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WORD OF MOUTH AIDS THE IMPOSTER
HMV IS REAPING THE REWARDS…
AS HUNGER SCALES NEW HEIGHTS
VIRUS GOES, ER, VIRAL
HOME CINEMA DAY ARRIVES
FRIGHTFEST: RETAIL REACTION…
…UNIVERSAL'S MARY PERFORMS WELL…
…NIGHT AND OUTPOST II LAUNCH AT EVENT
LAYING DOWN THE LAW
YOU WILL SEE THE DOCTOR NOW
EMPIRE CONTINUES TO BUILD
I'M ALL RIGHT, JACK…
…MEATY ROLES FOR WHITEHALL
FATHER TED WINS SITCOM POLL
A CHEESY SURPRISE
COULTATE LEAVES UNIVERSAL
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
EVENTS OF THE WEEK
AT THE MOVIES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
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It Was A Good Week For… Revolver's The Imposter made an impressive theatrical bow…
It Was A Bad Week For… Anyone buying UK vod rights, as the price has risen tenfold, according to Blinkbox. Netflix is to blame (see Quote Of The Week, below)…
The four-day Bank Holiday weekend proved to be a fillip for Revolver and helped its documentary The Imposter to an opening weekend haul of £345,279, with a remarkable screen average and reports of sell-out screenings at venues around the country. Its opening was bigger than those of other money-spinning documentaries such as Marley, Man On Wire and Touching The Void. The success marks another strong performance in Revolver's ongoing partnership with the Picturehouse group of cinemas. In a joint statement, the former's Justin Marciano and the latter's Claire Binns said: "With a bold marketing campaign positioning this film as a psychological thriller, and fully supported by the BFI P&A Fund, we are delighted with the result and are looking forward to securing some more hits together in Toronto." The title is now set up nicely for an impressive theatrical run ahead of its home entertainment release.
Monday September 3 sees the countdown finally ending and The Hunger Games kicking off the hugely busy month of September in style. Following last week's news story outlining some of Lionsgate's impressive marketing, word has reached us about a number of different initiatives involving the blockbuster. HMV will be helping launch the film around the country by holding its own "reaping" events, mirroring those in the film. Twelve different stores will be hosting reapings in conjunction with Foursquare on Sunday, September 2, before the local winners are entered into a competition in the capital, the eventual winners picking up tickets to the next film in The Hunger Games franchise, Catching Fire, with further givcaways and prizes too. HMV's Gennaro Castaldo said: "We've been looking to lead with a strong social media campaign to support a key release and perhaps try something a bit more innovative, and The Hunger Games, with its 'district reapings' lends itself perfectly to Foursquare-based activity. The Hunger Games is such a great way to kick off a fantastic Q3 and Q4 that beckons. Our aim is to combine in-store theatre with social media to really engage with customers and help make the big franchises even bigger."
 More Hunger Games activity came in the shape of a special event at London's O2 Arena, held in conjunction with website Digital Spy. The event saw a special screening of the 15 certificate version of the film, and 12 lucky winners (or, again mirroring the film, "tributes" actually scaled the venue, reaching the top and taking part in their own reaping, again with the prize of tickets to the next premiere. Eventual winner Ryan Crane, from Leytonstone, east London, said: "The event was brilliant, it was really windy when we got to the top and really dramatic. I'm so excited to be going to the world premier, it was so unexpected. I dorkily hugged the guy when I won, it was quite embarrassing."
