CINEMA ADVERTISING CELEBRATING 6 STRAIGHT YEARS OF RECORD GROWTH

By Toni Fitzgerald
Jun 16, 2009

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Media_economy_57/One_of_the_few_bright_spots_Cinema_ads.asp

It was a down year for nearly every form of advertising, with everything from magazines to outdoor taking a hit in 2008.

A notable exception was cinema advertising, which recorded its sixth straight year of growth, up 5.8 percent over 2007, from $539.9 million to $571.4 million, according to the Cinema Advertising Council.

Spending on the medium has increased by 208 percent since 2002, the first year it was measured.

In 2008 the bulk of the money, just over 90 percent, was spent on on-screen advertising versus advertising elsewhere in the theater. That’s down slightly from 92 percent the previous year.

National or regional advertisers accounted for 77 percent of sales.

Driving that growth is improved technology, which now enables advertisers to swap out and update creative digitally at the flip of a switch across hundreds of theaters.

That’s made cinema advertising that much more attractive to marketers, especially national brands.

While the media economy overall fell 2.8 to 4 percent during 2008, depending on whose figures you believe, cinema advertising still pulled in new advertisers.

“We started digitizing seven years ago, and that made it easier for advertisers who had never explored cinema before to start using it,” says Dave Kupiec, president and chairman of the CAC.

Under the old technology, creative had to be distributed to individual theaters in the form of film. On-screen advertising was sold in four-week chunks, which essentially precluded marketers who wanted to advertise a limited-time promotion, like a weekend sale.

It was also cost-prohibitive, with a short spot running up to $300,000 to produce.

“Digital changed that. They can swap an ad out any time in the flight,” Kupiec says. “And there are no film costs. Say someone sends in a two-minute videotape. We can put it up via satellite and send it to 18,000 movie screens.”

Kupiec says cinema advertising saw some of its biggest growth in the retail area this year because of that technology, with advertisers such as Kohl’s and Sears coming in for the first time in recent years.

Off-screen advertising, of the sort you see in movie theater lobbies, also saw some growth due to new interactive technologies, such as posters that send messages to passersby’s cell phones.

“The thing that’s getting attention is mobile applications, what to do with cell phones with touch screens, and 3D screens,” Kupiec says. “It’s technology that becomes new and exciting, captivating media. We find we’re getting a lot of requests for that sort of thing.”

Automotive remained one of the top ad categories in 2008, with Asian automakers spending especially heavily. Other top categories included television, consumer packaged goods, credit cards, fashion and movie studios.

Still, whether the ad spending growth will continue into what’s been a dismal start to the year for all media remains to be seen.

“The reality of this economy is that no matter how good cinema is, the number of contracts we’re writing is still increasing, but the amount we’re writing per contract is down versus prior years,” Kupiec says. “We know the economy is in the dumper for a year or so. That doesn’t mean we’ve lost momentum, it just means we’ve lost some money.”

CAC members account for 82 percent of the nearly 39,000 U.S. movie screens.

About Hollywood Branding:

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30 marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.

Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.

Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

Email Beverly Nation : hollywoodbranding@gmail.com

or call:      314-776-1018

www.HollywoodBranding.com

FOX TO BUY 3-D GLASSES FOR ICE AGE

Fox to buy 3-D glasses for ‘Ice Age’ – Los Angeles Times

Posted: 20 Jun 2009 08:53 AM PDT

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2009/06/fox-paying-for-ice-ages-3d-glasses-but-the-issue-remains-.html

Fox to buy 3-D glasses for ‘Ice Age’

The studio had threatened to make theater chains pay the costs, which can easily add $10 million to a successful film’s release.

20th Century Fox’s high-profile stare-down with exhibitors over who would pay for digital 3-D glasses to go with ‘Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs‘ has been settled. But the issues underlying the dispute will almost certainly flare up again.

Fox, which had initially threatened to make theater owners bear the costs, has agreed to pick up the tab, according to several people familiar with the matter.”

In the past, studios have paid 75 cents to $1 per moviegoer for disposable glasses. That can easily add as much as $10 million to the cost of a successful film’s release. This factor empowers muliti-use glasses solutions like XpanD or Dolby that eliminate this cost.

It’s a sore point for studios, which complain that they shouldn’t have to pay that fee, particularly because theaters can reuse glasses. The studios are already incurring additional costs of about $15 million a picture to make a movie in 3-D. Tickets for 3-D movies come with a $2 to $3 surcharge, which is split between theater owners and studios.

Fox was the first studio whose concerns became public, when word got out during the ShoWest film industry trade show in March that it was pressuring exhibitors to pay for the glasses to go with “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” which comes out July 1 and is the studio’s first 3-D movie. Theater chains balked, with Regal, the nation’s biggest, threatening to play the movie in 2-D only.

With nearly 50 3-D movies due out in the next two years, the issue of who will pay for 3-D glasses is hardly settled.

Fox is expected to keep pressuring theaters to pick up the tab and push for them to reuse the glasses. The studio has ample incentive: In December it will release James Cameron’s 3-D sci-fi action movie “Avatar,” the director’s first major film since 1997’s “Titanic.”

About Hollywood Branding:

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30 marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.

Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.

Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

Email Beverly Nation : hollywoodbranding@gmail.com

or call:      314-776-1018

www.HollywoodBranding.com

A POLITICAL MESSAGE AMID THE MOVIE TRAILERS

U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform

Howard Weiss and Kelly Reed, whose pool supply store was sued by a woman who had fallen.

BY:  ELIZABETH OLSON

Published: June 3, 2009

WWW.NYTIMES.COM

INSTEAD of the latest on Hollywood stars, moviegoers may get a dose of advocacy this month when they settle into their seats for the feature presentation.

U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform

Mike Carter, whose gasket business in Louisiana is grappling with 100 asbestos lawsuits.

Coming to theaters are commercials that are intended to spell out the perils of frivolous lawsuits as told by “everyday Americans,” including small-business owners who have been hit with costly lawsuits they believed were arbitrary and abusive.

The owner of a pool supply store in Rockville, Md., tells of being sued for $750,000 by a passer-by who fell and was injured after being startled by a wild Canada goose nesting near his store. A gasket maker in Monroe, La., narrates how he is grappling with 100 asbestos lawsuits, and a Colorado couple describe how their family was sued for $75,000 after their 7-year-old son struck a fellow skier.

The series of two-minute trailers is the latest salvo in a long-running political battle over whether there should be curbs on bringing civil lawsuits. President George W. Bush often criticized what he called “junk lawsuits,” but trial lawyers fought back, citing research by the RAND Institute and other groups that as few as 2 percent of injured people file lawsuits.

The United States Chamber of Commerce, which represents three million businesses, is hoping this “Faces of Lawsuit Abuse” ad campaign, from its Institute for Legal Reform, can revitalize interest in restricting litigation. The tales, now running on radio, television and the Internet, will appear on the big screen for audiences in Washington, D.C., and in Colorado and Louisiana. The plan is to then expand to theaters nationwide.

“The silver screen is a perfect place to tell stories,” said Lisa Rickard, the institute’s president, “but these aren’t fiction. They are true stories of people who have been victimized. We want people to realize that this is not a lottery system where you might hit the jackpot, but that these lawsuits have very real consequences.”

The idea for the commercials came to Ms. Rickard as she and her husband were watching on-screen ads at a local movie theater. She recalls thinking that “instead of some of the rinky-dink stuff we were seeing, this was a great chance to educate people.”

A handful of other organizations and government agencies have bought ad slots before movies. Groups like the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association have run issue or brand awareness ads or commercials in theaters.

“This is the first time we’ve looked at movie trailers as a way to present an issue,” said Will Feltus, senior vice president for research at National Media Inc., which bought the lawsuit campaign’s media time. The company, based in Alexandria, Va., was a media buyer for the 2004 Bush re-election campaign.

Mr. Feltus acknowledged being skeptical about such trailers because “they are a bit outside of the box,” but said that data from Scarborough Research, a major market research group, found that people who closely followed political issues were “well above average” in their moviegoing habits.

“About 50 percent are more likely to go to the movies six or more times a month,” he said. Also, movies are attracting bigger audiences, with box office results up 15 percent this year over 2008.

And 90 percent of audiences prefer preshow entertainment and advertising over a blank screen, according to E-Poll, a market research firm whose data is used by National CineMedia, which sells and places advertisements for Regal Entertainment, AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings and other theaters.

The message of the institute’s movie theater commercials is “hard-hitting,” said Cliff Marks, National CineMedia’s president for sales and marketing. “This isn’t making any bones about it. It’s not a warm and fuzzy message, but one that says: ‘you need to know there is a problem.’ ”

The ads also are staking out new advertising ground, because the campaign plans to go national and because of the ads’ longer running time, Mr. Marks said. “Such ads, which we call branded entertainment, are usually 30 or 60 seconds long. The lawsuit promotion is a longer form, and costs more to produce and buy the time,” he said.

The institute declined to disclose its budget for the campaign, but Mr. Marks said it would cost at least $1 million, and perhaps as much as $4 million, to place ads in its 1,325 theaters across the country.

The campaign is not pushing any specific legislation, but Joanne Doroshow, executive director of the Center for Justice and Democracy, a consumer advocacy group, said the chamber was trying to fend off legislative changes to mandatory arbitration clauses.

“They want to make sure that consumers don’t have the right to go to court when there are disputes in consumer contracts like health insurance, credit cards or mortgages,” she said.

Ms. Rickard said the institute would gauge the effectiveness of its campaign from the response to its Web site, facesoflawsuitabuse.org.

As it plans to expand the campaign nationally, the institute is looking for new participants from the “hundreds of stories we get on our Web site,” said Bryan Quigley, a spokesman for the group.

Ms. Rickard said the public needed to be educated about such lawsuits because cases like the one involving the nesting goose were costly to business owners.

But Patrick Malone, former president of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, said the chamber was omitting “key facts that made these and other cases nonfrivolous.”

