Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1615: Unexpected Dark Horse

Director Mike Figgis and two producers, Lila Cassese and Anne Stewart, were all discouraged when they heard this and prepared to pack up and leave.

This scene has happened to countless distributors. Everyone praised the quality of the film, and some buyers in charge of purchasing the film even shed tears at the tragic ending. But when everyone talked about business, they had to succumb to reality.

Apart from the subject matter and shooting techniques of the film, a movie with such a tragic ending has not achieved good box office success for a long time.

"What are you doing? Is there anything else happening later?" Ronald asked in surprise when he saw their actions.

The faces of several main creators showed a change from disappointment to renewed hope in a short period of time. They all sat down immediately and waved their hands to indicate that nothing was more important than Ronald.

Seeing Ronald's puzzled expression, director Mike Figgis finally asked boldly, "We thought you were no longer interested..."

"Ha, no, I'm asking you a serious question... How do you market a movie like this?"

It turned out to be a serious issue. No one said anything. If there was a way, the movie would have been sold long ago. Why would it have waited until now without anyone showing any interest in it? They had no choice but to pay for it themselves and release it in very few theaters, which could be considered as an explanation for this work.

Ronald didn't expect them to give any answers. Compared with general marketing, movie marketing is very difficult. Now, except for teenagers, adult audiences only account for a small proportion of the population who go to the cinema to watch movies.

If you want to advertise in mass media, such as broadcasting trailers on TV, you will have to compete with mass consumer products such as Coca-Cola for time slots, which is very expensive and may not be effective.

Therefore, most niche films will compete for film festivals or the Golden Globe Awards or Oscars in order to obtain free media publicity and gain acceptance from theaters.

It is too late for "Leaving Las Vegas" to participate in major film festivals. The cost of competing for the Golden Globe or Oscar is also very expensive, and these options may not work.

"Forget it. I'll add some budget to do some marketing, and then release it in big cities first... But United Artists wants to buy out the film's distribution rights and the subsequent home video rights..."

Ronald didn't have any good ideas, but such a movie would have a good reputation among the audience. If it was shown in cinemas in big cities and received a good reputation, it could be promoted to more film companies.

When the producer and director saw that Ronald agreed to buy the film and distribute it domestically, they were filled with mixed feelings. Such a film shot in 16 days with 28mm film could be sold at a 40% profit margin. Ronald's United Artists also promised to invest another $ million in marketing. This result was much better than the best result they could have imagined.

They found a lawyer, signed the contract, and then went out to drink and celebrate. The movie survived, and in the worst case scenario, the movie could be shown in at least 10 theaters for two weeks, which would qualify it for the Oscars next year.

In this way, they can add a line on their resumes that they made a movie that was shown in mainstream theaters in America. This is very good for the reputation of the newcomers in the industry in the future.

"I say, is there really no way to market this movie? I really liked it after watching it, and I think a lot of viewers will like it too..."

Nicolas Cage asked Ronald after the director and producer left. The relationship between the two was much closer, and some things could be spoken frankly.

Elizabeth Su also looked at Ronald, waiting for his answer. If she could really get a nomination or something, her career would be saved.

"Who knows? Movie box office is one of the most unpredictable results in the world. I am confident that the movie will perform well in the video market. The box office... we can only see how it performs in the first two weeks. If we can average more than $5000 per show, we will have the opportunity to expand the screening. Otherwise..."

"But didn't you say that you would invest another two million in marketing? Can't you expand the screening scale a little bit?"

Cage also heard what Ronald said about adding money to marketing. This movie is the most relaxed one for him among all the movies he has shot. The performance of a drunkard is more relaxed than ever when watching it on the screen now. It would be a pity if more audiences can't see it.

"Idiot, that's for you to get an Oscar nomination..." Ronald slapped Kai Kai's shoulder hard...

"Oh..." Both actors were overjoyed. It turned out that the so-called additional budget was mainly used for winning awards? No matter what awards they were nominated for, even if they won a few Guild Awards, Film Critics Association Awards, or Golden Globe Awards, it would be very beneficial to their own value.

"As for the number of viewers, I'm not really worried. Do you know how many people in America drink and how many have alcohol addiction problems?"

No one could answer, so Ronald showed Yang Yanzi the data. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which are both federal government departments, about 130 million adults drink alcohol at least occasionally, and more than 15 million Americans have symptoms of alcohol addiction to varying degrees.

This kind of movie is completely for wine lovers. Only those who are addicted to alcohol can empathize with the protagonist. If the real audience reviews of "Leaving Las Vegas" are really as good as they say, then it is expected that this movie will be popular among this specific group of people.

The subject matter of the film makes it impossible to use traditional marketing methods, but it is also this subject matter that makes people with alcohol addiction and their relatives very willing to watch this film. After all, there are too few films that reflect the various problems caused by their lifestyle.

These groups of people are more closely connected than ordinary people. Whether they are drinking with friends or complaining to their relatives, the word-of-mouth effect of the movie will be much stronger than that of ordinary movies.

……

Afterwards, United Artists adopted some money-saving methods, such as placing some advertisements in industry magazines, and then cooperating with movie theaters in major cities such as Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago to recruit their members and do some trial screening recruitment.

Compared to the limited release by the original producer, the preview of United Artists is still maintained at a scale of no more than ten theaters across the country, but the attendance rate of each theater is much higher. These large theaters in big cities actually have some hardcore movie fans. As long as there is a highly rated art film released, especially with the gimmick of being nominated for an Oscar, they will come to see it first.