Social media such as Twitter is crucial to the success of The Hunger Games, and this weekend is set to see a flurry of further activity on the micro-blogging site. eOne is staging what it's calling a virus outbreak on Saturday from midday (using the hashtag #RECvirus), with the world's first Twitter theatre production, all marking the release of [REC] Genesis on Monday September 3 (the film has already had a hugely successful first public outing at Film4 FrightFest, for more on that see below). Here's some youtube footage put together as part of the stunt…
We've mentioned it before, but it's worth another plug, as tomorrow is the first Home Cinema Day, what hopes to become an annual event organised as part of the Scala Beyond cinema season. It's organised in conjunction with MovieMail and Film4. We're currently planning our viewing and ourselves and plenty of other film fans will be tweeting during our viewing, you can follow it using @homecinemaday or using the hashtag #hcd2012. And, of course, you can follow us on www.twitter.com/theraygun… You can read more about Home Cinema Day over here on our website
 Back to the Bank Holiday weekend and the Empire in London's Leicester Square was the focal point for horror fans, as the annual Film4 FrightFest event took over the venue for five days. And it was good to see retailers out in force, sampling current and forthcoming horror flicks from around the world. We canvassed them for their thoughts. HMV's Tim Scaping said: "FrightFest had its usual mix of styles within the broad horror/fantasy genre, with thrillers, comedies and arthouse films from around the world making it a well-rounded line-up. My favourites were Maniac, Sleep Tight, Sinister, American Mary and V/H/S, though I also liked Berberian Sound Studio, Tower Block, [REC] Genesis, The Seasoning House and Grabbers." Sainsbury's Daniel Hood said: "I thought this year's Fright Fest was very good. With a good mix of "the good, the bad and the ugly" of the latest horror films, plus a chance to see some classic Hammer films on the big screen. Personal favourites were American Mary, Grabbers, Rec3 and Stitches. With the stand out for me being Metrodome's Sleep Tight. A genuine true to life horror film. I will be banging the drum about that one for the rest of the year. Appearances by Ross Noble, Simon Pegg, Alan Ford, Sean Pertwee, Alex Garland, Stephen Woolley, legendary makeup artist Greg Nicotero and numerous film makers and starlets goes to show that Fright Fest is not just some UK horror festival, but one of the most respected and premier film festivals in the calendar and a must for any fans of horror and genre film-making. Long may it continue." Our regular columnist Alex Kidd has penned his thoughts on some of this year's FrightFest event, you can see them over at our website, www.theraygun.co.uk
The aforementioned American Mary was one of the hits of the event, with the arrival of its directors, twins the Soska Sisters, proving to be one of the weekend's talking points. It's a local acquisition by Universal and its faith in the film looks set to pay off. Universal's Mike Hewitt said: "We were delighted with the reception for American Mary at Film4 FrightFest, from both fans and critics alike, and are thrilled to see it emerge as one of the best films to play over the whole weekend - no mean feat considering the exceptional line-up. Additionally, we were very pleased to be able to bring over the fantastic twin sister directors, Jen and Sylvia Soska, and their wonderfully talented actress Katharine Isabelle for the screening, all of whom graciously took time with all of the fans, exemplifying the true spirit of the event where filmmakers can really engage and embrace with their audience. Universal Pictures UK greatly looks forward to releasing this phenomenal film early next year."
 Last year we wrote about how FrightFest is becoming an increasingly important event for launching horror fare at cinemas and, especially, on DVD. If you need further proof check the response to the screening of Momentum's vampire tale We Are The Night. The airing for the October release drew positive comments across the board and it's proved to be the perfect vehicle to launch the film. Here's some of the comments it picked up during the event: Kim Newman said: "Dennis Gansel, director of The Wave, delivers a stylish treat in We Are the Night, in which a Lisbeth Salander-type pierced ragamuffin pickpocket (Karoline Herfurth) is inducted into a Daughters of Darkness-style undead coven, and discovers the joys and limitations of the chic lesbian vampire lifestyle." Chris And Phil Present said: "Forget Twilight, this is the best vampire film of 2012", while Brutal As Hell suggested: "Great fun... an urban, all-girl Near Dark by way of Blade and Underworld... a good level of violence and sex appeal."
Film4 Frightfest also saw the arrival of two Nazi Zombies for the premiere of Outpost II: Black Sun. The two zombies caused quite a stir amongst the hardened horror fans, none more so than controversial comedian Frankie Boyle who took his time to cosy up with the Zombies for some photographs. The stunt was organized by MarketMe on behalf of Icon and Lionsgate. Kaz Mills, senior product manager at Lionsgate, said: “The Nazi Zombies went down a storm at Frightfest , we used the original costumes from the film and invited fans to have their picture taken with the zombies to drive social media awareness. This week the Zombie visited media houses achieving online and social media coverage with Total Film, Zoo and Terrorizor." We'll have some pictures up on our website soon…
Speaking of Momentum, while the FrightFest event was drawing to a close, The Raygun was at Somerset House for the closing night of the annual Film4-sponsored screening season, which doubled up as the UK premiere for Lawless. It's a wonderful venue with a huge screen, although sitting on cobbles was rather uncomfortable. And the film itself? The Nick Cave-penned tale, directed by John Hillcoat is as violent as you might expect and we reckon it could well be on our Best Of 2012 list come the year end… It will arrive on DVD and Blu-ray next year.