The goose at the center of the lawsuit “was not a wild creature, but a pet because they were feeding it,” Mr. Malone said. Campaigns like those from Ms. Rickard’s group amount “to mass tampering with the jury pool so they look at any plaintiff with a skeptical and jaundiced eye,” he said.

About Hollywood Branding:

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30 marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.

Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.

Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

Email Beverly Nation : hollywoodbranding@gmail.com

or call:      314-776-1018

www.HollywoodBranding.com

NEW – 3D ADVERTISING ON MOVIE SCREENS – IT’S HERE!

3-D Advertising Comes to the Silver Screen: Screenvision and Wrigley(R) Partner to Bring First Ever 3-D Ad to Cinema 3-D Advertising Comes to the Silver Screen: Screenvision and Wrigley(R) Partner to Bring First Ever 3-D Ad to Cinema: “Screenvision, the leading innovator in cinema advertising has partnered exclusively with the Wrigley brand to bring the first ever 3-D ad to cinema beginning May 1st.

This exclusive partnership extends Screenvision’s focus to create 360 degree entertainment experiences for consumers and marketers alike. Already the 3-D in-lobby leader for advertisers, Screenvision will now also be the 3-D in-theatre leader with the launch of its first ever on screen 3-D ad.

Screenvision’s Programming Network will make the 3-D Skittles spot available through its exhibitor partners across the country with coverage in all of the top 10 DMAs. The 3-D ad will run for a five week period beginning May 1st on 762 3-D screens in 461 Screenvision represented theatres. ‘

3-D movies have made such a big impact for the studios and moviegoers which is very promising for Screenvision’s 3-D advertising platform. 2-D ads in our Premium Pod(TM) deliver an average 72% total recall, and we anticipate that 3-D ads will generate even stronger awareness,’ said Matthew Kearney, CEO, Screenvision. ‘Screenvision continues to be the innovator and leader in the advertising sector providing the marketplace with the largest 3-D network, both in-lobby and on the screen.’

About Hollywood Branding:

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30 marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.

Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.

Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

Email Beverly Nation : hollywoodbranding@gmail.com

or call:      314-776-1018

www.HollywoodBranding.com

CINEMA ADVERTISING RANKS FIRST AMONG 40 MEDIA CATEGORIES

Published: March 19, 2009 at 02:57 PM GMT
Last Updated: March 19, 2009 at 02:57 PM GMT

By JackMyers Research

Pre-movie video advertising is the highest indexing medium among audiences who say they are”very likely/extremely likely” to pay attention to advertising in 21 media categories. Pre-movie video advertising indexes 134 compared to the average attentiveness of 100. (Pre-movie video advertising is 34% higher than the index average.)

Likelihood to pay attention to advertising messages
	Index
Movie Theaters Pre-movie video entertainment	134
Movie Theaters Pre-movie slide messages	122
Movie Theater lobbies (posters, video, kiosks, etc.)	118
Home, Food & Family Interests Magazined	117
Entertainment Weeklies	116
Websites you visit for TV and movie related information	113
Primetime Drama Series	108
Women’s Lifestyle and Special Interests Magazines	107
News Magazines	102
Travel Publications	101
Situation Comedies	99
Primetime Reality Series	99
Elevator TV Screens	93
Primetime Variety / Competition Shows	87
Video displays in public locations	87
Men’s Lifestyle and Special Interests Magazines	87
Gossip Tabloids	86
Video displays at Retailers	85
Dramadies and Primetime Soaps	84
Business Publications	84
Video in Grocery and Drug Stores	72

Source: Myers Research on the Emotional Connections of Audiences to the Media They Consume. Conducted online among 8,000 respondents aged 15-55.

Today’s Daily Data is sponsored by ScreenvisionJack Myers Topics

To communicate with or to be contacted by the executives and/or companies mentioned in this column, link to JackMyers Connection Hotline.

About Hollywood Branding:

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30 marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.  Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.  Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

Email Beverly Nation : hollywoodbranding@gmail.com

or call:      314-776-1018

www.HollywoodBranding.com

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KIA SOUL – HAMSTER COMMERCIAL HITS THE BIG SCREEN

Kia Soul Hamster Commercial

Hits the Big Screen

Kia’s Soul Finds ‘New Way to Roll’

One ad depicts a computer-generated Levittown populated by giant hamsters.

Feb 26, 2009

-By Anthony Crupi, Mediaweek

NEW YORK Kia Motors America is ready for its close-up, prepping an expansive ad campaign for its new crossover vehicle, Soul, that begins Friday.

Tagged “Soul. A new way to roll,” the 60-second spot will play in movie theaters served by National Cinemedia and Screenvision, with the latter buy targeting cinemas located on or near 50 college campuses.

Created by David & Goliath, Los Angeles, the ad depicts a computer-generated Levittown populated by giant hamsters. As the rodents spin in place on their hamster wheels, waiting for the traffic light to change, the drudgery of their gridlocked exercise is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a red Kia Soul. When the car pulls up to the intersection, the passenger-side window rolls down to reveal a posse of three hipster hamsters who are clearly enjoying their ride.

The theater ad will run through April 1, whereupon the print and television campaign will kick off, said Tim Chaney, director, marketing communications, KMA.

“We’re doing a buy across the major networks and cable, and it’s a nice balance of prime time and some late night,” Chaney said. “Because we’re going after the younger demo, we’re doing quite a bit of cable.” Kia’s cable buy includes Adult Swim, Discovery Channel, MTV and Comedy Central.

The carmaker has also lined up a major integrated sponsorship, buying time on the 2009 MTV Movie Awards. In addition to 30-second spots, the Soul will also play a part in the night’s festivities, Chaney said.

With details still being ironed out, Kia did not offer particulars about the print campaign. Chaney said print ads would run through the end of 2009, across a range of youth-oriented lifestyle, entertainment and music titles, as well as in a selection of niche publications.

On the digital side, Kia is covering a vast expanse of the online waterfront, buying into search and social media.

While some automakers are taking a more somber approach to marketing their 2009 lines, Kia will present a playful, upbeat note throughout the Soul campaign. “There’s a lot of heavy stuff going on in the world right now and it’s starting to seep into advertising,” Chaney said. “We just didn’t want to get caught up in that. We think the people who are going to be drawn to Soul are more likely to respond to a lighthearted message.”

In addition to showcasing the Soul’s fuel efficiency (31 MPG) and low price (MSRP starting under $14,000), the theater spot also emphasizes the car’s sound system, which features pulsating lights that twitter and flash to the beat.

“We don’t want to do a traditional car ad, particularly because of how marketing savvy this target audience is,” Chaney said. “We don’t think we’d get anywhere with them if we were to just hit them with a lot of car specs.”

While Kia did not disclose the media budget for Soul, Chaney characterized the overall buy as “pretty significant … right up there with the most we’ve ever spent on a launch.” One major difference between the Soul offensive and those that came before it is that broadcast will play a much smaller role this time around.

Kia spent $302 million on measured media last year, up 36 percent from $222 million in 2007, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. (Related: “D&G Opens in Europe for Kia.”)

“A new way to roll” heralds the first of a number of launches Kia has planned between now and 2011. “The new face of Kia is all about style and personalization,” Chaney said. “The Soul launch symbolizes the first wave of design-oriented products we have in store in the next few years.”

About Hollywood Branding:

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30 marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.  Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.  Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

Email Beverly Nation : hollywoodbranding@gmail.com

or call:      314-776-1018

www.HollywoodBranding.com

JONAS BROS IN 3D CONCERT AT MOVIE THEATERS

Jonas Brothers Fans Can Get Freebies!

Copyright 2009 Disney Channel

‘Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience’ opens this weekend — and 300,000 fans will have the chance to get a free poster.

In conjunction with the opening of the Jonas Brothers’ movie, the Disney Channel will be distributing 300,000 posters promoting the pop idols’ upcoming series, “JONAS,” at Screenvision theaters across the country and at the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles.

And that isn’t all. The Jo Bros will actually be visiting a limited number of theaters in person. They write on their MySpace page: “Wanted to let you know that we will be making surprise visits to theaters around the nation. We have a 3 day weekend free so we decided to go coast to coast to surprise our fans by dropping into theaters in cities around the nation. We will not be telling people which city or theater. We are simply flying in and thanking our fans. Hopefully we will see you there. Thanks, JB, Kevin, Joe and Nick.”

If there isn’t a Screenvision theater in your neighborhood, log on to www.DisneyChannel.com/JONAS and download the one-sheet.

Then, keep checking back because ET will be first on the set of “JONAS” for all the behind-the-scenes buzz!

http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/02/71174/

About Hollywood Branding:       

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30 marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.  Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.  Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

Email Beverly Nation or call 314-776-1018

Or Visit www.HollywoodBranding.com

HOLLYWOOD BOX OFFICE BOOMS IN JANUARY

Posted By: Julia Boorstin

Topics:Economy (Global) | Economy (U.S.) | Recession | Movies & Film Studios | Television | Technology | Print Media | Media

Sectors:Technology | Media

Companies:Sony Corp, SNE | News Corporation Limited | Time Warner Inc

Despite the deepening recession, Hollywood is bucking the trend and actually breaking records on the upside.

This January the domestic box office topped $1 Billion for the first time ever, up 19 percent from last January’s $867.2 million.

And while higher ticket prices did help boost the box office, the real boost came from more attendance: ticket sales grew 16 percent this January over last year.

January is traditionally a weak time at the box office as kids head back to school, but this year Americans are looking for an escape and the films delivered. Clint Eastwood’s “Gran Torino” from Warner Bros. rolled out slowly, bringing in a total of $110 million. Sony/Columbia’s comedy “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” was a surprise hit, bringing in $83 million. And this past weekend Fox’s
kidnapping drama “Taken” brought in nearly $25 million, the second-best movie opening Super Bowl weekend ever.