"How much is the box office?"

Excluding the several small and medium-sized theaters in Los Angeles that the producer had set up in the first week, United Artists re-released "Leaving Las Vegas" in eight large theaters across the United States. Whether this art film can achieve some box office success depends on the results of this preview.

"More than $100,000..."

Ronald saw the result in his office. The box office of a single theater has exceeded 10,000 US dollars. This is also a very outstanding result in art films.

The strategy of releasing the film on a small scale, maintaining word of mouth, and fermenting copies among the target population achieved initial success.

"Very good, double it next week, sixteen..."

Ronald was still very happy. It was a rare opportunity for him to take charge of the distribution of a movie personally. He also wanted to let the distribution team in United Artists see the level of his boss!
In the second week, the box office was very impressive, reaching 190,000. The average box office per theater dropped slightly, but still remained above 10,000 US dollars. Many theaters were deeply encouraged and took the initiative to request a large-scale release next week...

United Artists was very encouraged and found about 200 theaters to show the film. However, many theaters did not like the style and subject matter of the film, and some even said something unpleasant. Some colleagues in the distribution department used Ronald's optimism to convince the other party.

Some people in the theaters immediately changed their attitudes, saying that since it was a movie that Ronald Lee had seen, it would definitely be a hit. But some people still didn't believe it and spoke rudely to some young female employees in the distribution department, even making one female employee so upset that she almost cried.

At this time, a heavyweight film review becomes very important.

"Roger, your evaluation is really high. My own movies have never received such high evaluation from you..."

Seeing that Roger Ebert gave this movie a full score of four stars and announced in advance that this is Roger Ebert's best film of the year, this is an evaluation that exceeded Ronald's expectations. United Artists did not spend more than the average cost on public relations with Ebert...

Feeling that Roger Ebert was a little too enthusiastic, Ronald took the initiative to call him for a big favor. This level of help was worth a phone call if there was anything he needed help with.

"Ronald, I really like this movie. All my film reviews (maybe not all) are objective. This movie is the best of the year in my opinion. I will recommend your other movies to the audience because they are good entertainment. But this movie is a pure personal preference that has soaked my soul..."

Roger Ebert's evaluation was so high that Ronald was speechless. He obviously felt that the movie he directed was a good entertainment, and Leaving Las Vegas was a good art. Inevitably jealous, Ronald said after hanging up the phone, "I don't think Roger Ebert likes to drink..."

"Leaving Las Vegas is one of the best films of the year and deserves the multiple Oscar nominations it received. It's a miracle a film like this was even made..."

The Chicago Sun-Times film review section nearby was full of praise, which pierced Ronald's eyes. You didn't praise Forrest Gump so much... Am I really worse than Mike Figgis?

"The film works well as a love story, but romance isn't really the point. It's about two damaged, desperate, marginalized people and how they find a glimmer of grace for each other. Scene after scene finds the right tone. The talent of Mike Figgis, the director, is impossible to ignore..."

Roger Ebert praised Mike Figgis as a versatile person. He is the screenwriter, director, and composer of this film... Hollywood has never seen such a versatile person who can show all his talents in one fell swoop in his debut low-budget film.

Ronald's eyelids are twitching. I am also a screenwriter and director, right? It's just that sometimes I don't sign my name as the screenwriter in order to support younger people. Speaking of music, I am also the youngest winner of the Oscar for Best Original Song, right?
These critics are just stingy with commercially successful directors like themselves…

"If there are two traditional roles in theater that are the most difficult to play, they are the alcoholic and the prostitute with a heart of gold. But Cage and Sue's performances turned these clichés into unforgettable real people."

However, Roger Ebert was generous in praising the two leading actors. Almost half of his review was devoted to praising the combination of Cage and Sue.

He said that Nicolas Cage's drunken performance was the greatest drunken performance since Albert Finney's "Under the Volcano." (Finney was nominated for an Oscar that year.)
He was also generous in his praise for Elizabeth Shue, "The heroine is crucial because Selah is the one who has a choice. She sees Ben clearly and decides to stay with him for the rest of the journey. It tells the story that even in the face of inevitable failure, we can at least persist in loving and trying."

Roger Ebert concluded by saying that both actors gave Oscar-level performances and that the film should receive many, many Oscar nominations...

As soon as this film review came out, the media's discussion of "Leaving Las Vegas" began to focus on how many Oscar nominations this dark horse would receive.

There are not many hot favorites for the Oscars this year, especially since the award-winning films at the end of the previous two years had disappointing performances at the Oscars. There are not as many special award-winning films as in previous years.

The biggest year-end award contenders are Susan Sarandon, who stars with Sean Penn in "A Row," directed by her boyfriend Tim Robbins, and Kevin Spacey in "The Usual Suspects."

The sudden appearance of "Leaving Las Vegas" seems to have stepped on many people's toes. Not long after, an interview on "Leaving Las Vegas" was released.

Richard Jewell, associate dean of the USC School of Cinema and Television and professor of American film history, came out to speak ill of "Leaving Las Vegas."

"In general, the Oscars are given to positive films, and are more likely to win the films that you enjoy and that make you feel better about the world after watching it. Leaving Las Vegas is certainly not that."

(End of this chapter)