 TV now, and in case you hadn't noticed, this weekend sees one of the most eagerly awaited television events of the year: the launch of the new series of Doctor Who adventures. The Raygun will be glued to our TV sets on Saturday evening for the release. It's being released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 29, but, in a smart move aimed, we suspect, at eliminating online piracy and illegal downloads, the debut episode of the Matt Smith-starring outing, will be available to download from September 9. It's a move that's being repeated in other territories, it's airing almost simultaneously in the US to avoid problems, while in territories such as Australia, its also available to view online through official channels as soon as the BBC airs it in the UK.
Staying with TV and Monday September 3 sees the launch of the second season of one of our favourite US TV programmes, Boardwalk Empire, via HBO. It sees Martin Scorsese's creation still at the top of its game and is being given a push by HBO. The company's Sophie Knight said: "We’re very excited for the release of Boardwalk Empire Season 2 this coming Monday. We are launching the season with a bang with a nationwide press campaign for the week of release across nationals, weekend supplements and entertainment press. The release will also be advertised across Sky and 4OD VOD channels as well as enjoying some prime time on the big screen for the upcoming film Lawless. We’ve really drawn on the history of the series throughout our campaign, focusing on the modern day Speakeasy and the glamour and wonder of the 1920s. We went to town and treated key media to a drop-in pamper evening at a 1920s-style groomers on Regent Street. Press were invited to experience a typical 1920s wet shave, or have their hair, lips and lashes styled 20s style to celebrate the release. Burlesque and blackjack ensured the evening was full of entertainment. Know Who’s Behind You this coming Monday, as Boardwalk is back, and Season 2 is the biggest and best yet.”
It looks like Jack Whitehall, star of not just one but two of our favourite new TV comedies, Bad Education and Fresh Meat, is set to be everywhere this autumn. For the well-spoken comic’s two aforementioned TV shows are making their way to DVD, as is his debut stand-up title, the latter two from 4DVD. The fresh-faced chap is picking up more and more fans, thanks to his turns in Fresh Meat, as one of a group of new students and Bad Education, where he plays a teacher. And there's the small matter of his first live outing too. 4DVD's Claire Bosak said: "Jack Whitehall’s star is definitely on the rise. With his numerous panel show appearances and now two hugely successful and critically acclaimed TV comedies under his belt he has become a household name – a real all-round comedy talent."
 Fresh Meat, meanwhile, is due to start its second series soon, giving 4DVD the perfect launchpad for the October 1 release of the first term. Whitehall excels as a well-spoken, amoral student and the series also stars, among others, The Inbetweeners' Joe Thomas, won fans not only among its target audience, but also picked up BAFTA nominations too. 4DVD's Claire Bosak said: " There is a real buzz around the broadcast of the second series of Fresh Meat which makes great timing for the DVD launch of series 1. We are going to be hitting fans with an engaging national radio promotion during the peak breakfast time slot which will also be supported by targeted online and press."
Sticking with Channel 4 and we were glued to its 30 Greatest Comedy Shows poll the other night, which celebrated the station's outstanding comedy titles over the years. It was a rollicking good run through Channel 4's output (and much of 4DVD's catalogue too), with Father Ted deservedly running out as the top show, as voted for by viewers. All of which ties in rather neatly with 4DVD's plans for the series in the autumn. Now the rights to the programme have reverted back to what 4DVD said is "it's rightful home", it is treating the perennial favourite, which sells 40,000 titles regularly during the Q4 period, as a new release. 4DVD's Claire Bosak said "We are thrilled that Father Ted won Channel 4’s greatest comedy show and to have the series in our catalogue. We are celebrating this by releasing a brand new complete collection boxset. We are working closely with the creators Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews to create a fan’s edition of the boxset which will include all 3 series, all of the previously released extra material plus brand new commentaries by Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews, so each episode will include a commentary. There will also be a new to DVD Channel 4 documentary included. The artwork is also going to be something special in itself; bespoke packaging by renowned illustrator Tony Millionaire."