Movies seem to be benefiting from the downturn, offering an affordable escape from the bad news. Yes, people complain about over-priced popcorn and increasingly expensive tickets, but movies are far more affordable than concerts or sporting events.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/28978391

About Hollywood Branding:       

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30 marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.  Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.  Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

Email Beverly Nation or call 636-485-5832.

VALENTINES DAY & NBA ALL STAR GAME IN 3D

Valentine’s Day, a 3D movie …

and All-Star Saturday

By Art Garcia, NBA.com
Posted Feb 6 2009 12:24PM

David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

Talk about your Valentine’s Day dilemmas. One of you wants to go to the movies. The other has basketball on the brain. It’s a pickle that has pitted sweethearts on the opposite ends of the Date Night spectrum since Cupid’s first crossover dribble.

No sense in breaking up. You two have come too far.

There just may be a solution — without couple’s counseling — in your future. Get off the couch and head on down to your local movie house. Instead of catching My Bloody Valentine, snuggle up to NBA All-Star Saturday Night.

Live, in 3D and HD.

The NBA, Turner Sports and Cinedigm are teaming up to present All-Star Saturday Night in 3D on Feb. 14 (8 p.m. ET) at theatres across the county. From Apple Valley, Calif. to Port St. Lucie, Fla., couples can watch Dwight Howard transform into a leading Superman on the silver screen. The evening inside the theatre promises a view almost as good as being on the floor at US Airways Center in Phoenix.

“The best seat in the house for an NBA event is at courtside, and the 3D cameras being utilized to capture NBA All-Star Saturday Night will put you in those seats,” said Steve Hellmuth, NBA executive vice president of operations and technology. “It is a transforming event for a fan to see the beauty, grace and power of the best athletes in the world.”

TNT is producing with Pace’s digital 3D technology, while Cinedigm is a leader in digital cinema. The more than 80 theatres bringing All-Star Saturday Night to life also are featuring contests and prizes, and giving fans the chance to text/vote on the winner of the Sprite Slam Dunk contest. The night’s other events are the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, the Haier Shooting Stars and the PlayStation Skills Challenge.

The NBA isn’t new to 3D. The league produced the first-ever live sports event in 3D during NBA All-Star Game 2007 in Las Vegas for an audience of 700 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Next up was Game 2 of the 2007 NBA Finals — Cleveland at San Antonio — for an audience of 14,000 fans at Quicken Loans arena. The Mavericks delivered the first sporting event to a movie theatre last year in Dallas.

The NBA’s version of movie watching is like no other experience when it comes to sports in 3D, Hellmuth said. “The Pace Fusion technology allows for control of the depth of the 3D experience, and it translates into more natural vision and no eye fatigue,” he said. “I can predict that if you attend one of the Cinedigm theaters you will be lost in the pictures.”

TNT’s broadcast of NBA All-Star Saturday night last year was one of the most-watched sporting events on TV in 2008. Saturday Night is part of NBA All-Star 2009, culminating with the 58th NBA All-Star Game, airing on TNT, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. ET.

All-Star Saturday Night: 3D HD Theatres

Theatre Location Pavillion Digital Showcase Theatre Brooklyn, N.Y. Telshor 12 (Las Cruces N.M.) Las Cruces, N.M. Atlas Cinemas Great Lakes Stadium 16 Mentor, Ohio Carmike 10-Asheville Asheville, N.C. Carmike Wynnsong 10-Billings Billings, Mont. Carmike Royal Palm 20 Bradenton, Fla. Beverly Center 18 Champaign, Ill. James Island 8 Charleston, S.C. Carmike 6-Charlottesville Charlottesville, Va. Chapel Hills 15 Colorado Springs, Colo. Carmike 15 Columbus, Ga. Carmike Conyers Crossroads 16 Conyers, Ga. Carmike Market Square 10 DeKalb, Ill. Carmike 9-Dyersburg Dyersburg, Tenn. Carmike 20 Edinburg, Texas Carmike 16-El Paso El Paso, Texas Carmike Market Fair 15 Fayetteville, N.C. Carmike Amelia Island 7 Fernandina Beach, Fla. Carmike 10 Fort Collins, Colo. Thoroughbred 20 Franklin, Tenn. Carmike 14 Hickory, N.C. Carmike 16-Jacksonville Jacksonville, N.C. Johnson City 14 Johnson City, Tenn. Carmike Wynnsong 16-Johnston Johnston, Iowa Carmike Wynnsong 16-Knoxville Knoxville, Tenn. Seth Childs 12 Manhattan, Kan. Carmike 10-Missoula Missoula, Mont. Wynnsong 16 Mobile, Ala. Carmike Oakdale 20 Oakdale, Minn. Carmike Wynnsong 12-Provo Provo, Utah Carmike 10 Roanoke, Va. Carmike Wynnsong 11-Savannah Savannah, Ga. Carmike 10-Stillwater Stillwater, Okla. Carmike 14-Tyler Tyler, Texas Carmike University 8-Warrensburg Warrensburg, Mo. Carmike Wynnsong 12-Winston-Salem Winston-Salem, N.C. Celebration! Cinemas Grand Rapids – North Grand Rapids, Mich. Cinema West 13-Livermore Livermore, Calif. Cinema West Contra Costa 8 Martinez, Calif. Boulevard Cinemas 12 Petaluma, Calif. Clearview Cinemas Parsippany, N.J. Emagine Entertainment Novi Novi, Mich. Emagine Hollywood 10 Birch Run, Mich. Empress Walk 10 Cinemas North York, Ontario Galaxy Highland 10 Austin, Texas Galaxy Fandango 10 Carson City, Nev. Galaxy Uptown 10 Gig Harbor, Wash. Galaxy Cannery 16 N. Las Vegas, Nev. Galaxy 12-Riverbank Riverbank, Calif. Galaxy 10-Tulare Tulare, Calif. Krikorian Premiere Theatres,LLC Redlands, Calif. Krikorian Premiere Theatres,LLC Buena Park, Calif. Krikorian 12-Monrovia Monrovia, Calif. Mann Chinese Hollywood, Calif. Marquee Southridge 12 Charleston, W.Va. Marquee Southpoint 9 Fredricksburg, Va. Marquee Orchard 14-New Hartford New Hartford, N.Y. Marquee Wakefield 12 Raleigh, N.C. Orchard Cinema 10 Toms River, N.J. MJR Brighton Town Square 20 Brighton, Mich. Southgate 20 Southgate, Mich. MJR Sterling Heights Marketplace 20 Sterling Heights, Mich. NCG Lansing Eastwood Lansing, Mich. Rave Mall of Louisiana 15 Baton Rouge, La. RMP Promenade 16 Center Valley, Pa. East Ridge 18 Chattanooga, Tenn. RMP Polaris 18 Columbus, Ohio RMP Ridgmar 13 Fort Worth, Texas RMP Patton Creek 15 Hoover, Ala. RMP Yorktown 15 Houston, Texas Valley Bend 18 Huntsville, Ala. RMP North East Mall 18 Hurst, Texas Rave Town Square 18 Las Vegas, Nev. Rave Colonel Glenn 18 Little Rock, Ark. RMP Avenue 16 Melbourne, Fla. Rave Festival Plaza 16 Montgomery, Ala. Rave Bayou 15 Pensacola, Fla. Grand Prairie 18 Peoria, Ill. RMP Metropolis 18 Plainfield, Ind. Rave Port St. Lucie 14 Port St. Lucie, Fla. RMP West Chester 18 West Chester, Ohio East 18 Evansville Evansville, Ind. UltraStar Apple Valley 14 Apple Valley, Calif. Del Mar Highlands 8 San Diego, Calif. UltraStar Chula Vista 10 Chula Vista, Calif. UltraStar Surprise Pointe 14 Surprise, Ariz.

About Hollywood Branding:       

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30 marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.  Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.  Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

Email Beverly Nation or call 636-485-5832.

Bad Economy Good for Movies

All this dire economic news could be good for Hollywood. Box office grosses for the weekend are projected to range between $130 million and $140 million, up from $102 million last year, estimates Stifel Nicolaus analyst Drew Crum.

The reason? No doubt the release of “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” might have something to do with it. (We can’t wait.)

Another possible explanation: When the economy hits the skids, people watch more movies. In five of the last seven recessions since 1965, box office grosses increased, according to the National Association of Theater Owners.

BOX OFFICE TOTALS 2008 vs. 2007

By Phil Contrino

From www.boxoffice.com

2008 vs. 2007 Figures

As 2008 nears an end, it looks as though the year as a whole has a decent shot at topping 2007’s record-setting box office haul of $9.62 billion.

As long as this weekend’s estimates don’t fluctuate too much, 2008’s box office haul of $8.154 billion is currently around 1% higher than 2007’s haul at the same point in the year.

2008 achieved early success in January with films like Cloverfield ($80 million domestically) and 27 Dresses ($76.8 million). February boasted strong grosses from Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds ($65.3 million) and Fool’s Gold ($70.2 million). In addition, March featured 10,000 B.C. ($94.7 million), Horton Hears a Who! ($154.5 million) and 21 ($81.2 million). Plus, April and May produced two strong comedies, Forgetting Sarah Marshall ($63.2 million) and Baby Mama ($60 million), respectively.

Then came the summer.

Even if Summer 2008 hadn’t produced the second highest grossing film of all time with The Dark Knight ($528.6 million domestically), the industry as a whole would still be able to brag about the success of Iron Man ($318.3 million), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($317 million), Kung Fu Panda ($215.4 million), WALL-E ($223.1 million) and Hancock ($227.9).

The month of November has already proven to be incredibly successful thanks to the likes of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Quantum of Solace.

Looking forward, 2008’s box office still has to face strong 2007 results. The third weekend of November 2007 posted very solid numbers. Enchanted finished #1 with $34 million and a total of six films grossed more than $10 million that weekend. Still, next weekend should only help to boost 2008’s lead with the emergence of Twilight and Bolt. Twilight will bring in crucial teenage demographics, while Bolt will grab younger audiences and their adult chaperons. Plus, Solace and Madagascar 2 will continue to perform well.

