers release social media was flooded with fans creating their own, better versions of the characters design. The issue largely stems for the films version not being stylised to fit the iconic silhouette of the titular character. There has also been concerns as to how much the sportswear brand, Nike had on the film and its design. Because the massive brand has large product placement in the film its interesting to think about how much influence over the film their financial support brought them.
After the major backlash on social media, about the titular character’s design. The team behind the film have announced that they will be working to improve the look of the film before its cinematic release.
Film Rabbit 