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KING'S CORONATION IN MAY
MORE FROM MOMENTUM…
UNIVERSAL APPOINTS NEW SALES SUPREMO
LOADS OF ACTIVITY AT PARAMOUNT…
…WHICH SHOWS GRITTY FARE
GNOMES INVADE STATION
MORE TO MARVEL AT
GETTING MILEAGE FROM DISTANCE
ICON MAKES EVERY CENT COUNT
WARNER AND HBO JOIN FORCES FOR TV PROMO
ATLANTIC MAKES MORE WAVES
BERLIN NEWS, AS ARROW ACQUIRES AGAIN
TRINITY GETS COLOURFUL
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
RELEASE OF THE WEEK – ANOTHER YEAR
AT THE MOVIES
SITE OF THE WEEK
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
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 It Was A Good Week For… The King's Speech, continuing its run, easing past Slumdog Millionaire and now announcing its home entertainment release date…
It Was A Bad Week For… Us, plagued by technical gremlins and an all too busy week. Normal service resumes next week, with some big news and celebrations… It's official. The royal event of the year is set to take place on May 9. That's right, less than two weeks after that Prince William fella gets married to whatshername, Momentum will be releasing The King's Speech, the year's biggest theatrical grosser and Momentum's biggest hit ever. It this week surpassed Slumdog Millionaire and Momentum is keeping its fingers crossed for this weekend's BAFTA ceremony and, later, the Oscars. The film has, in its theatrical run thus far, opened like a blockbuster and then continued like a word of mouth arthouse hit, in terms of growing week on week. Arriving 10 days after the wedding will give Momentum the chance to piggyback some marketing, organise stunts and capitalise on the resulting feelgood factor, but is far enough away to have people back at work and in stores rather than off anywhere else. "It's a great springboard for us," said Momentum's Kristin Ryan, "but the film is now an event in its own right. When we say the opportunities for this film are endless, they really are." The title will, incidentally, be likely to carry a 12 certificate, in keeping with its theatrical release. And we're certain to be featuring this with some regularity over the coming weeks and months… Stay tuned for more as the campaign unfurls. The King's Speech is, of course, the biggest release among what is an impressive slate Momentum this week unveiled for the second quarter of the year. April kicks off with the final part of the Millennium trilogy, and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, which will give consumers the opportunity to complete their collections, and with the second outing bucking the sequel trend and selling more in its first week than the first film, coupled with Momentum's marketing nous with this series, and it's another recipe for success. This will be followed by Monsters, the critically acclaimed hit that was made for a pittance and has earned just under £1 million at UK cinemas. Momentum is aiming to go on TV with the title, which will com with a gorgeous lenticular sleeve. Also in April is the Wes Craven horror My Soul To Take, which can ride on the back of Scream. This too will benefit from TV advertising on the likes of the Horror and Sy Fy channels. Agnosia comes from Guillermo Del Toro protégé Eugenio Mira and lools supremely stylish. Nic Cage presents another interesting hairstyle in Season Of The Witch, also due in May. This is the kind of post-crusades, Middle Ages action fare that has proved so popular in the last year or two – and a big budget and big names (Cage and the excellent Ron Perlman). Red Hill is a modern Western that has all the right ingredients for DTV success, and can also ride on the back of True Grit's resurrection of the genre. This will be followed by another current theatrical success, The Fighter, which is likely to be even bigger come its June release, thanks to its award-friendly performances. Also to come In the summer are the ever-commercial Jason Statham in The Mechanic, and the wonderfully-titled DTV title Eyeborgs. The line-up is completed by Zhang (Huse Of Flying Daggers) Yimou's reake of The Coen Brothers' Blood Simple. Universal has this week confirmed that Paul Ludlam is to join the company as sales director for the UK operation. Ludlam, who has been in the industry for some 15 years and worked his way up to commercial director as Entertainment UK and has most recently been fulfilling the same role at Music Box Leisure (MBL). Ludlam will replace Jim Batchelor, who is heading down under to become managing director for Universal's Antipodean operation. His appointment comes on the back of Universal's impressive 2010 performance in the home entertainment sector and as the company is readying itself for the release of its blockbuster animated outing Despicable Me. Universal UK md Ian Foster said: "Paul joins a management team and a business that has enjoyed great success in recent years, and inherits a strong and motivated sales team. I am sure that Paul will help us drive our business to future growth and success."  News from the BVA and Paul Dempsey has been appointed as vice chairman of the BVA after the departure of Steve Gallant from ITV Studios Home Entertainment (see last week's newsletter). Dempsey is md for BBC Worldwide Home Entertainment and ceo of 2 entertain.BVA chairman and Disney home entertainment vp Anthony Peet said: "I am delighted that Paul will be stepping into the position as our new vice chair, representing as he does BBC Worldwide's video business across all formats and the largest UK-owned DVD publisher, and I am looking forward to working with him in 2011 and beyond." BVA director general Lavinia Carey added “I would like to thank Steve Gallant for all his fantastic support and hard work representing the BVA‘s interests and wish him well in his new ventures. I, along with the rest of our Council, am looking forward to having the benefit of Paul’s experience and expertise in what I believe will be a very exciting year for the BVA.”