Although, 2008 could lose out to 2007 if December produces mediocre results. Major December releases such as Frost/Nixon, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Seven Pounds are all plagued by commercial question marks.

Trend 2009 – 3D Advertising on Movie Screens

3D Ads

By PATRICK FRATER

–>HONG KONG – Hollywood’s heavy hitters gathered Wednesday to talk up the future of 3D movie making and exhibition.”Within the next five to seven years, I expect all movies out of Hollywood to be in 3-D,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, head of Dreamworks Animation. He was speaking at the inaugural 3DX, the 3D Film and Entertainment Technology Festival in Singapore (Nov 19-23.)

“We can tell stories differently, engage the audience better (with 3D). They can’t get this at home,” Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group prexy Mark Zoradi, said. “This is a wonderful incentive for theater owners to install digital cinema (equipment). For Asia there is an additional benefit in that this is a deterrent to piracy.”

Dan Glickman, prexy of the Motion Picture Association of America, described 3D film-making as a “genuine revolution” in the way that movies are watched. “(3D) is confirmation of the dawn of a new era, an era filled with possibility, fuelled by innovation and which will advance the timeless and global art of storytelling through the unique and profound medium of film,” said Glickman. “The extraordinary innovation we have seen here on display barely scratches the surface of the innovation that lies before us.”

Fest, which comprises a business forum, film festival, public screenings and a gala red carpet event, is backed by the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) with support from the Singapore Tourism Board, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and Singapore Economic Development Board.

Movie Attendance up 60% for 3D Films

2009 Industry Outlook: The Rise Of 3D Movies

December 2nd, 2008 Posted in Consumer, Media And Entertainment | Discuss

Nielsen Consumer Insight has issued its 2009 Industry Outlook, covering everything from book sales to mobile phones. Up first is a look at how 3D movies are likely to fare as families are likely to keep a tight reign on their budgets in 2009. Movie theaters may prove to be the exception. Why? Consumers appear to love 3D films. In fact, gross sales increased over 60% for films exhibited in 3D as compared to traditional film, and this increase is due to higher prices and higher attendance. With over a 1,000 3D theaters already in the U.S. and with studios helping to fund the transition from 35MM to 3D, 2009 is looking particularly good. In fact, with as many as 11 major movie releases expected to hit the screens in 2009, including James Cameron’s Avatar this is bound to have the cinemas seeing green.

Buying Cinema Media Based on Demographics

Cinema advertising continues to garner the support and respect of savvy marketers who see the value of a captive audience.  Just released is a new Nielsen Preview analysis on purchasing cinema based on specific demographics.   Full reports are available for purchase at:http://www.nielsenpreview.com/member/study_detail.php?id=1087

Here is an excerpt of the report:

Earlier this year, the Nielsen Preview analysis of Cinema Advertising generated a
significant amount of interest. In particular, many readers wanted to learn more
about best practices in purchasing cinema – either on a genre or consumer segmentation
basis.
The following research contains insights on which movies might be good targets for
various brands and advertisers, based on specific demographics. Included in this
research:
• How many movie consumer segments are there in the industry
• The frequency and size of these segments  in the last two years
• How to predict the relevancy for a brand for two of the key movie segments

Interested, in the full study? Consider purchasing and get an in-depth analysis on
each of the movie segments, including:
• Demographics by segment
• Examples of movies in each of the eleven movie consumer segment
• Most predictive genre elements of each segment
• Average box office results for each segment

Full reports are available for purchase at:http://www.nielsenpreview.com/member/study_detail.php?id=1087

The Basics
About the Content
When discussing films, it is all too common to describe a film in terms of a very broad genre versus a description of more detailed
content. Most speak about action, G, PG or summer blockbusters when discussing films, but genre content goes deeper than this.
For example, while comedies and family films are known to generate some of the top dollars, it is little discussed that Road films
and Sports have been strong contributor to overall film dollars as well.

Genre/Theme Sum of Box Office

ANIMATED                   $2,534,726,980
LIVE ACTION               $1,585,796,387
ROAD FILM                   $1,045,761,395
SCIENCE FICTION      $1,016,902,688
SPORTS                                $846,883,242
Quads (as defined by Men <25, Women <25, Men >25, and Women >25) for each movie were calculated.
The key metrics were calculated on an absolute basis, as a percent of the movie going population of moviegoer, with values ranging
from zero to 100.
Next, using the four quads as the basis of segmentation, the almost 400 films were grouped together into naturally occurring
segments in order to understand the different types of films in the industry and their relative appeal to particular demographic
groups.
Once the groups were segmented, each segment could be defined based on the type of moviegoers interested in the film as well as
the types of genres appealing to these particular demos.
Note: Nielsen defines the movie-going universe as consumers 12+.

Under 25
Over 25
Males Under 25
Males Over 25
Females Under 25
Females Over 25
When we consider the movies over the last two years, eleven natural groups explain most consumer film preferences. These groups
have varying degrees of appeal to the various quad demographics, ranging from niche appeal all the way to broad appeal across all
demographics tested.
What can be termed, Under the Radar Female oriented films makes up the broadest number of wide-release films over the last two
years – almost 25%. While Tent Poles, appealing to over 60% of all demos, are quite rare – amounting to no more than 2% of all
films.

Segment M<25 M>25 F<25 F>25 % of Films
Low Profile Chick Flick                  14.9
Young Fluff                                         14.1
Chick Flick                                           12.2
Female Teen Flick                           + 1.6
Under the Radar – Female            24.3
Under the Radar – Male                    9.5
Crowd Pleaser                                       5.9
Guns ‘n’ Guts                                   + + 3.5
Male Teen Flick                               + 11.1
Men’s Tent pole                             + + 1.1
Tent Pole                                  + + + + 1.9
Note: A plus sign (+) indicates over 50% of this demo group had strong interest in the movie segment.

Key Insight:
Not all films are created equal in reaching your targeted audience, and advertising
across all films can prove inefficient.
About MPAA Ratings : While each of these segments represents a unique relationship based on demographic preferences, this has very little relation to
MPAA Ratings.
About the Segments:   Except for Female Teen Flicks, each of the segments draws from more than one MPAA rating, with many drawing from PG, PG-
and R.

Key Insight:
MPAA ratings are inefficient at predicting which types of consumers will arrive at the
theatre. A deeper look is required for targeting.
The Segments – by rating distribution
Segment                                                G %                                    PG %                                         PG-13 %                                             R %
Low Profile Chick Flick                       4                                         35                                                  29                                                        33
Chick Flick                                               4                                         20                                                  67                                                          9
Under the Radar – Female                7                                          22                                                  32                                                         39
Under the Radar – Male                     0                                          14                                                   20                                                        66
Young Fluff                                             2                                            2                                                   58                                                        38
Female Teen Flick                                0                                           0                                                  100                                                         0
Crowd Pleaser                                        9                                         23                                                    50                                                       18
Guns ‘n’ Guts                                           0                                           0                                                     54                                                       46
Male Teen Flick                                     0                                         10                                                    44                                                        46
Tent Pole                                                  0                                         29                                                    71                                                          0
Men’s Tent pole                                     0                                            0                                                    75                                                        25

—End of excerpt—

Hollywood Branding International was started in 2001 as a boutique ad agency specializing in cinema media.  We provide valuable and time saving information on finding movie theaters that make sense for your brand.  Demographics are cross referenced with census polls and the demographic segments for upcoming movies to ensure your campaign is shown at the best theatre during the release of strategic movies attracting your target audience.

No other agency or marketing company in the U.S. provides such detailed planning to ensure your campaign is a success.  We are not a “rep” firm and do not suggest theaters based on certain circuits.  We look to our proprietary database of every movie theater in the U.S. along with demographics to find the key cinema locations for your brand.

For more information on integrating this research into a cinema media campaign for your brand contact Beverly Nation at 636-485-5832 or by email  hollywoodbranding@gmail.com.

Rave Motion Pictures to Show Live Sports in 3D Locally

Dallas, TX. — Rave Motion Pictures, the nation’s largest all digital projection theater circuit, announces two stellar LIVE 3D broadcast events:

January 8, 2009 BCS College Football Championship Game
Featuring the Florida Gators & the Oklahoma Sooners (8 PM EST)

February 14, 2009 NBA All Star Saturday Night Live
Featuring the 3 Point, Slam Dunk & Skills Contests (8 PM EST)

Fox Sports and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. will team up to broadcast the FedEx BCS National Championship Game in LIVE 3D to select digitally-equipped theaters across the United States. The announcement represents the first ever sporting event broadcasted to the public in LIVE 3D on a nationwide basis.

College football fans will be able to experience the game as if they were on the field as the country’s top collegiate teams compete for the coveted National Title.

Just last week, the NFL broadcast of its Thursday night game in live 3D was in only 3 theaters in NY, LA and Boston and made national news. Now Rave is proud to host 18 of only 81 such events in the country.

Ticket prices for the BCS Bowl Game range by market from $20 to $25. Meanwhile, ticket prices for the NBA Event range by market from $15 to $20.

How Marley Won Over Purina

Movie Deal Is Dog-Food Brand’s First Branded-Entertainment Effort

by Jeremy Mullman

Published: December 18, 2008

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) — He’s been called the world’s worst dog, but Purina couldn’t say no to Marley.

‘Marley & Me,’ which hits theaters Christmas Day, is Purina’s first major branded-entertainment play.

Purina has, of course, been selling dog food for eons, and has passed on many canine-featuring flicks. But “Marley & Me,” the film from 20th Century Fox starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, has inspired the pet-food marketer to dig into its first major branded-entertainment play.

The company’s director of marketing, Pat Mullen, said the “known quantity” of working with a best-selling book, an A-list cast and an accomplished director (David Frankel, who directed “The Devils Wears Prada” and has numerous TV credits) made this project too good to pass up.

