Social Media via Tugg

It’s one thing to produce a movie, but without distribution who will see the fruits of your efforts. Director Andrew Disney and Red Productions are trying Tugg, a new method of distribution, for their newest film, “Searching For Sonny.” Tugg combines crowd sourcing and social media to promote new film releases.

Here’s how Tugg works: people sign up and request the movie at a participating location at a specific time — then spread the word. When enough moviegoers register, Tugg reserves the theater, handles ticketing, and arranges delivery of the movie.

If not enough people commit, no screening is set up, and moviegoers aren’t charged. Tugg is developing relationships with theater chains including AMC, Regal, Cinemark and Rave. The service is operational, but still in beta testing. Stay tuned…

Latinos Drive Opening Weekend

Although critics had high expectations for Clint Eastwood’s “Trouble with the Curve,” the movie’s opening weekend release was beat out by “End of Watch,” largely in part to the Latino audience who came out for the film.

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena as LAPD officers who form a close bond while working in South-Central Los Angeles, “End of Watch” was marketed heavily on Spanish-language television outlets such Univision and Telemundo.

As a result, the film attracted higher than average percentages for the ethnicity at 32%. Similarly, “House at the End of the Street,” starring Jennifer Lawrence attracted a 52% Latino audience.

Emmett/Furla Films and Exclusive Media financed the film with Open Road Films acquiring North American distribution rights.

MTV Leads Europe

According to a study conducted by Digital TV Research, MTV is the most widely carried network in Europe, distributed by 123 operators. Following closely behind is Disney Channel and Discovery Channel. Read on to learn what subscribers are looking for in a channel. [Read more…]

Spotlight On: Strand Releasing

Since formed in 1989, Strand Releasing has succeeded in “fusing quality art films with commercial product.” Honored with a 10 and 20-year retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, they have clearly paved the way to bringing hard-to-find alternative films to a more visible, public audience.

Headquartered in Culver City, California, the company is still run by business partners and founders, Jon Gerrans and Marcus Hu, who offer a media library with over 300 titles from its 22 years in business. Among those titles are the works of such renowned international artists as Manoel de Oliveira, Lino Brocka, Cindy Sherman and Lou Ye, to name a few.

Among the soon-to-be released films they have in their pipeline, one we are anxiously awaiting comes from director Simon Aboud, “Comes A Bright Day.” Coined ‘an offbeat, romantic crime thriller’ starring Craig Roberts, Imogen Poots, and Kevin McKidd, the film is set against the backdrop of an armed jewelry robbery that goes badly wrong.

Stay tuned for the release date.