From IndieWire, read about Juno and the challenges, and rewards of Indie Film Distribution models.
A planned Friday bump to 1,850 runs qualified Fox Searchlight’s teen pregnancy comedy “Juno” as the widest release in the mini-major’s history and helped Twentieth Century Fox’s specialty division achieve the largest, year-end market share among its competitors. “Juno” quickly became the most significant studio specialty film of 2007 thanks to its diverse audiences and widespread popularity. In a year of increased challenges and stagnant art house box office, “Juno” stood out as a beacon of hope for Indiewood in 2008.
Wide releases and aggressive marketing campaigns used to be the domain of studio tent-pole releases like 2007’s top film, Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man 3.” The standard business model for specialty distributors like Sony Pictures Classics and Paramount Vantage revolved around fewer prints, smaller debut weekend revenues, limited ad budgets and slow platform expansions to various cities across the country. “Juno,” which has earned over $30 million since its Dec. 7 debut and reached number five on the overall box office chart, helped support the case regarding aggressive release strategies and big buget marketing campaigns for specialty fare. “It’s drawing all ages,” said Sheila Deloach, Senior Vice President, Fox Searchlight Pictures, comparing “Juno” to past Indiewood hits like “Brokeback Mountain,” “Sideways” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” “At one stage the film was heavily drawing females over twenty-five but it’s crossed over to everybody, everywhere loving the movie.”
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