History with ‘rascally’ dogs
Marley’s likeness to the rambunctious pooches the Chow brand has spotlighted in its long-running “Long live your dog” campaign also helped. The premise of the campaign is to keep dogs “rascally” for longer. In one early scene in the film, Marley tips over a giant bag of Puppy Chow and begins Hoovering its contents. “The takeaways there are that Marley was a voracious eater, and that Marley really loves his food,” Mr. Mullen said. “Those are very positive for us.”

The deal goes well beyond product placement and includes integrations in nearly every communication for the brands.

The deal includes integrations in nearly every communication for the brands, including a contest in which consumers can get videos of their own rascally dogs included on the ‘Marley & Me’ DVD, which comes out this spring.

“Pretty much everything we’re doing is Marley-centered right now,” said Duane Johnson, a creative director on the brand at its longtime agency, Fallon. “All of our communications are focused there.”

User-generated videos
The deal also includes a number of contests and giveaways — including a Willy Wonka-esque “Golden Bone” giveaway of tickets to the Hollywood premiere — and major retail displays, such as a contest in which consumers can get their videos of their own rascally dogs included on the DVD, which comes out this spring. Finalist videos got an airing earlier this year in co-branded TV spots during the National Dog Show.

“That’s the first time user-generated content has ever ended up as branded content on a DVD release,” said Bryan Thoensen of William Morris & Associates, which helped shape the deal and, according to Purina executives, served as a guide through the unfamiliar Hollywood landscape. “That’s groundbreaking.”

Other aspects of the campaign include Chow-branded Marley calendars and holiday ornaments, created by agencies Checkmark and William Morris and Fallon. The consumer-generated-video finalists can be found on longliveyourdog.com.

The film will hit theaters Christmas Day.

AMC Goes IMAX on 100 New Screens in 33 Markets

AMC theaters go IMAX

By LOU GAUL
phillyBurbs.com

Film fanatics in the suburbs can now enjoy an IMAX experience that will rock their world.

AMC Entertainment and IMAX Corp. have entered a partnership to retrofit 100 auditoriums over 33 markets containing AMC theaters. The work has been completed on three theaters – the AMC Neshaminy 24, the AMC Cherry Hill 24 and the AMC Hamilton 24 – in our area.

Executives at both companies believe going to the movies will never be the same.

“The point of our IMAX partnership is that the format is so immersive that you cannot replicate the experience at home or with any other form of entertainment,” said the Kansas City-based Justin Scott, director of corporate communications for AMC.  “When people are choosing how to spend their entertainment dollars, they want the best experiences, and IMAX provides one that’s second to none.

“You feel like you are in the movie.”

For Jackson Myers, a company spokesperson for the Toronto-based IMAX (Image MAXimum), witnessing people discover the sights and sounds of the large-screen format is rewarding.

“It’s always fun watching someone watch an IMAX movie for the first time,” Myers said. “A lot of times, people are in disbelief at how great the experience is and their jaws drop.”

Through the joint venture, IMAX transforms one of the theaters in an AMC multiplex into a newly designed digital auditorium with 25-percent larger screen and laser-aligned sound capable of rattling a viewer’s rib cage.

“One thing we do when tuning the sound is to make sure every seat offers a good listening experience,” Myers said. “The most important element is the theater geometry, which is the position of the screen in the auditorium.

“When you combine the digital sound and image, you get IMAX.”

“The Day the Earth Stood Still,” a PG-13 sci-fi remake, recently received an IMAX makeover. The digitally rendered result is a picture that’s a joy to behold and hear.

AMC charges a $3 premium above the per-ticket cost for the IMAX experience.

According to AMC and IMAX, other titles coming soon to IMAX theaters include:

“The Dark Knight” re-release (January 2009) with Christian Bale, “Monsters vs. Aliens 3-D” (March 2009) with the voice of Reese Witherspoon, “Watchmen” (2009) with Patrick Wilson, “Star Trek” (May 2009) with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto (as Kirk and Spock, respectively), “Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian” (May 2009) with Ben Stiller, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (June 2009) with Shia LaBeouf, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 3-D” (July 2009) with Daniel Radcliffe, “A Christmas Carol 3-D” (November 2009) with Jim Carrey, “Avatar 3-D” with Sigourney Weaver (December 2009), “How to Train Your Dragon” (March 2010) with the voice of America Ferrera and “Shrek Goes Fourth 3-D” (May 2010) with the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy.

The three Philadelphia-region AMC theaters offer IMAX Digital, a new system that can show either normal or 3-D content. The less-bulky system does not require heavy film reels and relies on digitized images and sounds supplied via computer.

According to Myers, IMAX has more than 320 theaters in 42 countries and with “more and more locations opening up the IMAX experience is going mainstream.”

“From an AMC standpoint, it (IMAX) is about delivering options to our guests,” Scott said. “People are blown away by the auditoriums.”

E-MAIL: lgaul@phillyburbs.com
December 16, 2008 8:05 AM

Stephen King’s Top 10 Movies of 2008

Courtesy www.aintitcool.com  12/18/08

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE & WALL-E Emerging As The Critics’ 2008 Movies To Beat!!

<!—->

How the  critics awards are tallying up!Among the regional critics associations, “Slumdog Millionaire” tops the most lists I’ve seen, though WALL-E is getting plenty of love as well:

Regional critics’ associations:
New York Film Critics: Milk
Los Angeles Film Critics: WALL-E
Chicago Film Critics: WALL-E
London Film Critics: Slumdog Millionaire
D.C. Area Film Critics: Slumdog Millionaire
Boston Film Critics: (tie) Slumdog Millionaire & WALL-E
San Francisco Film Critics: Milk
Dallas/Fort Worth Film Critics: Slumdog Millionaire
Florida Film Critics: Slumdog Millionaire
Las Vegas Film Critics: Frost/Nixon
Detroit Film Critics: Slumdog Millionaire
St. Louis Film Critics: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Austin Film Critics: The Dark Knight

International Press Academy:
DRAMA: Slumdog Millionaire
COMEDY: Happy-Go-Lucky

Critics Choice Awards nominees:
The Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millioniare
WALL-E
The Wrestler

Roger Ebert’s top 20, as published in The Chicago Sun-Times:
Ballast
The Band’s Visit
Che
Chop Shop
The Dark Knight
Doubt
The Fall
Frost/Nixon
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
Iron Man
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Shotgun Stories
Slumdog Millionaire
Synecdoche, New York
W
WALL-E

Kenneth Turan’s top picks, as published in the Los Angeles Times:
Ballast
A Christmas Tale
The Class
Frost/Nixon
Frozen River
Gomorrah
Happy-Go-Lucky
Rachel Getting Married
Slumdog Millionaire
Tell No One
WALL-E
Waltz With Bashir
Plus four Sundance documentaries (”Man on Wire,” ” Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired,” “Stranded” and “Trouble the Water”)

Richard Corliss’ top 10, as published in Time Magazine:
1. WALL-E
2. Synecdoche, New York
3. My Winnipeg
4. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days
5. Milk
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Slumdog Millionaire
8. Iron Man
9. Speed Racer
10. Encounters At The End of the World

Stephen King’s top 10, as published in Entertainment Weekly:
1. The Dark Knight
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. WALL-E
4. Tropic Thunder
5. Funny Games
6. The Bank Job
7. Lakeview Terrace
8. The Ruins
9. Redbelt
10. Death Race

Lisa Schwarzbaum’s Top 10, as published in Entertainment Weekly:
1. WALL-E
2. Milk
3. The Dark Knight
4. Waltz With Bashir
5. Gomorra
6. Wendy and Lucy
7. Trouble The Water
8. Happy-Go-Lucky
9. Man On Wire
10. Tropic Thunder

Owen Glieberman’s Top 10, as published in Entertainment Weekly:
1. The Wrestler
2. The Dark Knight
3. Rachel Getting Married
4. WALL-E
5. Momma’s Man
6. The Edge of Heaven
7. Burn After Reading
8. The Class
9. Milk
10. Tell No One

The American Film Institute’s picks:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Frozen River
Gran Torino
Iron Man
Milk
WALL-E
Wendy and Lucy
The Wrestler

Campbell’s Soup Co-Brands with Hollywood

Campbell’s Soup Partners with Tale of Despereaux

Despereaux, pushing cheese

Campbell Soup Company entered into its first-ever major movie partnership — with Universal Pictures’ animated adventure film The Tale of Despereaux — for its condensed soup brands, reports Retailer Daily.

Based on an award-winning book by Philadelphia’s Kate DiCamillo, The Tale of Despereaux takes place in the mythical Kingdom of Dor, once world renowned for its great soups, but where soup has now become a rare treat. The film hit theaters nationwide on Friday (Dec. 19).

Campbell’s marketing plan includes online promotion (including a website for kids), on-pack promotion on 50 million labels of participating Campbell’s Chicken Noodle and Tomato soup cans, employee and community involvement, sponsorship of the New York premiere, and support of a nonprofit serving children.

The company also launched a vigorous ad campaign against rival Progresso Light soups, after the General Mills product won endorsement from Weight Watchers. Part of Campbell’s marketing effort included a coupon offer to younger consumers.

The new marketing effort includes an interactive site for kids at myslurp.com and support for the Lollipop Theater Network, a nonprofit “dedicated to bringing movie magic to hospitalized children nationwide,” Campbell’s said.

myslurp.com features clips from the movie, photos, games and downloads, as well as the Royal Adventure Sweepstakes and Royal Spoon Instant Win Game.

Campbell’s Chicken Noodle and Tomato soup cans have undergone a makeover and now feature the film’s virtuous hero, Despereaux, holding a golden spoon.

Campbell also cosponsored the New York premiere of “The Tale of Despereaux.” Several of the film’s vocal talents–Matthew Broderick (Despereaux), Kevin Kline (Chef Andre) and “The Narrator” Sigourney Weaver–took to the spirit of the holidays and signed special Andy Warhol-designed Campbell’s soup bowls to be auctioned off to benefit the Lollipop Theater Network.

As part of its charity efforts, Campbell’s also made a 1,000-can donation of the specially labeled “Despereaux” cans to the Food Bank of New York City.