It's been a busy week in what is proving to be a busy year for Paramount. The company advertised more films than any other studio in the prestigious Superbowl commercial breaks at the weekend; the American football's biggest event is traditionally used to fully launch the summer's crop of blockbusters – for a full rundown of the ads see our Trailers Of The Week section at the bottom of the newsletter. But the major has also been busy in the UK, hosting not one, but two events over here. Firstly, it took assorted journalists and bloggers on a tour of some of the City Of London's spookier spots in honour of the February 28 release of Paranormal Activity 2 on DVD and Blu-ray. The assorted press were then taken to Bermondsey for a special screening of the film itself.
Meanwhile, that same evening also saw other media and press types attending a screening and bingo (yes, bingo) event for the release this week of the John Wayne original of True Grit. Attendees were handed out sheets and had to mark off events or lines during a screening of the film, the winner being the first to complete the set. It came as part of a week's worth of True Grit events, that included a live Twitter-feed today that tied in with the "what would John Wayne do?" theme of the activity. Under the hashtag #wwjwd, questions from the press and others were answered in the style of Wayne's Rooster Cogburn character. And on a similar promotional-themed note, although not strictly home entertainment-related, of course, full marks to eOne's theatrical arm for the flash mob activity it launched this week for Gnomeo And Juliet, its animated tale. It set out scores of gnomes across Liverpool Street station in London and other locations, aping similar events for the likes of T-mobile. See some pictures of it here… Paramount is, of course, at the forefront of a welter of Marvel Comics-based activity due this year and next, with a glut of films on the way. One company aiming to capitalise on the activity is Clear Vision, with its ongoing releases of animated tales from the Marvel universe. Next up from the company are a brace of comprehensive box sets, one taking in the Incredible Hulk, with seven discs taking in animated adventures featuring the green behemoth from Three different eras, 1966, 1982 and 1996 taking in 16 hours' worth of programming, and the Original Spider-Man Complete Collection, featuring all 17 hours and 52 episodes of what Clear Vision rightly describes as the "iconic" 1966 series. Clear Vision's Ben Stanley said: "These are great impulse collections for the completists and casual fans and great campaign titles as we roll up to the release of the Avengers movie and the new Spider-Man film next year."  This week on the website: we've had loads go up, features, some interesting marketing developments, loads of trailers… As ever, for more, click through to www.theraygun.co.uk
A nice story from Warner to mark its release of romcom Going The Distance. The major put together a survey asking consumers about their favourite love songs to mark the release of the Drew Barrymore starrer, with Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight topping the list. The story featured in Monday's Daily Mirror as a lead story on the page, pulling in coverage for the release and justifying Warner's efforts. One artiste unlikely to make it on to any romantic song list is rapper 50 Cent, not known for his smooth style. Cent, or Fiddy, is, of course, making waves as an actor now and his next appearance will be in Icon's Gun, due out in March. The company is currently putting together the marketing campaign for the release, which will be led by TV advertising. It will kick off with a short, heavy burst of television, focusing on not just 50 Cent but co-stars such as Val Kilmer, and the film itself. "We're going to make it as action-packed and thrilling as possible," said Icon's Chris Warrington. The ad will appear across satellite and digital channels ("all very male-biased," says Warrington), as well as assorted music channels too, for the 50 Cent connection. The TV will be supported by online elements, with targeted ads on facebook and rollover ads on Sun and Nuts sites. A Daily Star ad will appear on the day of release. In keeping with much of the campaign, it will focus on the Heat-style action elements. As Warrington said: "This genre continues to to do brilliantly well and we're making the connection to films such as Heat." Last week we discussed the launch of Sky Atlantic and its wealth of HBO programming and it was interesting to see a new joint campaign from Warner and HBO hitting last weekend. The promotion is offering all season one TV box sets from the two TV giants from a mere £7 per title for the whole of the month. Titles on offer include True Blood, The Sopranos, ER and Vampire Diaries. The campaign includes outdoor elements, national press advertising, which was all over the nationals last weekend, and PR elements. And more on that Atlantic launch too. HBO's home entertainment arm is convinced that the much-talked about launch – did you see how much coverage it got over the weekend? – is going to give it huge successes with its forthcoming releases. As HBO's Ian Fullerton said: "Once again Sky has proved that it can deliver a marketing campaign that makes people stop and listen. Everyone I have met in the industry over the past few months has been talking about Sky Atlantic. As a channel it’s certainly filled with shows that I want to watch, and the Sky launch and marketing support has been a massive boost to not only to the individuals shows but also to the HBO brand. For HBO’s DVD & Digital business this is, I believe, a game-changer. The awareness and excitement around our new shows will undoubtedly mean more interest in the home entertainment product. The last HBO show that Sky purchased that had a massive promotional campaign was The Pacific and look how phenomenally that sold on DVD. And furthermore Sky’s marketing has invested a high level of desirability into TV product in general. My question to the industry following the Sky Atlantic’s launch would be 'have American TV shows ever been cooler or more desirable?'