An interesting delivery arrived on our doorstep this week, containing, among other things, some camembert, a tourist guide to the Big Apple, a pregnancy testing kit, a Blu-ray check disc and other paraphernalia. The reason? It was for Network’s October 1 release of the Julie Delpy film 2 Days In Paris. The contents of the bag, of course, tied in to the film, Delpy’s directorial debut, in which she also stars alongside Chris Rock. Network's Luciano Chelotti said: "The mailer was sent out to a number of key magazine, national press and digital media outlets by Network's in house PR team. Despite the camembert, and without wanting to be too cheesy, we wanted to build up some interest in our biggest title for Q4 by sending out some key objects relating to the film, which would create some banter and chuckles for this critically acclaimed relationship comedy which stars Juie Delpy and Chris Rock. One journalist has already put in a bid for Marion Dupre's soul (played by Julie Delpy)."
And we'll end with a fond farewell to our old pal Alex Coultate, one time Asda buyer, most recently head of sales, who is leaving the major to move into the games industry, as commercial director for Sony's PlayStation arm. We joined Coultate, Universal staffers and assorted retailers in wishing him goodbye in Soho last night. Highlight of the evening were the Alex Coultate masks lying around. No, seriously. You can see Coultate meeting Barack Obama over on our Twitter feed, www.twitter.com/theraygun…
 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “We are investing in the market because we believe this has the potential to be a very large market. It's a well established market, so if you think that these are too high, then they're too high for the BBC and Sky too. The way my licensing team works is that if something gets viewed a tremendous amount of times, let's pay a tremendous amount of money to get it. It's not like we've just dropped into town and started dropping money on this thing. We've been doing this in the US, which is also a difficult media market, for over six years. This is a big business and a big market and, yes, it's expensive.”
Ted Sarandos defends the price Netflix is paying for UK content, after Blinkbox's Michael Cornish said the company had forced the price of rights up tenfold since it arrived on these shores… Netflix recently signed its millionth UK customer
EVENTS OF THE WEEK
We joined some of the FrightFest attendees for a few beers after the Lawless premiere on Monday evening, bade goodbye to Universal's Alex Coultate at LVPO in Soho and, on the same evening, joined Momentum for drinks with some of its staffers celebrating long service at the company, including Kristin Ryan, Ken McMahon and Neil Williams.
AT THE MOVIES
We've already discussed the impressive bow for The Imposter, and also at the box office, Brave continued its run at the top, it has now talking £13.2 million, ahead of Ted, with a mammoth £25.6 total. New entries were Keith Lemon: The Film (£1.2 million) and The Three Stooges, with just over £500,000.
Some TV news now and we read with interest that Weeds creator Jenji Kohan is working on another new series for Netflix, Orange Is The New Black. The drama series, joining its House Of Cards remake and the new episodes of Arrested Development on Netflix's slate, follows a New York woman sent to jail for a crime committed when she was at college. It will star Taylor Schilling, most recently seen in The Lucky One with Zac Efron.
The London Film Festival's on its way – we're sorting out our press passes as we speak – and the event has announced both its opening and closing films. Tim Burton's Frankenweenie will open the event on October 10 and, 11 days later, Helena Bonham Carter, Burton's missus, will appear in its closing flick, Mike Newell's new take on Charles Dickens' Great Expectatyions. The cast also features Robbie Coltrane, Jason Flemyng, Sally Hawkins and Ralph Fiennes. The Festival's archive gala screening will air a newly-restored version of Alfred Hitchcock's silent film The Manxman.
Game to film adaptation news of the week concerns the long-mooted take on Metal Gear Solid. It seems as if, after years of rumours, the film could be on the cards. Producer Avi Arad is said to be behind the latest version, although there's no news on casting for its hero Solid Snake yet…
TWEET OF THE WEEK
We’ve been posting some more pictures of our collection of promotional tackle, and loads more. Follow us on www.twitter.com/theraygun
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Eagerly awaited, from the man behind The Kill List…
One of the big hits of FrightFest, from Lionsgate…
Not a film, but the best trailer we've seen this week, due on telly soon, followed by DVD from BBC Worldwide
More swearing, this time courtesy of Seven Psychopaths…
One of the hits of Frightfest…
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