This is topic Spirited Away reissue in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 03-25-2003, 11:39 PM:
 
Is anyone else opening this on Friday? Does anyone actually believe that this will do business? Even with the Oscar, I'd be surprised if it did well in mainstream theatres; it didn't do especially well in its initial release and the DVD is apparently scheduled to be released in a few weeks.

Thoughts?
 

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Posted by Dino Panagiotopoulos (Member # 1579) on 03-26-2003, 12:33 AM:
 
We are releasing this waste again on Friday. It didnt do business on its initial release and it DEFINITELY wont do any just because some morons try to tell you its good by giving it an Academy Award.
 

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Posted by Nicholas Roznovsky (Member # 861) on 03-26-2003, 12:46 AM:
 
My chain's Waco theater is opening it on Friday. Anybody wanna guess how a Japanese cartoon is going to fare in Waco, TX?

Just another example of Disney (who picked up the US distribution rights) rehashing the same old crap to make more money. I expect this to do about as well as that genius Dinosaur / Gone In 60 Seconds double feature crap they tried to pull a while back.
 

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Posted by Elena N. Solovyova (Member # 1636) on 03-26-2003, 02:24 AM:
 
Central Partnership Ent. re-issues "Spirited away" in Russia, too.

I'm delighted. Anyway, the cartoon definetely does not match the "crap" definition.
 

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Posted by David Rigby (Member # 1301) on 03-26-2003, 02:47 AM:
 
Well I don't know of anyone that's seen this and hasn't been utterly enthralled by it (FWIW like me these folks generally don't go for typical Japanese animation of the robots n fluffy monsters variety). Maybe people don't give it the time of day because it looks foreign - but that doesn't make it bad. It's the diametric opposite of bad, actually. Personally I'm hoping for a cinema release here so I can see it on the big screen (I have an import DVD).

David
 

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Posted by Nicholas Roznovsky (Member # 861) on 03-26-2003, 10:42 AM:
 
Oops, I didn't mean to imply that Spirited Away was crap. I just commonly affix that label to things that Disney makes money off of. The critics seem to love it. People on this forum seem to love it. The general populace - that's a different story. I have yet to see a "mainstream" population forum where this film rated very highly with the common joe. I haven't seen it myself, so it would be unfair to pass judgement on its artistic merits.

As for its business side, WTF? I still don't see the point of releasing this film into our Bible-thumpin' central Texas hick little market. All four people who wanted see it already drove to Dallas. Good goo, why can't we use that auditorium for another print which might actually have a chance at covering the light bill?

Showing Oscar-winning critically acclaimed movies is great, but if you're expecting less than 50 people all weekend, its not exactly going to keep you in business.
 

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Posted by Adrian Steiner (Member # 1527) on 03-26-2003, 10:52 AM:
 
Spirited Away will start here in Zurich tomorrow, and I'll go and watch it. Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke) will be shown again, too. AFAIK Spirited Away was in the programme before it got an Oscar - about two weeks earlier.
Probably these animes will get some attendance, since mangas and animes are somehow "in" here.
I saw Mononoke Hime on DVD some weeks ago, and I found it a nice movie, but I won't go watching it again.

Adi
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 03-26-2003, 12:35 PM:
 
BV handled Spirited Away as an arthouse release on its original US/Canada run. That's why the grosses weren't as big as many thought.

BV is making a smart move to cash in on the Oscar. Many theaters that didn't play Spirited Away last fall will pick it up Friday. They include the UA East Hampton, County Theater (Doylestown PA), Regal New Roc City and Loews New Brunswick.

The Loews Lincoln Square, AMC Empire and AMC Hamilton are also getting Spirited Away back.

Incidentally, most of the arthouses that ran Spirited Away last fall won't get it back due to product flow. In lower Manhattan the original run was at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema; the re-release goes to the UA Union Square. In Montclair NJ the Clairidge is opening Bend It Like Beckham (New Jersey exclusive) and Laurel Canyon (national arthouse break).
 

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Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 03-26-2003, 11:46 PM:
 
Spirited Away begins its first Bakersfield, CA engagement this Friday.
 

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Posted by Josh Kirkhart (Member # 1046) on 03-27-2003, 02:12 AM:
 
Nicholas, I take a little offence to your Texas comments. I can understand your comments as far as the general release considering the crap advertising and follow thru, but Waco is not a 'Hick' town, its of fair size and I'm sure it has as many 'Hicks' as your city and surrounding area does. Waco has a couple of college kids running around that may want to check it out. I'm sure they will pull it if there is no business for it and what the hell is out that is of any more worth this feature? OH, thats right, you haven't taken the time to see it, sorry.

My two cents. I like that they are rereleasing and expanding some runs due to the awards. The awards bring a more mature audience that needs to be told whats good and by all means I'll accept thier cash and sell them some popcorn. Spirited Away is a tough sell to begin with, but it is more apt to have a older crowd anyway since it does not have a saturday morning cartoon or rabid-yet cute little aliens running around dressed as elvis. We had this on about 4 screens here in Austin during its release i believe, not bad.
 

