THE RAYGUN NEWSLETTER :: LEGEND SPECIAL DECEMBER 2015

                                                                                                                                                                         THE RAYGUN GOES KRAYS CRAZY

LEGEND: THE BIGGEST EVER BRITISH 18-CERT

HARDY’S TOUR DE FORCE SET FOR HOME ENTERTAINMENT EVENT

MARKETING A BLOCKBUSTER…

TV TARGETS LIVE FOOTBALL

OUTDOOR LIGHTS UP TOM

PRINT THE LEGEND… PRESS ADS TOO

REG AND RON STORM INTO STORES

KRAYS MYTH HELPS THE PR PUSH

KEEPING THE KRAYS CONVERSATION GOING

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

AT THE MOVIES

TRAILERS OF THE WEEK

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It's the homegrown British film sensation of 2015, strong arming its way to the top of the U.K. box office, muscling in on Trainspotting's turf to become the biggest 18-rated British film ever on these shores, with a whopping £18 million plus in receipts. And now, after stomping its way to dominance at theatrical, Legend, the definitive blockbuster film about notorious East End gangsters the Kray twins, is set to become the first big video release of 2016. 
 
And to mark its impending January release, we've put together a special edition of The Raygun newsletter. (Normal Raygun newsletter service will resume at the end of huge week...)
 
Legend is ending the year in typically sharp style, with a gorgeous British Independent Film Award tucked under its Saville Row suited arm, thanks to star Tom Hardy's tour de force performance as not just one but both of the vicious Cockney gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray.

As Studiocanal's Will Attard, tasked with re-energising the buzz surrounding the film said: "Tom Hardy's phenomenal portrayal as both Kray twins is something that has really captured public interest. 2015 has been Tom Hardy's year, and his astonishing performance as two very different characters played side by side has cemented his credentials as a top leading man."

The film has a lot to live up to on its release across Digital HD, Blu-Ray and DVD formats, not just because of its stunning box office performance. As most theatrical observers have noted, it came complete with an exemplary marketing and PR campaign. "The theatrical release generated fantastic publicity and showcased a heavyweight media campaign, said Attard. "The world premiere at Leicester Square transformed it to an event release, and Tom's dog Woody stole the show on the blue carpet, causing a media frenzy of its own. The striking, bold and in-your-face theatrical media campaign reflected the tone of the film and included highly impactful statement ads, with Liverpool Street digiwalks, Metro cascade and Time Out wrap as standouts."
 
And now it's down to Studiocanal to do it all again for home entertainment. In the same way its theatrical team conferred blockbuster status on the film at cinemas, as well as adding plenty of clever, smart initiatives to get the right people talking about the film, the company is putting together one of its biggest ever marketing campaigns to push the film, with a true event-sized media blitz across all formats. "Tom's critically acclaimed double performance has real re-watchability, so we've got a really strong home entertainment proposition on our hands. Tom has proved to be a huge draw for both males and females, so we've a wide audience to target for our release through our slick and bold creative, all centred around the towering and imposing image of Tom as the twins."
 
So how does it break down then? Studiocanal is promising a heavyweight TV campaign across terrestrial and digital channels as a key awareness driver. As the company's Will Attard noted: "We'll be kicking off on January 18 and running for two weeks, with key spots in live football and peak terrestrial programming, broadly targeting 18-44 year olds.

 The campaign will be furthered by an outdoor push, which will offer some, er, illuminating ideas. “Our outdoor campaign will run across London Underground and National Rail with in order to drive national cover,” said Attard. “We will also feature statement East London creatives in landmark locations to tie into the film's East End roots.”
 
And there’s more too, the press advertising for the theatrical release was hugely noticeable and Studiocanal is again capitalising on the striking creative, going for the film fans through the pages of Empire, a male audience in the shape of the likes of The Sun and taking it to an even wider audience via the Metro. There will also be online activity too, as Will Attard explained: “With awareness of the film so high, we're using online to capitalise on the growing demand for the home ent release, with search and social activity targeting online conversations around Tom, the film and other big, heavyweight releases.”
 
Expect to see the Krays muscling in on retail territory too, with point of sale covering a new patch for the gangsters. “The Krays are expanding their empire to take over the retailer space in store with highly impactful creative, including some fairly imposing character standees of the twins,” said Studiocanal’s Will Attard. “We want to use in store space to really give the release the event status. Anyone stepping foot in store during release week will be sure to know the names Ronnie and Reggie Kray.”
 
Another of the film’s biggest successes on its theatrical release was the amount of publicity garnered for the film and Studiocanal is aiming to reheat that for this release. There’s an endless fascination with the twins and their exploits – as evinced, not least, by the £18 million plus theatrical haul – and this goes right through to the press coverage. As anyone who has lived and worked in the East End will testify, you’re never more than a 10 feet away from someone who knew the Krays. (As a journalist in the East End, this writer knows only too well of their pulling power, circulation of local newspapers would rise when there was a Krays story on the front.) Studiocanal pulled together archive pictures and memorabilia for an exhibition on the Krays’ manor and there will be a similarly major event to help launch the title on home entertainment formats. That's not the only element of the PR though – for example there's plenty of other angles, not least the way they managed to get two Toms on screen alongside each other. Will Attard said: “We'll have a big event to launch the campaign that will again make use of the incredible assets available. Another big draw for us is the interest in the technical aspect of the shoot and how they brought Tom's two characters together on screen. We've a number of features placed already with key online sites and we're expecting blanket coverage for our release. We're also utilising the vast abundance of viral assets created around theatrical to make for some engaging infographics and additional content.”
 
The campaign is rounded off by the ubiquitous social media presence. It’s been a key element of the film’s success thus far and Studiocanal is aiming to keep the conversation going. “The social campaign is vital to our release as online conversation about the film has been huge,” said Will Attard.  “We've a fantastically engaged social audience and our various platforms means we can keep our content varied and fresh. We're already underway with a heavyweight social campaign that's running for three months through to February.”
 
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“In what is surely his finest hour, Tom Hardy plays both brothers. Much more than a gimmick, it’s like watching one side of a mind wrestle with the other – literally, in one explosive, fun-to-unpick fight scene.”
 Time Out
 
 Helgeland's savvy new take on this well-known story proves that crime can pay, while Hardy is astonishing and magnetic in two truly towering performances.
 Empire 
 
 AT THE MOVIES
 Tom Hardy has kicked off the awards season in style, his role as both Reggie and Ronnie Kray has earned him a prestigious British Independent Film Award. He was given the gong on Sunday night at the ceremony, with Domhnall Gleeson picking it up in the star’s absence…
 
 Part of the reason that Tom Hardy wasn’t at the BIFA awards on Sunday night could be down to the fact that he’s currently filming his next ambitious project, an eight-part TV series co-created with his father, Chips Hardy. Taboo is a period drama in which the actor plays a businessman who builds up a shipping empire in the early 19th century…
 
 TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Here's the TV spot for the home entertainment release…
And here's a load more Legend related TV spots, trailers and clips…
 
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