Opening Day for Serenity! by zeke023

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Opening Day for Serenity!

POSTED BY: ZEKE023
UPDATED: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 14:28
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VIEWED: 6180
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Wednesday, June 23, 2004 3:36 AM

I've been away for a while, so perhaps this was already mentioned...

We need to schedule as many people to see Firefly on Opening Day as possible. As you all probably know, a lot of prestige is earned by movies for how much money they make in their opening weeekend. If we can schedule Shindigs... surely we can schedule to have a few hundred theatres sell out on opening night?

If anything it would get the film publicity, no? Last I heard the only way to see more firefly is to make this film do well!!!

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Wednesday, June 23, 2004 4:51 AM

CARDIE

I agree. It's important to go that first weekend, to bring as many people with you who might not ordinarily have gone to see the BDM, and to see it several times. And everyone should pay every time they see it, if that's at all possible. We all know that you can see two consecutive screenings of a movie by ducking into another auditorium until the one where it's playing has been cleared by the staff, but you only count for Serenity if you buy a ticket each time.

Unlike the Nielsens, which probably underestimate the numbers of Browncoats, ticket sales will be an accurate reflection of who went to see the BDM. There won't be any excuses if it underperforms.

Cardie

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Wednesday, June 23, 2004 4:59 AM

STANDING8

firefly fans should camp out in a line like starwars fans do cause then when and if the media gets involved that would give the show so much publicity. and walker bys ask what movie your in line for, and you tell them "serenity", that will make them much more curious about the movie.

yeah its stupid haha, it WOULD make more people want see it though imo.

im going to my nearest movie theater and camping out right now!

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Wednesday, June 23, 2004 6:43 AM

CALIGARI

Here's a little plan I've been working on - Call in sick Opening Day, see the film at first showing, in order to experience the film and safely burst into tears of joy in a relatively uncrowded theater, then go to an evening showing that same day, in order to experience the crowd effect, with all the yelling and cheering and such. There's two entries at the box office right there. Then find a theater that allows for presale, buy a couple of evening tix for Saturday, and give them to an unsuspecting individual. Four box office entries, you get to see the film twice, and possibly make two converts, who may end up spreading the word themselves....

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Wednesday, June 23, 2004 7:38 AM

KINGOFKOINS

Well, I know I plan to ditch classes that day, bus myself out to Denver, and see it at least three times in a row (paying for each showing of course). I'll be doing this with my roommate, so that means six tickets sold right there. I'll also be posting a charged statement on my website instructing people to go see it opening day. That didn't work when I did it for Wonderfalls, but this time, who knows...

--------------------------------
It's sickening how comforting the privacy of the mind can be.
"Bible's broken; contradictions, false logistics. Doesn't make sense." - River
http://stripe.filetap.com

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Wednesday, June 23, 2004 12:25 PM

SPLIBERTARIAN

So, I've been wondering...

Does anyone know specifically how the ticket sales translate to the film's earnings? Is it a dollar for dollar exchange? Is the number of tickets sold simply multiplied by an average estimated cost? Is there some set percentage of the actual ticket sales?

Does a discounted matinee ticket mean less money attributed to the movie or just to the theater? Same question with coupons, gift certificates and the like.

Similarly, does a moviegoer in NYC earn the film more money than a moviegoer in a less expensive part of the country?

Questions, questions...

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Wednesday, June 23, 2004 3:32 PM

CALIGARI

Quote:
Originally posted by splibertarian:
So, I've been wondering...

Does anyone know specifically how the ticket sales translate to the film's earnings? Is it a dollar for dollar exchange? Is the number of tickets sold simply multiplied by an average estimated cost? Is there some set percentage of the actual ticket sales?

Does a discounted matinee ticket mean less money attributed to the movie or just to the theater? Same question with coupons, gift certificates and the like.

Similarly, does a moviegoer in NYC earn the film more money than a moviegoer in a less expensive part of the country?

Questions, questions...