Finally, Camden, NJ elementary school students enjoyed a helping of soup and storytelling at Campbell World Headquarters when the company celebrated Royal Soup Day on December 12, featuring a reading of “The Tale of Despereaux” by author DiCamillo, a visit from Despereaux himself, as well as Royal Soup Day crafts and activities.

Story courtesy www.marketingvox.com

Brand Spot Shot Partners with Marley & Me

Spot Shot Stain Remover Partners with ‘Marley & Me’ Film

Dec 22, 2008 6:03 AM, PROMO Xtra By Patricia Odell

Print ads play up a new offer for Spot Shot in a partnership with “Marley & Me.”

It seems a perfect match. A cute little puppy and a product that removes pet stains.

That’s why the WD-40 Co. has partnered with Fox Films and its upcoming movie “Marley & Me,” which stars a Labrador puppy, that, as they do, grows up. The lengthy, integrated campaign promotes the company’s new Spot Shot, an instant carpet stain and odor eliminator marketed as environmentally friendly.

The campaign revolves around an offer for consumers to save $5 on a ticket to the movie with the purchase of Spot Shot.

The promotion work, developed by the Alcone Marketing office in Irvine, CA, plays out over nine months. It kicked off at the recent premiere of the film, with special invites to local buyers.

“’Marley & Me’ stood out [because] it complemented our target audience and was coming out around the holiday timing, which was the same timing as our distribution in the marketplace,” Patricia Olsem, the marketing director at WD-40 said. “During the holidays, there is a big uptick in pet purchases and adoption, and this product does remove pet stains.”

The film, taken from a best-selling nonfiction memoir by John Grogan and starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, relays the tale of the Labrador named Marley that takes over their lives.

Print ads run in a number of publications fitted to the products’ core demographic, including Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens, People, and Prevention. An FSI drops around the opening of the film on Christmas Day. The target audience is environmentally conscious moms, 56% of whom own a pet.

At grocery stores across the country, customers will learn about the special offer through P-O-P and by promos on their cash register receipts. Anyone who buys the product will get a coupon at checkout that tells them where to redeem the offer.

“The household cleaning category has typically promoted via traditional vehicles such as FSI and coupon/discounts,” said Heather L. Eichele, an account director at Alcone. “A partnership with a film provided a way for Spot Shot to differentiate itself among its competitors and create a promotion with appeal for our retailers and our consumers.”

At www.SpotShot.com a promotion plays up the $5 offer and a links to a microsite where visitors can learn about the product and watch a movie trailer.

A public relations effort includes ticket giveaways through local radio promos and some blogging.

The campaign also ties to a sponsorship of Fox Film’s tour with Marley trainer Mark Forbes that will include product giveaways. And sponsorship of the latest versions of the book, “Marley and Me,” includes incorporating the Spot Shot logo on the books.

The WD-40 Co. markets a group of household brands and lubricating oils, including its popular namesake product, WD-40, as well as 3 In One, Lava Soap, Carpet Fresh, 12,000 Flushes and X14

Forecast 2009 for Out of Home Media – It Looks Good!

Forecast 2009: Out of Home

Sector will eke out growth, as digital leads the way

Jan 5, 2009

-By Katy Bachman

Ad revenue from in-store networks is adding up

It’s unclear how much out-of-home advertising will be down, if at all, in 2009. Certain segments, which are helping to grow the scope of the business, are poised for healthy growth, including all digital components, led by cinema advertising and in-store networks, digital billboards and other alternative displays.

Traditional out of home—led by the nation’s largest outdoor companies (Clear Channel, CBS Outdoor and Lamar Advertising) and still the largest segment of the industry—is facing some of the same challenges as other traditional media. Like other media, it’s a buyer’s market for OOH inventory, and companies such as Lamar have been open about cutting rates. But unlike other media, there still seems to be plenty of activity from advertisers.

“Even though all our clients are facing challenging environments, there’s a steady commitment to the space,” said Chris Gagen, senior vp and managing director for Posterscope. “At a time when people are trying to gain efficiencies, the low cost for high reach is a great proposition.”

Estimates put the business at flat to up 1 or 2 percent, which isn’t bad compared to other media, but it’s far below the medium’s high single-digit growth of the last few years. PQ Media forecast total out of home to be up 3 percent to $8.5 billion. Growing at a much faster pace, digital OOH is forecast to be up 9.1 percent to $2.65 billion. With digital outpacing traditional outdoor, it’s expected to account for more than 27 percent of total revenue in 2009, up from 15.8 percent in 2008. “The trends in the out-of-home business are better than the other mass-media segments, especially on the digital alternative side,” said Patrick Quinn, president and CEO, PQ Media. “Digital has been a plus for this business, whereas it’s been an interrupter in other businesses.”

Still, a bad economy is expected to take its toll on how quickly the nascent digital business matures, since conditions are unlikely to improve in ’09. The credit crisis makes it harder for digital OOH startups to receive financing and for companies to merge. Only one merger of note was completed early last fall before credit markets seized up, when Fuelcast (a digital network at gas pumps) and Bhootan (a digital network at a variety of retail locations) merged to form Outcast. It’s a testament to the appeal of digital OOH that only one player, Reactrix, went under last year.

And even though digital boards are a moneymaker for traditional companies, it still costs much-needed capital to build them out. To save money, Lamar Advertising temporarily suspended its digital rollout in ’09 and will convert only 100 next year versus a planned 400.

In the absence of significant mergers, aggregators such as SeeSaw Networks and Adcentricity have made it easier to plan and buy inventory across scores of networks. And with the Traffic Audit Bureau’s “eyes on ratings” for traditional out of home poised to be issued in the coming weeks, there is plenty of optimism that out of home will outperform most other media.

Reach Families at the Movies in 2009 – The Lineup

Discuss: The Family Films of 2009

by Eric D. Snider Jan 4th 2009 // 9:03PM

Filed under: Animation, Comedy, New Releases, Family Films, Remakes and Sequels, Lists

Of course, “family film” usually translates into “kiddie film,” with the parents and older siblings left to grit their teeth and endure while the tykes laugh at the singing chipmunks. Rare is the film that is truly entertaining for the entire family — which is why I’m always excited about a new Pixar project, since they’re the only ones who pull it off regularly.

Pixar’s Up (due May 29) is this year’s entry, and there’s no reason to suspect it will be any less admirable than the company’s previous work. Coraline (Feb. 6), from the director of Nightmare Before Christmas, looks like it could be an imaginatively macabre treat for grown-ups and kids. There’s also a Harry Potter movie due in July, though that series becomes darker and less kid-oriented as it progresses, so you might want to leave certain younger family members at home.

Here’s as complete a list as I can muster for what family-oriented flicks are coming in 2009, including live-action, animation, and whatever the Jonas Brothers are.

January: Hotel for Dogs, Inkheart.
February: Coraline, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience.
March: Race to Witch Mountain (Disney + The Rock = $$$), Monsters vs. Aliens.
April: Hannah Montana: The Movie.
May: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Up.
June: Imagine That (warning: contains Eddie Murphy).
July: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (is this a prequel? How are the dinosaurs dawning after the mammals?), G-Force, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
August: None, unless you count G.I. Joe, which is based on a line of children’s dolls.
September: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
October: Toy Story (3D re-release), Where the Wild Things Are, Astro Boy.
November: A Christmas Carol (one of those crazy 3D motion-capture things, like Polar Express), The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Old Dogs (aka John Travolta and Robin Williams remake Daddy Day Care).
December: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel (GET IT?!!!?!?!?), The Princess and the Frog.

Network TV Audience Continues to Erode by Double Digits

TV Watch
Wayne Friedman
www.mediapost.com

In just the last two years, 25% of network TV’s prime-time viewers have departed, and, odds are, they aren’t coming back. At the same time TV program costs have skyrocketed.

Wonder why NBC is going with Leno every day at 10 p.m.?

The future of network TV is actually the future of TV syndication. There’s good news there: “Wheel of Fortune,” “Jeopardy” and “Oprah Winfrey” have been on the air for just about three decades each. So network TV has a lot to look forward to: plenty of constancy, but also plenty of boredom.

Network TV is not turning to cable or to the Internet for its near-term financial model. The new digital TV world isn’t growing fast enough for NBC’s Jeff Zucker. Those digital pennies he talks about will still be digital pennies — and not TV dollars — for quite some time.

The cable model?  Network TV stations have yet to garner that full-scale dual revenue stream the cable networks have — although CBS‘ Les Moonves says retransmission fees are making some inroads.

New TV estimates say prime time will see a major contraction in advertising dollars — some 7% to 8% overall — this year. At last year’s $9.2 billion dollar upfront broadcast prime-time level, that could come to a disappearance of some $732 million dollars.

Where will those dollars go? To YouTube, Canoe Ventures, Screenvision, MobiTV, ESPN, or CBS Television Distribution?

The big slap on the head comes from the fact that even former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan says he blew it by letting the nation’s banking system go fairly unregulated over the last few decades. The bigger slap was that virtually no one saw this coming.

Many have made entire careers out of predicting network television’s demise — or if not the medium itself, then its upfront advertising process. Yet TV advertisers continue to grumble but move in predictable fashion.  Where else can anyone go but network TV? Stick with what still has scale and efficiency, say media analysts.

But someday that scale may not be scale. If erosion of network TV viewership continues its double-digit percentage pace, this becomes just an easy math problem.

Mark Cuban Buys a Stake in Out of Home Media

Coming on the heels of an announcement that the upcoming NBA All Star Game will be aired in 3-D on movie screens across the country, Mark Cuban has taken a greater interest in the cinema industry. Cuban sees great potential for the movie theater market, undoubtedly stoked by the endless opportunities for bringing major live events to the big screen.

Internet/media mogul and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has accumulated a 9.4% stake in Carmike Cinemas (CKEK), the no. 4 U.S. movie chain. Why? Think less Sunday matinée, more 3D NBA All-Star games.