. If the answer to that is no, then that makes me feel very positive about the home entertainment TV market."  It marks the end of another hectic week for Arrow, which also this week appointed Nick Frame to the role of product manager. He has previously worked as a freelance producer for the Arrow Video imprint and High Rising Productions and has, the company said, "been an essential part of the development of Arrow Video". In other acquisitions news, Trinity Filmed Entertainment has signed a deal for UK theatrical and DVD rights for "controversial psycho-sexual thriller" Red, White & Blue. The title is due in May at cinemas, followed later in the summer by home entertainment. Trinity's Mark Sandell said: "We’re so pleased to have picked up the film from Celluloid Nightmares. Simon has created something visionary and brilliant but also challenging and raw. It’s a perfect film for us – unique and uncompromising." Back to Berlin, and, among the announcements due, is a UK distributor for Kevin Smith's Red State, which is changing the distribution model for films, according to some industry observers (see previous newsletters). Stay tuned for more…  QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"People would tell me 'Your service is going to be dead in a few years because it's physical'. But those physical customers are now starting to watch digitally and are migrating at their own pace." LOVEFiLM chief executive Simon Calver, interviewed in The Sunday Times.
RELEASE OF THE WEEK Mike Leigh is rightly considered by many – The Raygun included – to be something of a national treasure. What's more his quality threshold has never lowered over the years, and his current output, as proven by Another Year, due from Momentum on February 28, is testament to that fact, standing alongside some of his finest moments that now spans five decades. Marketing for the release will be targeted towards ABC1 consumers, with press advertising in national newspapers and weekend supplements in the run-up to and in the week of release. Its PR will include support from Leigh himself and some of his cast, including the BAFTA-nominated Lesley Manville. Momentum's Kristin Ryan said: "The reactions to Another Year have been incredible. It was the best reviewed film of 2010 and revisiting or discovering it on DVD has been deemed an absolute must. We have loved working with Mike Leigh in the past and with this touching exploration of friends and family set over four seasons, he's yet again, improved on his personal best." AT THE MOVIES Tangled and The King's Speech were duking it out at the top of the cinema charts, with the former now passing the £10 million barrier and the latter now passing £30 million (it has this week overtaken Slumdog Millionaire's lifetime total. Momentum also enjoyed a success with The Fighter, which opened with more than £2 million in revenues. The James Cameron-produced Sanctum took more than £850,000, A Little Bit Of Heaven £443,156 and Brighton Rock £352,815. Some film news from the UK, and a press release landed in our in-box about forthcoming British horror film Elfie Hopkins. It is noteworthy not just for its home entertainment friendly content, it concerns cannibals in a British rural hunting village, but also because it marks the first time that Ray Winstone has starred alongside his daughter Jaime. Also of note is that it's produced by Black And Blue Films, which includes Jonathan Sothcott, who started his career in and around our industry – for more on him, see our website and this week's contribution to our regular My Inspiration feature. We've been tracking the plans for a remake of the excellent 1970s sci-fi actioner Logan's Run, and this week's update is that Ryan Gosling is in talks to star in Warner's planned project. It's further rumoured that the excellent Nicolas Winding Refn will star. The tale, of course, concerns a world where anyone passing the age of 30 is summarily executed to keep the population down. Let's hope it eventually arrives before we get any older… SITE OF THE WEEK Still not bought that all important Valentine's Day card yet? Try this clever one promoting Fox's Family Guy… http://www.facebook.com/FamilyGuyUk?sk=app_135575849838953 TWEET OF THE WEEK We've mentioned it already, but we loved the What Would John Wayne Do elements for Paramount's True Grit. Check them here http://twitter.com/#!/TrueG_JohnWayne and follow us at http://twitter.com/#!/theraygun TRAILERS OF THE WEEK Loads of Superbowl-related action…
Now with added cowboy and alien action…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdy4eRKrf_8 Don't mention that other film, beginning with "I"… http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/universal/adjustmentbureau/ Forget the trailer, what's going on with The Rock's beard? http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/universal/fastfive/ Captain America's well buff… (We spent ages freeze framing to get a better glimpse of the Red Skull…) http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/captainamericathefirstavenger/ JJ Abrams ramps up the interest in his next feature… http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/super8/ Not one but two spots for Jack Sparrow… http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/disney/piratesofthecaribbeanonstrangertides/ And an ace additional Transformers special…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhQKyg6EyTI To subscribe to The Raygun newsletter, please email info@theraygun.co.uk
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