BoxOffice® Pro - October 2012

ALTERNATIVE CONTENT
TRAVIS BARKER
GETS TATTOOED
DURING FILMING
FOR DOCUMENTARY
TATTOO NATION BEING
RELEASED BY D&E
ENTERTAINMENT IN
EARLY 2013
There are some parameters. Alternative
content, for example, plays once or twice on
cinema screens rather than four to six shows a
day, seven days a week. Some alternative content
companies, though, are indeed programming
feature films under that kind of schedule.
“The world of independent film and the world
of alternative content are in effect slowly merging,”
says Ira Deutchman, managing partner of
Emerging Pictures.
Film releases under the alternative-content
model include deserving independent and
documentary films that might not otherwise
see the light of a projector. “Tons of films a
month are being distributed on VOD, and it’s
difficult for them to separate themselves from
others,” says Jonathan Chaupin, director of film
marketing and distribution for D&E Entertainment,
who scours not only festivals but
Kickstarter for content. “It helps filmmakers
negotiate their other revenue streams if they got
exposure at the theatrical level.”
Deutchman cites Joffrey: Mavericks of
American Dance as a surprise success story for
Emerging Pictures. “It was a film that could
have been done any number of ways, but we
collaborated with the filmmakers to make it
into an event,” he says. “It was done from Lincoln
Center, where it was the opening night of
NCM Fathom will present Lawrence of Arabia 50th
Anniversary Event: Digitally Restored on Thursday,
October 4, 2012, featuring an exclusive introduction
from Lawrence of Arabia star and Academy Award
nominee Omar Sharif.
a series called Dance on Camera, and it turned
out that we did very, very nice box office just
about everywhere that it played.”
Meanwhile, Monumental, a documentary in
which Kirk Cameron retraces the steps of the
Pilgrims, did well for Fathom with the promotional
backing of its star and other celebrities
like Glenn Beck, whose comedy stage shows
have also been distributed by Fathom. Fathom
is also repackaging classic movies like The Birds,
Lawrence of Arabia and To Kill a Mockingbird
with extra never-before-seen-content, and
Emerging Pictures is programming series
around filmmakers like Jacque Tati, Charlie
Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock and Kurosawa.
Cinedigm is bullish on this idea of series
programming. “We’re very focused on beginning
to launch what we call channels—alternative
content channels into theaters,” says Chris
McGurk, CEO, citing documentaries, action
sports and urban programming as good candidates
for regular weeknight series. “We hope to
have three or four of these alternative content
programs debuting in theaters in the next 12
months. And each one of those would have at
least one new content presentation per month.
… You’re talking about a very high volume of
new content being presented to exhibitors.”
(more Alternative Content on page 32)
30 BOXOFFICE PRO OCTOBER 2012