Posted on 02/08/2004 6:34:09 AM PST by truthandlife
Mel Gibson who spent as much as $30 million of his own money making a film he was warned would be a box-office disaster may recoup his entire investment within five days of its opening on February 25.
According to the Los Angeles Times, no booster of Gibson's "The Passion of The Christ" just three weeks before its release the film "has the industry buzzing -- not just because of its controversial portrayal of Jesus' last hours -- but because it seems to be generating the kind of interest among moviegoers that could deliver $25 million to $30 million in its first five days."
Considering that distributor Newmarket Films has yet to run either conventional print or television ads in advance of the film's opening the tracking numbers which show that on Friday, the ticket-selling group Fandango's advance sales for the film comprised 43% of its total sales this week are, the Times wrote it is "remarkable for an R-rated religious-themed movie employing unconventional marketing techniques."
The Times credited the huge interest in the film comes from what they called "an unusual marketing campaign in which Gibson has reached out to sympathetic Christian evangelical churches which included a so-called satellite-broadcast "training event" that the newspaper reported would be staged in about 400 churches nationwide Sunday providing a 'boot camp of information' about outreach opportunities, organizers told the Times.
Gibson himself was expected to participate in a live Q & A from Azusa Pacific University, part of a yearlong collaboration between his Icon Entertainment and church groups to create grass-roots support for the film, which opens on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Outreach Ministry Inc., Vista, Calif., sent out DVDs with the movie's trailer to "most churches in the United States," and the Christian Booksellers Assn. is asking 2,500 retailers to consider selling tickets and posting displays about "Passion" in their stores. "Everything about this movie has had an agenda -- on the part of those who support it and those who don't," one marketing executive from a studio not affiliated with the project told the Times. "That creates a very combustible mix that could reap significant box office results."
AMC Entertainment Inc. will be exhibiting "Passion" in 150 theaters nationwide, while the Regal chain has booked it in 420 of its 550 locations. Church groups have reserved entire auditoriums for advance screenings two days before the release, Dick Westerling, Regal's senior vice president of marketing told the Times. "We expect a huge opening," he said. "The volume of group sales is unlike any we've experienced. Advance sales are also going well, though not at the level for other event films such as 'The Lord of the Rings' or 'Harry Potter.' "
"Passion" websites, both rogue and officially sanctioned, received about 8 million hits Thursday.
According to the "tracking" survey, 15% of those polled said "Passion" was their "first choice" among the movies listed, edging out "Barbershop 2" and "Miracle" by 2 or 3 percentage points. In terms of "definite interest," it fared even better, scoring 49% to "Miracle's " 46%, and "Barbershop 2's" 37%. Still, when it came to overall "awareness," the Newmarket release took a back seat to "Barbershop 2." "The study is only a snapshot, giving executives a feel for where they are now and how to adjust their marketing campaigns," Newmarket President Bob Berney told the Times "Still, it shows that there's a hungry audience out there. Far from having second thoughts, exhibitors are fighting over it. Advance sales are in the several millions [of dollars]. Still, we're staying with our plan to release it in 2,000 theaters, concentrated a bit more in the Bible Belt. I'm told it's the widest release for a subtitled film -- certainly for one in Aramaic and Latin."
"The film could tap into a group of people, in small towns or wherever, who make it their one moviegoing experience of the year," an analyst, who declined to be identified by name told the Times. "If so, the research could be the tip of the iceberg. Still, questions need to be answered. Did people say 'The Passion' was their first choice because they felt they should? Has interest already peaked or will they follow through?"
The unnamed analyst will soon have his question answered.
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