Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Redline mystery

This is topic Redline mystery in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mark Igel (Member # 3517) on 04-11-2007, 11:51 PM:

Tonight, we received a fax from Technicolor that said REDLINE would be delivered tomorrow by courier, just like every other Technicolor print. We don't have it booked, so I called Technicolor to advise of the error. Without giving the title, I explained briefly the situation and the lady asked: "is it Redline?". She then went on to say that the film company had booked it for us, for 5 weeks starting Friday, and she asked if we would accept the delivery. I confirmed our theater account and name with her, she said it was correctly addressed. She went on to say that the film company was sending the print to 30 theaters in the US to screen.

It all sounds strange, and if I hadn't called them, I'd think it was a joke.

Anyone else have any more info? We'll see if it actually shows up- and what the fallout is tomorrow.

(our theater is the only one for 40 miles, with 3 screens and a population base of 12,000)

[ 04-12-2007, 07:23 AM: Message edited by: Mark Igel ]

Posted by Frank Dubrois (Member # 3042) on 04-12-2007, 01:00 AM:

Didn't they (or someone) do that same thing with BloodRayne? I thought I heard something about theaters getting that when it wasnt even booked.

Posted by Bernie Anderson Jr (Member # 410) on 04-12-2007, 11:12 AM:

we're getting the print on Friday too. But its an actual booking from the home office.

Bernie

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 04-12-2007, 12:14 PM:

We had our print of Ultimate Gift before it was even on our upcoming list from AMC and we got it about 2 weeks before it was released. Would've built it up earlier if we had confirmation we were gonna play it.

Posted by Bernie Anderson Jr (Member # 410) on 04-12-2007, 01:57 PM:

Yep. Had that too! Showed up and no one knew what it was about. I had a couple like that. Thr3e was one of those odd ball titles.

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 04-12-2007, 02:45 PM:

Yes, Bloodrayne was shipped to hundreds of theatres it was not booked at. I don't know why anyone would be dumb enough to think such a money wasting stunt would help get their movie played. That is of course unless it was just an honest screw up that generated the order for all those prints and the subsequent shipping orders....

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 04-12-2007, 04:20 PM:

Speaking of Redline:
We've got this gigantic standee for the movie. They went so far as to have it include a TV which plays a DVD with the trailer for it continuously. Apparently, they sent it to every theater in the area (including one which they didn't bother checking that it had room for it in their lobby).

But it's not even playing in the theaters nearby most of the places they sent those stupid standees to. Clearly, they were thinking ahead on this one.

Posted by Mark Igel (Member # 3517) on 04-12-2007, 05:28 PM:

..so the print did show up. The word on the street is that the film company probably guaranteed a certain number of playdates to the film maker, hence, the shipments without confirmed dates (like us). Our booker said to hold onto it and if it does well this wekend nationally- we'll play it next Friday. So, their plot will have worked- as long as the film delivers over the weekend.

Posted by Alex Grueneberg (Member # 2652) on 04-12-2007, 06:38 PM:

Chris, we got the tv as well. It's been just sitting in the booth. Word has it we got an email from someone that said just to discard the 20 inch flat (tube) tv and standee. A house manager wants it but I think I'm going to argue that the brake room would make sense!

Let's send a massive standee with a tv out to theaters that arnt even playing it! Good thinkin. Promotional budgets have stopped making sense to me a long time ago though..

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 04-12-2007, 06:57 PM:

That would be a big improvement over the TV we've already got in the break room for entertainment and training.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 04-12-2007, 07:03 PM:

If you played a movie you never ordered or contracted for, would you, in the absense of an agreement, owe anything? Maybe it is a gift.

Posted by Chris Dugan (Member # 3893) on 04-12-2007, 07:06 PM:

Took the shipping company about a month to finally get us the standee. Had the TV and TV stand for about 3 weeks. Just sitting in the booth.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 04-12-2007, 07:08 PM:

If you played the movie? Yes...they are still the copyright holder. You certainly can't be billed for either shipping to/from the theatre. You could probably charge reasonable storage fees too.

Steve

Posted by Frank Dubrois (Member # 3042) on 04-12-2007, 07:12 PM:

We're actually showing the damn movie and we never got a standee OR TV. Where do we bitch about that?

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 04-12-2007, 07:18 PM:

That just made my day. Coordinated marketing effort at it's best...

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 04-12-2007, 08:14 PM:

"It's just that...I'm not so sure how well this plan was thought out...."

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 04-12-2007, 08:23 PM:

quote: Ken Lackner
"It's just that...I'm not so sure how well this plan was thought out...."

...... Master????

We got the print, too. It was too late for me to ask my booker about it, but I can't imagine her knowing anything without calling us.

How do you clear a screen and play this without advertising or promotion of any kind?

Posted by Dominic Espinosa (Member # 2122) on 04-13-2007, 12:44 AM:

As of this afternoon 4 of our locations that aren't booked for RedLine had prints on hand...
Way to go, Tech!

Posted by Alex Grueneberg (Member # 2652) on 04-13-2007, 07:07 AM:

Aww darn it. I never got the tv stand! [Mad]