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KNIVES OUT, CUTTING THROUGH…
£14M BOX OFFICE HIT CRITICAL AND COMMERCIAL SUCCESS
PHYSICAL RELEASE FOLLOWS SHARP DIGITAL BOW
ELEVATION WORKING CLOSELY WITH RETAILERS
WHODUNIT GETS “THE TREATMENT IT DESERVES”
DISC, DIGITAL FILLED WITH EXTRAS
DIFFERENT CREATIVES FOR BROAD AUDIENCE
OUTDOOR TARGETS SHOPPERS
PODCAST ADS FOR CRIME FANS
SUNGLASSES ARE A PRIZE CATCH
SOCIAL ACTIVITY ROUNDS OFF CAMPAIGN…
…AS LIONSGATE EYES Q2
AT THE MOVIES
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
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In an age of superheroes and never-ending franchises, Rian Johnson's Knives Out is that rare beast – an original property, a brand new story with fresh characters that’s not weighted down by special effects heavy set pieces, over-use of green screen VFX and noisy, explosive destruction of landmarks and cities. What's more, this all-star whodunit has managed that even rarer feat – attaining both critical and commercial success, winning over audiences and achieving box office gold for ambitious distributor Lionsgate. It arrives at the perfect time for the company too, its home entertainment release being the latest in a string of recent successes such as John Wick 3, the final Rambo film, Fighting With My Family, Gerard Butler’s latest …Has Fallen outing and more. And, with a captive audience already snapping up its digital release and the physical bow due on Monday March 30, it is set to be another big converting hit for the company. All of which is why, when you need more reading material too, The Raygun is publishing a special midweek edition devoted to Knives Out. We’ll be poring over the clues in Lionsgate's marketing campaign with a magnifying glass, going into forensic detail, solving the puzzles of its release strategy and deciding who really did it…
With more than £14 million accrued at UK cinemas since its 2019 release, a figure buoyed as the film cruised into awards season, Knives Out is Lionsgate’s biggest theatrical success since the release of the Hunger Games series of YA films. Boasting an all-star cast, writ large on the sleeve of the release, and directed by Rian Johnson, whose impeccable CV includes neo-noir Brock, sci-fi mind-bender Looper AND the not-inconsiderable matter of a Star Wars film (The Last Jedi), it wowed festivals, critics and then audiences in the autumn and winter months. It is, as Damon Wise noted in the Times, a “a pitch perfect whodunit”, “incredible’” (The Sun), “ingenious and delectably entertaining” (Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph) and “a murder mystery masterpiece” (AP Plumb on Radio 1). It arrived on digital formats on March 21, with the physical bow due on March 30.
The film has got off to a strong start too, with a strong digital performance. Commenting on its success thus far, the company’s Marie Claire Benson said: “We’re delighted with our first day’s performance of Knives Out – launching on Saturday, we achieved close to 20k transactions in the first day sales which surpassed our expectations. Platform support has been brilliant and we’re of course aware that everyone is looking for entertainment at home, making digital download a great option. With another full week in the market before we launch on physical, EST is primed to deliver a strong conversion.”
With Knives Out being released during the middle of the current Coronavirus, the company is working closely with its sales operation Elevation on the release and to ensure it goes as smoothly as possibly give the circumstances. Lionsgate home entertainment chief Marie Claire Benson said: “In regards to distribution, Elevation is liaising with the physical retailers to assist where they can, and we are of course fully supporting of the Grocery position regarding the importance of prioritising the Food category at this time.
Right from the off, Lionsgate has set out its stall in terms of the scale of the film and the release, helping it put together a truly cutting edge campaign. “We’ve developed a range of SKUs to give the film the special treatment it deserves,” said senior product manager Olivia Dean, charged with the marketing of the film. "The DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD formats use the key theatrical artwork which really shows off the cast and critical acclaim. We’ve created a premium Steelbook which harks back to old paperback crime novels in a really stunning way. One for the collectors, it contains the film on 4K UHD and Blu-ray. In addition to this, we’re also releasing our inaugural HMV First Edition: a 4K UHD + Blu-ray complete with art cards and a crime novella written by Harlan Thrombey. With exclusive slipcase artwork, we’re excited to see how fans engage with this.”
As someone who quite clearly is a fan of both physical media and wider home entertainment, Ryan Johnson’s latest comes with a wealth of additional material spread across both digital and physical retail releases, as outlined by Lionsgate’s Olivia Dean. She said: “Excitingly we have a plethora of special features across both the packaged and EST propositions. Including an audio commentary; deleted scenes; a multi-part documentary which is just under two hours; and a director and cast Q&A, there is plenty for fans to enjoy and be fully absorbed in the mystery and world of the Thrombeys.”
Given that the film straddles so many genres – it’s as witty as it is taut, as sharp as it is mysterious – Lionsgate has put together campaign that has different elements to appeal to the disparate and broad audience who will be enticed. Lionsgate’s Olivia Dean said: “Following the brilliant theatrical success of the film, we knew there was a really broad, engaged audience we could tap into with our home entertainment messaging. By not fitting into one genre alone, we’ve been able to work up a suite of creative assets which showcase the mystery, the humour, the tension; all the different elements which make the film so rewatchable. Our AV campaign runs across All 4 and ITV Hub, targeting those watching relevant catch-up programming at home. We’re also running a strong campaign in the digital sphere, with Facebook and Instagram, Samba TV and YouTube activity.” Over on YouTube, it’s a different story, however. “We’ve gone down a different route for our YouTube activity,” explained Dean. “Instead of standard pre or mid-roll, we’ve crafted short, cast-led spots so we can serve more variety to consumers and really showcase the range of talent which includes Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Plummer, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, LaKeith Stanfield and Katherine Langford.”