Cuban, reached by email, declined to comment specifically on his investment. But he gave us a clue as to why he is betting roughly $3 million in what’s supposed to be a declining industry. (He also co-owns Landmark Theatres with Todd Wagner.) Cuban, via email:

“What i can say is that I think Out of Home entertainment is becoming about far more than movies. HDNet was the first to do a live 3D broadcast to a theater, and we will continuing trying to expand that business, along with 2D out of home. Bits are bits, and just like you can make them smaller, you can make them a lot bigger and more interesting.”

What does that mean? Probably more events like the NBA All-Star game, which will be broadcast in 3D to 160 theater screens in the U.S. on Feb. 14, 2009, including some Carmike theaters.

This makes sense. While there’s plenty of movies that are nice to watch on a 50-inch HDTV at home, there’s still nothing like projecting video on a screen the size of a house. We’d happily pay money and travel to see stuff like “Planet Earth” or some out-of-town concerts/playoff games in a movie theater, for instance. (Especially if there is a bar on premises.)

And while we’re at it, how about some more interactive use cases? Maybe a Nintendo Wii bowling competition on a 100-foot screen? (via: Silicon Alley Insider)

Interactivity in movie theaters….hhhhmmmm. There are a number of companies that are poised to grab a chunk of this market (Brand Experience Lab, Snaptell, Locamoda, MegaPhone).

From gesture-based interactivity (Advergames) to linking mobile phones and cinema screens, I promise that movie theaters will be a major venue for this type of experiential marketing.

Mark Cuban

GET 40% OFF YOUR NEXT MOVIE

Image via Wikipedia

By Rick Aristotle Munarriz
January 21, 2009

http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-income/2009/01/21/get-40-off-your-next-movie.aspx

There are two ways to shave 40% off a night at the movies.

The easy way is to go see the matinee. Shorter lines, lighter (and quieter), the exact same movie — what’s not to love?

The harder way to get the markdown is to buy shares of Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC). The movie exhibitor is slashing its quarterly dividend by 40%, from $0.30 a share to $0.18 a share.

“Regal is not under stress from debt commitments or loan maturities, our balance sheet is strong, and we are optimistic regarding the 2009 film slate,” CEO Mike Campbell explains in this morning’s press release. “But we believe that the current environment requires a more conservative capital strategy, and that these combined actions allow the Company to retain more capital for de-leveraging its balance sheet and other opportunities.”

Campbell should have simply said, “Sorry investors, we can’t keep spoiling you with a 12.5% yield.”

The new yield of 7.5%, based on last night’s close, is probably still too good to be true. Sure, the new payout is less than the $0.93 a share that analysts see the multiplex giant earning this year, but Regal has $2 billion in long-term debt on its balance sheet worth tackling.

As for “other opportunities,” there are naturally plenty of attractive acquisition targets out there. Buying up smaller exhibitors like Cinemark (Nasdaq: CNK), Carmike (Nasdaq: CKEC), and Marcus (NYSE: MCS) make a lot of sense in a fragmented industry that is ripe for consolidations. However, better advice may be to diversify into related areas by snapping up companies like IMAX (Nasdaq: IMAX), in-theater advertising network National CineMedia (Nasdaq: NCMI), or Hollywood.com parent Hollywood Media (Nasdaq: HOLL). The moves would allow give the company the opportunity to spread its risk around, without straying from its celluloid stronghold.

Either way, I’ll stick to my first tip about just going to the matinee instead. At least then I know I’m getting a good deal.

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30  marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.  Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.  Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

www.hollywoodbranding.com

Call Beverly Nation at 636-485-5832

ANIME SCREENING AT 360 THEATERS FEB. 5TH

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

http://comicswait.blogspot.com/2009/01/u.html

THE U.S. DEBUT OF SWORD OF THE STRANGER – A ROUSING SAMURAI ANIME EPIC – HITS MOVIE THEATRES NATIONWIDE
FOR A ONE NIGHT EVENT

Tickets Now on Sale for Exclusive In-Theatre Anime Event

Appearing in More than 360 Movie Theatres on February 5th

Centennial, Colo. ? Jan. 6, 2009 ? NCM Fathom and Bandai Entertainment presents Sword of the Stranger, an exhilarating samurai anime tale straight from Japan, on the big screen in a special one-night event on Thursday, Feb. 5th at 7:30 p.m. local time. This unique theatre event (English dubbed) that brings the story of a nameless samurai to movie theatres will feature an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Sword of the Stranger at studio BONES as well as never-before-seen interviews with the English voice actors, director Masahiro Ando, and legendary producer Mashiko Minami.

Tickets for this special event are available at www.FathomEvents.com and presenting theatre box offices. For a complete list of theatre locations and prices, visit the website (theatres are subject to change).

Acclaimed Japanese anime studio BONES (”Cowboy Bebop,” “Full Metal Alchemist,” “Soul Eater”) brings Sword of the Stranger to life for this one-night exclusive event. Hunted by the Mings from China, a young boy named Kotaro and his loyal dog Tobimaru meet a nameless samurai who is haunted by his past – a memory so terrible he has vowed to never draw his sword again. Among the Mings is Luo-Lang, a ruthless Western swordsman with the Chinese name who has walked the earth in search of a worthy rival. When both groups clash with a feudal lord and monks torn between faith and survival, the truth behind the Mings’ pursuit of Kotaro tests the bond between the boy and the samurai.

“Bandai Entertainment is proud to partner with NCM Fathom for the American debut of Sword of the Stranger – this film has some of the most stunning action choreography ever seen in anime film,” said Robert Napton, marketing director for Bandai Entertainment, Inc. “Anime and samurai fans won’t want to miss this visually amazing and emotionally compelling event at their local movie theatre, where this film was meant to be seen.”

Sword of the Stranger, which was recently submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for consideration for Best Animated Feature of 2008, appears on the big screen in high-definition with Cinema Surround Sound in more than 360 select AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema, Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Cobb Theatres, Georgia Theatre Company, Goodrich Quality Theatres, Hollywood Theaters, Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, Marcus Theatres, National Amusements and Regal Entertainment Group movie theatres, as well as Arlington Theatre (Santa Barbara, CA) and Palace Cinema 9 (South Burlington, VT) through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network ? North America’s largest cinema broadcast network.

“NCM Fathom has experienced great success bringing anime events to the big screen in limited engagement events and we are excited to bring Sword of the Stranger to anime fans across the country this February,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom.

About Hollywood Branding:

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30 marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.  Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.  Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

Email Beverly Nation or call 636-485-5832

About Bandai Entertainment

Bandai Entertainment Inc. is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA) Inc. and the premier distributor of Japanese animation on DVD and programming for television broadcast in North America. Additional company and product information is available through our website at www.bandai-ent.com.

3D to Become the New HD

Analysts predict $25 bil 3-D market by 2012

Exhibitors first to benefit from the technology, report says

By Georg Szalai

Jan 27, 2009, 05:58 PM ET

NEW YORK — The 3-D market could be valued at more than $25 billion by 2012, with the boxoffice and movie exhibitors set to benefit from its growth spurt first, according to a new report from Piper Jaffray analysts.

The projected growth amounts to a compound annual growth rate of about 50%, with the analysts forecasting a $5.5 billion 3-D market this year.

The technology could mean a boon for the U.S. boxoffice, which the Piper Jaffray team expects to go from flat in 2008 and 2009 to an average gain of 12% year-over-year in 2010 and 2011.

“We expect the theatrical entertainment window will be the first to benefit from this technology,” Piper Jaffray media and entertainment analyst James Marsh and online content analyst Michael Olsen said in their new 3-D White Paper. “We expect the technology will become more widespread over time, moving from theaters to high-end home theater solutions and eventually to the average living room.”

The duo suggest that exhibitors are best positioned to benefit from this trend thanks to higher 3-D admission prices that could come at a 30%-40% premium and likely attendance gains, projecting that cash flow growth rates for major players will be at least 10% higher in 2010 and 2011.

The Piper Jaffray team sees Regal Entertainment Group as best positioned to take advantage of the 3-D trend, along with Carmike Cinemas and Cinemark. They called Regal the purest 3-D play, forecasting an attendance improvement of 5% by 2011.

Meanwhile, Carmike is well positioned due to its industry leading digital screen buildout, which already has brought 3-D capability to 18% of its screens. And Cinemark is poised to benefit as its theaters “are located in higher-growth U.S. markets, are modern and updated, and run efficiently, resulting in industry leading metrics,” the report said.

Marsh also likes the prospects for DreamWorks Animation, given that its management team was among the first to focus on the 3-D opportunity.

Entertainment companies with big libraries also will have a chance to exploit library titles in 3-D, but this process will take more time as 3-D conversion costs must come down further, he argued.

Technology companies that stand to benefit from the upgrade cycle to 3-D include Dolby and RealD.

In a conference call Tuesday, Marsh predicted that, following 3-D success in theaters, “3-D will become the new HD,” bringing the technology to TV sets, video game consoles and other devices.

Real D CEO Michael Lewis said Tuesday that his company is approaching installations on 1,700 screens, with many more already on backlog. Given that a majority of planned 3-D releases are large tentpole movies, he predicted that over a 3-5 year period, 3-D could close in on a 30%-50% share of U.S. — and, ultimately, worldwide — boxoffice.

About Hollywood Branding:              

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30 marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.  Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.  Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

Email Beverly Nation or call 636-485-5832

BOX OFFICE UP 4.5% IN 2009

Box Office Numbers up 4.5% so far in ‘09

By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK

http://www.variety.com/articleVR1117999175.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2562

Theater admissions fell less than anticipated in 2008 — 2.5% — while they are up a sizeable 4.5% so far this year.Tallies provide further evidence that moviegoing has become a favorite pastime in brutal economic times.

Industry estimates released at the end of December showed that admissions for 2008 were running 4%-5% behind 2007.

However, the decline in admissions turned out to be narrower than that as the National Assn. of Theater Owners announced Tuesday that the 2008 average ticket price was $7.18, lower than expected. (It’s 30¢ more than the $6.88 paid for a ticket on average in 2007.)