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Posted by William Bunch (Member # 1040) on 03-27-2003, 02:15 AM:
 
I got to see "Spirited Away" on a big DLP screen in Tokyo last year. It is a good story and the animation and backgrounds are awsome. Colors were spectacular. The soundtrack had lots of separation and motion on the screen. When Sento walked to the other side of the screen her voiced moved with her. Will the overseas version have the same?

It sort of falls into a cult category for a certain group of anime fan. If "Princess Mononoke" did well in your area then you could see some patrons for this one too.

Not sure about other countries but "Spirited Away" has been running consistently in cinemas in Japan for some two years now. But this is Japan. With the DVD soon to appear it may be that the mainstream crowd may wait for the "plastic" version.

This movie makes you forget you're watching animation. It has the very same intrigue that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" brought to the screen. The movie's popularity is spread by word of mouth.

Call a video store and ask them how many pre-sales (reservations)they have for the DVD. That will give you some idea of intent in your area.

I loved this film and will pay to see it again.
 

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Posted by Nicholas Roznovsky (Member # 861) on 03-27-2003, 02:36 AM:
 
Waco is most DEFINITELY a hick town, as many towns in my home state of Texas are. Having a lot of people doesn't mean anything. Just watching the local news in Waco is enough to clear up any question as to whether it's a "big city" or not. There's the news from the rest of the world, news about the next food drive, a cute story on replacing the windows at an elementary school, sports, and weather.

I'll admit that they're making a concerted effort to redo downtown and present a sophisticated image, but the real Waco is pretty evident for anyone who's driven through on Hwy. 6. There aren't any cows running through downtown, but the Heart O' Texas Fair is still the biggest and most important thing in Bell County each year.

I haven't seen the movie! Ouch! I'm stung! If you would have bothered to have read my posts completely, you would have seen that I was addressing the business potential for the film, not the merit of the film itself. I don't really care if the film contains wonderful messages about life and happiness, I mostly care about whether we'll break even on it or not.

I have no doubt that theaters in Austin will be able to play it well, but if you think Baylor kids are going to line up for an animated film from Japan, I believe that you are sadly mistaken. Like I said, the very small group of kids that did want to see it made the hour and a half drive to Dallas weeks ago to see it. This is a town where foreign films with much stronger word of mouth support have flopped, films like Life Is Beautiful and Il Postino.

I did not mean to offend you or anyone you know in Waco, but I stand by my words. It's not a major market; it's not even really a secondary market. Because of its population, it keeps on getting limited releases and they flop miserably every time, whether they're showing at our theater or the competition.

And to answer your question (and give further proof of the market condition), I'm sure we'd make more off of a second print of Agent Cody Banks than we will off of Spirited Away. Sad, but true.

I came from a hick town in Texas, but I've learned to deal with it and move on. There's no shame. It happens to the best of us. Heck, I even went to school at A&M. I'm surprised I even have running water in my own home.

So, to sum up my posts from this thread: Spirited Away is NOT crap, I should have not called Waco a hick town even though I think it is, and I don't expect bidness to be boomin' for the film despite the Oscar. I think that last one was on topic.
 

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Posted by Josh Kirkhart (Member # 1046) on 03-27-2003, 02:21 PM:
 
"So, to sum up my posts from this thread: Spirited Away is NOT crap, I should have not called Waco a hick town even though I think it is, and I don't expect bidness to be boomin' for the film despite the Oscar. I think that last one was on topic."

I said before that I agreed with your assesment and offered other reasons that could possibly bring in business. Obviously your company whether by contract or otherwise is atleast willing to take a chance in Waco. Just because a community has fun celebrating together and is more worried about the outside world because they don't have a lot of problems in thier community to fill thier nightly news doesn't mean its full of hicks. I'm gonna agree to disagree about Waco with you. If I would have known I was responding to an Aggie I wouldn't have bothered to take the time. Have a good one, and keep that positive outlook.
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 03-27-2003, 05:01 PM:
 
BV will re-release Spirited Away in 711 theaters per Mojo. The original run topped out at 151 theaters (10/18-24/2002).
 

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Posted by Jacob Huber (Member # 1138) on 03-28-2003, 09:39 PM:
 
We started this today, and it's doing really well, almost selling out all of the matinee shows (dunno about evening). Could have something to do with the fact that it is Spring Break and the kids are out of school, that it, Piglet, and Cody Banks are the only things that one could consider being kids movies, or that it won an Oscar for best Animated Feature. I'm pretty sure it did no business when it was originally out exclusively at our competitors before the Oscars.
 

