BoxOffice® Pro - October 2012

ALTERNATIVE CONTENT
D&E
ENTERTAINMENT
BROUGHT THE 1967
BEATLES FILM YELLOW
SUBMARINE BACK TO
THEATERS EARLIER
THIS YEAR
Although players in the space say that this
type of programming is still in its infancy,
alternative content has gained a foothold in
movie theaters over the past decade. Alternative
content providers have learned a thing or two
about what audiences want—and we’ve asked
them to share their insights about what makes
people go to the multiplex to not see a movie.
CHOICE
“Audiences want control over how they engage
their content—in theaters, on a computer,
iPad, iPhone, smart TV, via Netflix, Hulu,
SnagFilms, VOD, iTunes, etc.,” says Rich Angell,
principal at Arnold Park Digital, a media
company that has partnered with Sonic Equipment
to outfit independent movie theaters with
digital cinema equipment in exchange for playing
Arnold Park’s exclusive content. “They also
want to be able to choose what content they
engage. … However, there is less of a choice
when it comes to the theaters, be it at the major
cineplexes or independents.”
Industry leader NCM Fathom has found
success appealing niche audiences too small
for television to cater to, citing Drum Corp
International, the high-school marching band
competition that it’s broadcast for nine years.
“It’s incredibly successful every year,” says CEO
Kurt Hall. “We can make it work because all
we need is somewhere in the neighborhood of
300 to 500 avid fans in any given market to
make it successful for us. Being able to cater to
these more niche or focused groups of people is
a key attribute of what we do.”
AN EVENT
“Filmgoers want an experience at the theater,”
says Jonathan Chaupin, director of film marketing
and distribution for D&E Entertainment, which
releases 8 to 12 films a year, specializing in concert
movies for the likes of Led Zeppelin, Bruce
Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix, and the Killers, but
also handling sports, documentaries and comedy
films. “I’ve been to many concert films, both live
and prerecorded, and it’s still an incredible communal
thing to watch fans stand in their seats or
the aisles in movie theaters. Albeit the experience
is different, it’s still an experience, and it’s what
people are looking to get out of their homes and
do during the week or on the weekends.” D&E
sweetened the deal for families attending its Yellow
Submarine screenings, for example, by handing out
Beatles kids books and branded yellow tote bags.
LIVE AND 3D
“Our main focus is on the live experience,”
says Julie Borchard-Young, president of BY
Experience, which distributes events ranging
from The Met to the Big Four (Metallica, Slayer,
Megadeth and Anthrax). “That’s where we sort
of stuck our flag in the ground and made our
mark with the belief that live or as close to live
as possible is really what galvanizes audiences to
congregate in movie theaters.”
NCM Fathom is taking live alternative
content a step further, experimenting with live
3D. “We did 3D for the World Cup a couple
of summers ago, we did a little Wimbledon last
summer, and we’re experimenting right now
with UFC, so clearly right now 3D provides a
value proposition [consumers] can’t get in the
home,” says Hall. “If you provide something
that’s unique and they can’t get elsewhere, that’s
something that will really drive people to the
theaters.”
INTERACTIVITY
“In L.A., there’s nothing like going to
Landmark Theatres or the ArcLight, watching
the movie, and then seeing the cast come
out and answer questions live. That’s just
awesome,” says Chaupin. With digital satellite
capability, moviegoers all over the country
can see the same film and then “watch a live
Q&A after the film that’s being filmed in
L.A. at ArcLight Cinemas. … You’ll be able
to tweet a question from your theater in Birmingham,
Alabama, as to why the filmmaker
made that choice.”
“During the intermissions in our operas, we’ve
put the Twitter feed up on the screen so people
can see people tweeting reactions from theaters all
over the country,” adds Ira Deutchman, managing
partner of Emerging Pictures. “These are the sorts
of things that make people feel like they’re part
of something larger, and I feel like that is what
makes people want to go to the movies.
REGULAR PROGRAMMING
“Alternative content needs to be packaged
in strands,” says Deutchman, whose Emerging
Pictures offers programs like Opera in Cinema,
Ballet in Cinema and festivals built around a
filmmaker or country of origin. “Consistency
of programming over a long period of time is
what’s necessary to really build an audience. The
Met is perhaps the best example of that because
they’ve stuck to a very clear schedule, and over
the number of years that they’ve been doing it,
the audience keeps growing.”
“Some of our exhibitor partners said to us
that they intend to have a dedicated auditorium
in their multiplex for alternative content,” adds
Borchard-Young. “They want seven days a week
to have something going on on that screen.”
COMMUNITY
Both Hall of NCM and Chris McGurk,
CEO of Cinedigm, also talk about programming
what they call “channels,” dedicating an
auditorium each weeknight to a different genre
of alternative content such as the arts, action
sports or documentaries. “And documentary
filmgoers love to discuss their documentaries
with other likeminded intelligent people,”
says McGurk. “By doing it under a banner—
‘Monday night is Doc Night’ or whatever—
they’re going to know if they go to their local
theater at 7 o’clock on Monday night, not only
are they going to get to see a great doc, but
they’re going to have an audience of people
who are just like them who they can meet and
discuss the doc and that kind of thing.”
(more Alternative Content on page 28)
26 BOXOFFICE PRO OCTOBER 2012