B.O. revenues for 2008 were up more than 1% over 2007, making it the best year ever at the domestic B.O. For the time period Jan. 2, 2008, through Jan. 1, 2009, revs were $9.64 billion, according to Rentrak.

The number of people actually buying tickets at the theater kiosk always fluctuates since ticket prices rise annually. Hence admissions can be down but revenues up.

A 2.5% dip in admissions is relatively mild, particularly considering the falloff in other sectors in the last six months. Admissions were down more than 7% in 2005, for instance, and 4.8% in 2003. They were up slightly in 2007 and 2006.

The box office has been on a winning run since last summer. Some observers attribute the healthy B.O. to the fact that heading for the multiplex — or arthouse — is far less expensive than other entertainment outings, such as sports or concerts.

The strength of the January domestic box office has caught the film biz off-guard. Like admissions, B.O. revs are up, seeing a gain of 7% over the same frame last year.

Clint Eastwood’s “Gran Torino” is the leader, grossing nearly $100 million to date for Warner Bros. and well on its way to becoming Eastwood’s best box office earner for a film he’s either directed or starred in.

Sony’s sleeper hit “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” has likewise overperformed, cuming $65 million through Jan. 25.

About Hollywood Branding:              

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30 marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.  Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.  Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

Email Beverly Nation or call 636-485-5832

CAR MAKERS HEAD TO THE BIG SCREEN

Car Makers Hit the Movies

Jan 31, 2009

-By Katy Bachman, Mediaweek

The silver screen is being treated like a golden opportunity for automakers looking to draw attention to new car launches.

Nissan is returning to cinema advertising, in April and May, with a 60-second showcase of its new 2009 370Z sports car. Also, from Feb. 28 through March, Kia, a steady cinema advertiser since 2005, will use theater screens to launch Soul, its new hatchback.

TV and print advertisers may be feeling the pain of lost auto ad dollars, but it’s a growing category for cinema.

Both Screenvision and National CineMedia, which are running national schedules for Nissan and Kia, expect the auto category to be up in 2009, no small feat in an ailing economy.

“The whole ad category has exploded for us, primarily imports,” said Michael Chico, evp, sales and marketing at Screenvision. It will air Nissan’s ad in the premium position right before the movie previews. Even the troubled U.S. automakers are giving cinema a second look, Chico said, “because they have to maintain brand position.”

National CineMedia’s president of sales and marketing Cliff Marks said that the auto category is “sold out” for the first half of ’09. “We are now part of the media plan,” he said.

Cinema is a core element of Nissan’s marketing for the 370Z. Unlike the marketing for its core models, network TV isn’t even on the Z’s ad GPS—except for targeted sports programming that heavily skews male. “Cinema is the broad-reach medium that we’re leveraging. It’s a core element,” said Chad Jacoby, senior manager of media operations for Nissan. “Cinema is more conducive to a spring and summer launch when TV viewership is down. We’re going where the eyeballs are.”

Meanwhile, Kia plans a traditional TV schedule starting in April, but cinema—because of its big screen, creative flexibility and captive audience—will lead the charge for that flight. “We like being able to introduce the launch with a longer creative version. We feel hamstrung by 30 seconds,” said Tim Chaney, director of marketing communications for Kia Motors America.

Auto advertisers are particularly smitten by cinema’s recall power, which is two to five times more than TV, according to a National CineMedia analysis of data from Nielsen IAG.

Last year, for example, the cinema campaign for the Lexus IS F had 75 percent unaided recall.
To get that kind of recall, auto advertisers are investing in creative by producing advertising specifically for the big screen. “It will feel contextually relevant and allow us to incorporate one of our main themes of ‘Make Every Drive Epic’ as an integral part of the story line,” Jacoby said.

Though cinema advertising offers practically unlimited creative flexibility, it also puts pressure on the advertiser to be as memorable as the movies. “People are looking to be entertained and we can do something different,” said Chaney. “You just can’t throw something up there.”

About Hollywood Branding:              

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30 marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.  Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.  Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

Email Beverly Nation or call 636-485-5832

ADS ON MOVIE SCREENS 157% MORE LIKELY TO BE SEEN THAN TV ADS

Big Screen: Study Touts Cinema Ad Effectiveness

by Erik Sass

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=99659

Two new studies give a boost to out-of-home advertising, touting its ability to reach consumers in a fragmented media environment–especially if advertisers understand behavior patterns in the local market and use the medium in conjunction with other channels.The first study, released by the Cinema Advertising Council, highlighted the effectiveness of pre-show movie advertising in combination with TV. The second, from Posterscope, delivered insights into the different patterns of consumer exposure to outdoor advertising in various U.S. markets.

The CAC study, performed by IMMI, found that combined cinema and TV ad campaigns more than doubled the conversion rate and lift compared to a TV-only campaign. Tracking the results of three ad campaigns for cable TV shows, IMMI found that only 10.1% of subjects exposed to a TV-only campaign watched the show’s premiere, versus 22.7% for combined TV and cinema campaigns. Later, 24.7% of the former group went on to watch any episode of the show, versus 49.5% of the latter.

Cinema advertising contributed to this rise, in part, by reaching a higher proportion of “ad-avoiding” and multitasking consumers. Twenty-eight percent of moviegoers are classified as “ad avoiders,” meaning that overall moviegoers are 157% more likely to see ads at the movie theater than on TV.

In addition, movie ads are 64% more likely to reach people who use their phone to send text messages while watching TV, and 25% more likely to reach those who are online while watching TV.

Separately, the Posterscope study provides a market-specific analysis of consumer behavior in the top 20 DMAs, tracking the population’s movement and exposure to out-of-home advertising. According to Posterscope’s poll of 9,000 adults, 41% of New Yorkers can be reached via public transportation venues, while 50% of San Franciscans can be reached in coffee shops.

Posterscope further breaks down behavior patterns by demographic attributes, noting that men ages 18-34 in Atlanta frequent movie theaters, while their counterparts in Chicago can be reached at public transportation venues.

About Hollywood Branding:              

Hollywood Branding, started in 2001, works with 30 marketing companies to provide a simple, stress-free avenue to research and run ad campaigns on movie theaters nationwide.  Our database includes every cinema in the U.S. that offers any kind of advertising opportunity on-screen or in the lobby.  We offer free planning, rates, research, and media buying expertise.  Some of our clients include Disney, US Army, the Food & Drug Administration, the state of VA, the city of Los Angeles, the FL Health Department, the state of OR, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, eBay, and the National Crime Commission.

Email Beverly Nation or call 636-485-5832.

THEATER MARKETING COMPANY HOSTS TWEET-A-THON

NCM Fathom Hosts Tweet-a-thon and Visual Petition to Fight Global Poverty

Twitter users urged to make A Powerful Noise; NCM Fathom to donate funds raised to CARE for each Tweet

Centennial, Colo. – Feb. 24, 2009 – National CineMedia’s (NCM) Fathom hosts the first-ever sponsored Tweet-a-thon, an online Twitter community campaign, March 2-5, to empower marginalized women and girls in the world’s poorest countries. During the four-day campaign, each Tweet secures a 10 cent donation – up to 50,000 Tweets – from NCM Fathom to the global humanitarian organization CARE. The Twitter campaign honors International Women’s Day and the upcoming event A Powerful Noise Live! in 450 select movie theatres nationwide on March 5th.

Each A Powerful Noise Tweet must include the hash tag #apowerfulnoise to generate the donation. Twitter users are encouraged to craft their own Tweet or use one of the examples below.
• I support empowerment of women worldwide with this tweet. Each tweet raises 10 cents for CARE. #apowerfulnoise http://shortn.it/tweet-a-thon

• First time you can raise money for worthy cause by sending a tweet. Help CARE support women globally: #apowerfulnoise. http://shortn.it/tweet-a-thon

Twitter users may donate their avatar and replace it with an image of the red female sign. The image is available at http://APowerfulNoise.FathomEvents.com.

“NCM Fathom is proud to support CARE with this first-ever Tweet-a-thon,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom. “We’re excited to bring Twitter users the opportunity to raise funds for CARE simply by Tweeting a specific phrase with no personal donation required. We hope Twitter users actively participate during this campaign to help support girls and women around the world.”

In addition to Tweeting, online users also have the opportunity to upload an image of themselves or a woman they admire to an online visual petition widget at http://APowerfulNoise.FathomEvents.com. Together the images will form a mosaic. As more images and stories are uploaded, the “louder” the movement becomes. Users may also view the A Powerful Noise Live! trailer and clips from the documentary as well as purchase event tickets.

“The Tweet-a-thon is a great way to share our collective viewpoints and make a difference in the lives of marginalized women and girls,” says Dr. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE. “We appreciate NCM Fathom’s support to connect CARE with this growing online community and help jumpstart important dialogue in a new and engaging way.”

Presented by NCM Fathom and CARE, in partnership with ONE and the UN Commission on the Status of Women, A Powerful Noise Live! is a one-night, in-theatre event on Thursday, March 5 that kicks off with the documentary “A Powerful Noise,” providing attendees a glimpse into the unbending efforts of three women to create change in Bosnia, Mali and Vietnam.

The documentary will be followed by a town hall discussion broadcast LIVE from New York City. This is an exclusive opportunity to hear leading experts and advocates including Madeleine K. Albright, Christy Turlington Burns, Dr. Helene Gayle, Nicholas Kristof and Natalie Portman speak about the broader problems – and solutions – facing millions of women and girls in the world’s poorest countries.

Tickets for A Powerful Noise Live! are available at presenting theatre box offices and online at http://www.fathomevents.com. For a complete list of theatre locations and prices, please visit the web site (theatres and participants may be subject to change).

A Powerful Noise Live! appears on the big screen in high-definition with Cinema Surround Sound in more than 450 select movie theatres through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network – North America’s largest cinema broadcast network.

For additional information about eliminating global poverty, please visit http://apowerfulnoise.org.