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 03-28-2003, 09:57 PM:
 
I do not care about the negativity some have towards the Academy Awards but in my opinion, it does have the power to make more money for a film after winning. This has been proven time and time again and that is the reason why Oscar winners return to theatres if they had not yet been released on home video. I understand the early April release of "THE PIANIST" on DVD has been delayed because of the new theatrical life generated by winning three Academy Awards including 'Best Actor', Best Director and 'Best Screenplay'. As for "SPIRITED AWAY", I have not seen the film yet because the only theatre in Honolulu with a Japanese print ran it only in analogue Dolby SR. I want to see the film with digital sound in Japanese and will soon have that opportunity on DVD at home.

-Claude
 

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Posted by John Carpenter (Member # 1488) on 03-29-2003, 09:40 AM:
 
This is actually the third time we have had this film here (and we have of course had to preview it every time) And for yesterday - it was busier than its previous runs here? Why??

Of course it will probably show up again for a 4th time this summer for our free kids films...
 

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Posted by Daniel Burns (Member # 1549) on 03-30-2003, 01:16 PM:
 
My theatare actually just opened this on Friday, and we sold out some shows friday, and Saturday night. I had to screen this print and had no; idea what it was about. I thought my parents generation was demented, but whomever thought up some of that stuff was pretty off the wall. People in Arlington, tx seem to like it.
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 03-31-2003, 03:24 AM:
 
claude, i have to ask: as a photographer, don't you think it's more important to see the full resolution of a 35mm film image than to hear digitally encoded sound? certainly, sr can sound excellent. and even though it's animated, spirited away has some stunning sequences. i, too, would have preferred the japanese version, but it wasn't playing around here, which makes me surprised that it was even released in the u.s. that way. you should take advantage of the opportunity.

i don't consider myself to have seen a film unless i have seen it as a film. it's like the difference between looking at a painting and looking at a picture of a painting in a book.

carl
 

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Posted by Nicholas Roznovsky (Member # 861) on 04-01-2003, 12:13 AM:
 
The results from Waco are in! This weekend's totals (actual admission counts, not guesstimates )

Friday: 12
Saturday: 24
Sunday: 7

Grand total: 43

I'm told by the local staff that four of the ones on Sunday were repeat customers from Friday. Not too shabby for four shows a day. Works out to an average of 2.6875 patrons per show.

BTW, I did take the opportunity this weekend to see the film up here in Denver and I did enjoy it, although I don't think it's the life-altering experience that many have made it out to be. Something I'm glad I saw, but don't really need to see again.
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 04-02-2003, 11:21 AM:
 
The AMC Hamilton and 2 Regal megaplexes near me hold Spirited Away over next week for a full round of shows. The Loews New Brunswick moves Spirited Away to matinees only in a double-up.

OTOH the Loews New Brunswick gets a local exclusive of Bend It Like Beckham -- two weeks before the AMC Hamilton.

[ 04-15-2003, 05:03 PM: Message edited by: Charles Everett ]
 

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Posted by Nicholas Roznovsky (Member # 861) on 04-07-2003, 09:28 PM:
 
It would appear that the reissue didn't have as much as steam as Disney had hoped, at least not down here in Texas. Spirited Away is booked for all of our chain's discount houses for this weekend.

Unless I'm misunderstanding some brillant marketing strategy involving sub-run theaters.
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 04-09-2003, 10:56 PM:
 
I never really understand the glee some express (re also the Gods & Generals and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind threads) when a film does poorly. Don't we want films to be successful? Don't we prefer people to see them in theatres rather than on DVD?
 

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Posted by Nicholas Roznovsky (Member # 861) on 04-09-2003, 11:52 PM:
 
I really wish people would stop putting words into my mouth. There's a difference between remarking on a film's poor performance and taking glee in it. If there was any glee in my post, it was in proving that I do indeed know my own markets better than people who haven't been in them.

Sure, I want to make money. But I won't support stupid moves by studios and then somehow feel guilty when they can't identify the proper marketplace for their products.
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 04-11-2003, 12:20 AM:
 
Many people in this thread. What made you think I was talking about you? Then again, what makes me think you're talking about me?
 

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Posted by Nicholas Roznovsky (Member # 861) on 04-11-2003, 02:02 AM:
 
Heh heh. Good point.
 

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Posted by Brian Zeisler (Member # 1333) on 04-12-2003, 03:54 AM:
 
i think the biggest problem with this film is the fact that it is being released by a disney company . then disney finds the WORST possible people to do the voice-overs. gillian anderson as moro in princess mononoke, concidering the original voice was male . they should just release them all sub-titled, the way they were meant to be seen.
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 04-30-2003, 02:21 PM:
 
Princess Mononoke had its US release through Miramax That self-centered outfit sat on the movie for a year before dumping it on Halloween '99.

From what I understand, Disney hired the writers of Shrek to translate the Spirited Away dialogue into English. I didn't see the English dub but I can understand Disney's reasoning for it. Most audiences won't see a film that's 100 percent foreign-language.
 

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Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 04-30-2003, 02:56 PM:
 

quote:

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That self-centered outfit sat on the movie for a year before dumping it on Halloween '99.

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