Movie release facts for kids
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A movie release is when a finished movie is shown to the public for the first time. This is also called a premiere. Movies can be released in cinemas or for people to watch at home. The day a movie is released can really change how much money it earns.
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How Movies Are Marketed
The release date of a movie and how it is shown to the public are part of its marketing plan. Marketing helps people know about the movie.
Testing Movies with Audiences
Sometimes, a movie is shown to a small group of people first. This is to see if they like it. This is called a limited release. A movie might also be shown at a film festival. If the audience doesn't like something, the moviemakers can change it. They do this before the movie is released to everyone.
Avoiding Competition
Movie studios try not to release too many big movies in one year. They also try to avoid releasing a major movie at the same time as another studio. The release time can affect how much money a movie makes. For example, in 1995, A Little Princess came out at the same time as Pocahontas. Both movies were for the same audience. This meant they had to share viewers, which affected how much money they made.
Movie Release Calendar
There used to be special times of the year for different kinds of movies.
Blockbuster Movies
Summer was often the time for blockbuster movies. These are big-budget movies with lots of publicity. They are usually very popular. Christmas is another popular time for major movie releases.
Changes in Release Dates
Now, the movie calendar is very busy with many new releases. This means that big blockbuster movies can come out at any time of the year.
Prints and Advertising
A print is a copy of the physical film itself. Each movie theater needs a print to show the movie. Making these prints is expensive. The cost of prints and advertising is often called 'P&A'.
Advertising a Movie
Advertising can include parties for the stars of the movie. It can also mean arranging interviews on talk shows. Putting movie clips on video sharing websites like YouTube is also common. All of this is done to get people talking about the movie.
The Advertising Timeline
Movies are usually advertised only a few weeks before they are released. After that, moviemakers hope that people will talk about the movie. This helps spread the word even more.
Platform Release Strategy
The movie Four Weddings and a Funeral was released in the United States in 1994. The company that distributed it, Polygram, did not have a lot of money for P&A. So, they released the movie in only a few cities first, like New York and Los Angeles. They spent a lot on advertising in these cities. They hoped this limited release would be a big success. It was!
They then used the money they earned to slowly release the movie across the whole country. This is called a platform release. It helps smaller movie studios compete with bigger studios. Big studios often have huge budgets for advertising.