Answers, answers, of a sort.
According to the American Film Insitute Desk Reference, when a film is released, it relies on "a sliding scale of percentages, with a number of variables, including the theater's operating costs". It states that a "90/10 is common. Here the distributor demands 90 percent of the grose box-office take minus the (house) nut [operating costs]...If the two sides agree to set the nut at $20,000, and the first week's gross box-office take is $50,000, the distributor's rental fee that week would be 90 percent of $30,000, or $27,000 [50k minus 20k minus 10% for the theater, which is why _theaters_ make no money from films, they make it from popcorn]."
Having said that, I can state from my own working in various theaters that at the end of the night, the manager would either call the main office for a chain of theaters or the local distribution rep in the case of a solo theater, and give the individual totals for each film. From this, the distributor can figure out percentages and either bill the theater or simply expect the check in the mail for that aforementioned 90% of the box office, minus the nut. Now, this gross dollar amount is forwarded by the distributor to the Powers That Be who released the film, and it is these numbers that one _tends_ to see on those box office totals. I say tends, because the studios can also fudge a bit with the numbers that they release to the media (as opposed to numbers that the accountants work with). See, a distributor can tell a studio how many theaters and how many screens a film will show in, and some studios have diabolical algebraic formulas that can give a ballpark total, and this, occasionally, is given to the media. I point out the little problem that occured when there was some question about _Big Fish_ awhile ago, when someone somewhere overestimated the gross, and the Number One film really wasn't.
Basically, the total gross given on those Top Box Office lists is not stating that a given movie shoveled that amount into a bag and went home, it was the total amount called in by the night manager to the distributor, who tells the studio, who releases the number to the media. The actual cash is much smaller.
Gift certificates are considered cash, and are called in with the totals, because money was used to purchase the cert.

Now I need a beer....

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Wednesday, June 23, 2004 3:51 PM

MER

I'm hoping that I'm not the only one on opening night (hopifully) to see it. I also hope to dress up in Firefly gear, but that's a high hope right there.

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Wednesday, June 23, 2004 4:15 PM

GUNRUNNER

Me and my dad opening weekend and several after that. I'll be waring a Jayne Shirt and a Jayne Hat.

The Firefly CCG Yahoo Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/FFCCG
The Firefly CCG Forum:
http://s8.invisionfree.com/FFCCG/
My Other Site:
http://www.geocities.com/billds9/

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Wednesday, June 23, 2004 5:17 PM

RICKKER

I've already got my parents to come opening day. My best friend will hopefully get his wife and folks. His fols already liked the series. Also thinking of getting my sis, nephew,and sis boytoy....friend to go. I'me gonna take off work. Postal clerk. No transportation of human cargo-especially dead cargo. Maybe even extended family several cousins in area with kids.

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Wednesday, June 23, 2004 5:37 PM

CALIGARI

Quote:
Originally posted by rickker:
I've already got my parents to come opening day. My best friend will hopefully get his wife and folks. His fols already liked the series. Also thinking of getting my sis, nephew,and sis boytoy....friend to go. I'me gonna take off work. Postal clerk. No transportation of human cargo-especially dead cargo. Maybe even extended family several cousins in area with kids.

See, here's a good example (thanks for volunteering, rickker :) ) of less persuasion and more of a "here, just go" kinda thing I was talking about. Instead of trying to "get" friends and relatives to go, do a little digging into their weekend plans, see if they are, indeed, staying home to do that one jigsaw puzzle that's in the hall closet, and then go and get a presale set of tix and _give_ them to friends/relatives. See, whether they go or not is up to them, naturally, but if the tix are already _purchased_, then there's two more sets of entries that can be chalked up on the _Serenity_ box-office totals. It's not like the money doesn't count if noone uses the tix; hell, we could each all buy twenty tix and then set them on fire, and _Serenity_ would still have the box-office total. Of course, individual solvency of funds are a factor in this aspect of the Master Plan, but you see, I hope, the spirit of the thing. Besides, why wait for a national holiday to give loved ones a present?

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Friday, June 25, 2004 2:58 AM

ZEKE023

Quote:
Originally posted by Cardie:
I agree. It's important to go that first weekend, to bring as many people with you who might not ordinarily have gone to see the BDM, and to see it several times. And everyone should pay every time they see it, if that's at all possible. We all know that you can see two consecutive screenings of a movie by ducking into another auditorium until the one where it's playing has been cleared by the staff, but you only count for Serenity if you buy a ticket each time.

Unlike the Nielsens, which probably underestimate the numbers of Browncoats, ticket sales will be an accurate reflection of who went to see the BDM. There won't be any excuses if it underperforms.

Cardie

Hell... buy a ticket for Serenity anytime you can... no matter what movie you are going to see.