Those travelling or taking to London’s transport network will also see Knives Out (which is certain to stay up when everyone begins returning to work too), with digital Underground activity and, for shoppers out getting their wares, there will be panels outside Tesco stores nationwide. Catching commuters and shoppers highlights just how broad our target audience is for the campaign. Lionsgate’s Olivia Dean said: “If you do spot the creative, you’ll see we’ve used the magnifying glass motif to really pull out some of our key messaging which makes for an eye-catching advert which cleverly signals one of the film’s main genres: murder-mystery.”
Final elements come from ads on podcasts, a perfect medium given the amount of true crime ones there are out there, as noted by Lionsgate. The company’s Olivia Dean said: "Further to this, we’ve got a great spot running across true crime, film and entertainment podcasts; as well as some really eye-catching display assets across Amazon which take customers straight through to purchase.” And the company is further aiming to keep the title fresh for the coming weeks through to Easter and beyond too… “As well as considering the nine-day EST window the release has, we’re also keen to keep Knives Out at the forefront of people’s minds for the long Easter weekend. We’re investigating some bespoke creative for this to maximise cut through and keep our messaging fresh.”
One of the key word of mouth elements seeing the film through its theatrical run was star Chris Evans’ garb for the film, and director Rian Johnson has this week kicked off a competition offering to give away the glasses worn by the star in the film (you can see it here). “One of the big (but nice) challenges we’ve faced is how to keep the publicity for the film fresh and engaging,” explained Lionsgate’s Olivia Dean. “Knives Out has been so fantastically well-covered and reviewed since it started playing on the festival circuit, right through its theatrical release and Awards window that finding a new, innovative approach has been our main aim.” This means elements such as the aforementioned sunglasses competiton, which should, as the company noted, “create key noise and traction on social media”. Support comes from director Johnson, who has got behind the release. “He has completed an interview with Empire magazine to support the HE release which will really capture those invested film fans.”
Further support comes from social activity, expect to see more via Twitter and other media in the days ahead. “We challenged ourselves to deliver an impactful, clever social campaign which would continue the tone of the rest of the media. We’ve been getting fans excited about the release with some creative pre-order assets and will be keeping our messaging going throughout the entirety of the media campaign,” concluded Dean.
Meanwhile, Knives Out draws a line under Lionsgate’s Q1 release schedule and will usher in Q2, another busy three-month period, with another awards-friendly biggie due up. Her, as outlined in The Raygun recently, is the company's Kirsten Sweeney on its forthcoming slate. She said: "Here’s the company’s Kirsten Sweeney talking us through its slate. She said: “Lionsgate starts Q2 with the catalogue re-release of Steven Soderbergh’s 1999 crime drama The Limey. Starring Terrence Stamp and Peter Fonda, the film will available for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK. May sees the Home Entertainment release of Bombshell starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie. A regular fixture during this year’s awards season, this timely film tells the story of the Fox News sexual harassment scandal that broke in 2016 from the perspective of the women who lived it. The hair and make-up team wowed the Academy by transforming Theron into Megyn Kelly, Kidman into Gretchen Carlson, and John Lithgow into Roger Ailes – winning the Oscar for their work. June brings the Home Entertainment releases of The Personal History of David Copperfield and faith-based melodrama I Still Believe. Copperfield is the latest film from acclaimed writer/director Armando Iannucci and stars a who’s who of British talent including: Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi, and Ben Whishaw. Releasing in time for Father’s Day, Copperfield is an exceptional example of a modern period drama: beautifully made, wonderfully acted, and very, very funny. I Still Believe is the true-life story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp, and his journey of love and loss. The film stars K.J. Apa (Riverdale), Britt Robertson and legendary Shania Twain.”
AT THE MOVIES
It was certain to happen and, as Knives Out edged towards a $300 million worldwide box office haul, rumours that Rian Johnson and co would return to the well were getting stronger and stronger. The news was finally confirmed by Lionsgate supremo Jon Feltheimer in a conference call with investors outlining the company's financial results (a performance that was, incidentally, boosted by Knives Out's global success. It was announced by the company's chief executive Jon Feltheimer, who added: “[This] serves as further proof that franchises can emerge from any of our content verticals.”
Meanwhile, producers behind Knives Out went on Twitter asking for suggested names for the sequel – only to be met by a deluge of quips and witticisms from fans of the film, with a whole raft of suggestions. These includes a complete set running through “2 Knives 2 Out, The Knives and the Out: Tokyo Drift, Knives & Out, Fast Knive, Knives & Out 6, Out 7
The Fate of the Knives, K9” aping another popular franchise, and many, many more, all after the note from the film's twitter account saying "Alright we need title suggestions for the sequel! Drop em!” Others included Knives Out 2: No Forks Given and Knives Outer. In the end, it got a bit too much for Rian Johnson, who said: “I have been reading these all day and gotten zero writing done.”
Once he's finished, and once his other commitments are out of the way, he should start filming with Daniel Craig reprising his role as Benoit Blanc, the only certainty from the next film. In the meantime, fans can read aling while watching Lionsgate's release, after Johnson himself made another twitter announcement this week. “Just posted the shooting draft of Knives Out to my site,” he wrote. “All previous scripts that don't involve outer space are up there too.” You can see them here…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Here's that Knives Out trailer in full…
Here's one of the release ads
And another…
Forthcoming from Lionsgate…
Delayed but eagerly awaited…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWiUQp0yM34 THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
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