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Friday, June 25, 2004 5:51 AM

CARDIE

That's a cool strategy I hadn't thought of, Zeke. You can tell I grew up when there weren't multiplexes!

Cardie

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Friday, June 25, 2004 12:20 PM

KARENKAY99

Quote:
Originally posted by zeke023:
Hell... buy a ticket for Serenity anytime you can... no matter what movie you are going to see.

i can't imagine there will be anything on i would want to see instead.

the plan around here is friday night, saturday night, and a sunday matinee. and if a theatre in town does a thurday night/friday morning thingy, we'll be there.

"They say the snow on the roof is too heavy. They say the ceiling will cave in. His brains are in terrible danger."

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Monday, June 28, 2004 3:21 AM

ZEKE023

Quote:
Originally posted by karenkay99:
Quote:
Originally posted by zeke023:
Hell... buy a ticket for Serenity anytime you can... no matter what movie you are going to see.

i can't imagine there will be anything on i would want to see instead.

I meant for the next few months, every movie that you see until Serenity leaves the theaters, buy a ticket for serenity.

If you see four additional movies in the two months that Serenity is in the theaters, just buy tickets for Serenity and then go to see the other movies.

It's kind of moral grey area - like Lobbying (which is just State sanctioned bribery). :)

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Monday, June 28, 2004 4:47 AM

OBSIDIAN

I take it you're rich then! Send me a few of your millions and I'll do the same over here in the UK.

Alternatively I could lobby my boss for a payrise with Serenity as my new outgoing.

Never fear, I will scrape together the pennies regardless.

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Monday, June 28, 2004 4:49 AM

ZEKE023

Quote:
Originally posted by Obsidian:
I take it you're rich then! Send me a few of your millions and I'll do the same over here in the UK.

Alternatively I could lobby my boss for a payrise with Serenity as my new outgoing.

Never fear, I will scrape together the pennies regardless.

Um... four movies is like $30.
How much are you paying over there?

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Monday, June 28, 2004 5:19 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

Quote:
Originally posted by zeke023:
I've been away for a while, so perhaps this was already mentioned...

We need to schedule as many people to see Firefly on Opening Day as possible. As you all probably know, a lot of prestige is earned by movies for how much money they make in their opening weeekend. If we can schedule Shindigs... surely we can schedule to have a few hundred theatres sell out on opening night?

If anything it would get the film publicity, no? Last I heard the only way to see more firefly is to make this film do well!!!

Opening day is not going to be a problem for me. I for one intend to be the first in line at the first showing in the theatre close to me. I will camp out if need be, but I will be the first. I will be seeing it several times that first day and will have as many as my converts w/ me as can make the showings.

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

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Monday, June 28, 2004 7:21 AM

SWITCHY

Just a suggestion. Whether it be as organized as a shindig or not, browncoats in every town should select one or two theatres to target for the opening weekend.

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Monday, June 28, 2004 11:09 AM

WILDHEAVENFARM

Are we gonna dress up?

P.S.: Dressing up is only cool if other people are doing it too, TRUST ME.

Mary
Always a beast, never a burden.

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Tuesday, June 29, 2004 2:01 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

Quote:
Originally posted by WildHeavenFarm:
Are we gonna dress up?

P.S.: Dressing up is only cool if other people are doing it too, TRUST ME.

Mary
Always a beast, never a burden.

I have considered dressing up. I am 95% likely going to go in my browncoat costume. I think it would be cool to get pics next to the movie poster to post. I had thought a great idea would be for as many of us as possible to post pics of ourselves in front of the movie poster in a show of support for the movie.

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

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Tuesday, June 29, 2004 3:04 AM

WILDHEAVENFARM

You know what would be really great? If the powers-that-be set up a virtual ticket window some time before "Serenity" actually opens, and we flood them with virtual purcahses, and they go ahead and start filming another movie.

Mary
Always a beast, never a burden.

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Wednesday, June 30, 2004 2:28 PM

THATWEIRDGIRL

1) We always buy our opening day tickets online beforehand--typically a theater thing.
2) We always go to the scifi shows w/at least 7 other people 1st show and a weekend follow-up---this time it will be lots more!
3) I expect my parents will plan on going and they will tell their friends.
4) I'll be blogging about it for weeks leading up to the movie.
5) I'll be my best Kaylee.
6) I'll submit a review to all the underground papers in town.

www.thatweirdgirl.com

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